Wireless

[Reeves]

Hi.

I'm looking around for alot of things - as you know - and I am wanting to ask questions about going wireless.

- What is the ideal speed of the wireless connection (AOl told me 54)
- Has the USB adaptor have to be the same speed as the router?
- Can anyone recommend any wireless equipment, please?

Many thanks

[Sput]

All I can say is steer clear of netgear stuff, it's poo. Silver poo.

Also, if you don't have usb 2.0 on your computer, then you'll only be able to attain an 11mb connection. It doesn't have to be the same speed as the router though, as 11 meg and 54 meg are backwards compatible.

[marksi]

Belkin made a router that sent its own spam to your browser every four hours. We had one in the flat in London.

For that reason alone I will never buy another Belkin product if I can avoid it.

I have a D-Link ADSL router and it has worked perfectly for over two years. Easy to set up and good coverage.

[Sput]

I find the following rule helpful when scanning to see what's available in your area:

belkin54g == Free internet

been right 100% of the time (3 times)

[Reeves]

Looking around, marksi, I've found a few bits from D-Linbk but they're a bit pricey compared to the other ones. (according to eBuyer.co.uk)

Are there any other trustworthy brands somebody could please recommend?

Many thanks

[Gavin Scott]

Linksys.

[Chris]

Why do you want to go wireless anyway? Is there any real need to do so?

Use wired where possible.

[Neil Jones]

- What is the ideal speed of the wireless connection (AOl told me 54)

54Mbps is the current standard, although it is possible to go faster with the right hardware. Remember this is the speed of the connection between your computer and the router only - so if you're running a 512k broadband service, you'll still download on the wireless computer at 512k broadband speeds never mind that Windows keeps telling you its 54Mbps.

- Has the USB adaptor have to be the same speed as the router?

As long as its USB 2 and capable of 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g standards (and is positioned in a fashion as to be able to receive a good enough signal from the router), it shouldn't really matter. Any decent piece of equipment will throttle itself to lower speeds to maintain a connection between itself and the foreign router, similiar to how modems work.

- Can anyone recommend any wireless equipment, please?

Anything made by Belkin in the last couple of years has been shite.

D-Link is the favoured cheap & cheerful option, although some of the routers have obscure firmware problems.

Cisco is one of the highly recommended brands to go for, but they come with a painful price tag and don't always offer a lot more over something a lot cheaper.

[Reeves]

Why do you want to go wireless anyway? Is there any real need to do so?

A number of reasons. If a home has a few PCs and does not want to be confused by wires, or if the computer is far away from the phone line.

P.s. Thanks Neil

[cdd]

I have the wonderful DrayTek Vigor 2600 (sarcasm) connected to a D-Link wireless sender box. Lovely!

[Reeves]

Looking around, I have found some D-Link products. I need one adapter for a PC with USB1.1 and then hopefully a new PC with USB2, so would these be okay in your opinion?

Router: http://www.exciteit.co.uk/store/EXCITE_ ... duct=90612

USB1.1 Adaptor: http://www.ebuyer.co.uk/UK/product/51323

USB2 Adaptor: http://www.ebuyer.co.uk/UK/product/74552

Thanks