Why Fi? (WiFi)

So a friend of mine calls me today and asks me "what kind of wireless router should I get?"  

This is a favorite question that a lot of people ask me.  I've uses a lot of different brands of routers, Belkin, Netgear, Linksys, Buffalo, and DLink.  They're all about the same in my opinion, of course it will depend on your particular environment.  Such as how large of an area are you trying to cover?  Are there lots of other WiFi networks around?  Are there a lot of cordless phones or baby monitors around?  What WiFi protocol does your WiFi appliances use, a, b, g or n?

You'd have to ask yourself these types of questions because certain wireless routers will perform better than others depending on your environment.  For most people the cheapest run of the mill $40 dollar 802.11g wireless router will work, I'd personally recommend the standard Linksys WRT54GS wireless "g" router.  It's cheap, pretty much plug and play and great for everyday use.  

If you want to cover a larger area, have other WiFi networks, or have a lot of cordless phones around you'll need something with a little bit more power because all of the things I've mentioned all operate on the 2.4 gigahertz spectrum and will defiantly interfere with your wireless signal and speed.  Now don't get me wrong the $40 Linksys WRT54GS router will probably work as well, but if you really want to blast our your neighbors and ensure your speed range, and stability of your connection I'd get the Linksys WRT110 "N" router.  Why?  Because this router supports the b, g and latest draft "N" protocol, and uses MIMO technology. 

What this means is in english is that it will give you the maximum range and speed and will automatically adapt to your equipment for b, g, and n protocol.  

And it doesn't matter if you have DSL, Cable or any other kind of internet (except dial up) you can use routers on just about any kind of internet services and is compatible with Mac or PC.  Even if your internet service provider forces you to use theirs and you want to know how to streaghtne your signal for more coverage.  That's a whole other conversation I can tell you how to do that as well, if you want to know send me an email.  richmlee@gmail.com

So your next question might be "Well what the hell does all that other crap mean MIMO, a, b, g, n protocol, ethernet, gigabit" that's a lot of nerd speak and if you really want to know drop me a line richmlee@gmail.com and I can tell you but I want to keep my blogs shot enough and in plain english so people don't get bored and confused.  

Hope this helps got other networking question?  Email me richmlee@gmail.com