Should we get an N router for our G adapters?

[Xichael]

All of the laptops around here have G adapters. Would there be any benefit to getting an N router? I gather that the MIMO might be beneficial, but then why not just go with a G router that has it (like the WRT110 or WPN824)?

If it is worth getting an N router, which among them strike the best balance between cost and performance? There are a dozen computers connected in our network at any one time, many with hi-bandwidth things on the go (bittorrent, streaming video, VoIP, etc.), so it will have to perform.

So the question is: should we get an N router for our family of G adapters, and if so, which one will cover the widest area, handling the greatest number of connections at the highest bandwidth, and at the lowest cost?

 

[thiggins]

An N router won't help wireless performance unless the router you are replacing is really old. In that case the newer radio technology might slightly improve range. But you will not see a maximum throughput increase.

 

[tipstir]

All of the laptops around here have G adapters. Would there be any benefit to getting an N router? I gather that the MIMO might be beneficial, but then why not just go with a G router that has it (like the WRT110 or WPN824)?

If it is worth getting an N router, which among them strike the best balance between cost and performance? There are a dozen computers connected in our network at any one time, many with hi-bandwidth things on the go (bittorrent, streaming video, VoIP, etc.), so it will have to perform.

So the question is: should we get an N router for our family of G adapters, and if so, which one will cover the widest area, handling the greatest number of connections at the highest bandwidth, and at the lowest cost?

Not a good idea to use wireless to download torrents, where wired connect would provide better throughput. If you have G wireless network and it's stable adding the N is not standard as of yet and speed and performance might not be any different than G. Some G can do up to 125mbps using the right wireless router where others don't.

 

[geo]

Has the decision already been made to upgrade the router, and you're wondering .g vs .n? Or you're trying to decide whether to upgrade your old .g router at all?

I can't imagine why if you've already made the decision to upgrade you wouldn't want to at least go 2.4GHz single-band .n as a minimum. But then my assumption is that for most people a router upgrade is a multi-year purchase they don't want to be swapping out every 6mos to a year. So in that scenario, the question to me would be more 2.4ghz-only vs 2.4ghz/5ghz switchable vs 2.4ghz/5ghz dual simultaneous, but all .n.

If you haven't made the decision to upgrade your current router, then I'd ask why you're thinking of doing so now? It would have been helpful to know what your current router is. For instance, is your curren router recent enough to support wpa2 security? How about the clients? Do they all support wpa2, or only wpa, or even worse, only wep?

If your clients are .g only, and you won't get a security beef-up from the upgrade, and assuming you aren't in the market because the router is dieing/dead, then I'd still be trying to understand what might be driving you to be in the market for a router, other than tech boredom (and, hey, believe me, I've been there!).

 

[Xichael]

...assuming you aren't in the market because the router is dieing/dead, then I'd still be trying to understand what might be driving you to be in the market for a router...

I'm beginning to believe my router is dying. It's a WPN824 (one of those MIMO G routers), and had been working well till recently, when it randomly started dropping the wireless signal every few days.

So if I do need to replace it, should I do so with draft N? The consensus seems to be that it wont make much difference unless we have N adapters on the other end.

Would an N router treat the G adapters roughly the same as a G with MIMO? If I can find an N at the same price as a G with MIMO, would there be any reason not to go with the N?

Thanks for the advice everyone!

 

[thiggins]

Draft 11n is a different beast than the MIMO in the WPN824.

It's really up to you. If you want to experiment with draft 11n, get an inexpensive two-antenna model. But don't expect it to provide better performance with 11g adapters than an 11g router.

 

[geo]

I'm beginning to believe my router is dying. It's a WPN824 (one of those MIMO G routers), and had been working well till recently, when it randomly started dropping the wireless signal every few days.

So if I do need to replace it, should I do so with draft N? The consensus seems to be that it wont make much difference unless we have N adapters on the other end.

Would an N router treat the G adapters roughly the same as a G with MIMO? If I can find an N at the same price as a G with MIMO, would there be any reason not to go with the N?

Thanks for the advice everyone!

If you're looking at a 2-3 yr purchase for a new router, then I can't imagine why you wouldn't at least want a cheap .n 2.4GHz-only router. Even if you pay a bit more for it than a .g router. It won't do any worse for your .g, and some time in that period you're likely to upgrade one or more of your clients to .n capable (like, say, a new laptop purchase) and will then be able to take advantage of the extra speed without upgrading the router.

On the other hand, if you are thinking of a second router upgrade next year at some point, then a .g router now --if it is significantly cheaper than the .n alternatives-- makes sense.

To me it really comes down to how long you think you want to keep this router, and the likely timeframe of upgrades to one or more of the clients.

 

[Xichael]

It's true, an N client is bound to show up eventually. I might as well be ready. If all goes well, the router's likely to be around for a few years (I've had the WPN824 for over 2).

get an inexpensive two-antenna model

OK. Which one? I was reading through your roundup, where apparently DIR-625 came out on top. Have any better options arrived in the months since? How does Netgear's WNR2000 stack up?

Also, why might I opt for a dual-band router? The DIR-628 is around the same price as the 625. Does dual-band = better?

 

[thiggins]

OK. Which one? I was reading through your roundup, where apparently DIR-625 came out on top. Have any better options arrived in the months since? How does Netgear's WNR2000 stack up?

Read the review and you'll know my opinion.

Also, why might I opt for a dual-band router? The DIR-628 is around the same price as the 625. Does dual-band = better?

Dual-band does not equal better. It provides no advantage if you don't have clients that can operate in 5 GHz.

Read How To Choose the Right Wireless LAN for You if you haven't already.

 

[Q-BZ]

Read the review and you'll know my opinion.



Dual-band does not equal better. It provides no advantage if you don't have clients that can operate in 5 GHz.

Read How To Choose the Right Wireless LAN for You if you haven't already.

From this past April: Thinking of Upgrading to Draft 11n? Here's What I'd Do...

^^ Has anything changed for you since you wrote this up?

 

[thiggins]

From this past April: Thinking of Upgrading to Draft 11n? Here's What I'd Do...

^^ Has anything changed for you since you wrote this up?

Nothing to make me change my recommendation.

 

[Xichael]

I was just reading (over here) about how mixing G and N clients on an N router is a bad idea. Now I'm not so sure about going for one.

Would this be a problem with the DIR-625?

And if I were to get a G router after all, what's the best option out there these days?

 

[Xichael]

Anyone?...

 

[thiggins]

The mixed client / reduced performance issue applies to all draft 11n products.

11g wireless is very mature and performance doesn't vary from product to product. Pick a router that matches your wired needs. See How To Choose the Right Router for You.

 

[tipstir]

All of the laptops around here have G adapters. Would there be any benefit to getting an N router? I gather that the MIMO might be beneficial, but then why not just go with a G router that has it (like the WRT110 or WPN824)?

If it is worth getting an N router, which among them strike the best balance between cost and performance? There are a dozen computers connected in our network at any one time, many with hi-bandwidth things on the go (bittorrent, streaming video, VoIP, etc.), so it will have to perform.



So the question is: should we get an N router for our family of G adapters, and if so, which one will cover the widest area, handling the greatest number of connections at the highest bandwidth, and at the lowest cost?

Same here until a few days ago.. I am slowly changing out the G but the N adapters can do G in a heartbeat. N the speed is a bit faster but the LAN the WAN will depend on your ISP speed you get and N would be a bit better for your WAN access.