Wireless Networking Thread (DEAD)

[Xionide]

Man there is some good deals on networking stuff at justdeals.com you may want to check out and post on that list.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Check out this ok deal at MicroCenter, available both online and B&M Product is Refurb just to let you know
Link

 

[WT]

Anyone recommend a G spec router with a print server ? I have seen an SMC unit but even the SMC website does not list it for sale yet. I would settle for the DLink 714P+ , but at only B speeds and no WPA support, its not quite what I was looking for. TIA

Found an IOGear Wireless G with a print server ... now my problem is getting a review on one !! Even Newegg doesn't show it as available even though IOGear lists them as a seller/vendor on their website. They also offer a USB wireless dongle that is flexible and acts as a directional antenna. Cool gear ... just can't find a review to see the general quality consensus on these units.

 

[albrandwood]

Bump - Updated for the following stores:

BB, CC, CrapUSA, OD, OM, ST

@shley

 

[albrandwood]

Bump - for the following stores:

BB, CC, CrapUSA, OD, OM, ST

@shley

 

[substance12]

does anyone know which wireless routers REQUIRE the same brand for the network adapter cards? I know for my linksys 802.11b router i can use any pcmcia wireless card.

 

[MJ99]

the same brands are not required. have heard some say using a good quality router and adapter from the same company can help add some distance though.

 

[bupkus]

Newegg has the netgear ME101 'b' wireless bridge for $69 + $5 shipping -$10 MIR

newegg link

 

[albrandwood]

Originally posted by: MJ99
the same brands are not required. have heard some say using a good quality router and adapter from the same company can help add some distance though.

This is true when dealing with 11Mbps ("B") or 54Mbps ("G") ... but it you want the higher throughputs of the 22Mbps ("B") or 108Mbps ("G") you have to stick with same manufacturer, because they do these tricks differently... (ie, NetGear 108Mbps don't work @ 108Mbps with DLink 108Mbps equipment ... they will work at 54Mbps though)

@shley

 

[Tarkus]

Buycom is listing a $10 rebate on the Trendnet TEW-226PC

Rebate Form

Newegg is selling the card for $15.99 before rebate. May be a hot deal if the rebate applies.

Newegg Listing

 

[albrandwood]

Bump - Updated for the following stores:

BB, CC, CrapUSA, OD, OM, ST

@shley

 

[torrid]

Originally posted by: Tarkus
Buycom is listing a $10 rebate on the Trendnet TEW-226PC

Rebate Form

Newegg is selling the card for $15.99 before rebate. May be a hot deal if the rebate applies.

Newegg Listing

I hope the rebate works through newegg. I'm buying from there just because I like supporting them.

 

[LegendKiller]

Buy.com has the D-Link 624 + DWL-650 combo for $128.99 - $40 MIR if bought together. Free shipping.


LK

 

[mscdex0]

Originally posted by: albrandwood
Regards the kits ...

Linksys 802.11b for $80 or D-Link 802.11g extreme for $95, I'd go for the D-Link, as its only $15 more... (after rebates)

@shley

Where did you find the D-Link 802.11g kit for $95?

 

[optimistic]

Thanks for the heads up ashley! I did not see the Officemax deal on the Microsoft combo on last Sunday's paper. $29 + $29 is a good deal for a highly rated wireless router and wireless adapter.

 

[optimistic]

 

[albrandwood]

Originally posted by: mscdex0

Originally posted by: albrandwood
Regards the kits ...

Linksys 802.11b for $80 or D-Link 802.11g extreme for $95, I'd go for the D-Link, as its only $15 more... (after rebates)

@shley

Where did you find the D-Link 802.11g kit for $95?

Err ... it was in the section "Kits" from buy.com ... of course, it didn't help with the code generator missing out the Kits ... appologies for that - I've fixed it now ...

@shley

 

[substance12]

can anyone comment on the performance of the Belkin products? I haven't heard anything about them or the support.

firmware?
security?
range?

 

[optimistic]

Originally posted by: substance12
can anyone comment on the performance of the Belkin products? I haven't heard anything about them or the support.

firmware?
security?
range?

Did you try cnet? Belkin F5D6231. I bought the Microsoft FN-500 & FN-510 for $29 ea AR. Though I got the FN-510 for $27 OTD because CC did not have a rebate when I PM'd. I'll tell you how the installtion goes in a few days.

 

[matsuhisa]

i'm kinda new to wireless networking and i had a quick question...

is the usb as fast as the pci in terms of dl'ing speed??

also, is one more reliable than the other??

thanks...

 

[substance12]

Originally posted by: optimistic

Originally posted by: substance12
can anyone comment on the performance of the Belkin products? I haven't heard anything about them or the support.

firmware?
security?
range?

Did you try cnet? Belkin F5D6231. I bought the Microsoft FN-500 & FN-510 for $29 ea AR. Though I got the FN-510 for $27 OTD because CC did not have a rebate when I PM'd. I'll tell you how the installtion goes in a few days.

No, I did check dspreports.com and it was somewhat mixed between "this think sucks and is a cheap pos" and "you people who complain are pretty sorry, if you were competent you'd be able to resolve your issues". I do tend to believe Belkin "has" produced some cheaply made products.

 

[optimistic]

Originally posted by: matsuhisa
i'm kinda new to wireless networking and i had a quick question...

is the usb as fast as the pci in terms of dl'ing speed??

also, is one more reliable than the other??

thanks...

I'm new too, but from what I read USB is cable of transferring 480 Mbps (12 Mbps on USB1.1). Wireless 802.11b routers can feed a sustained avg of 4.7 MBps (MN-500). Seeing that general broadband service tops off at a rated 1.5 MBps, I think in terms of dl'ing speed USB should be able to deliver similar dl-ing results as to using a PCI wireless card. Real-world usage though, I am not sure. Keep in mind, if you go with USB you can easily transfer your wireless connectivity to another computer, while the other won't allow you to follow suit as easily.

 

[albrandwood]

Originally posted by: substance12[/i]
can anyone comment on the performance of the Belkin products? I haven't heard anything about them or the support.

firmware?
security?
range?[/quote]

I havent tried the Belkin Router ... but ...

I have the F5D6050v2 (USB adapter) attached to the kitchen computer (wife uses it for reciepes etc) ... and it works better than the Belkin F5D6020v2 (PCCard) did ... (Its a Gateway Profile, which has PCMCIA slots) ... but that may be the location of the adapter... but either way, it now survives the microwave being used :-D ...

I have the F5D6020v2 PCCard in a laptop, and it works ok ... occasionally I have to reboot for it to reconnect to the wireless network ... (the card just stops responding to the network, and nothing but a powercycle of the laptop seems to resolve it ...

HOWEVER, ... the F5D6020v3 is a completely different card from the previous 2 ... it is now a 32bit PCCard, rather than a 16bit PCMCIA ... (interestingly, the F5D6020v1 was an Intersil Chipset (same as the original Linksys / Netgear cards) ... but that changed with v2... and now, in fact, it is using the same chipset as the SMC, so it should be on par with the SMC clients ...

As for reliability etc, dunno ... I do know, you need to de-install any previous wireless card software before installing the latest ... (Aparantly, the lastest drivers also have flash upgrades for the card built into their installation procedure) ...

Never used theirs (or any other 802.11b hardware provider) support, so can't comment on that either ...

But @ $10, figure it can't be a bad router ...

@shley

 

[albrandwood]

Originally posted by: matsuhisai'm kinda new to wireless networking and i had a quick question...

is the usb as fast as the pci in terms of dl'ing speed??

also, is one more reliable than the other??

thanks...

To help answer your question ...

The MAXIMUM throughputs are:
(Bps=BYTES per second, bps=bits per second
Files are refered to in BYTES, but data transfer is refered to in BITS
1 BYTE = 8 BITS)

Bus Speeds (from PCIsig.com / USB.org / PCMCIA.org )
PCI (2.0 32bit 33Mhz) is 132MBps (1056Mbps) (obviously, 66Mhz etc increase this significantly)
USB HighSpeed (USB 2.0) is 60MBps (480Mbps)
PCCard (32bit PCCards) is 33MBps (264Mbps)
PCMCIA (16bit PCCards) is 10MBps (80Mbps)
USB Fast (USB 1.1) is 1.5MBps (12Mbps)

Network Speeds (from 54g.org)
802.11g running TCP/IP is 3+MBps (24+Mbps)
802.11b/g mixed running TCP/IP is 2.25+Mbps (10+Mbps)
802.11b running TCP/IP is 0.5MBps (5Mbps)

Maximum speed of Cable/DSL download 375KBps (3Mbps)

So to answer your question,
If you are only surfin the net, then it doesn't matter what adapter you use, they are all faster than the cable/dsl line ...
If you have a "B" or a "B+G" environment, it doesn't what adapter, since USB / PCI / PCCard / MPCI all exceed the capability of the wireless network.
If you have a "G" exclusive environment, then you want to avoid USB Fast (USB 1.1) ... If you have a machine with USB Fast (USB 1.1) then you'll need to upgrade the USB ports if you want to use a USB adapter ... other than that, it is a moot point what method you use ...

For connectivity (reliability) issues, most people prefer either USB on a lead, or a PCI (with a seperate antenna) ... the reason, being fairly obvious ... there is lots of furniture and metal around a PCI Slot / USB port, both of which will reduce signal strength / quality ... Personally, If you have USB HighSpeed (USB 2.0) capability, then go for that, since then you can move it easily from machine to machine if you desire (and its usually cheaper than a PCI + seperate antenna ...)

One difference between "B" and "G" that doesn't get a lot of attention is the signal strength issue ... "G" equipment has a much higher sensitivity, and therefore a longer range than "B" ... but in a regular appartment, or a small house, thats a minor issue.

Hope this is of some help ... (and hopefully it wasn't too technical and that there aren't too many technical errors in this post )

@shley

 

[matsuhisa]

you're amazing!! its no wonder i love AT so much. thanks to people like you. thanks again...

thanks to optimistic as well.