Recommendation?

I need to replace an old router -- a Netgear RT314. I am looking at the
D-Link DIR-655 because it has a 4 port wired gigabit plus Draft N with
decent speed. I plan on using cat5e to my desktop using XP Pro. My
laptop is a 10 month old Dell 1505 with Vista Business. Currently, it
has an internal mini-PCI Intel 3945ABG wireless card.

Should I replace the internal card with a newer (but similar) Intel
4965AGN or get a Draft N PCI Express card? I read somewhere that my
laptop may have 2 internal antenna wires and that the N cards need 3,
but not needing to drag around the external card is a plus too...

Thanks,
Dave

Dave Balcom wrote:
> I need to replace an old router -- a Netgear RT314. I am looking at the
> D-Link DIR-655 because it has a 4 port wired gigabit plus Draft N with
> decent speed. I plan on using cat5e to my desktop using XP Pro. My
> laptop is a 10 month old Dell 1505 with Vista Business. Currently, it
> has an internal mini-PCI Intel 3945ABG wireless card.
>
> Should I replace the internal card with a newer (but similar) Intel
> 4965AGN or get a Draft N PCI Express card? I read somewhere that my
> laptop may have 2 internal antenna wires and that the N cards need 3,
> but not needing to drag around the external card is a plus too...
>
> Thanks,
> Dave

I'm not sure there is any advantage in running a Draft N card unless
you're using broadband connectivity that will take advantage of the
extra speed. If your broadband is 10mbs or less, what will you gain by
running faster than 54mbs? Can you use more than the broadband access
speed? Are you doing really big file transfers between your computers
where a speed improvement will make a difference?

My suggestion if you need a replacement wireless set-up is to go with a
3Com OfficeConnect DSL/Cable router and get a separate wireless access
point. The router will do whatever you need from a router, a good
quality wireless access point will give you reliability. If you feel
the need to upgrade wireless then you replace the access point. If you
need it and if it will be an improvement in performance.

My $0,000.02 worth.

On Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:19:40 -0500, Cal Vanize
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

}I'm not sure there is any advantage in running a Draft N card unless
}you're using broadband connectivity that will take advantage of the
}extra speed.

I have a 5 meg broadband account. I was looking at faster networking
(file transfers and streaming) because I use remote desktop a lot --
from inside my network (laptop to desktop) and from work to home through
my router (desktop to desktop). I can always use the laptop with
Ethernet (what I do now) but wanted to move around and not be tethered
to one spot in the house.

}My suggestion if you need a replacement wireless set-up is to go with a
}3Com OfficeConnect DSL/Cable router and get a separate wireless access
}point.

OK, I will do some more research!

Thanks,
Dave

Dave Balcom wrote:
> On Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:19:40 -0500, Cal Vanize
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> }I'm not sure there is any advantage in running a Draft N card unless
> }you're using broadband connectivity that will take advantage of the
> }extra speed.
>
> I have a 5 meg broadband account. I was looking at faster networking
> (file transfers and streaming) because I use remote desktop a lot --
> from inside my network (laptop to desktop) and from work to home through
> my router (desktop to desktop). I can always use the laptop with
> Ethernet (what I do now) but wanted to move around and not be tethered
> to one spot in the house.
>
> }My suggestion if you need a replacement wireless set-up is to go with a
> }3Com OfficeConnect DSL/Cable router and get a separate wireless access
> }point.
>
> OK, I will do some more research!
>
> Thanks,
> Dave


If its through your router using that broadband connection, you're going
to be limited by that 5meg bottleneck. You can't move data back and
forth faster than the slowest link.

Inside your network, you might want to see how much bandwidth you need /
currently using by checking Windows Task Manager.

CV

"Dave Balcom" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> I have a 5 meg broadband account. I was looking at faster networking
> (file transfers and streaming) because I use remote desktop a lot --
> from inside my network (laptop to desktop) and from work to home through
> my router (desktop to desktop). I can always use the laptop with
> Ethernet (what I do now) but wanted to move around and not be tethered
> to one spot in the house.

Here is my .02. It looks like the 3Com router is about $50-65 and I can't
comment about how well it works but for the same money I would buy a buffalo
WHR-HP-G54 and flash it with DD-WRT (www.dd-wrt.com). I can almost guarantee
you that you will have a better feature set.
If you need gigabit buy a small gigbit switch and connect it to the buffalo
for you gigabit devices to connect thru. I'd forget about all the N stuff
and go with b/g. If you need speed, plug in.
In my personal experiance I've found that the devices hooked to the switch
and it's quality mean more than being connected at a gigabit.
I went from doing 30% network utilization to 90% (on 10/100) just by
upgrading to computers that had faster hard drives and ram.

Any streaming can be done over 10/100 just fine. Remote desktop takes hardly
any bandwidth either so unless you plan on doing very large fire transfers
all the time I wouldn't worry about it.
I personally run a buffalo router with a netgear 10/100/1000 switch. my
gigbit devices which are desktop, server, NAS connect to it and my internet
only devices (IP camera) connect directly to the buffalo.

Adair

Don't buy an all in one modem/router device. This limits
upgradeability. The DIR 655 is a great router and is backwards
compatible with "G". So you don't need to replace the wireless in it
just yet. The Intel draft N drivers seem to be causing some issues
for others, so I'd definitely wait.

On Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:21:53 -0500, Dave Balcom
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I need to replace an old router -- a Netgear RT314. I am looking at the
>D-Link DIR-655 because it has a 4 port wired gigabit plus Draft N with
>decent speed. I plan on using cat5e to my desktop using XP Pro. My
>laptop is a 10 month old Dell 1505 with Vista Business. Currently, it
>has an internal mini-PCI Intel 3945ABG wireless card.
>
>Should I replace the internal card with a newer (but similar) Intel
>4965AGN or get a Draft N PCI Express card? I read somewhere that my
>laptop may have 2 internal antenna wires and that the N cards need 3,
>but not needing to drag around the external card is a plus too...
>
>Thanks,
>Dave
--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/