[hl0m4n]

so im getting a new wireless router and have it between two, a linksys and belkin, both n1.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833314022
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833124276

my only concern on the linksys is can it provide the same signal strength without antennas compared to the belkin which has 3?

also im confused on the ports:
linksys: 1 x 10/100M WAN; 4 x 10/100/1000M LAN
belkin: 1 x 10/100M WAN; 4 x 10/100M LAN

when is the 1000m used? im on cable will i benefit from that?

thanks guys

[Negotiator]

The only time you will benefit from a higher transfer speed is when you're transfering files between computers on the same network. Cable in my area i think maxes at 15mbit down (FIOS is 25 i think), and only if all computers have the N wireless adapters. N mainly incorporates MIMO technology that some G routers have used (with other improvements, but MIMO is standard. Multiple input/multiple output, essentially full duplex channel that allows for longer range, stronger signal, and better bandwidth).

[hl0m4n]

you say the 1000 lan only benefits when files are being transfered to other computers on same network. so if i play a lan game with another comp i will benefit the 1000 compared to 100?

nice article btw, reading it now.

[radix]

Originally Posted by hl0m4n

you say the 1000 lan only benefits when files are being transfered to other computers on same network. so if i play a lan game with another comp i will benefit the 1000 compared to 100?

nice article btw, reading it now.

Yes, what negotiator typed is correct. Draft 2.0 802.11n routers are effectively limited to about 300Mbit/s (theoretical maximum data rate with current equipment). Your cable modem will be limited to 15-20Mbit/s, or about ~1.8 MB/s.

Cable modem:

$ perl -le 'print +(15000000 / 8) / 1024**2'
1.78813934326172

vs.

Draft 2.0 802.11n router:

$ perl -le 'print +(300000000 / 8) / 1024**2'
35.7627868652344

Note: you will never even come close to achieving that speed in the real world on current equipment, expect about 3-5MB/s maximum in 2.4GHz mode, and 10MB/s in 5GHz mode.

so your cable modem will be the bottleneck for activities such as web surfing, downloading torrents, etc. However any two devices communicating within the confines of your network will potentially communicate at significantly faster speeds than they would with 802.11G (about 6 times faster). If you do choose to attach a USB drive to your router, data access will be significantly less impaired. USB 2.0 maximum practical throughput is ~40MB/s, draft 2.0 802.11n comes a lot closer to that speed.

One of the nice features of the Airport Extreme is the ability to configure it to operate exclusively at 5GHz. This avoids interference from other devices operating at the more traditional 2.4GHz, such as microwaves, other wireless networks, cordless phones, etc.

[hl0m4n]

thanks man. but for just 2 computers and a ps3 i don't think the extra 5ghz band is necessary do you? it will cost about an addition $60 compared to a n1 single band router.

[radix]

Originally Posted by hl0m4n

thanks man. but for just 2 computers and a ps3 i don't think the extra 5ghz band is necessary do you? it will cost about an addition $60 compared to a n1 single band router.

That depends on how much interference you have to deal with.

[Haywood]

Originally Posted by anmcguire

Get an Airport Extreme. See the wireless N roundup over at ars technica for why.

http://arstechnica.com/hardware/revi...er-roundup.ars

I have one and it works flawlessly. I have a portable USB drive hanging off the back of mine, and it's nice to have a decently fast NAS like solution on my home network. I don't know if you'll be able to make use of that. As negotiator said, your provider will likely be your bottleneck.

+1. I've used every other router out there and the Airport Extreme is the best I've every used. Like every Apple product, it just works right out of the box. I also rarely have to reset it like many of the other products on the market.