Linksys Speedbooster?

Early B.

I have a wireless b router that is about 4 years old. My other computer is connected to it via hardwire. It's OK, but every so often the hardwired computer crawls, usually during peak Internet times. This computer is on the other side of the house (I'm guessing 40 feet away).

I've been thinking about getting the Linksys Speedbooster kit. Would this be an upgrade? Will the kit increase my performance?

Thanks.

polkatese

I don't know if it will help yours, but for me, I upgraded from a SMC Barricade (4 years old) and with Speedbooster, it is very stable and don't have to reboot at all (so far). Distance wise, I have two storey house, and vertical distance is about 15 feet away to the furthest distance pc. I used mixed mode, since my laptop is still a 11b, but the machine with speedbooster adapter, it is noticeably faster.

nadams

Hardwire is faster than wireless any day

That said, even wireless b is going to be faster than most residential internet connections

Fireman32

I got the speedbooster router and i get great performance out of it. It sill will boil down to your connection with your isp

petrym

Early B.,
What wireless protocols does your computer support? 802.11b provides 11 Mbps transmission and the Linksys Speedbooster with 802.11g has 20+ Mbps. If you're going to use it for Internet usage, it would be an upgrade but only if you have a broadband connection with better than 2.5 MBps.

aaharvel

my netgear hardwired is going along at 100mbps. Wireless at 54mbps. No problems.

On a side-note, i will never by anything from Linksys again. I literally threw my fubared Cable Gateway out the window of a moving car.

faster100

I'm gonna be in the market for a new wireless router as mine just died the other night.. no warning, just came up a network cable is unplugged.. and then i see no power light on..

so i'll have to watch this thread

Early B.

petrym wrote:

Early B.,
What wireless protocols does your computer support? 802.11b provides 11 Mbps transmission and the Linksys Speedbooster with 802.11g has 20+ Mbps. If you're going to use it for Internet usage, it would be an upgrade but only if you have a broadband connection with better than 2.5 MBps.

If that's true, and if a wired network beats a wireless one any day in terms of speed, would I derive any benefit by just purchasing the Speedbooster router (or another wireless g router) and remaining hardwired since the Speedbooster is faster than what I already have (a wireless b router)?

BTW, I have a DSL connection.

petrym

Wired is the only way to go for overall speed and reliability, it's a matter of convenience (wireless and maybe some delay), versus routing cable through your house. Wiring is more work but worth it for the speed and reliability.

I put in a cable from my basement router through the joists and up into the living room. I cut through the drywall, added a box, a snap together cat 5 connector (didn't need a punch tool), and a face plate to make a professional looking installation. It works very well and our son uses it to play the broadband version of Runescape.

I'd go wired if you have the capabiliites and a few extra bucks. I'd also get the new router for "newness" peace of mind and increased speed.

Early B.

OK, I bought the Linksys Speedbooster kit because for $69.99, it was the same price as the router by itself. I'll try it both ways -- wired and wireless -- and see if it makes a difference. I'm hoping that either way, it will be faster than what I already have.

petrym

Early B.,
If you enable the wireless, make sure you set up the WEP at minimum, WPA or WPA2 (new router should support it) for sure if you can. That way, your bandwidth won't get stolen.
Michael

Refefer

petrym wrote:

Early B.,
If you enable the wireless, make sure you set up the WEP at minimum, WPA or WPA2 (new router should support it) for sure if you can. That way, your bandwidth won't get stolen.
Michael

Don't use WEP at all, it's easy to crack. There are programs out there that will figure out your encryption key after a couple billion packets have been sent. Use WPA as it is far more secure.