Requesting Advise on Home Network

[bobross419]

I'm looking to upgrade my overall setup with a File Sharing Server and HTPC. The HTPC will pull media from the Server and will have pretty much nothing on it other than OS and media center apps.

We live in a 1 bedroom apartment. Our cable comes into the modem in our bedroom and current is going into an old Linksys router. The HTPC will be in the living room which is about a 15-20 foot straight shot directly through a wall (just regular drywall and studs). The server will be ~20 feet in the other direction in our closet (Orientation means that wireless may have to go through a regular inside door or 2 walls - I don't know if wireless can navigate around a corner...). I won't currently be streaming HD content, but I have been encoding all our DVDs into H.264 to prep for the setup.

I've been reading through ezlan and AT Networking subforum over the last few days to try and get a feel for the best way to do this.

We currently have 2 desktops right next to the router (one for myself the other for my wife) and we have a few laptops that we sometimes like to use while lying in bed or on the couch. Right now our router has no wireless and we've only very rarely jumped onto the neighbor's wireless (I know, I know).


What I'd like to do is get a Giga router with basic wireless. Hardwire in the server and HTPC. Wireless is just there for the laptops.

I live in an apartment and I can pick up 7 or 8 other wireless networks already. The most important part of this is to keep my wife satisfied with the setup. I don't want her to have to worry about fighting with wireless settings if something goes wrong. She is savvy enough to follow instructions and do the basics, but I'd like to keep this as easy as possible for her.

What would be a good router to get. I've been looking at this Buffalo on Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833162031

I've seen a lot of good things about Buffalo products here on AT, especially in regards to wireless.

I've also been eyeing this TrendNet:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833156249

If the hardwired network is close to the Buffalo I'd probably just go with this and save the $30. Like I said before, it isn't too important that we have the best wireless just as long as we have some wireless for the laptops. Would this be a decent way to go or am I going to seriously lose out on some intranetwork bandwidth by going with the TrendNet?

Hopefully I've given you guys enough info to help point me in the right direction here, but if there is anything else please let me know. Any info you guys can give me will definitely be beneficial.

Thanks

 

[tonyyy]

I would consider looking into 5Ghz band or a dual band wireless if possible since you already can detect 8 other wireless networks in your apartment complex. You will run into wireless interference that can degrade the performance or not work properly.

you should download netstumbler to detect how many wireless networks are in your apartment complex and see what channels are being used.

Note that 5Ghz band will require that your laptops or other wireless device support it.

 

[bobross419]

I would consider looking into 5Ghz band or a dual band wireless if possible since you already can detect 8 other wireless networks in your apartment complex. You will run into wireless interference that can degrade the performance or not work properly.

you should download netstumbler to detect how many wireless networks are in your apartment complex and see what channels are being used.

Note that 5Ghz band will require that your laptops or other wireless device support it.

Thanks for the information, could you point me towards a site that breaks some of that down for me?

 

[Shakeout]

802.11a is what you need to look for for the 5ghz wireless

It is mainly used in buisness from my expierences. But it could give you a free area to setup your AP. The biggest downside with 5ghz is that it doesn't usually have the same range as 2.4ghz.

As to the channels. 2.4ghz only has 3 seperate channels that do not overlap. Channels 1, 6, and 11.

Netstumbler goes out and figures out which channels those SSIDs are broadcasting on.

If you have several on the same channel, think of it as a walkie-talkie 2 people try to talk at the same time and all the 3rd hears is garbage.

So if you use netstumbler ( http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/ ) and see that your 8 neighbors are populating the channels you will have that crosstalk.


Also you don't have to get a gigabit wireless router, you could use some of the reviews here and pick you a normal 10/100 wireless router and hook a gigabit switch to it.

All depends on how much equipment you want and if you think you will add more hardwired devices later.

 

[bobross419]

The Trendnet went back up in price, so it was only a few bucks less than the Buffalo - I decided to go with the Buffalo. Dual Band wireless + Giga Switch would end up costing me more and our laptops aren't used for much at all... probably the biggest use is pulling up gamefaqs when the wife and I play Star Wars Legos or GTA.

Thanks for the advice... even though I didn't take it.. It did give me some things to consider and maybe it will help someone else out in the future

 

[Zacharry]

I have the very same dilemma.

The items that you chose were the same items that I have in my newegg cart.