Questions about Routers, Wifi and Network cards

Computer_Freak

Computer_Freak

Active Member
Hey guys

1st off, i want to update my wifi network as we are getting a weak signal, and some cuts.

so, what router should i get for max range and speed??

and what brand? Netgear, D-Link, Belkin or Linksys?

2nd Are the Wifi Dongles any good? or is a PCI Wifi card better for signal?

I was thinking of going for a Netgear Wireless N Router, with a matching PCI card/USB dongle.

tell me what you think

thanks guys
 
I prefer Netgear. Linksys has good products, but you may find their customer service a bit daunting if anything should go wrong. Netgear seems to be the normal household choice these days and I've used numerous routers. Definitely pay the extra to go with Wireless-N as this is the future of wireless and these days it's foolish to pay for outdated technology. As for the PCI vs. USB consider that the PCI card will have a direct connection with the motherboard and not be subject to any USB transfer limitations. However, for ease of use and installation, one may consider a USB adapter if you have a high-speed USB 2.0 port. My recommendation is if you aren't scared to undo the box and plug the PCI card in, go PCI. I just picked up a PCI card from Netgear today and I'll post again to let you know the speed differences. I am currently using the latest Netgear USB-N adapter, so this will be a good time to demonstrate the differences in speed, if any.
 
Please see this thread for more information on the testing I conducted. I hope this helps you make your decision:

http://www.computerforum.com/169059...s-when-switching-windows-7-a.html#post1409655

Concordedly said:
These are the speedtests I ran at http://www.speedtest.net

PCI Netgear Wireless Adapter-N


USB Negear Wireleass Adapter-N


In addition, with the USB adapter, I've experienced noticeable performance spikes during the tests whereas with the PCI, the speeds were more stable and did not vary as drastically. I think overall I would have to favor with the PCI adapter for strengh and stability.
Click to expand...
 
Linksys is usually pretty fair, it's probably the brand I'd go with if I were to upgrade. Netgear has been one of the worst brands I've encountered, at least in terms of performance.

Though, to be honest, I wouldn't look so much at the brands as I would real world performance. IE, go to a site such as Newegg and see what people are saying about various equipment. I forget what the brand was right off, but I know I suggested this one router to my girlfriend's parents. I'd never heard of the brand and it was only $25 but it's been rock stable for the couple years they've owned it.

Really, when you get down to it, most wireless devices are the same. They might have slight differences here and there, but the bulk of devices share common chipsets and such. I know many G routers share the same or very similar Broadcom chip.

Now for dongles, I would avoid USB unless you had to use it. USB tends to be buggy and require more processing power than simply using PCI. Plus many PCI cards allow you to remove/upgrade the antenna, if you really need more range.
 
Linksys does have good products, don't get me wrong. The only issues I've ever had with Linksys spawn from me not knowing what I was doing when I was 15 and having to call their crappy tech support to get my original xbox on live and various issues with connectivity. I imagine it's gotten better since their CISCO merge. I prefer Netgear based off of experience only!
 
Honestly Linksys has gone downhill. They still have hardware, but their software/firmware is junk. Look at most of the reviews for the WRT54G router, the standard one. After around v5 I think people really start bashing it because of it's crummy software (though the lack of RAM can't help either).
 
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