Yi is making the high speed plunge!

[derspiess]

I really can't agree with that advice.

I went out and bought a couple of cheap-o routers, and constantly ahd problems, had to reset them every few days, that kind of thing.

Hmm, wonder where you're going with that?

I wound up inheriting an Apple Airport wireless router and the thing has been a rock - I don't think I've ever touched it.

Surprise!

This isn't meant to be an Apple thing

Oh, of course not

- unless you're on a Mac there's no particular need to have an Apple router.  But you get what you pay for, so buy a more expensive, reliable router.

Unless Yi wants all sorts of advanced functionality in his router, there's no reason for him to go with an expensive one.  Among the more-recognized brands, basic wifi routers have become something of a commodity.  I'm not just going on my own past experience here, but that of friends, family & co-workers I've helped. 

Of course it pays to read user reviews on a particular router to see if people had problems with them, but that goes for pretty much any tech product.

[Admiral Yi]

Thanks very much all.

So, depending on how motivated I am this weekend, I'm going to head over to Best Buy and buy two pieces of equipment, a router and a wifi adapter. (Right?  Nothing else?)

Do I need to check to see if my computer has a USB port?  Around when did they become widespread?

[DGuller]

Do I need to check to see if my computer has a USB port?  Around when did they become widespread?

  If your computer's operating system is DOS 6.22, then it probably doesn't have a USB port.  Otherwise, it probably does.

[Admiral Yi]

  If your computer's operating system is DOS 6.22, then it probably doesn't have a USB port.  Otherwise, it probably does.

[Maximus]

So do I just go to Best Buy and get a router and a wifi...thing?

My advice is to go as cheaply as possible.  Wireless N routers and adapters are pretty cheap these days, so don't let some blue shirt at BBY talk you into anything overpriced.

I really can't agree with that advice.

I went out and bought a couple of cheap-o routers, and constantly ahd problems, had to reset them every few days, that kind of thing.

I wound up inheriting an Apple Airport wireless router and the thing has been a rock - I don't think I've ever touched it.

This isn't meant to be an Apple thing - unless you're on a Mac there's no particular need to have an Apple router.  But you get what you pay for, so buy a more expensive, reliable router.

I bought a cheap linksys b/g/n 5 years ago and the thing is still far more reliable than any public or university network I've encountered.

Yi, bear in mind that USB will bottleneck your transfer rate somewhat, but it will still be far better than dial-up.

[derspiess]

I bought a cheap linksys b/g/n 5 years ago and the thing is still far more reliable than any public or university network I've encountered.

A couple years ago, Verizon had a fire sale on a bunch of generic Wireless B/G routers that had their logo on them.  A co-worker needed to replace his router due to what I think was a power supply problem, so he ordered one that ended up being $8 with second-day shipping included.  He hasn't had to reset it once since he initially set it up. 

[Admiral Yi]

Yi, bear in mind that USB will bottleneck your transfer rate somewhat, but it will still be far better than dial-up.

Is this is a function of wifi vs. cable, or of USB vs. PCI card?

[Grey Fox]

There is one for both but mostly USB vs PCI.

[derspiess]

Yi, bear in mind that USB will bottleneck your transfer rate somewhat, but it will still be far better than dial-up.

Is this is a function of wifi vs. cable, or of USB vs. PCI card?

For everyday use I don't think you'll notice the difference, either way.

[Maximus]

Yeah, as a rough comparison, USB 2.0 has a max transfer rate of 480 Mb/s versus 600 for wireless n and 56 for dial-up.

[ulmont]

Yeah, as a rough comparison, USB 2.0 has a max transfer rate of 480 Mb/s versus 600 for wireless n and 56 for dial-up.

Yeah, but if your "high-speed" connection only gives you 3, it really doesn't matter.  Also, that's not 56 Mb/s for dial-up, that's 56 Kb/s.

[Maximus]

You're right, my bad

[DontSayBanana]

@Beeb: experiences are all across the board with cheap routers.  I've got two Linksys WRT54Gs (not the cheapest of the cheap, but damn near the bottom) that both still work fine- as I mentioned, one's actually being used with DD-WRT in lieu of an Xbox wireless adapter right now.  The kicker is that the younger one is 5 years old; the older one is about 8.

[Caliga]

I have my X360 hooked up to my network via a WRT54G with DD-WRT also.

[Admiral Yi]

Bought a Netgear router and a Netgear USB today.  One step up from Best Buy's bottom of the line, which was Belkin.  Something about that name did not inspire confidence.  Salesdroid was trying to push the dual band, but they've got a 30 day no questions return policy so if the single band stuff doesn't work I can just swap it out.