Best Wireless-N for NAS

[[email protected]]

Right now, I have a WRT400N that I'm pretty happy with. I'm wondering, though, about adding a second router (or replacing it) to try to get something faster now that I'm setting up a NAS. Is there anything out there that will give notably faster performance? Looking on the charts, it looks like the WRT400N remains surprisingly competitive.

Also, any thoughts on whether I'm helping or hurting my situation by having a second 802.11g router located elsewhere in the house using the same 2.4GHz SSID?

Thanks,
Tim

 

[thiggins]

You do not want to use a wireless connection for NAS. Even if an N router gives you 100 Mbps, best case (unlikely but possible), that's only 12.5 MB/s, which will limit speed from all current NASes.

Having a second AP for g devices is actually good. Just put it on a different channel (using 1, 6, or 11), set N routers to 20 MHz bandwidth mode and assign different SSIDs so you can control client connection.

 

[Osamede]

You do not want to use a wireless connection for NAS. Even if an N router gives you 100 Mbps, best case (unlikely but possible), that's only 12.5 MB/s, which will limit speed from all current NASes.

Having a second AP for g devices is actually good. Just put it on a different channel (using 1, 6, or 11), set N routers to 20 MHz bandwidth mode and assign different SSIDs so you can control client connection.

It depends on what exactly you are doing with the NAS. For example many people serve music from their laptop or desktop to their squeezebox via wireless g not even N. For such usage those wireless connections are fine and same would go for a NAS via the same wireless. Similarly if you are just using it to serve documents or pics in light duty , I would say you're going to be fine.

Its other use cases where you might see a limitaiton with the wireless. For example serving video files etc. Or doing heavy duty bulk file transfer. But even for the bulk transfers if you can do that to/from an external drive directly connected to the NAS when you need to you can still serve your music and light documents via wireless and be just fine.

 

[[email protected]]

OK, so different SSIDs are a must, it sounds like.

I have a gigabit lan throughout the areas I can reasonably get it to, and plan to use that when I can, however I would like to be able to get to things as quickly as possible still when I am on the other side of the house where it isn't practical to run Gig-E.

So, given that the WRT400N seems to come pretty close to 100 Mbps, I should pretty much leave well enough alone, it sounds like? Think there is any hope of getting closer to the theoretical limits of N wireless in the near future?

 

[thiggins]

You're not going to see an appreciable difference in speed with another N router.

I see no sign of improved N speed anywhere on the horizon. 450 Mbps three-stream N won't help until more three-stream client solutions are available. Only three-stream clients now are notebooks.