Linksys Wireless-G Questions

[Rockstead]

I'm actually in the need of a wireless router and I see that Futureshop has a good deal at 149.99 on the Wireless-G, but I really haven't done any research yet and I have no idea which one to buy, can those of you that did your homework sort me out.

I currently have a Linksys 4 port router, but I just moved in to a house and I have Computers in other rooms which need internet access as well as game systems, such as PS2, XBOX, and I think even gamecube has a broadband adaptor now and running cable is not an option at the moment.


Is the Linksys Wireless-G the best solution? is it currently the best product out? and how does it work exactly?

1) Does it work in combination with my old 4 Port linksys router? Should I just be putting that at ebay at this point?

2) How does the wireless connection work for Laptops, Desktops, PS2? does the package come with adaptors or something that plug in to the ethernet connections already in those devices? or are new ethernet cards needed?

3) Is it a good time to be purchasing wireless routers? is there a better product coming out in the very near future that I should be waiting for instead.

4) What about interference with other wireless devices such as my alarm system which has some wirless components to it, portable phones, video senders, etc...will all these devices work well together? what kind of headaches can I expect.

5) I see on the Linksys site that the following models are available, I have no idea which to choose.

-WAP54G Wireless-G Access Point
-WAP55AG Dual-Band Wireless A + G Access Point
-WRT54G Wireless-G Broadband Router
-WRT55AG Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband

Thank you for any feedback.

[gambit_360]

This should really be in the Hardware forum.
Anyways, here are some answers since I have one of these.

1) You can get rid of your current router. The wireless router already has four ethernet ports in the back you can use.

2) You need to buy more wireless adapters for each computer you want to network wirelessly.

3) I doubt that there's a better product now. Wireless-G is pretty new technology. There's also 802.11a (5ghz), but not too popular yet. If you don't really need the speed, 802.11b products are getting cheaper.

4) I heard that they interfere with other 2.4ghz devices but I can't confirm this.

5) In my opinion, get the Wireless-G Router.

[Menace]

1) You don't need the old router anymore. The new router has the wired 4 ports on it.

2) You need to use wireless nic in order to work with the wireless network.

I have B version and never had problem with my 2.4G phone. However, G version is the way to go.

[Rockstead]

Thanks for the feedback guys,

Gambit_360,

you mentioned I need to buy more wireless adapters for each computer you want to network wirelessly.

and Menace mentioned that I need a wireless nic.

6) Are these two items different? Instead of having to change all my nics, can't I just plug in some adaptor in to the nics I already have? for example, I can't replace the nic on my PS2, that would have to require an adaptor..do both adaptors and wireless nics exist? and what is the better solution and what is the bost of either solution.


7) Also what comes packaged with the Linksys Wireless-G router, how many adaptors or nics does it come with?

8) How many connections does this wireless router support? how many is the maximum amount of wireless devices that can connect to it?

[dealtaker]

okay stop babying this guy.
Rockstead do your own research or at least post in the right forum.

[ItzMe]

Originally posted by Rockstead@Sep 3 2003, 11:24 AM
Thanks for the feedback guys,

Gambit_360,

you mentioned I need  to buy more wireless adapters for each computer you want to network wirelessly.

and Menace mentioned that I need a wireless nic.

6) Are these two items different? Instead of having to change all my nics, can't I just plug in some adaptor in to the nics I already have? for example, I can't replace the nic on my PS2, that would have to require an adaptor..do both adaptors and wireless nics exist? and what is the better solution and what is the bost of either solution.


7) Also what comes packaged with the Linksys Wireless-G router, how many adaptors or nics does it come with?

8) How many connections does this wireless router support? how many is the maximum amount of wireless devices that can connect to it?
you can use a combination of wired and wireless nics with the wireless router (it comes with space to plug in 4 wired network cards...) remember if/when you update the firmware (definately reccomended to get the best performance on the wireless g linksys model - www.linksys.com) you must use a wired connection when updating the firmware :)...

theoretically you don't have to use any wireless if you don't want to - it can operate the same way a wired router would with up to 4 wired connections (or you can "uplink" extra switches to add more wired ports...)... on top of this you can also add as many wireless connections as you'd like (within reason as performance does bottleneck eventually :P)...

7) in the router box you get the router, antenas, cd drivers, a fancy glossy chart showing you how to set it up, one short ethernet cable, and a power cable...thats it...no NICs (unless there's some new package out where you get NICs with it??? but not as far as I know...)

8) as mentioned above you can have upto 4 wired connections (or add extra switches to get more) and "unlimited" wireless...but again the more you add the slower it will get...you won't notice much of a difference between say 2 and 3 wireless connections but you will notice it if you went with 10 or 15 ... (but i've never tried that so donno for sure...)

hope this helps!

***EDIT***
this should help info from linksys on networking (wired and wireless):
http://www.linksys.com/edu/
http://www.linksys.com/support/default.asp
and the wireless g router itself:
http://www.linksys.com/products/product.as...cid=35&prid=508 (http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=508)

[Fox2k]

I dont know what sort of conenction the consoles you mentioned use for their network connections..but youre going to have a rough time unless they use USB..in which case you can buy external usb wifi adapters (linksys has some of these available around the $90 price range). Otherwise, you could keep your wireless router near the consoles and run cabling to them, then use wireless NICs for each desktop / laptop you have. If none of the consoles use USB for ethernet, and they're located in different rooms, then you'd have to figure something else out
:/

[Menace]

I only use external USB wireless nic (Linksys), it works like a dream. The good thing about ext USB is you don't get any interference from other cards. You can place the USB antenna far away from your computer. However, USB may not be a good idea for laptop because you lose the mobility.

[scottyb]

It sounds like you would have no use for the G standard, as it will not provide you with faster internet, only faster transfer times between computers.

[RainingInVancouver]

Originally posted by dealtaker+Sep 3 2003, 08:26 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (dealtaker @ Sep 3 2003, 08:26 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>okay stop babying this guy.
Rockstead do your own research or at least post in the right forum.[/b]
I don't know where this was originally posted, but some guys (like me) tend to give newbies a break.

<!--QuoteBegin--gambit_360@Sep 3 2003, 07:49 AM
4) I heard that they interfere with other 2.4ghz devices but I can't confirm this.
[/quote]
I can confirm that a B or G wireless network will be affected by microwaves and 2.4ghz cordless phones.

[ZeeTX]

One thing is for sure that Wireless G Products will be soon replacing the B Standard due to high data transfer, same signal range/coverage as of B standard & backward compatibilty.

Wireless-G is the upcoming 54Mbps wireless networking standard that's almost five times faster than the widely deployed Wireless-B (802.11b) products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hotspots.

Wireless-G devices can also work with existing 11Mbps Wireless-B equipment.

The Linksys Wireless-G Access Point lets you connect Wireless-G or Wireless-B devices to the network. Since both standards are built in, you can protect your investment in existing 802.11b infrastructure, and migrate your network clients to the new screaming fast Wireless-G standard.

If your looking to upgrade your router or access point then upgrade all your ethernet cards or network adapters too. Not that they are incompatible but you will not notice any improvement if you stick with B products (ethernet cards / network products).

I'd rather suggest you to stick around with B Standard for a while until christmas time if you have more B standard products. You can then make the switch to G standard..

[EchoAngel911]

sure they will be effected but the coding algorthms will try to take care of it.

I have the Linksys Wireless G router and their adapters for my pcs. Originally they didn't work. I had to upgrade the firmware on the router before i started to get something on the adapter..

The supposed limit is 54 Mbps. Since rogers high speed cable is cap at like 2 Mbps. I don't notice any difference.

The prices are getting cheaper. There are currently rebates of 15 dollars for the G adapter and router.

I heard the transfer rates will go down if you mix B and G signals in the Wireless G router. For me, i'm using only G

[Rockstead]

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between these Linksys Wireless-G products, it's pretty confusing to me on which one to choose.

-WAP54G Wireless-G Access Point
-WAP55AG Dual-Band Wireless A + G Access Point
-WRT54G Wireless-G Broadband Router
-WRT55AG Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband

[bigstar*]

I agree with the scottyb to stick with 802.11b standards. Simply because it sounds like you will only be sharing the internet. But if the price is reasonable, it doesn't hurt to go with the G-standard.

As ZeeTX said, if you wait a bit longer and the G-standard goes down in price, you can simply migrate your existing LAN with by adding a G-access point for your wireless clients.

I currently have a Dlink DI-714p+ wireless router + a couple of wireless adapters from Linksys + Dlink, will flash the firmwares to 44Mbps (when it comes out). And IMO, I find that Dlink's products tend to operate more 'stronger' and reliable over Linksys.

And stay away from A-standards. Too expensive, not backward compatiable with B or G, running same speeds as G = not worth it :D

[siriuskao]

Originally posted by Rockstead@Sep 4 2003, 07:11 AM
Can anyone tell me what the difference is between these Linksys Wireless-G products, it's pretty confusing to me on which one to choose.

-WAP54G Wireless-G Access Point
-WAP55AG Dual-Band Wireless A + G Access Point
-WRT54G Wireless-G Broadband Router
-WRT55AG Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband
-WRT54G Wireless-G Broadband Router

this is what you want, Wireless G router. If you decide to go with 11B, I don't see why you would want to get an access point later since AP cost more than a router, so you might as well replace the router when you want to migrate your network.

[Rockstead]

Originally posted by siriuskao@Sep 4 2003, 04:11 PM
[QUOTE=
this is what you want, Wireless G router. If you decide to go with 11B, I don't see why you would want to get an access point later since AP cost more than a router, so you might as well replace the router when you want to migrate your network.
[/quote]
Thanks, I will purchase the Linksys Wireless G Router today.

In terms of wireless adaptors, I hav found the following that are Wireless G:

Linksys WPC54G Wireless-G Notebook Adapter
Linksys WMP54G Wireless-G PCI Adapter
Linksys WGA54G Wireless-G Game Adapter
Linksys WUSB54G Wireless-G USB Adapter

For a desktop PC, does it make more sense to go with a PCI Adaptor or a USB Adaptor? I realize that with a USB adaptor I can easily add it to any Laptop, but are there any disadvantages to using USB rather then PCI? or Advantages to using PCI over USB?

I also have a PS2 along with an official Sony Network Adaptor, if I want to run that wireless, do I have to buy the Linksys Wireless G Game Adaptor? or is there another solution?

Thanks

[bigstar*]

I usually tend to get USB adaptors simply because it is more easily to interchange between computers (notebook+desktops) and also you can extend the usb cable to get a better signal.

As for your PS2, this is one of your options :DLink DI-810+ (http://www.staples.ca/products/catalog/skuset.asp?skusetid=16891&first=516280&SuperCategoryId=3)

[skuntbehavior]

sure they will be effected but the coding algorthms will try to take care of it.

I have the Linksys Wireless G router and their adapters for my pcs. Originally they didn't work. I had to upgrade the firmware on the router before i started to get something on the adapter..

The supposed limit is 54 Mbps. Since rogers high speed cable is cap at like 2 Mbps. I don't notice any difference.

The prices are getting cheaper. There are currently rebates of 15 dollars for the G adapter and router.

I heard the transfer rates will go down if you mix B and G signals in the Wireless G router. For me, i'm using only G

what sort of issues were you having echo?
i picked up the wrt54g and for the most part the router works fine. i had the wpc54g installed on lappy then one day it stopped working. left it for a week due to being busy and just tonight i decided to mess with it some more. for the life of me i can't get the wpc54g to work. i was having connectivity issues and every time i restarted the laptop, the wireless settings had to be entered all over again. i ended up getting the internal wireless to work but i can't help but to think i just wasted money. i figured the wpc54g along with the router would have made a nice combo?
is there firmware for the card?