Wireless Network card help!! Best brand ?? for a 3 Desktop network

[Rainbowreach]

I'm trying to decide on a which wireless cards are best for each of my daughter's desktops

Some background:

I have a Linksys Wireless Router Model WRT54G 2.4 Ghz ( 802.11G ) with my PC on a main floor den.
The router was simply put in as a stand-alone firewall pre-caution on a friend's suggestion. Now i'd like to set up a home network b/n the 3 PC's - 1 on the main floor - 2 upstairs ( one in each girls room ) .

Daughter #1 :
-has her room on the second floor 30 ft ( as the "crow files" so to speak ) from the den
- her room is visible from a den across an open foyer - i.e few physical obstructions
- her desktop is right at her door , again visible from the den - i.e few physical obstructions
- her desktop is a Dell Dimension 8400, running on the 775 Intel 925x chipset.
Daughter #2:
-has her room on the second floor directly above the den
- her room is 15ft across from daughter #1
- her desktop is along an exterior wall distant from her door.
- her desktop is a Dell Dimension 8300, running on the 478 Intel 875 P chipset.
Some questions:

- Will the Linksys router ( above ) do the job ? Someone told me about the WRT54G "S" ( Superfast? ) what's the difference ?

- which network cards would people recommend for each of the desktops ? - i've seen Linksys, Net Gear, D-Link & SMC brands and I'm just not sure if some brands have a better track record ( performance /reliability) than others. Don't have a clue what to get !!!

- I was assuming a 'good ' card might run me about ....$50 - $80 ? Any specific card / model suggestions ?

Welcome any thoughts !

p.s Cafe 333 - read your Wireless posts b/4 my post - very informative - thnks

[deep]

I had a Linksys Wireless G PCI adapter in my bedroom HTPC that worked great....despite reports to the contrary, you CAN stream DVDs and low-compression (i.e. high bandwidth) DivX across a wireless G network. It was working off the same Linksys Wireless G router you have as well.

I am actually selling it now, as my HTPC has moved to the kitchen, where it has a wired connection. It currently retails for $89 at Futureshop or $62 at CanadaComputers, but I would sell mine for $50 if you're interested. It's in perfect condition. I'm in Dundas near Hamilton if you're interested.

I also have a Linksys Wireless G PCMCIA card, which works almost as well as the PCI card. I don't know what kind of real world advantage you get from the "superfast" rating, but I've been happy with the performance of regular G in my home.

[pandaharo]

I'd suggest using the Linksys USB 2.0 WIRELESS G network adaptor, I use those for my my desktops and I find the signal is superior compared to the PCI ones, since I can stick it virtually every and it is really small.

I've never used the Linksys "S" routers before, but I can tell you my D-link Exctreme G (108mbs used with a extreme G PCMCIA) isn't any faster than my Linksys WRV54G router with the USB adaptors. I think the extra speed is "for show" only.

I've used Linksys, D-link, Netgear and SMC wireless routers, I'd choose linksys over the other ones anyday. Linksys > D-link > SMC > Netgear. Linksys has the best configurations, but I think their routers (other than the WRV54G) looks BUTT UGLY, but you can hide it under the table or something. If you don't want to spend the extra money, get the D-link but remember to update your firmware because both my D-links came with faulty firmware (frequent disconnects). I've returned both the Netgear and SMC routers. :-0

This is off topic but the other good thing about D-link is if you get Primus TalkBraodband you can stack the Router and the Gateway since they look the same and are stackable. :cheesygri

[dodo]

I stand corrected but I was 'worried' in the past about the brand, but now, I use all kind of brand of wireless card without a single problem.
I'm currently using Microsoft MN-500 (Router) , Microsoft MN-510 (USB), Compaq (PCMCIA), InexQ (USB), the one built-in in the Gateway all-in-one media center pc and the one built in in the IBM Thinkpad A32. Except the built-in one, all the router & adapters are 802.11b.
All works without any problem for almost 2yrs. The router run 24/7 ever since.
I have 2.4 GHz and 900MHz wireless phone and doesn't seem to interfere.

[Rainbowreach]

[QUOTE=pandaharo]I'd suggest using the Linksys USB 2.0 WIRELESS G network adaptor, I use those for my my desktops and I find the signal is superior compared to the PCI ones, since I can stick it virtually every and it is really small.

Thanks for the info...

PCI Adaptor versus USB Adaptor ?

I must confess, I'm not up to speed on wireless issues at all, and as a result have no clue what the difference is between a Linksys Wireless - G PCI Adaptor and the one you mentioned, the Linksys Wireless - G USB 2.0 Adaptor

PCI vs USB ? Perhaps you could explain the difference between them ? And if signal performance is clearly superior utilizing the USB compared to the PCI ? - actually , I'm not even sure if that's ( signal issue ) the spec that differentiates the 2.

Any background info on PCI vs USB would be greatly appreciated !!!

[peterbrowne]

head to your local The Source by Circuit City/RadioShack and get http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/Product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=WirelessNetwork&product=2513243 for each machine.

[ynchu]

I tend to lean towards the PCI cards, speaking from my personal experience...

The USB unit does have its advantage - you can plug it to the front of the computer, hence if your case is radioactive, you can avoid the interference by that.

However, at my house where my room is at the end of my router's reach, I find the PCI card has better signal strength, hence speed as well, compared with the USB one. Heck, the USB drops four times every hour, but the PCI one does not. I can run at 54 mbps with about 50% of signal with PCI, while for USB it is almost like 10% and always about 11 mbps or 24 mbps (something like that.)

The worst problem I find is not the choices of devices, but the microwave in the middle of the house. Whenever it is cooking something... there is no signal through that hallway at all.

[Homer88]

Orinoco makes the best stuff =)

[Cafe_333]

The Linksys Router you have is good. Many people including myself own the WRT54G and have little to no problems with it at all. It is also a very strong transmitter, so picking up a good signal strength should be no problem at all - especially at 15-30ft of your daughters' rooms. The WRT54GS version you have comes with SpeedBooster, a technology which claims to increase "real-world" wireless network performance by up to 35%. Basically a router on steroids. :D

Seeing that you've read my post on the basic differences of Wireless Protocols, I won't get into what they are (and you are welcome!). For those that do may click here (http://forums.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=160877). To reilliterate my old post, if it is mainly internet and occassional file transfers (and do not mind waiting on the slow transfer speed) go with a 'B' type network. If you move alot of files through the network or have high network bandwidth needs, go with a 'G' type network. As for the differences between wireless NICs (network interface card), there isn't much to know about these. They are all more or less standard these days. There are very little significant differences that for the most part, should not really affect the consumer. Some of the more noteable differences however are as follows:

Transmit/Output power: refers to the signal strength a wireless card can put out. typically the standard is 15dBm and most cards already do this. So you don't really need to be concerned with the transmitting power. Only the cheaper brands sometimes however will do 12dBm. Depending on how far you are from your router, number of walls, etc. this can be an important consideration for some. At 15-30ft of your daughters' rooms, you'll be fine.

Encryption: aka 'WEP key bits' or 'Security'. This refers to how secure your data is. Typically the standard now is 128bit encryption, and most cards today already do this. Higher end models though will do 256bit. The higher the encryption, the harder it is to supposedly crack. Unless higher encryption is important to you, I wouldn't worry too much - 128bit is pretty standard anyway.

Speed: measured in Mbps (Megabits per second). refers to the speed of data bits moving through the network. 'B' cards theoretically max up to 11Mbps and 'G' cards theoretically max up to 54Mbps. The faster speeds will only matter in high network bandwidth situations such as heavy file transferring and video streaming. Some of the higher end cards can now do up to 108Mbps or offer SpeedBooster technology for even faster speeds. Note that having the faster 'G' card does not mean you get faster internet - cable/dsl is only about 4Mbps. The type of wireless protocol to get ('B' or 'G') is up to you.

***What brand to buy?***
Go with any. As stated earlier, there are very little significant differences between wireless NICs that would really affect the consumer - especially at a 30ft distance. Any brand should do the job just fine for you. If you want to be safe, stick with the better known wireless brands like Linksys or Dlink. I like Linksys better seeing how they're owned by Cisco, you do get the quality, performance, and reliability out of them. DLink's are supposed to be good for the performance to price ratio. Other noteable mentions for wireless NICs are Netgear, Microsoft, and Intel which are all decent players.

While going 'B' is more economical in that it costs less, 'G' is much faster and will also set you up for the future even if right now you don't do any file transferring. Your call on which one to get. When it comes down to it, all the cards are more or less pretty standard these days. There isn't any real clear winner over another when it comes to wireless. They just come in different speeds to suit the different needs of consumers. Any regular 'B' or 'G' card is good enough for the average home user. If the extra features in the high end models are not important to you, save your money and get any cheap brand. These will do the job just fine for you. Otherwise, if you want to be safe, go name brand and you'll get the quality and reliability. If you need the speeds beyond that, I would like to see a card with SpeedBooster, so that you can get both the NIC card and Router together on steriods. ;)

[Neb]

I've had a USB Linksys Wireless B and G version adapters. They are total crap, I dont' think u'l get a better signal from them at all. I have long switched to PCI ones, and the signal is way better even when my router and PC are at the same locations. I am runnign a Dlink DI-624 router, and using cheap Trendnet adapters, also have ASUS wireless G adapters. Both have excellent signals. on the USB adapter i was only able to get Low or very low. I've exchange teh USb a few times thinking it was defective but it wasn't. I would stick with PCI from now on.

[Rainbowreach]

head to your local The Source by Circuit City/RadioShack and get http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/Product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=WirelessNetwork&product=2513243 for each machine.

Thanks - that looks like a great deal !

Do you know anything of Motorola's quality re adapters vs linksys or D-Link?

Thx

[Rainbowreach]

The Linksys Router you have is good. Many people including myself own the WRT54G and have little to no problems with it at all. It is also a very strong transmitter, so picking up a good signal strength should be no problem at all - especially at 15-30ft of your daughters' rooms. The WRT54GS version you have comes with SpeedBooster, a technology which claims to increase "real-world" wireless network performance by up to 35%. Basically a router on steroids. :D

Seeing that you've read my post on the basic differences of Wireless Protocols, I won't get into what they are (and you are welcome!). For those that do may click here (http://forums.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=160877). To reilliterate my old post, if it is mainly internet and occassional file transfers (and do not mind waiting on the slow transfer speed) go with a 'B' type network. If you move alot of files through the network or have high network bandwidth needs, go with a 'G' type network. As for the differences between wireless NICs (network interface card), there isn't much to know about these. They are all more or less standard these days. There are very little significant differences that for the most part, should not really affect the consumer. Some of the more noteable differences however are as follows:

Transmit/Output power: refers to the signal strength a wireless card can put out. typically the standard is 15dBm and most cards already do this. So you don't really need to be concerned with the transmitting power. Only the cheaper brands sometimes however will do 12dBm. Depending on how far you are from your router, number of walls, etc. this can be an important consideration for some. At 15-30ft of your daughters' rooms, you'll be fine.

Encryption: aka 'WEP key bits' or 'Security'. This refers to how secure your data is. Typically the standard now is 128bit encryption, and most cards today already do this. Higher end models though will do 256bit. The higher the encryption, the harder it is to supposedly crack. Unless higher encryption is important to you, I wouldn't worry too much - 128bit is pretty standard anyway.

Speed: measured in Mbps (Megabits per second). refers to the speed of data bits moving through the network. 'B' cards theoretically max up to 11Mbps and 'G' cards theoretically max up to 54Mbps. The faster speeds will only matter in high network bandwidth situations such as heavy file transferring and video streaming. Some of the higher end cards can now do up to 108Mbps or offer SpeedBooster technology for even faster speeds. Note that having the faster 'G' card does not mean you get faster internet - cable/dsl is only about 4Mbps. The type of wireless protocol to get ('B' or 'G') is up to you.

***What brand to buy?***
Go with any. As stated earlier, there are very little significant differences between wireless NICs that would really affect the consumer - especially at a 30ft distance. Any brand should do the job just fine for you. If you want to be safe, stick with the better known wireless brands like Linksys or Dlink. I like Linksys better seeing how they're owned by Cisco, you do get the quality, performance, and reliability out of them. DLink's are supposed to be good for the performance to price ratio. Other noteable mentions for wireless NICs are Netgear, Microsoft, and Intel which are all decent players.

While going 'B' is more economical in that it costs less, 'G' is much faster and will also set you up for the future even if right now you don't do any file transferring. Your call on which one to get. When it comes down to it, all the cards are more or less pretty standard these days. There isn't any real clear winner over another when it comes to wireless. They just come in different speeds to suit the different needs of consumers. Any regular 'B' or 'G' card is good enough for the average home user. If the extra features in the high end models are not important to you, save your money and get any cheap brand. These will do the job just fine for you. Otherwise, if you want to be safe, go name brand and you'll get the quality and reliability. If you need the speeds beyond that, I would like to see a card with SpeedBooster, so that you can get both the NIC card and Router together on steriods. ;)

Hey Cafe - good to hear from you again !!!

Great post - trust it'll be very informative to others as well and serve as a good addition to your earlier post ( I read ) as a primer detailing wireless issues.

A few things:

I've got the WRT54G Router - not the WRT54G "S" version you mentioned in your post.

I think I'd go for something like the Linksys Wireless - G PCI Adaptor after reading your note and others ( I've seen this for as little as $ 65 ), altho one of the other posts sent a link for a Motorola card for $ 49 -know nothing of Motorola's track record / quality re cards though.

Superfast ( " S " ) ??? - I assume there is a " Superfast " version Wireless - G PCI Adaptor ? Would this " S" card work with the basic WRT54G ( non " S " ) Router I now have or would I need a " S" version Router.

Only reason I ask, is I was wondering that if i chose to upgrade the router down the road to " s" ( and go with " S' cards now in anticipation of this ) , I'd already have the " S" cards in place.

Also, and I'm a bit embarrassed to ask - these Dells PC's I have ....will they take any brand of card ( i.e Linksys ) ?? I've heard once too often how Dells are ' different ' when it comes to upgrades etc. - just wanted to double check ( reminder, one is Dell 8300, the other a 8400 )

have a great day !!

PS.... I GOT THE SAMSUNG 17" 710 B LCD YESTERDAY FOR $324 -thks again for your " post " help with this.

[Cafe_333]

You're welcome once again! And enjoy your LCDs!!! :)

Any wireless brands I did not mention is because I feel they are either cheap in quality, not well known in the wireless market, and/or too new in the market to stake a good claim of reputation. Motorola I would say falls in there somewhere. These cards are not easy to find, not many dealers even carry them, and they have not been in the market as long as others. But again I did mention that any card should do the job just fine for you. It's just a question if you want to pay extra for the quality & reliability.

Yes there is a "S" version Wireless NIC card. The "S" means Speedbooster technology, not superfast. The Linksys WMP54GS is the "S" version. CanadaComputers has one on sale for $65 dollars in the following link.
http://www.canadacomputers.com/cc/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=004664&cid=NT.541

While I can't speak for every peripheral, chances are good that they will work in your Dell. I have never tried adding wireless to a Dell workstation myself, but I do know other Dell owners who have done other upgrades with a fair degree of success. Something like adding a wireless card should be fine and if in the worst case, computer dealers typically have a 7day return/exchange policy. Just make sure you inquire about their policy when you buy your wireless cards. Good Luck!

[Rainbowreach]

You're welcome once again! And enjoy your LCDs!!! :)

Any wireless brands I did not mention is because I feel they are either cheap in quality, not well known in the wireless market, and/or too new in the market to stake a good claim of reputation. Motorola I would say falls in there somewhere. These cards are not easy to find, not many dealers even carry them, and they have not been in the market as long as others. But again I did mention that any card should do the job just fine for you. It's just a question if you want to pay extra for the quality & reliability.

Yes there is a "S" version Wireless NIC card. The "S" means Speedbooster technology, not superfast. The Linksys WMP54GS is the "S" version. CanadaComputers has one on sale for $65 dollars in the following link.
http://www.canadacomputers.com/cc/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=004664&cid=NT.541

While I can't speak for every peripheral, chances are good that they will work in your Dell. I have never tried adding wireless to a Dell workstation myself, but I do know other Dell owners who have done other upgrades with a fair degree of success. Something like adding a wireless card should be fine and if in the worst case, computer dealers typically have a 7day return/exchange policy. Just make sure you inquire about their policy when you buy your wireless cards. Good Luck!


Thanks Cafe

Quickly.....since I DON'T have the WRT54G "S" version Router , is there any point thinking about the " S " version wireless cards for the PC's ( i.e putting them in now in case I upgrade to a " S " router later )?

Can a " S " version adapter card even function with a normal WRT54G router ( as I've got ) instead of a compatible WRT54G " S " ?

I'll cross my fingers that the PCI cards will work well with Dells either way.

Thks again,

Have a great day !

[Cafe_333]

Yup, "S" wireless cards will still work with your normal non "S" Linksys Router. This, like any compliant hardware is designed to be downwards compatible. You just won't make good use of the SpeedBooster as much, but it'll work fine. And you'll be set if you decide to go with an "S" router down the road.

The question is if you even need the "S". Speedbooster is the next generation of Wireless products from Linksys. It's all about the speed - you'll get a "real world" network performance increase by up to 35%. Faster file transfers and better bandwidth is where you will see the most benefits. However Linksys states that SpeedBooster products minimize the overhead in communication between data transmissions, so quite possibly, you may even see faster internet over any other wireless card out there. The benefits of the technology certainly does seem beneficial.

EDIT: I just checked the price difference at CanadaComputers and it's only a 3 bucks difference between an "S" card and one without! So go with the "S" cards! The real price difference is getting the "S" router though, as it's 20 dollars more over the regular one.

[Rainbowreach]

Yup, "S" wireless cards will still work with your normal non "S" Linksys Router. This, like any compliant hardware is designed to be downwards compatible. You just won't make good use of the SpeedBooster as much, but it'll work fine. And you'll be set if you decide to go with an "S" router down the road.

The question is if you even need the "S". Speedbooster is the next generation of Wireless products from Linksys. It's all about the speed - you'll get a "real world" network performance increase by up to 35%. Faster file transfers and better bandwidth is where you will see the most benefits. However Linksys states that SpeedBooster products minimize the overhead in communication between data transmissions, so quite possibly, you may even see faster internet over any other wireless card out there. The benefits of the technology certainly does seem beneficial.

EDIT: I just checked the price difference at CanadaComputers and it's only a 3 bucks difference between an "S" card and one without! So go with the "S" cards! The real price difference is getting the "S" router though, as it's 20 dollars more over the regular one.

Thanks so much. !

Thanks exactly what I wanted to know regarding the PCI " S" card - i'll probably go that route and get those " S " cards , and cover my bases for the future at the same time.

Before I do though I'll try and see if i can confirm that putting these linksys 'S' cards in the Dell 8300/8400 won't pose a problem.

Thks again !!