Monday, February 26, 2007

New Contributer, New Topics, More Experience, Same old look....and Some Special Help With WiFi

Well, the look isn't changing. Neither is the emphasis of the blog. But I can tell you one thing, I bring experience in some fields that may be good, or bad. While I will agree with Justin in the fact that group games are great...when in a smaller group, bring out the classics...yeah, the cheap ones. Chutes and Ladders, or Mouse Trap. Some of those. Great Games.

Looking for a WiFi Router/Card?
If you go to Wal-Mart, Radio Shack, Best Buy, Online etc. you may find that there are many different wireless routers and cards. All the brands, which one is for me? Stick with name brand for one. Well, they are all name brand! Well, here you go.

CNet
Good alternative to the name brand, but only good for minor Internet use and single users. If you put a heavy load on it then you are going to start experiencing some slow downs, major lagging. Cheap, effective, one step behind the power curve on latest technology. Number 3 on the list to buy.

Netgear
Long time networking company tries to go end user and fails...Yes, I said fails. I have had the pleasure of testing and dealing with many Netgear routers and have always ended with one problem. They Don't Work When Hot. You may be thinking, "But I have Air Conditioning." No, the routers do not have any cooling, including passive. So the chips inside heat up and the router freezes and does not allow wireless access. Yes, the heating only seems to affect the wireless access. So if you want to spend extra money for a wireless router that does not work, go ahead. Stay in the corporate world where you belong Netgear. Number 5 on the list to buy.

D-Link
Excelent large scale and Decent end user networking equipment. The only problem is that they will use 3rd party technology to allow for cheaper manufacturing and saving you a buck or two. Thus comes there problem. They sometimes will have a bad unit. Great, Durable, low user number. End-user based on hub technology so one user can hog all the bandwidth. No Wireless N yet... Number on the buy list, 2.

Belkin
Expensive, just like Vaio. Good tech, but expensive. Great wireless, always up to date with current technology. Looks great, not user friendly. Number 4 on the buy list for the simple fact that they are not user friendly and they take up too much space.

Linksys
Yes, I am partial to good technology. Linksys has something that none of the other end-user WiFi makers have. Cisco design and technology and research funding. Cisco, the largest network component company out there bought an already established, well known established company when they were on the brink of doing something stupid and made it even better. (more on the stupid part? email me, I'll give it to you in a short 200 pages.) Wait! When I look at Linksys on the shelve is is so confusing! Stick simple unless you are a guru. SpeedBooster is nothing more than a MIMO tech. Many companies would give MIMO a label like 22Mbps or 54Mbps. Reality is, 54Mbps is standard tech.
Anyways, stick simple unless you are a guru. Yes SpeedBooster is good, but most people will never knotice the difference. SRX200 is even better, but yet again, most people will never notice the difference. SRX200 comes in for streaming media, online wireless gaming and major downloading. One problem, these technologies are great, but are only truly effective if you have their corresponding card to go with your router. Yes you will see some difference with a regular wireless card, but you will not receive the full benefit.
Linksys also offers another item...Gigabit wireless "gaming" router. Another useful tech for the gamer or guru. Ease of use? Some of Linksys' stuff includes a "one touch setup" button. For a non secure network option, it is great. End-user ease? Excellent!
For those users who have large houses, basements, 2nd stories, and back yard patios. Linksys also sells larger antenna's for better signal reception.
Number 1 on the buy list...but remember, buy only what you need. Not something you will never use.

If you are saying, what about internal wireless cards for my laptop? Look for something Intel based and it is generally a good buy. Stay away form Proprietary technology such as Dell or HP cards. This saves you in the end run...such as you get a new laptop, of a different brand and now you have to get a new card...think smart, proprietary tech doesn't always have the best support either. (see Mark's last post on his laptop)

Keep is simple and Go with trusted reliable technology.

4 comments:

tryDyingToLive said...

I agree. Linksys are great routers. They can suffer WiFi lock due to over heating, but we solved that by moving it away from the modem. I wouldn't think twice before buying another.

tryDyingToLive said...

Oh and welcome to the blog

Justin said...

Netgear, how do I loath thee? Must I always turn on DMZ in the hardware settings? Why dost thou break for no reason? Almost the same appearance as Linksys at Best Buy, your quality was meant to make me cry. Who will save me from these wretched hardware issues and bring me my wired and wiredless net? Linksys, it's you!

Anonymous said...

Well written article.