I recently moved into a new apartment (studio above the garage of a large house) and the owner of the house offered to share her wireless connection. ... Turns out the signal isn't quite strong enough to make it to the apartment.
We contacted Qwest and the owner upgraded from an Actiontec GT701-WG to an Actiontec PK5000 for nearly $120. After installing and adjusting the router location, the internet works but I feel like she got a raw deal. $120 bucks and no wireless N? While her computers are older, both my desktop (LinuxMint with RaLink PCI) and laptop (Macbook Pro) can make use of the wireless N, as could future tenants and guests.
?? - So I turn turn to this great community (though very off-topic) for any thoughts on good wireless N set-ups under $120 (we can still get a refund).
The options seem to be: 1) stick with the PK5000 - already working, 2) buy a different dsl router/modem combo with Wireless N - simple, prefered, 3) buy seperate Router and DSL modem - best performance but pricier, 4) use old combo unit and bridge it to a new dedicated wireless router - best performance and cost but can it really be done?.
I'd love to hear about fancy/complex systems but she will need something that she can use with out too much difficulty after I leave.
I've been looking around but have had difficulty finding a straight-forward answer. Combo units don't seam to be as good and I'm leaning to option 4 as there is a highly rated refurb Cisco WRT610N for $60. I'm a little hazy on if I understand the "bridge mode" option properly also.
Cisco seams to be a good brand but doesn't make the combo units. Netgear seems good also but the combo units from any company seem to have low ratings. I suspect a measure of user error in some of this but its still hard to tell what is a good unit or not.
Wireless Router/Modem Set-ups
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Shru-ster
Wireless Router/Modem Set-ups
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 07, 2022 4:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 30 days after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 30 days after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
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piquat
Re: Wireless Router/Modem Set-ups
I probably would have gone for option 4 to begin with. I've never done bridging but it couldn't be THAT hard to figure out.
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Shru-ster
Re: Wireless Router/Modem Set-ups
I'm just now finding it is an option. I'll have a chance to play around with the old unit tonight to see if it will allow it, the manual isn't much help.I've never done bridging but it couldn't be THAT hard to figure out.
The original unit is almost 5 years old or so, should I be concerned about it failing on her soon?
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Kendall
Re: Wireless Router/Modem Set-ups
I would avoid modem/router combination units if at all possible. In fact the combination units are really just both components stuck in the same physical enclosure. Separating them eases troubleshooting, provides you with more options, and doesn't put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to potential hardware failure.
On the topic of G versus N, you'll likely never need N speeds on a DSL connection, G supports 54 Mbps which is well above what your likely to get with most any residential plans anyway. The argument for N is that it can operate on a 5 GHz band that has very little potential interference (only if everything connecting has N capability though), whereas G operates on the 2.4 GHz band which is often shared with other devices such as portable phones, microwaves, etc. N defaults back to 2.4 GHz if there is non-N equiment on the wireless network. Basically if you're on DSL and don't have a bazillion gadgets you'll be perfectly fine with G (to be perfectly honest, most residential broadband plans in the US would still be fine with B which offers an 11 Mbps theoretical maximum).
I usually recommend Cisco/Linksys wireless routers for residential configurations as they tend to give me fewer problems than most anything else (I work as a network operations technician for a cable/fiber ISP). For heavier use situations such as businesses I usually recommend much more serious equipment (such as the Cisco 871w and 876w models). Bridging is fairly simple and your router's instruction manual should cover it in detail. If you find the documentation to be lacking, consult Google.
On the topic of G versus N, you'll likely never need N speeds on a DSL connection, G supports 54 Mbps which is well above what your likely to get with most any residential plans anyway. The argument for N is that it can operate on a 5 GHz band that has very little potential interference (only if everything connecting has N capability though), whereas G operates on the 2.4 GHz band which is often shared with other devices such as portable phones, microwaves, etc. N defaults back to 2.4 GHz if there is non-N equiment on the wireless network. Basically if you're on DSL and don't have a bazillion gadgets you'll be perfectly fine with G (to be perfectly honest, most residential broadband plans in the US would still be fine with B which offers an 11 Mbps theoretical maximum).
I usually recommend Cisco/Linksys wireless routers for residential configurations as they tend to give me fewer problems than most anything else (I work as a network operations technician for a cable/fiber ISP). For heavier use situations such as businesses I usually recommend much more serious equipment (such as the Cisco 871w and 876w models). Bridging is fairly simple and your router's instruction manual should cover it in detail. If you find the documentation to be lacking, consult Google.