
J West
I am looking for some feedback on my wireless router. I have a Netgear WNR1000v2 which is a N router. I just bought a Netgear WGR614v8 which is a G router. I just bout it for the heck of it, it was 5 bucks. So here is my question. I was reading some forums about dd-wrt, which is a firmware update for routers I believe. I read that this can boost your routers speed or range. Not sure if I really understand that to be correct.
I have not tested this G router, but my N router works, but my PS3 online always disconnects. It is about 60 feet away from my router setup. My N router does not support the dd-wrt, but the G router does support dd-wrt. Will this actually improve the G to the point that it is better than the N.
I'm not an expert on all of this, so please shed some light for me.
PS. I also have my router sitting on top of my desktop. I read that you should not place your router near other electronic devices. Is this hurting my signal?
Thank you.
Answer
A firmware update will probably boost the signal if the original firmware was not utilizing the hardware to its full potential.
You know how games come with bugs on the first day? Well, hardware does too. Just like the iPhone keeps getting updates for better performance.
Your G router isn't performing what it is capable of...doesn't mean it will work better than an N router working optimally. A G router is capable of 54 Mbps...that's it. No more. An N router is capable of 300 Mbps (best conditions).
Your N router may be experiencing interference, as well as being in mixed-mode (which seriously degrades throughput). In order to take advantage of 802.11n speed and range, every node (wireless device) on that network needs to support 802.11n, and if you connect an 802.11b/g device to the wireless network, the router will switch to mixed-mode to maintain compatibility. Either make the network completely 802.11n or you just deal with the slower speed and range.
To improve signal strength, remove any causes of interference such as 2.4Ghz telephones, microwaves, baby monitors, large solid objects like refrigerators that may impede the signal.
Also, your router may disconnect the connection if it is idle for X amount of time. That may be the reason why your PS3 disconnects. You need to go into the router's setup page and change it to never disconnect on idle.
A firmware update will probably boost the signal if the original firmware was not utilizing the hardware to its full potential.
You know how games come with bugs on the first day? Well, hardware does too. Just like the iPhone keeps getting updates for better performance.
Your G router isn't performing what it is capable of...doesn't mean it will work better than an N router working optimally. A G router is capable of 54 Mbps...that's it. No more. An N router is capable of 300 Mbps (best conditions).
Your N router may be experiencing interference, as well as being in mixed-mode (which seriously degrades throughput). In order to take advantage of 802.11n speed and range, every node (wireless device) on that network needs to support 802.11n, and if you connect an 802.11b/g device to the wireless network, the router will switch to mixed-mode to maintain compatibility. Either make the network completely 802.11n or you just deal with the slower speed and range.
To improve signal strength, remove any causes of interference such as 2.4Ghz telephones, microwaves, baby monitors, large solid objects like refrigerators that may impede the signal.
Also, your router may disconnect the connection if it is idle for X amount of time. That may be the reason why your PS3 disconnects. You need to go into the router's setup page and change it to never disconnect on idle.
do i need a router or a modem?
Q. wireless or wired? i'm confused! ok-right now, i have wireless internet,
from comcast. the modem or router thing, i rent from them at $7 bucks,
is in my living room, and my pc is in my room, hooked up to my hdtv.
how, ever-i'm tired of paying comcast the extra $7 dollars a month!
so, i'm thinking about buying the "Motorola SB6141 DOCSIS modem".
i want to have a WIRED internet connection, and be able to share
that "wired connection" to my old '2006' pc, apple tv, wireless printer,
and an iphone 5. BTW..the pc will be DEAD soon, until, i can afford
another one! so, i'll only have the apple tv, printer and iphone, to connect.
do i need a wireless or wired modem, or wireless/wired router?
i appreciate your help. thanks.
from comcast. the modem or router thing, i rent from them at $7 bucks,
is in my living room, and my pc is in my room, hooked up to my hdtv.
how, ever-i'm tired of paying comcast the extra $7 dollars a month!
so, i'm thinking about buying the "Motorola SB6141 DOCSIS modem".
i want to have a WIRED internet connection, and be able to share
that "wired connection" to my old '2006' pc, apple tv, wireless printer,
and an iphone 5. BTW..the pc will be DEAD soon, until, i can afford
another one! so, i'll only have the apple tv, printer and iphone, to connect.
do i need a wireless or wired modem, or wireless/wired router?
i appreciate your help. thanks.
Answer
Here is how it works,
A router connects two separate networks and manage the traffic between them.
A wireless router enables you to provide wireless (WiFi) Internet access to all of your WiFi enabled devices such as laptops, game consoles, cell phones and tablets, Streaming devices such as Roku boxes and Internet enabled TV and sound devices, etc.
In most home network applications the router connects your local group of computers and devices known as the LAN with the Internet, commonly called the WAN or Wide Area Network.
Two types of Internet devices are commonly sold.
1. Combination modem / routers, often called gateways.
2. Stand alone routers which can be connected to a stand alone modem.
DSL and Cable modems use different technology, for this reason you can't use a cable gateway (DOCSIS) with DSL or use a DSL gateway (ADSL2+) with a cable Internet connection.
A highly rated DOCSIS 3.0 cable gateway is the Motorola SBG6580. It is currently about $120 at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040IUI46/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=excharge-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0040IUI46
You could also buy a standalone cable modem and connect it to a separate wireless router.
If you buy an older DOCSIS 2.0 model and you are paying for a speed tier over 20 Mbps. then you will probably not see the throughput that you should.
Be sure to get a newer compatible DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem such as the Motorola SB6120. It supports bonded channels and will increase your cable Internet performance.
As far as routers go,
A fast wireless router does not make your Internet faster.
Your WAN speed is determined by your ISP and is measured in Mbps (Millions of bits per second).
For example if you pay for a 10 Mbps Internet connection, you will get 10 Mbps.
No router or modem will change your 10 Mbps Internet speed.
This Internet connection bandwidth is shared by your entire LAN via your router.
If you have a 10 Mbps plan and one user is utilizing 5 Mbps of the bandwidth to stream a HD Netflix movie that only leaves 5 Mbps for all of the rest of the users on the LAN.
Fast routers and network devices are designed to stream large files on your LAN quickly. The high speed routers permit fast transfer of files between devices connected to your LAN, however WAN speed is still limited by your ISP.
WIRELESS RANGE:
Wireless signals are affected by many factors including distance, wall density, electrical interference, directional antenna range, etc. All of these factors will affect your actual wireless range.
Many wireless connections also experience interference from microwave ovens and cordless phones which interfere with the 2.4 GHz band.
Dual band routers have multiple wireless radios enabling broadcast on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously.
Using the 5 GHz band cuts down on interference from cordless phones and microwave ovens..
Not all devices can use the 5 GHz frequency. Many laptops and other devices only operate at 2.4 GHz. Thus the need for dual band routers.
Just because a particular wireless router works good at one location does not guarantee that it will have similar performance in a different location due to variance in the factors listed above.
You should try to centrally locate your wireless router or gateway up high and away from dense walls and electrical and 2.4 GHz wireless interference such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors, etc.
Wireless routers are fairly inexpensive. http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=wireless%20router&url=search-alias%3Daps&sprefix=wireless%20ro%2Caps%2C490&tag=excharge-20
You don't have to buy your modem, router or gateway from your ISP, you can get one from a local retailer such as BestBuy or Fry's or online from places like Amazon.
As far as the brand goes, the brand is not as important as the model. Some manufacturers release a good model but the next is crap. I would look at the Amazon reviews of models that interest you. Even if you don't buy from Amazon the reviews will tell you a lot about which models to avoid. Look for at least 20 or more reviews with at least a 4 star rating. Read a few and see if they sound like the particular model will work for your application.
Most cable Internet providers use the cable modem's MAC address to activate the modem.
Every device that has a network interface has a unique MAC (Media Access Control) address. This is usually expressed in hexadecimal such as 10:25:A4:59:EF:1C
You'll have to call your cable provider with the MAC of the new modem so they can activate it on your account. The MAC address is usually printed on a sticker attached to the modem.
Good Luck...
Here is how it works,
A router connects two separate networks and manage the traffic between them.
A wireless router enables you to provide wireless (WiFi) Internet access to all of your WiFi enabled devices such as laptops, game consoles, cell phones and tablets, Streaming devices such as Roku boxes and Internet enabled TV and sound devices, etc.
In most home network applications the router connects your local group of computers and devices known as the LAN with the Internet, commonly called the WAN or Wide Area Network.
Two types of Internet devices are commonly sold.
1. Combination modem / routers, often called gateways.
2. Stand alone routers which can be connected to a stand alone modem.
DSL and Cable modems use different technology, for this reason you can't use a cable gateway (DOCSIS) with DSL or use a DSL gateway (ADSL2+) with a cable Internet connection.
A highly rated DOCSIS 3.0 cable gateway is the Motorola SBG6580. It is currently about $120 at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040IUI46/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=excharge-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0040IUI46
You could also buy a standalone cable modem and connect it to a separate wireless router.
If you buy an older DOCSIS 2.0 model and you are paying for a speed tier over 20 Mbps. then you will probably not see the throughput that you should.
Be sure to get a newer compatible DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem such as the Motorola SB6120. It supports bonded channels and will increase your cable Internet performance.
As far as routers go,
A fast wireless router does not make your Internet faster.
Your WAN speed is determined by your ISP and is measured in Mbps (Millions of bits per second).
For example if you pay for a 10 Mbps Internet connection, you will get 10 Mbps.
No router or modem will change your 10 Mbps Internet speed.
This Internet connection bandwidth is shared by your entire LAN via your router.
If you have a 10 Mbps plan and one user is utilizing 5 Mbps of the bandwidth to stream a HD Netflix movie that only leaves 5 Mbps for all of the rest of the users on the LAN.
Fast routers and network devices are designed to stream large files on your LAN quickly. The high speed routers permit fast transfer of files between devices connected to your LAN, however WAN speed is still limited by your ISP.
WIRELESS RANGE:
Wireless signals are affected by many factors including distance, wall density, electrical interference, directional antenna range, etc. All of these factors will affect your actual wireless range.
Many wireless connections also experience interference from microwave ovens and cordless phones which interfere with the 2.4 GHz band.
Dual band routers have multiple wireless radios enabling broadcast on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously.
Using the 5 GHz band cuts down on interference from cordless phones and microwave ovens..
Not all devices can use the 5 GHz frequency. Many laptops and other devices only operate at 2.4 GHz. Thus the need for dual band routers.
Just because a particular wireless router works good at one location does not guarantee that it will have similar performance in a different location due to variance in the factors listed above.
You should try to centrally locate your wireless router or gateway up high and away from dense walls and electrical and 2.4 GHz wireless interference such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors, etc.
Wireless routers are fairly inexpensive. http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=wireless%20router&url=search-alias%3Daps&sprefix=wireless%20ro%2Caps%2C490&tag=excharge-20
You don't have to buy your modem, router or gateway from your ISP, you can get one from a local retailer such as BestBuy or Fry's or online from places like Amazon.
As far as the brand goes, the brand is not as important as the model. Some manufacturers release a good model but the next is crap. I would look at the Amazon reviews of models that interest you. Even if you don't buy from Amazon the reviews will tell you a lot about which models to avoid. Look for at least 20 or more reviews with at least a 4 star rating. Read a few and see if they sound like the particular model will work for your application.
Most cable Internet providers use the cable modem's MAC address to activate the modem.
Every device that has a network interface has a unique MAC (Media Access Control) address. This is usually expressed in hexadecimal such as 10:25:A4:59:EF:1C
You'll have to call your cable provider with the MAC of the new modem so they can activate it on your account. The MAC address is usually printed on a sticker attached to the modem.
Good Luck...
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