Wireless-N

mhidalgo

Hi,
My router is Wireless-N enabled but my PC isn't. I've been thinking about installing this on my desktop - cisco-routers.co.uk/u/pd/nwd170n-draft-n-10-300mbps-laptop-pc-card/91005159001b/771397 - but I'm not sure how much it would benefit me.. Any ideas?

JasX

Basically switch up to Wireless N and you'll get faster wifi transfer speeds at the expense of slightly diminished range/blocking of your wifi signal due to walls etc.



a)-you'll likely only notice this for local file transfers unless your internet is faster than wireless G (about 30MBps realistically)

b)-if you have any other wireless G devices still connected they will continue to drag the speed your router operates at down as it still needs to talk in G to some connected devices.

kwikbreaks

JasX wrote: »

Basically switch up to Wireless N and you'll get faster wifi transfer speeds at the expense of slightly diminished range/blocking of your wifi signal due to walls etc.

One of the claimed benefits of Wireless N is that it improves the range over Wireless G.

JasX

kwikbreaks wrote: »

One of the claimed benefits of Wireless N is that it improves the range over Wireless G.

ahhh, maybe i'm thinking of 2.4 Ghz v 5 Ghz wireless N there rather than N vs G..... my bad :A

kwikbreaks

JasX wrote: »

ahhh, maybe i'm thinking of 2.4 Ghz v 5 Ghz wireless N there rather than N vs G..... my bad :A

I'd have thought that 5GHz might have less range than 2.4GHz too but according to the table at the end of the specs page on Wikipedia they are both the same. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11n In practice 5GHz would probably be better in most locations as it is a lot less common so there'd be less interference.

mhidalgo

After looking around a bit, it's been suggested I go with something that's full Wireless-N not Draft-N, even though that's more expensive, so ramblax.co.uk/p~p-93707027.aspx , perhaps?

JasX - the other laptops in the house are Wireless-N compatible

kwikbreaks

I'm bemused by that. It's another router. You said your existing router is N capable but your PC isn't. If you buy that you'll have 2 N capable routers and a PC that isn't.

mhidalgo

Thanks.

So I should actually be looking at something like ramblax.co.uk/p~p-96172624~Linksys-WMP600N-WiFi-80211-N-Dual-Band-PCI-Card-4260039348245.aspx (an N-enabled PCI card) perhaps, if I were to go wireless-N?