i need a new router

[slyder]

I currently have a Linksys wireless G router. Its about 7 years old give or take. I was wanting to upgrade to get some more range/better signal for the laptop and to speed up the other computers. Should I buy an N type or stick with the G? I have an older compaq laptop which uses the wireless plug in cards so will I have to upgrade that as well?

[hangnail]

n is useless unless you have gigabit speed from your provider and gigabit cards in your machine, in my opinion.

if your router is working, stick with it, not much have really changed, check with linksys for firm ware upgrades every now and then however. you can add a range booster on to it or try relocating it to a more central location.

wireless signal and the quality depends on a lot of variables.

house construction, types of appliances, distance, other wireless devices, like portable phones, baby monitors, ect ect, all play a part in how well wireless will work

i have horse hair plaster, and wireless is a joke in my house, so i hard wired every room, and placed a my modem and router in the basement, all outlets are near electric outlets, so it works well with laptops

[blueeyedbum]

I had a wireless G router.

My house is an older 2 story with plaster construction. I always had trouble with dropped signals on the second floor and ended up using a hard wired connection.

When the G router failed I replaced it with a Roswell N purchased on sale from Newegg. Never had speed issues, but the N router solved my connectivity problems throughout the entire house. Seems to have better range. Haven't dropped a signal since.

Internet connection is 15mb. Laptop is a Thinkpad with a 10/100 card. I believe it still uses G technology.

[smelvis]

I got a couple fairly new ones sitting in a drawer, pm if you want them. Otherwise I would just give them away to someone, like a nasty non cigar person. One is less than a year old.

LMK
Dave

[Cypress]

If you want more range try a pringles can yagi Antenna on the Cheap (er, Chip)

[Marnault]

As mentioned above, wireless N isn't really needed speed wise for your internet connection, but I will improve transfer speeds between computers on your local network, providing they have wireless N receivers. But the biggest advantage is the increased range, and signal strength. I have found this is especially true with a quality router.

From my reading and experience, one of the better routers is the D-Link Xtreme N Gigabit router, DIR-655. I use this router at home, have one setup for my parents, and also in the office of 10 people I work in. All three work great, and provide more than enough range.

In my parents house, they had a wireless G router for the longest time, but there were some "dead" spots in the house where the signal was too weak or not even detectable. I upgraded them to the wireless-N and the whole house is covered now, can even get a signal in the backyard without a problem.

The D-link is a little more pricey than some other routers out there, but it does have lots of advanced features. Im sure there is some other router out there that is a bit more basic, with the same quality/range for a little less money. So if your on a budget or don't need a fancy router it would be wise to do a little additonal research. But from my experiance this one works great!

[Blackcat]

Love my new D-Link DIR-655. Range is great even with just G band. And my neighbor can no longer steal 17 of my precious 20 Gig limit. Coulda fixed that with the old router but this made it EZ

[calhounhusker]

Originally Posted by hangnail

n is useless unless you have gigabit speed from your provider

Incorrect, wireless N means nothing for ones internet connection, all it is used for is internal LAN speed(in regard to transferring files form machine to machine) and is useless unless your machines have N cards.

If the linksys router still works, keep using it. Those old wireless G Linksys routers are rock solid.

[zinite]

Linksys WRT54G is one of the best routers I've ever used. Also, you can put DDWRT firmware on it for some cool options.