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B5150

B5150

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Help me out.

My Cox Internet Service is as follows:

The Preferred Bundle

"PowerBoost temporarily increases your download speeds for the first 18 - 22 Mb of a file when extra bandwidth is available and is a registered trademark of Comcast Corporation, used with permission. The maximum download speeds of Preferred are up to13 Mbps with PowerBoost and 10 Mbps without PowerBoost"

We are looking at a laptop. It is Wireless-B+G+N.

When choosing my wireless router I am looking to get one that meets thee minimum requirements of my IP speed without exceeding it, as i have no need to spend the money as it is for family use.

I am looking at N and or N+ routers with a ethernet port as my desktop is not wireless. Do I even need to go as high as N or will G suffice?

School me on my minimum router needs considering my IP service maximum speed.

Thanks!
 
Chops89

Chops89

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Honestly, you'll be fine with a G router. Obviously, the speed of the router will have no effect on the speed of your internet connection. G routers max out at 54 Mbps, but typically run at about 22 Mbps which is obviously more than enough for your connection speed. The main benefit you may get from an N router is increased signal distance (~2x that of G).
 
Trauma1

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Honestly, you'll be fine with a G router. Obviously, the speed of the router will have no effect on the speed of your internet connection. G routers max out at 54 Mbps, but typically run at about 22 Mbps which is obviously more than enough for your connection speed. The main benefit you may get from an N router is increased signal distance (~2x that of G).
Yeah, agreed. I have an Wireles-N router for the longer distance effect, and I'm pleased with it.

You should be fine with Wireless-G based on your internet speed/set-up, Brian.
 
benj851

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to add to the above. The biggest 'other than speed' difference between g, n, and the newer n + routers is that they also have better penetration qualities as well. if you want to be able to get wifi from your single router all throughout your two story 3000 square foot concrete or brick wall house you would want an n+router.

I only say that cause your an admin here, so you have to be a baller! :D

but if you have say an apt, or a condo, or a house that is around 2500 square ft. one or two stories, standard WOOD (thats key) walls. if you could put a g router in a central location, you could easily have great wifi everywhere.

The denser the walls, the further it has to go the better quality router you have to get.


Now there are things that make wifi go further in speific areas, imagine a repeater(that repeats the signal) or a bouncer (same diff) or a certain electronic device that uses the wires in your house to spread the signal. but after trying almost all of them, they suck.

my advice, and this is just me, and know that I hate walmart. Go to walmart to buy your router, buy the cheapest g-rated router there is($15-25), and hook it up. they all have super easy installation and free tech support if you get hung up. test it, to see if you have decent wifi where you want it.

If you dont return it, saying it doesn't do what it said it could do, and you want your money back.... Best part about walmart, they always give returns!

then you know whether or not you really need an n or n+ router.... with no financial risk.

hope this wasn't to long, and that it helped.


and never buy the powerboost! it is not worth the extra money... it has to be a cable provider approved site, and there has to be cable bandwith available, and you are not promised even if you meet both requirements to get even a mb more per second than normal.

get the cheapest package you can thats highspeed 5-7mbps. unless you download ten movies at a time, you wont notice a single difference...
 
benj851

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I would say get the essential bundle. and upgrade the cable choices if that was one of the reasons you wanted the other one. I honestly believe that powerboost is never effective.
 
pmiller383

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I agree with what most of the guys have said, there is no reason to go higher than a G unless you are covering a lot of area, or are transferring a lot of data between your own networked computers. With that being said if you look around on some e-tailors you can find N routers really cheap and they are super easy to set up so what ever you do don't pay somewhere to do the networking for you. Finally make sure you test your connection speed with a site like speakeasy.net so that if your not getting your guaranteed speeds you can call up comcast and make a ruckus...
 
B5150

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Thanks for the knowledge guys. Exactly what I needed to know.

Single story, wood frame, <2500sqft.
 
Trauma1

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Thanks for the knowledge guys. Exactly what I needed to know.

Single story, wood frame, <2500sqft.
If you can get a Wireless-N cheap then go for it (just because of the better range and penetration effect), but otherwise Wireless-G should definitely be fine here, Brian. :)
 
B5150

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My plan was the N - 'cause I'm all about better range and pentration :D
 
Trauma1

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My plan was the N - 'cause I'm all about better range and pentration :D
Lol - After I wrote that I saw how I had set myself up, but said f*ck it, haha. Nice pick up. :lol:
 
pmiller383

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I wondered when someone was going to make a penetration joke.
 
Dwight Schrute

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You're a geek therefore you need more power.
 
DAdams91982

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DAMMIT... how did I miss an opportunity for this:

 
Trauma1

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jim623

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If you can get a Wireless-N cheap then go for it (just because of the better range and penetration effect), but otherwise Wireless-G should definitely be fine here, Brian. :)
If you can find the "G", then penetration isn't that important!:veryhappy:
 

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