Time to upgrade to wireless-n router

I've got a Linksys wireless-g router with 2 laptops with wireless-n, an
HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless printer, and an old desktop with a wirelss-g
PCI NIC. I'm finally replacing the desktop and want to replace all the -
g stuff with -n stuff. I have Road Runner 15mb down/2 mb up service.

1)I work from home most days of the week, so reliability is very
important to me. A lot of my access is via VPN, so I also have the
overhead of the VPN software to take into consideration. I'd also like
to be able to see what wireless devices are accessing the router. I'm
currently using WPA-2 and limit the number of devices that can connect
to my current router to the number of devices I own. I do not limit
access to specific MAC addresses given the ease of MAC address cloning,
the limit on the total number of devices I allow to connect to the
router, and the pain of setting up all the MAC addresses in the router.
What wireless -n router do you recommend?

2) Should I get a -n NIC for the desktop that uses something other than
the PCI interface or will the PCI interface handle all the -n NIC can
throw at it given the 15/2 service through Road Runner? If so what
wireless-n NIC would you recommend?

Thanks!

Bob

On 1/12/2011 9:38 PM, bob wrote:
> I've got a Linksys wireless-g router with 2 laptops with wireless-n, an
> HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless printer, and an old desktop with a wirelss-g
> PCI NIC. I'm finally replacing the desktop and want to replace all the -
> g stuff with -n stuff. I have Road Runner 15mb down/2 mb up service.
>
> 1)I work from home most days of the week, so reliability is very
> important to me. A lot of my access is via VPN, so I also have the
> overhead of the VPN software to take into consideration. I'd also like
> to be able to see what wireless devices are accessing the router. I'm
> currently using WPA-2 and limit the number of devices that can connect
> to my current router to the number of devices I own. I do not limit
> access to specific MAC addresses given the ease of MAC address cloning,
> the limit on the total number of devices I allow to connect to the
> router, and the pain of setting up all the MAC addresses in the router.
> What wireless -n router do you recommend?
>
> 2) Should I get a -n NIC for the desktop that uses something other than
> the PCI interface or will the PCI interface handle all the -n NIC can
> throw at it given the 15/2 service through Road Runner? If so what
> wireless-n NIC would you recommend?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Bob
>
>
Wireless-G is higher speed than your internet connection, so using
wireless-n will not be of any benefit to your online activity.

If you are transferring data between your computers then wireless-n
would be beneficial.

ken

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed)
says...
>
> On 1/12/2011 9:38 PM, bob wrote:
> > I've got a Linksys wireless-g router with 2 laptops with wireless-n, an
> > HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless printer, and an old desktop with a wirelss-g
> > PCI NIC. I'm finally replacing the desktop and want to replace all the -
> > g stuff with -n stuff. I have Road Runner 15mb down/2 mb up service.
> >
> > 1)I work from home most days of the week, so reliability is very
> > important to me. A lot of my access is via VPN, so I also have the
> > overhead of the VPN software to take into consideration. I'd also like
> > to be able to see what wireless devices are accessing the router. I'm
> > currently using WPA-2 and limit the number of devices that can connect
> > to my current router to the number of devices I own. I do not limit
> > access to specific MAC addresses given the ease of MAC address cloning,
> > the limit on the total number of devices I allow to connect to the
> > router, and the pain of setting up all the MAC addresses in the router.
> > What wireless -n router do you recommend?
> >
> > 2) Should I get a -n NIC for the desktop that uses something other than
> > the PCI interface or will the PCI interface handle all the -n NIC can
> > throw at it given the 15/2 service through Road Runner? If so what
> > wireless-n NIC would you recommend?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Bob
> >
> >
> Wireless-G is higher speed than your internet connection, so using
> wireless-n will not be of any benefit to your online activity.
>
> If you are transferring data between your computers then wireless-n
> would be beneficial.
>
> ken

So all I'll be doing is draining and filling the router's buffers more
quickly:-)

Is the same true for a PCI bus interface vs. one of the newer ones; the
speeds I get from my ISP are so slow that I might as well stick with a
PCI interface NIC?

Thanks,

Bob

On 1/13/2011 8:15 PM, bob wrote:
> In article<6K2dnfDU_9ZM2bLQnZ2dnUVZ_hednZ2d@giganews. com>, (E-Mail Removed)
> says...
>>
>> On 1/12/2011 9:38 PM, bob wrote:
>>> I've got a Linksys wireless-g router with 2 laptops with wireless-n, an
>>> HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless printer, and an old desktop with a wirelss-g
>>> PCI NIC. I'm finally replacing the desktop and want to replace all the -
>>> g stuff with -n stuff. I have Road Runner 15mb down/2 mb up service.
>>>
>>> 1)I work from home most days of the week, so reliability is very
>>> important to me. A lot of my access is via VPN, so I also have the
>>> overhead of the VPN software to take into consideration. I'd also like
>>> to be able to see what wireless devices are accessing the router. I'm
>>> currently using WPA-2 and limit the number of devices that can connect
>>> to my current router to the number of devices I own. I do not limit
>>> access to specific MAC addresses given the ease of MAC address cloning,
>>> the limit on the total number of devices I allow to connect to the
>>> router, and the pain of setting up all the MAC addresses in the router.
>>> What wireless -n router do you recommend?
>>>
>>> 2) Should I get a -n NIC for the desktop that uses something other than
>>> the PCI interface or will the PCI interface handle all the -n NIC can
>>> throw at it given the 15/2 service through Road Runner? If so what
>>> wireless-n NIC would you recommend?
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> Bob
>>>
>>>
>> Wireless-G is higher speed than your internet connection, so using
>> wireless-n will not be of any benefit to your online activity.
>>
>> If you are transferring data between your computers then wireless-n
>> would be beneficial.
>>
>> ken
>
> So all I'll be doing is draining and filling the router's buffers more
> quickly:-)
>
> Is the same true for a PCI bus interface vs. one of the newer ones; the
> speeds I get from my ISP are so slow that I might as well stick with a
> PCI interface NIC?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Bob
>

Most NICs are either 10/100 Mbps (usually older computers or cards) or
10/100/1000 Mbps (usually called Gigabit cards), so yes, as long as you
are using 100 or 1000 Mbps you are way over most ISP speeds. Faster is
better if you are transferring data between computers, but for online it
doesn't help. If you are using it to transfer data between computers you
need to have them connected using a gigabit switch since most routers
are only 10/100.

ken

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed)
says...
>
> On 1/13/2011 8:15 PM, bob wrote:
> > In article<6K2dnfDU_9ZM2bLQnZ2dnUVZ_hednZ2d@giganews. com>, (E-Mail Removed)
> > says...
> >>
> >> On 1/12/2011 9:38 PM, bob wrote:
> >>> I've got a Linksys wireless-g router with 2 laptops with wireless-n, an
> >>> HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless printer, and an old desktop with a wirelss-g
> >>> PCI NIC. I'm finally replacing the desktop and want to replace all the -
> >>> g stuff with -n stuff. I have Road Runner 15mb down/2 mb up service.
> >>>
> >>> 1)I work from home most days of the week, so reliability is very
> >>> important to me. A lot of my access is via VPN, so I also have the
> >>> overhead of the VPN software to take into consideration. I'd also like
> >>> to be able to see what wireless devices are accessing the router. I'm
> >>> currently using WPA-2 and limit the number of devices that can connect
> >>> to my current router to the number of devices I own. I do not limit
> >>> access to specific MAC addresses given the ease of MAC address cloning,
> >>> the limit on the total number of devices I allow to connect to the
> >>> router, and the pain of setting up all the MAC addresses in the router.
> >>> What wireless -n router do you recommend?
> >>>
> >>> 2) Should I get a -n NIC for the desktop that uses something other than
> >>> the PCI interface or will the PCI interface handle all the -n NIC can
> >>> throw at it given the 15/2 service through Road Runner? If so what
> >>> wireless-n NIC would you recommend?
> >>>
> >>> Thanks!
> >>>
> >>> Bob
> >>>
> >>>
> >> Wireless-G is higher speed than your internet connection, so using
> >> wireless-n will not be of any benefit to your online activity.
> >>
> >> If you are transferring data between your computers then wireless-n
> >> would be beneficial.
> >>
> >> ken
> >
> > So all I'll be doing is draining and filling the router's buffers more
> > quickly:-)
> >
> > Is the same true for a PCI bus interface vs. one of the newer ones; the
> > speeds I get from my ISP are so slow that I might as well stick with a
> > PCI interface NIC?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Bob
> >
>
> Most NICs are either 10/100 Mbps (usually older computers or cards) or
> 10/100/1000 Mbps (usually called Gigabit cards), so yes, as long as you
> are using 100 or 1000 Mbps you are way over most ISP speeds. Faster is
> better if you are transferring data between computers, but for online it
> doesn't help. If you are using it to transfer data between computers you
> need to have them connected using a gigabit switch since most routers
> are only 10/100.
>
> ken

So as far as the NIC's interface into the PC, should I stick with a PCI
interface or do I want to get a NIC with a newer interface?

Thanks,

Bob

On Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:14:09 -0600, bob <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed)
>says...
>>
>> On 1/13/2011 8:15 PM, bob wrote:
>> > In article<6K2dnfDU_9ZM2bLQnZ2dnUVZ_hednZ2d@giganews. com>, (E-Mail Removed)
>> > says...
>> >>
>> >> On 1/12/2011 9:38 PM, bob wrote:
>> >>> I've got a Linksys wireless-g router with 2 laptops with wireless-n, an
>> >>> HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless printer, and an old desktop with a wirelss-g
>> >>> PCI NIC. I'm finally replacing the desktop and want to replace all the -
>> >>> g stuff with -n stuff. I have Road Runner 15mb down/2 mb up service.
>> >>>
>> >>> 1)I work from home most days of the week, so reliability is very
>> >>> important to me. A lot of my access is via VPN, so I also have the
>> >>> overhead of the VPN software to take into consideration. I'd also like
>> >>> to be able to see what wireless devices are accessing the router. I'm
>> >>> currently using WPA-2 and limit the number of devices that can connect
>> >>> to my current router to the number of devices I own. I do not limit
>> >>> access to specific MAC addresses given the ease of MAC address cloning,
>> >>> the limit on the total number of devices I allow to connect to the
>> >>> router, and the pain of setting up all the MAC addresses in the router.
>> >>> What wireless -n router do you recommend?
>> >>>
>> >>> 2) Should I get a -n NIC for the desktop that uses something other than
>> >>> the PCI interface or will the PCI interface handle all the -n NIC can
>> >>> throw at it given the 15/2 service through Road Runner? If so what
>> >>> wireless-n NIC would you recommend?
>> >>>
>> >>> Thanks!
>> >>>
>> >>> Bob
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >> Wireless-G is higher speed than your internet connection, so using
>> >> wireless-n will not be of any benefit to your online activity.
>> >>
>> >> If you are transferring data between your computers then wireless-n
>> >> would be beneficial.
>> >>
>> >> ken
>> >
>> > So all I'll be doing is draining and filling the router's buffers more
>> > quickly:-)
>> >
>> > Is the same true for a PCI bus interface vs. one of the newer ones; the
>> > speeds I get from my ISP are so slow that I might as well stick with a
>> > PCI interface NIC?
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> >
>> > Bob
>> >
>>
>> Most NICs are either 10/100 Mbps (usually older computers or cards) or
>> 10/100/1000 Mbps (usually called Gigabit cards), so yes, as long as you
>> are using 100 or 1000 Mbps you are way over most ISP speeds. Faster is
>> better if you are transferring data between computers, but for online it
>> doesn't help. If you are using it to transfer data between computers you
>> need to have them connected using a gigabit switch since most routers
>> are only 10/100.
>>
>> ken
>
>So as far as the NIC's interface into the PC, should I stick with a PCI
>interface or do I want to get a NIC with a newer interface?

For me, two of the primary determining factors are what kind of
slot(s) you have available on your motherboard, (PCIe and PCI), and
whether you plan to upgrade to a newer motherboard in the foreseeable
future. To help future-proof things a bit, use PCIe if you have both
kinds of slots available.

On 1/18/2011 9:40 PM, Char Jackson wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:14:09 -0600, bob<(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>> In article<peadnQY4TLK2KanQnZ2dnUVZ_umdnZ2d@giganews. com>, (E-Mail Removed)
>> says...
>>>
>>> On 1/13/2011 8:15 PM, bob wrote:
>>>> In article<6K2dnfDU_9ZM2bLQnZ2dnUVZ_hednZ2d@giganews. com>, (E-Mail Removed)
>>>> says...
>>>>>
>>>>> On 1/12/2011 9:38 PM, bob wrote:
>>>>>> I've got a Linksys wireless-g router with 2 laptops with wireless-n, an
>>>>>> HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless printer, and an old desktop with a wirelss-g
>>>>>> PCI NIC. I'm finally replacing the desktop and want to replace all the -
>>>>>> g stuff with -n stuff. I have Road Runner 15mb down/2 mb up service.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 1)I work from home most days of the week, so reliability is very
>>>>>> important to me. A lot of my access is via VPN, so I also have the
>>>>>> overhead of the VPN software to take into consideration. I'd also like
>>>>>> to be able to see what wireless devices are accessing the router. I'm
>>>>>> currently using WPA-2 and limit the number of devices that can connect
>>>>>> to my current router to the number of devices I own. I do not limit
>>>>>> access to specific MAC addresses given the ease of MAC address cloning,
>>>>>> the limit on the total number of devices I allow to connect to the
>>>>>> router, and the pain of setting up all the MAC addresses in the router.
>>>>>> What wireless -n router do you recommend?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 2) Should I get a -n NIC for the desktop that uses something other than
>>>>>> the PCI interface or will the PCI interface handle all the -n NIC can
>>>>>> throw at it given the 15/2 service through Road Runner? If so what
>>>>>> wireless-n NIC would you recommend?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Bob
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> Wireless-G is higher speed than your internet connection, so using
>>>>> wireless-n will not be of any benefit to your online activity.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you are transferring data between your computers then wireless-n
>>>>> would be beneficial.
>>>>>
>>>>> ken
>>>>
>>>> So all I'll be doing is draining and filling the router's buffers more
>>>> quickly:-)
>>>>
>>>> Is the same true for a PCI bus interface vs. one of the newer ones; the
>>>> speeds I get from my ISP are so slow that I might as well stick with a
>>>> PCI interface NIC?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Bob
>>>>
>>>
>>> Most NICs are either 10/100 Mbps (usually older computers or cards) or
>>> 10/100/1000 Mbps (usually called Gigabit cards), so yes, as long as you
>>> are using 100 or 1000 Mbps you are way over most ISP speeds. Faster is
>>> better if you are transferring data between computers, but for online it
>>> doesn't help. If you are using it to transfer data between computers you
>>> need to have them connected using a gigabit switch since most routers
>>> are only 10/100.
>>>
>>> ken
>>
>> So as far as the NIC's interface into the PC, should I stick with a PCI
>> interface or do I want to get a NIC with a newer interface?
>
> For me, two of the primary determining factors are what kind of
> slot(s) you have available on your motherboard, (PCIe and PCI), and
> whether you plan to upgrade to a newer motherboard in the foreseeable
> future. To help future-proof things a bit, use PCIe if you have both
> kinds of slots available.
>

I would agree, except that almost all new motherboards have gigabit
built onto the motherboard and so the need for a NIC addon card is rare
(unless you need additional network connections and then you could get a
motherboard with two network connections built in).

ken

On Wed, 19 Jan 2011 09:17:23 -0700, ken <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On 1/18/2011 9:40 PM, Char Jackson wrote:
>> On Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:14:09 -0600, bob<(E-Mail Removed)>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> In article<peadnQY4TLK2KanQnZ2dnUVZ_umdnZ2d@giganews. com>, (E-Mail Removed)
>>> says...
>>>>
>>>> On 1/13/2011 8:15 PM, bob wrote:
>>>>> In article<6K2dnfDU_9ZM2bLQnZ2dnUVZ_hednZ2d@giganews. com>, (E-Mail Removed)
>>>>> says...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 1/12/2011 9:38 PM, bob wrote:
>>>>>>> I've got a Linksys wireless-g router with 2 laptops with wireless-n, an
>>>>>>> HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless printer, and an old desktop with a wirelss-g
>>>>>>> PCI NIC. I'm finally replacing the desktop and want to replace all the -
>>>>>>> g stuff with -n stuff. I have Road Runner 15mb down/2 mb up service.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 1)I work from home most days of the week, so reliability is very
>>>>>>> important to me. A lot of my access is via VPN, so I also have the
>>>>>>> overhead of the VPN software to take into consideration. I'd also like
>>>>>>> to be able to see what wireless devices are accessing the router. I'm
>>>>>>> currently using WPA-2 and limit the number of devices that can connect
>>>>>>> to my current router to the number of devices I own. I do not limit
>>>>>>> access to specific MAC addresses given the ease of MAC address cloning,
>>>>>>> the limit on the total number of devices I allow to connect to the
>>>>>>> router, and the pain of setting up all the MAC addresses in the router.
>>>>>>> What wireless -n router do you recommend?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 2) Should I get a -n NIC for the desktop that uses something other than
>>>>>>> the PCI interface or will the PCI interface handle all the -n NIC can
>>>>>>> throw at it given the 15/2 service through Road Runner? If so what
>>>>>>> wireless-n NIC would you recommend?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Bob
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Wireless-G is higher speed than your internet connection, so using
>>>>>> wireless-n will not be of any benefit to your online activity.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If you are transferring data between your computers then wireless-n
>>>>>> would be beneficial.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ken
>>>>>
>>>>> So all I'll be doing is draining and filling the router's buffers more
>>>>> quickly:-)
>>>>>
>>>>> Is the same true for a PCI bus interface vs. one of the newer ones; the
>>>>> speeds I get from my ISP are so slow that I might as well stick with a
>>>>> PCI interface NIC?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>
>>>>> Bob
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Most NICs are either 10/100 Mbps (usually older computers or cards) or
>>>> 10/100/1000 Mbps (usually called Gigabit cards), so yes, as long as you
>>>> are using 100 or 1000 Mbps you are way over most ISP speeds. Faster is
>>>> better if you are transferring data between computers, but for online it
>>>> doesn't help. If you are using it to transfer data between computers you
>>>> need to have them connected using a gigabit switch since most routers
>>>> are only 10/100.
>>>>
>>>> ken
>>>
>>> So as far as the NIC's interface into the PC, should I stick with a PCI
>>> interface or do I want to get a NIC with a newer interface?
>>
>> For me, two of the primary determining factors are what kind of
>> slot(s) you have available on your motherboard, (PCIe and PCI), and
>> whether you plan to upgrade to a newer motherboard in the foreseeable
>> future. To help future-proof things a bit, use PCIe if you have both
>> kinds of slots available.
>>
>
>I would agree, except that almost all new motherboards have gigabit
>built onto the motherboard and so the need for a NIC addon card is rare
>(unless you need additional network connections and then you could get a
>motherboard with two network connections built in).

Good points, Ken, thanks. As I look around my home and office, all of
my computers do indeed have either one or two Ethernet ports on the
motherboard.

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
(E-Mail Removed)d says...
>
> On Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:14:09 -0600, bob <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
> >In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed)
> >says...
> >>
> >> On 1/13/2011 8:15 PM, bob wrote:
> >> > In article<6K2dnfDU_9ZM2bLQnZ2dnUVZ_hednZ2d@giganews. com>, (E-Mail Removed)
> >> > says...
> >> >>
> >> >> On 1/12/2011 9:38 PM, bob wrote:
> >> >>> I've got a Linksys wireless-g router with 2 laptops with wireless-n, an
> >> >>> HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless printer, and an old desktop with a wirelss-g
> >> >>> PCI NIC. I'm finally replacing the desktop and want to replace all the -
> >> >>> g stuff with -n stuff. I have Road Runner 15mb down/2 mb up service.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> 1)I work from home most days of the week, so reliability is very
> >> >>> important to me. A lot of my access is via VPN, so I also have the
> >> >>> overhead of the VPN software to take into consideration. I'd also like
> >> >>> to be able to see what wireless devices are accessing the router. I'm
> >> >>> currently using WPA-2 and limit the number of devices that can connect
> >> >>> to my current router to the number of devices I own. I do not limit
> >> >>> access to specific MAC addresses given the ease of MAC address cloning,
> >> >>> the limit on the total number of devices I allow to connect to the
> >> >>> router, and the pain of setting up all the MAC addresses in the router.
> >> >>> What wireless -n router do you recommend?
> >> >>>
> >> >>> 2) Should I get a -n NIC for the desktop that uses something other than
> >> >>> the PCI interface or will the PCI interface handle all the -n NIC can
> >> >>> throw at it given the 15/2 service through Road Runner? If so what
> >> >>> wireless-n NIC would you recommend?
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Thanks!
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Bob
> >> >>>
> >> >>>
> >> >> Wireless-G is higher speed than your internet connection, so using
> >> >> wireless-n will not be of any benefit to your online activity.
> >> >>
> >> >> If you are transferring data between your computers then wireless-n
> >> >> would be beneficial.
> >> >>
> >> >> ken
> >> >
> >> > So all I'll be doing is draining and filling the router's buffers more
> >> > quickly:-)
> >> >
> >> > Is the same true for a PCI bus interface vs. one of the newer ones; the
> >> > speeds I get from my ISP are so slow that I might as well stick with a
> >> > PCI interface NIC?
> >> >
> >> > Thanks,
> >> >
> >> > Bob
> >> >
> >>
> >> Most NICs are either 10/100 Mbps (usually older computers or cards) or
> >> 10/100/1000 Mbps (usually called Gigabit cards), so yes, as long as you
> >> are using 100 or 1000 Mbps you are way over most ISP speeds. Faster is
> >> better if you are transferring data between computers, but for online it
> >> doesn't help. If you are using it to transfer data between computers you
> >> need to have them connected using a gigabit switch since most routers
> >> are only 10/100.
> >>
> >> ken
> >
> >So as far as the NIC's interface into the PC, should I stick with a PCI
> >interface or do I want to get a NIC with a newer interface?
>
> For me, two of the primary determining factors are what kind of
> slot(s) you have available on your motherboard, (PCIe and PCI), and
> whether you plan to upgrade to a newer motherboard in the foreseeable
> future. To help future-proof things a bit, use PCIe if you have both
> kinds of slots available.

I have both PCI and PCIe available. It's a new system I'm building from
the ground up.

Bob

In article <3-(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed)
says...
>
> On 1/18/2011 9:40 PM, Char Jackson wrote:
> > On Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:14:09 -0600, bob<(E-Mail Removed)>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> In article<peadnQY4TLK2KanQnZ2dnUVZ_umdnZ2d@giganews. com>, (E-Mail Removed)
> >> says...
> >>>
> >>> On 1/13/2011 8:15 PM, bob wrote:
> >>>> In article<6K2dnfDU_9ZM2bLQnZ2dnUVZ_hednZ2d@giganews. com>, (E-Mail Removed)
> >>>> says...
> >>>>>
> >>>>> On 1/12/2011 9:38 PM, bob wrote:
> >>>>>> I've got a Linksys wireless-g router with 2 laptops with wireless-n, an
> >>>>>> HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless printer, and an old desktop with a wirelss-g
> >>>>>> PCI NIC. I'm finally replacing the desktop and want to replace all the -
> >>>>>> g stuff with -n stuff. I have Road Runner 15mb down/2 mb up service.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> 1)I work from home most days of the week, so reliability is very
> >>>>>> important to me. A lot of my access is via VPN, so I also have the
> >>>>>> overhead of the VPN software to take into consideration. I'd also like
> >>>>>> to be able to see what wireless devices are accessing the router. I'm
> >>>>>> currently using WPA-2 and limit the number of devices that can connect
> >>>>>> to my current router to the number of devices I own. I do not limit
> >>>>>> access to specific MAC addresses given the ease of MAC address cloning,
> >>>>>> the limit on the total number of devices I allow to connect to the
> >>>>>> router, and the pain of setting up all the MAC addresses in the router.
> >>>>>> What wireless -n router do you recommend?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> 2) Should I get a -n NIC for the desktop that uses something other than
> >>>>>> the PCI interface or will the PCI interface handle all the -n NIC can
> >>>>>> throw at it given the 15/2 service through Road Runner? If so what
> >>>>>> wireless-n NIC would you recommend?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Thanks!
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Bob
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>> Wireless-G is higher speed than your internet connection, so using
> >>>>> wireless-n will not be of any benefit to your online activity.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> If you are transferring data between your computers then wireless-n
> >>>>> would be beneficial.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> ken
> >>>>
> >>>> So all I'll be doing is draining and filling the router's buffers more
> >>>> quickly:-)
> >>>>
> >>>> Is the same true for a PCI bus interface vs. one of the newer ones; the
> >>>> speeds I get from my ISP are so slow that I might as well stick with a
> >>>> PCI interface NIC?
> >>>>
> >>>> Thanks,
> >>>>
> >>>> Bob
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> Most NICs are either 10/100 Mbps (usually older computers or cards) or
> >>> 10/100/1000 Mbps (usually called Gigabit cards), so yes, as long as you
> >>> are using 100 or 1000 Mbps you are way over most ISP speeds. Faster is
> >>> better if you are transferring data between computers, but for online it
> >>> doesn't help. If you are using it to transfer data between computers you
> >>> need to have them connected using a gigabit switch since most routers
> >>> are only 10/100.
> >>>
> >>> ken
> >>
> >> So as far as the NIC's interface into the PC, should I stick with a PCI
> >> interface or do I want to get a NIC with a newer interface?
> >
> > For me, two of the primary determining factors are what kind of
> > slot(s) you have available on your motherboard, (PCIe and PCI), and
> > whether you plan to upgrade to a newer motherboard in the foreseeable
> > future. To help future-proof things a bit, use PCIe if you have both
> > kinds of slots available.
> >
>
> I would agree, except that almost all new motherboards have gigabit
> built onto the motherboard and so the need for a NIC addon card is rare
> (unless you need additional network connections and then you could get a
> motherboard with two network connections built in).
>
> ken

Ken,

I'm looking for a wireless NIC.

Bob