Need Help? Which is better range and speed? Linksys WRT54GL or WRT100

Question

I know nothing of wireless routers! I tried calling Linksys for more info and all I can say its the wrong time of year.   What I plan to do is ad on my old PC , I use ATT/Yahoo  ADSL.   1: By adding on a wireless router and extra PC will my upload download or all over speeds be noticeably slower?   2: When the old PC is not in use will my speeds return to normal?   3: If I went with a hardwire router would my original speeds be the same?   Also I picked up a Creative Live Wirless Webcam which I have yet to hook up because I have yet to get a router. Since the webcam uses Creatives Server ( I think) will that affect my connection speed (throughput?)   I do online multiplayer games so I would like to know.   From what I have understood was that the: Linksys WRT54GL must be used with the WUSB54GS are they both good units for speed and distance?   The one time I was able to get though to Linksys they told me that I should get the:   WRT100 with the WUSB200 but I have yet to find any reviews on the 100 and apparently the 200 has yet to be released.   Also I see that there are some new wireless routers coming out with 3 antennas and run N? Are they the new breed? From what I have read they are supposed to be faster and work over longer distances?Would they still work with my B/G camera?   New XPS 720 Old Dimension 8200 heading to the basement.   Please keep it simple.   Happy Holidays and TIA!   John

pjb3 · Answer

I'll try to answer your questions based on my experience.   1.  The router will not cause a decrease in speed and you should be able to support 2 computers with no problem.  If one PC is downloading multiple files the other may see a decrease in speed but it would not be much different than on a single computer.   2. Yes, if the old PC is not accessing the internet then all the bandwidth is available for the new PC.   3. It doesn't matter.  Unless your wireless signal is very weak, both wired and wireless connection speed should be greater than your DSL connection.  The wired connection should be faster and more stable but unless you are transferring large files between the computers you probably will not notice a difference.    I would not recommend the N routers at this time unless you need the extra range.  The N standards are still be ratified so if you decide to go with N make sure all equipment is from the same company.    One last comment.  When I added a Linksys router 6 or 7 years ago I saw a big improvement in speed.  At the time I was using a 2 year old computer and it was running software for the PPPOE connection.  When you add the router you will configure it to make the connection and hold it open and this will remove the process from the computer.  On a new Dell 720 I doubt you would notice since it has power to spare but for me at the time it made a large difference.   I would also recommend you check out the Linksys forums, lots of very knowledgeable people and if you search, most questions have already been answered.

escorial · Answer

PJB3,

I did post the question on the Linksys Forum and only received 1 responce. I did call Linksys this morning and got through in seconds ( what a difference) The rep from Linksys told me that the way to go is with the WRT100 - WUSB100 combo so I will give that a try.

The only problem now is that the WUSB100 is not available yet (most stores say the 19th) so i will keep a eye out as I want to buy both from the same place. Hopefully New Egg will have it soon.

Many thanks and I can't thank you enough!

John

pjb3 wrote:

I'll try to answer your questions based on my experience.

1. The router will not cause a decrease in speed and you should be able to support 2 computers with no problem. If one PC is downloading multiple files the other may see a decrease in speed but it would not be much different than on a single computer.

2. Yes, if the old PC is not accessing the internet then all the bandwidth is available for the new PC.

3. It doesn't matter. Unless your wireless signal is very weak, both wired and wireless connection speed should be greater than your DSL connection. The wired connection should be faster and more stable but unless you are transferring large files between the computers you probably will not notice a difference.

I would not recommend the N routers at this time unless you need the extra range. The N standards are still be ratified so if you decide to go with N make sure all equipment is from the same company.

One last comment. When I added a Linksys router 6 or 7 years ago I saw a big improvement in speed. At the time I was using a 2 year old computer and it was running software for the PPPOE connection. When you add the router you will configure it to make the connection and hold it open and this will remove the process from the computer. On a new Dell 720 I doubt you would notice since it has power to spare but for me at the time it made a large difference.

I would also recommend you check out the Linksys forums, lots of very knowledgeable people and if you search, most questions have already been answered.

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Need Help? Which is better range and speed? Linksys WRT54GL or WRT100

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