Hello New to the Board, Router question?

Discussion in 'Networking and Security' started by 1flyfisher, Jul 24, 2007.

  1. TOM134

    TOM134

    #21     Jul 25, 2007
  2. #22     Jul 25, 2007
  3. TOM134

    TOM134

    1flyfisher,

    Stay with 'N'.

    Don't second guess yourself.

    If [/i]Sager[/i] is selling it then it is the newest and best!

    I hope this helps.

    Tom
     
    #23     Jul 25, 2007
  4. I was doing a little research into this and here is an article you might want to read.

    802.11n Draft 2.0 gets thumbs up from Working Group

    By Eric Bangeman | Published: March 13, 2007 - 09:38AM CT

    Draft 2.0 of the 802.11n spec has been approved by the 802.11 Working Group, moving the increasingly popular wireless networking technology a step closer to its final form. 83.4 percent of the votes were for approval, easily surpassing the 75 percent supermajority required—a marked contrast from the early days of 802.11n, when infighting over competing technologies stalled development.
    Related Stories

    * First Draft 2.0 updates arrive for 802.11n gear
    * Wi-Fi Alliance starts certifying 802.11n Draft 2.0 gear
    * Apple quietly releases 802.11n enabler
    * Speed test: Airport Extreme lives up to its name

    During the voting, Draft 2.0 received over 3,000 comments, many of which were duplicates, and we're not quite yet on the road to Draft 3.0 (and subsequent final approval). The next stage will consist of minor tweaks to the text of the draft to address some of the comments before it is officially approved. The core technology, however, is all but set at this point in time.

    Early on in the 802.11n ratification process, we expressed some concerns about vendors selling 802.11n products, but while some early hardware may never see the full benefits of 802.11n's speed (around 200Mbps), it should work fine with Draft 2.0-compliant gear. 802.11n support has now become de rigueur for hardware makers, with the hardware market flooded by laptops and routers trumpeting their support for the faster wireless spec.

    With the positive vote from the 802.11n Working Group, the Wi-Fi Alliance will now begin officially certifying equipment as being compliant with Draft 2.0. That's an important step, as official Draft 2.0-compliant gear is guaranteed to be fully compatible with the final 802.11n standard.

    The next stage in the 802.11n approval process is a sponsor ballot, and we're not quite there yet. There will be some revisions to Draft 2.0, but as the 83.4 percent approval margin demonstrates, the Working Group is quite pleased with the state of the 802.11n spec. Any changes should be very minor in scope.

    After the expected minor revisions to Draft 2.0, it will go out for another round of balloting, resulting in the emergence of Draft 3.0 late in 2007. Expected to be approved in early 2008, Draft 3.0 will be "final 802.11n" in all but name. The publication of the final 802.11n spec is now expected in April 2009.

    If you have been on the fence about whether to move up to 802.11n from your current 802.11b/g setup, you've got nothing to worry about from a technology standpoint. On the other hand, if you're hoping to instantly see blazing, 200Mbps or better speeds from your new 802.11n router, you may be disappointed. Several factors, such as the presence of 802.11g routers and the degree of backwards compatibility with which you operate your 802.11n router, can lead to performance that falls short of the advertised maximum speeds. Despite that, the increased range and more modest bandwidth increases make 802.11n a good bet if you're ready to upgrade.

    http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/pos...ft-2-0-gets-thumbs-up-from-working-group.html
     
    #24     Jul 25, 2007
  5. Thanks,
    I got a little worried there by some of the responses here but after reading the article(unless something has changed from the articles date) I think I made the right decision and I think this Linksys N router will be fine. In the specs for it Linksys says that it is compliant with the new N final draft 2.0 standards.
     
    #25     Jul 25, 2007
  6. gwb-trading

    gwb-trading

    This PC card supports the A, B, G, and draft-N wireless standards. It should be fine. It the N does not work right out of the box then simply revert to G.

    In regards to the Linksys Router, as the draft N standard evolves you may need to download new firmware for the router and re-flash it over time if you are using N and want to align with the standard as it evolves. The base hardware on this router should be fine for all expected future evolution.

    Keep in mind that when you purchase a router, one of the first things you should do is to download the latest firmware to the router from the Linksys site. Normally the routers come with out-dated firmware, so I would urge you to upgrade immediately when you recieve it.

    The SSID is the name you give your router. You do not want to broadcast this out of your router (this alerts all the hackers to the presence of your router). The MAC address is the hardware address of your wireless PC card. It should be a set of Hex digits that look something like this:
    00-11-25-17-48-9B or 00:11:25:17:48:9B

    When you get your router you want to change the default user name, password, and SSID set by the manufacturer. Otherwise everyone on the Internet will be able to hack into it.

    - Greg
     
    #26     Jul 25, 2007
  7. GWB-Trading Greg and others.

    Thanks for the help and the info.
    I will do what you suggest when I get the router with the SSDI and MAC address and manufacturer default settings.

    I have to buy something and this router at $100 seemed the way to go instead of buying the Linksys WRT54g for $49.

    The N router gets great reviews on CNEt even better than the Linksys WRT54g

    http://reviews.cnet.com/networking-.../4505-3243_7-32327689.html?ar=o&tag=pdtl-list
     
    #27     Jul 25, 2007
  8. gwb-trading

    gwb-trading

    I have had the Linksys WRT54G for many years and it has done great. Most of my neighbors have purchased the N router and are quite happy.

    - Greg
     
    #28     Jul 25, 2007
  9. Thanks again greg for the set up information as I am security conscious but security ignorant. This WRT15N seems to have all the latest and necessary security features. That pushed me in the direction of the N router and the N card.

    I had to go one direction or another with this Dell Vostro 1500 purchase. I figured getting that N card was the smart move. I originally was going to get it with a G mini card and the WRT54G but I went N.

    GOOD TRADING!
     
    #29     Jul 25, 2007
  10. gnome

    gnome

    FWIW... The Draft N routers being sold currently are 1.0.
     
    #30     Jul 25, 2007