Distance / B vs. G vs. N / Adaptors in Wireless Networking http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r16766386 en Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:47:35 EDT Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:47:35 EDT Re: Distance / B vs. G vs. N / Adaptors http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16770997 vincentfox : Most people are better off building a simple reflector. Follow the templates here:

»www.freeantennas.com/

This will give you a REAL and quite cheap gain through obstructions. Of if your router has removable antenna and you prefer pre-made solutions go to any computer store you will find a shelf full of panel antennas and other choices.

Buying pre-something routers is chasing the wrong end of things IMHO and proving to manufacturers that hype and marketing will convince end-users to spend more money on ever-more bizarre technical fixes.

For most users, most of the time, the "I can't get to the other end of my house" is an antenna selection problem, not a which-router-to-buy problem.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16770997 Thu, 24 Aug 2006 12:38:21 EDT Re: Distance / B vs. G vs. N / Adaptors http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16770740 ccbadd : From that link: "More typically the 802.11g clients experience some degradation in performance, but they still perform noticeably faster than their 802.11b counterparts."

802.11b does have some negative impact like I stated before, just not quite as bad as:

"if you have a device connecting to the router that cannot use anything but an 802.11b connection, all of the other devices on your network will also get bumped own to 802.11b speed of 11Mbps".

That is all I wanted to get accross.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16770740 Thu, 24 Aug 2006 11:51:25 EDT Re: Distance / B vs. G vs. N / Adaptors http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16770197 Sneezy : Actually, I have it on solid grounds that it does reduce performance when you have an 802.11b client logged on a to a network with mainly 802.11g users.

Typically, the rate on the other 802.11g clients drops to in and around the same level as the 802.11b client. Here is a link that states this very same issue, and there are many many more that state the same condition, just Google it.

»compnetworking.about.com/od/wire···11bg.htm

It begins discussing it at bullet #3 down.

But I do agree with you regarding the fact that ANY MIMO router should do a better job of carrying a signal then a conventional router. The DIR-635 that I am using merely takes advantages of both Pre-N features and MIMO. But if you have no need for the features of an 802.11n router then by all means, a MIMO router should indeed work wonders.

And yes, as CCBADD mentioned, the Zyxel X-550 is a very good router. I've had a brief period of use with it and it was quite superb to say the least. SO you could be looking at a 3rd option if you decide to go in that direction.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16770197 Thu, 24 Aug 2006 10:19:22 EDT Re: Distance / B vs. G vs. N / Adaptors http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16769925 ccbadd : First, Any good MIMO router will improve your coverage and speed, don't worry about if it says "Pre-N" or not. Have a look at this:

»www.tomsnetworking.com/2005/11/2···e13.html

I have a Linksys WRV-200 and a Zyxel X-550 and both flat out blow away my old favorite, Linksys WRT-54G(S)'s for both coverage and speed. I still use the plain 802.11g clients I did with My WRT-54G's which are now acting as clients in some places. The Zyxel is on sale at Compusa right now also for ~$40 after rebate which is a steel.

sneezy, using mixed 802.11b and 802.11g devices on a mixed network does have an impact on performance, but does not limit all devices to the lowest common speed.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16769925 Thu, 24 Aug 2006 09:30:46 EDT Re: Distance / B vs. G vs. N / Adaptors http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16769816 Sneezy : As mentioned before in this topic, Pre-N routers are supposed to dramatically boost your wireless "reach." Realistically, they do not differ much currently from 802.11g routers.

HOWEVER, there is one major exception to this! I currently have a dual router/gateway setup because of my PC and Xbox 360 wireless connectivity, we wont get into that.

My first router, the one that provides the clients (including the second router) with their DHCP assigned addresses is a D-Link DIR-635 router with Pre-N technology.

My secondary Router is a D-Link DI-624 router that I only use to connect my Xbox 360 to and does not have DHCP duties to carry out.

When I am near either of the two routers, they both show a full 54.0Mbps connection rated at an Excellent signal level. However, as I begin to roam the house with my laptop, and mainly when I go one floor down, the DI-624(802.11g) router suddenly drops its signal to a Good-Low strength, and has never connected at more then 48Mbps.

But, the DIR-635 router will continue to work at an outstanding 54Mbps with an Excellent signal! So there is definitely a difference in between technologies.

But it is important to noe that I could be getting even more throughput out of my 802.11n router if I purchased an 802.11n PCMCIA card for my notebook, rather then using the built in 802.11g connection that is built in, currently there is no need for me to do this however because the router does provide me with excellent signal even on a G network.

But what is very important to note is what kind of devices will you be running on ur network, because regardless of what type of router you purchase, even if it is an expensive full-blown router, if you have a device connecting to the router that cannot use anything but an 802.11b connection, all of the other devices on your network will also get bumped own to 802.11b speed of 11Mbps. So you must make sure that if you buy an 82.11g router, the devices that will be using it will actually be taking advantage of it!

Sorry for rambling on, but if you have any questions, post again, and I will try to answer them :)! ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16769816 Thu, 24 Aug 2006 09:06:33 EDT Re: Distance / B vs. G vs. N / Adaptors http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16768118 Golferdude77 : I had a g router and had trouble reaching the other end of the house also. I am going through 3 rock walls and two sheetrock walls, so alot of barriers. I got a pre-n router, and it did help the coverage and speed. And I am only using a std. g adapter. Comp USA has a good deal on a Pre-N, Belkin router, plus you get a "free" usb print server (after rebate). I bought it mainly for the additional coverage and not so much the speed. But if I put in the right card, I could take advantage of the speed. Good luck.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16768118 Wed, 23 Aug 2006 23:20:23 EDT Re: Distance / B vs. G vs. N / Adaptors http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16767992 LLigetfa :
said by Mr Network See Profile :

You may notice a distance gain using 11g equipment however, because there is a chance the the power output of an 11g router could be greater than that of an 11b router, this would in turn provide more coverage.
The specs I've read on most consumer radios indicate the opposite. G runs with slightly reduced power than B.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16767992 Wed, 23 Aug 2006 22:57:26 EDT Re: Distance / B vs. G vs. N / Adaptors http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16766906 Mr Network : Theoretically, Pre-N devices should greatly improve the coverage in your home. Realistically, it all depends. The biggest difference between B and G is speed. The distance with these two technologies should be pretty comparable, especially considering 11g used 11b when the signal begins to degrade in order to maintain a connection. You may notice a distance gain using 11g equipment however, because there is a chance the the power output of an 11g router could be greater than that of an 11b router, this would in turn provide more coverage.

11n, or pre-n, products because of the antenna technologies should give you the best range out of the 3, assuming you use an 11n adapter on your client computer. This has been proven in many reviews from different publications. The bad thing about wireless however, is that your results will differ from everyone else. The technology is too environment dependent to be predictable.

If I were you, I would try out 11g first, since there is a good chance that this will clear up your problem. Pre-N products are, for lack of a better word, immature at this point and could potentially cause you more headaches than they are worth. That and they are a bit pricier. If you do decide to go with 11g products, remember, you get what you pay for. Don't go out and buy the cheapest thing on the shelf. The easiest way to cut down price is to sacrifice performance.

One other thing, don't use a repeater, try higher gain antennas instead. Not going to get into it, but when using a repeater, your effective throughput is cut in half.
--


.: I'm no expert :.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16766906 Wed, 23 Aug 2006 20:14:29 EDT Distance / B vs. G vs. N / Adaptors http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16766386 tdcinc : Newbie here.

Just set up comcast with modem to Linksys B router. Everything working good with the exception that I get poor connectivity at the other end of the house. What can I do to improve - move to G router? some sort of repeater?

Also curious about the B vs G vs pre-N routers - anything of real value in upgrading vs. the speed (unless the upgrade will fix the distance issue)

And finally, I have a couple of desktops that I would like to hook in to the wireless network - any recommendations on adaptors?

Many thanks...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16766386 Wed, 23 Aug 2006 19:02:50 EDT