Wireless N Router

[mccoady]

I'm helping my sister find a Wireless N Router and came up with these:

http://www.dlink.com/products/?tab=3&pid=DIR-615&rev=DIR-615 (Best Buy $50)

http://netgear.com/Products/WirelessRouter/WirelessRoutersforWorkandPlay/WNR2000.aspx (Best Buy $60)

http://netgear.com/Products/WirelessRouter/WirelessRoutersforWorkandPlay/WNR3500L.aspx...m+Requirements (Best Buy $90)

1. Do I understand right that with any of the above you should be able to set the router to ONLY broadcast at 5Ghz? It is important that it can be set to 5Ghz ONLY because her current router (2.4Ghz) has a conflict with her Leapfrog (also 2.4Ghz) causing tv interference when she uses her laptop wirelessly. She realizes she will need N wireless cards for her laptops.

2. What would be the advantage of a USB port like the Netgear WNR3500L has?

3. Is one brand better than the other?

[redwudz]

1) You would have to read the manual for each of them to be able to tell. 'N' can be used with 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz bands. You would have to be sure you have a compatible wireless adapter also.

2) The USB port can be used for a USB hard drive for network storage.

3) I prefer the Netgear over D-Link at present. I have a Netgear 3500, not sure the version. I think that's the only one listed with Gigabit LAN ports, if that's something you need. I only use the 'G' output for my laptop. I do have a Gigabit LAN system, so that was the main reason for that particular router model.

[mccoady]

1) You would have to read the manual for each of them to be able to tell. 'N' can be used with 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz bands. You would have to be sure you have a compatible wireless adapter also

It appears after further research the Netgear I linked are only 2.4Ghz I thought all N routers were 5Ghz but it looks like I'm wrong. OTOh the DLink manual clearly explains all the settings and you definitely can set it to 5Ghz ONLY.

It appears this should work: http://netgear.com/Products/WirelessRouter/WirelessRoutersforHighPerformance/WNDR3300....Specifications

[redwudz]

My original LinkSys 'N' router was malfunctioning randomly, so I needed a router quickly and ended up with the NetGear from the local BB as it had Gigabit LAN, so I didn't do much research on them first. I have several D-link switches and I have a couple of D-link 'G' routers. One plus for them is they are easy to set up, compared with some other brands.

One tip with BB, make sure you save all the receipts and all the packaging or they won't do an exchange if the device fails. I had two problematic Linksys routers that had to be exchanged. (I'll never buy another LinkSys.)

Another thing to be aware of, some 'N' routers will do 'N' or 'G', but not both at the same time. Some will. But if you only need 'N', not a problem.

The 5Ghz band is better for congested urban areas with a lot of 2.4Ghz 'G' signals. It does give you a slight improvement on distance also. Most cell phones, microwaves and many other RF devices also use the 2.4Ghz RF band, so there can be a lot of interference.

[lordsmurf]

My Linksys router from 2001 recently bit the dust. It would only pass about 0.6MB on a 20MB connection. I replaced it with a Netgear. (Not that I have anything against Linksys -- Netgear was just a lower cost.)

[mccoady]

Not sure what Gigabit LAN ports are or why they would be important.

From the D-Link DIR-615 manual:

802.11 Mode: Select One of the Following: (just one of the options available)
802.11n Only - Select only if your wireless clients are 802.11n


From the Netgear WNDR3300: Your
WNDR3300 router is set to: Up to 270Mbps at 5GHz & 54Mbps at 2.4GHz, which provides the
best operation for most situations. There are 4 wireless mode combinations available for the
WNDR3300 router.
Select a wireless mode:Select if you are using a mix of 802.11b, 11g, and 11n wireless clients

Up to 270Mbps at 5GHz & 54Mbps at 2.4GHz (default setting)
Up to 270Mbps at 2.4GHz
Up to 130Mbps at 2.4GHz
Up to 130Mbps at 5GHz & 54Mbps at 2.4GHz

I called Netgear and got a foreigner I could hardly understand but he said the Netgear 3300 which is a dual band could to be set to broadcast 5Ghz only, does it look like the above suggests that?