differences in routers?

[omghaxcode]

I see routers range in price but what is the difference? on wireless routers is it signal strength or what? I'm using a Linksys WRK54G and to play DS wirelessly I have to sit on the ground next to my router about 3 feet away. I'm looking to buy a new one.

right now I'm wired directly to the router on my main while my family computer is in another room (wired). I need wireless for my DS and for laptops that my family uses. thanks for any help you can give

 

[imported_iNGEN]

There are only two features that have any real impact on pricing for SOHO routers: Maximum link speed, and supported encryption protocol(s). Price impact is in that order. The FCC sets the maximum transmit power to 15W in the U.S. if I remember correctly. Whatever the legal maximum transmit power is, I've never seen a router with a lower maximum setting.

If you are getting a range of about 3 feet, something is causing lots of noise. I suggest a physical relocation of the router. In an ideal environment it should be located at elevation, relative to the client, equal to its distance from the client. As a rule of thumb, just make it higher than the client. Also place it in a location where no AC powerlines or devices block what would be line of sight between the router and client. Fields created by AC power lines are not friendly to wireless. A lot of times poor range is cause by continual attempts by the hardware to re-negotiate the link speed. Manually setting the link speed to something slower often results in more reliable connectivity.

 

[JackMDS]

If you wwant to make your own decision read these pages.

Wireless Hardware - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Hardware.html

Wireless, Basic Configuration - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Config.html

Wireless Security - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Security.html

Otherwise a sure win is this, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833162134

 

[omghaxcode]

does anyone know anything about the Linksys WRK54G? is it a bad router or is it just some odd problem like what ingen was talking about?

 

[spidey07]

You could have your antennas completely misaligned - I see this all the time in others homes. Point both straight up.

Then change your channel to 1, 6 or 11 to see which one works best.

 

[omghaxcode]

only one antenna

 

[spidey07]

The worst thing you can do with an omni directional antenna is point it at the other device. So change your channels and don't point the antenna at the client.

Almost all wireless coverage problems can be solved by changing channels.