Getting Your Wireless Network Up to Speed
By YARDENA ARAR
NYT
The wireless home network that freed you from sitting in a single location to browse Web sites, download videos and make free phone calls may be getting balky. The videos pause, instant messaging apps mysteriously disconnect in midchat, and you can’t get a connection in the far corner bedroom any more.
Part of the problem is undoubtedly the popularity of the Wi-Fi network. More devices are on the home network trying to use the same bandwidth to do more things. Fortunately, fixes for dead zones and dropped connections are readily available, though all involve spending $100 or so for new equipment.
Let’s start with the issue of a weak signal that never quite covers your entire home. If you’re still relying on an old wireless router that uses what is called the 802.11b or 802.11g standard, you may want to buy new equipment using the latest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11n. The equipment with the “n” designation can transmit data at twice the speed of “g” routers and is more than five times as fast as “b” wireless routers.
The router makers seem intent on making the buying process confusing. You’ll need to check what frequency the router transmits on. The 802.11n gear can use either the 2.4GHz or the 5GHz band or both. Equipment that uses only the 2.4GHz frequency is the least expensive, $75 to $125, and it will be compatible with most older Wi-Fi equipment.
(More here.)
NYT
The wireless home network that freed you from sitting in a single location to browse Web sites, download videos and make free phone calls may be getting balky. The videos pause, instant messaging apps mysteriously disconnect in midchat, and you can’t get a connection in the far corner bedroom any more.
Part of the problem is undoubtedly the popularity of the Wi-Fi network. More devices are on the home network trying to use the same bandwidth to do more things. Fortunately, fixes for dead zones and dropped connections are readily available, though all involve spending $100 or so for new equipment.
Let’s start with the issue of a weak signal that never quite covers your entire home. If you’re still relying on an old wireless router that uses what is called the 802.11b or 802.11g standard, you may want to buy new equipment using the latest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11n. The equipment with the “n” designation can transmit data at twice the speed of “g” routers and is more than five times as fast as “b” wireless routers.
The router makers seem intent on making the buying process confusing. You’ll need to check what frequency the router transmits on. The 802.11n gear can use either the 2.4GHz or the 5GHz band or both. Equipment that uses only the 2.4GHz frequency is the least expensive, $75 to $125, and it will be compatible with most older Wi-Fi equipment.
(More here.)
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1 Comments:
Your comments are good. Another fact not mentioned is that there is so much 2.4 and 5.8 in crowded cities, running amok. The interference rates in San Antonio have grown exponentially in the last 5 years, as an example. To make matters much worse, the city is putting up hundreds of Cisco nodes all over SA for control of traffic lights. Soon, your Linksys box will be rendered useless, much less the walk-around phones enjoyed there.
It is important to upgrade, unless you live in Timbuktu. Bobby Vassallo - City Wireless Consulting
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