What is the best available N Wireless Router for 5300 AGN?

[diablo2man]

Currently I have a WRT54G2 which is very slow (about 10Mbps). Previously it is not a problem but now I have a Dlink NAS 323. I can hardly watch any video via wireless connection to that NAS. So I want to upgrade my device. After doing a research on website, I still can't figure out which one is best suitable for my case:

Device: one 5300 AGN laptop + one G band wireless PC + PS3 + NAS
House: two bed room apartments. The location of router is ten meters and one wall from the laptop.
Usage: Watch stream video in NAS from laptop directly. BT & other download.

Thanks.

 

[thiggins]

I don't think there is a "best" router that matches that adapter. I have just started using the 5300 AGN as the standard wireless test adapter and results look good with both Atheros and Broadcom-based routers.

 

[diablo2man]

I don't think there is a "best" router that matches that adapter. I have just started using the 5300 AGN as the standard wireless test adapter and results look good with both Atheros and Broadcom-based routers.

Thanks for reply. But could you give any suggestion? There are too many voices and reviews here but not a clear guide for beginners such as this model is suitable when you cares speed and that one is most stable.

 

[Enki42]

How many other networks can you see on your computers?

The reason I ask is I know people love to bash 5GHz as not as good to use but in an apt situation it may be possible to have so many other networks around at 2.4GHz and none at 5GHz that its best to use the less crowded spectrum.

I personally see 23 802.11g networks in my apt and nothing else so I'm pretty sure my laptop will get a better connection with 802.11n over 5GHz but I'm waiting for the new generation simultanious dual band routers announced at CES to come out before I buy (still need 2.4GHz for friends who visit)

 

[staticfree]

I don't think there is a "best" router that matches that adapter. I have just started using the 5300 AGN as the standard wireless test adapter and results look good with both Atheros and Broadcom-based routers.

Hi, I am new to these forums. I recently got the itch to revamp my home wireless network system and upgrade it to latest Draft N 2.0 stuff. Been buying and trying various routers and adapters thus far. As I recently learned about the new Intel Pro Wireless Link 5300AGN mini PCIe adapter as the up and coming card to use for future multi-streams 450Mbps capability, I bought a few of them to replace all my old laptop internal adapters.

Now, the main reason I wanted to post here is because I just noticed a quirk with these Intel 5300agn adapters on the 2.4Ghz band when connected to my Linksys WRT610N or my WRT320N routers. As noted elsewhere in your SmallNetBuilder columns (or forums) this 5300agn adapter unlike the older Intel 4965agn adapter allows you to connect at 40Mhz bandwidth as well as 20Mhz bandwidth thus allowing your 2.4Ghz speed readings to go above the 144Mbs limit. It can now go up to the 300Mbps with my wireless-N routers.

You can turn this wide band 20/40Mhz mode on in the device driver settings in Windows control panel. (you cannot do this for the older 4965agn card).

But lo and behold, I ran into a problem with this 2.4Ghz wide-band capability running the 5300agn card. All runs real well when there are no 802.11B clients connected to the network. As soon as I connect my Sirius SL100 radio to the 2.4Ghz network for internet music, this Intel 5300agn connection (in Wide-Band mode) totally crashes. It starts dropping packets and ultimately fails and disconnects. I view this as a bug! It should not drop connection but rather should re-negotiate and adjust itself to keep on going.

All my other wi-fi adapters are unaffected by the mixed mode when my 802.11B client joins the network. The 5300agn drops out completely and fails when it is set to 40Mhz wide band mode. I got worried that my Linksys routers were buggy and dropping connections all the time... untill I figured out that it was this 5300agn card not compatible with mixed mode networking.!!!

To fix this quirk, I put the 5300agn adapter back to only 20Mhz bandwidth on 2.4Ghz band. This way it has a top speed limited to 144Mbs but it will then work fine when an 802.11B device joins the network.

Was this clear? Just FYI in case you have not noticed this quirk about the Intel 5300agn card.

 

[staticfree]

Update: I just bought a new Dlink DIR-655 A4 router with firmware v1.20 on it running fine. The symptoms I noted above with the Intel 5300agn card in auto 20/40Mhz mode does not occur when using the Dlink router in mixed b/g/n active sessions. It seems it only has this problem with my Linksys WRT610N router. So it must be something in the way Linksys processes its signals that causes the Intel 5300agn adapter to start dropping connection whenever an 802.11b client joins the network.

EDIT UPDATE: Well ignore what I just typed y'all above about being fine with the Dlink DIR-655 A4 router. It was connected fine working all day playing well with my 802.11b Sirius Stiletto Radio connected simultaneously. That is until I went upstairs with my laptop and it lost the signal and disconnected from the DIR-655 A4 router. When I tried to reconnect, no matter how many times I tried, no matter I came back downstairs right in front of the DIR-655 A4 with excellent strong signal, the laptop's Intel 5300agn (in auto 20/40Mhz 2.4Ghz mode) would not and could not reconnect to the router while the Sirius Radio 802.11b Radio was still connected first to the router! So, there seems to be something here that the Intel 5300agn card cannot negotiate a connection when a 802.11b client is already associated to the router. If you remove the 802.11b device(s) then the Intel 5300agn card will start connecting again. Oh well. FYI folks. This may explain some of the complaints people have with any router of connection problems. Remove your 802.11b clients when troubleshooting and see if wireless-n clients work fine after that.

Now, the main reason I wanted to post here is because I just noticed a quirk with these Intel 5300agn adapters on the 2.4Ghz band when connected to my Linksys WRT610N or my WRT320N routers.

But lo and behold, I ran into a problem with this 2.4Ghz wide-band capability running the 5300agn card. All runs real well when there are no 802.11B clients connected to the network. As soon as I connect my Sirius SL100 radio to the 2.4Ghz network for internet music, this Intel 5300agn connection (in Wide-Band mode) totally crashes. It starts dropping packets and ultimately fails and disconnects. I view this as a bug! It should not drop connection but rather should re-negotiate and adjust itself to keep on going.

All my other wi-fi adapters are unaffected by the mixed mode when my 802.11B client joins the network. The 5300agn drops out completely and fails when it is set to 40Mhz wide band mode.

To fix this quirk, I put the 5300agn adapter back to only 20Mhz bandwidth on 2.4Ghz band. This way it has a top speed limited to 144Mbs but it will then work fine when an 802.11B device joins the network.