WiFi virgin needs advice.

pastymuncher · 16 Jul 2008 at 20:53

Hi guys. I am soon going to change isp from idnet to probably newnet. Partly because it's cheaper and partly because of the constant problems with idnet, such as email servers going down, ignoring support emails etc. Anyway, when i change over i am thinking about going wireless. I currently have adsl max (6880 kbps) and get it upstairs by a long, quality Belkin adsl cable to my Safecom modem/router and then to the pc via the ethernet port. I am thinking of a Belkin wireless N modem/router and probably a matching pci card also by Belkin. Am i going to notice any difference from my wired adsl? Will it be as fast or will there be a delay or anything. I have'nt a clue which is why i am asking so please be gentle.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

matt100 · 16 Jul 2008 at 20:58

I've never liked wireless as much as wired tbh, its weird, I've never really been able to get wireless with my desktop to just work which is does with my laptop.

So much so i went and bought a flat ethernet cable and hid it from the front room to the dining room under the carpet.

That said if the cable was way long then yeah I'd probably go wireless for the desktop.

Transfer speed may well be lower if you've got a NAS or anything like that, I have a 250GB NAS attached to my router and transfer to my pc wired is way way faster than wireless.

Everything else is fine though (i mean fine on my laptop) no notieceable difference in download speeds/internet etc.

I bet if you're a web gamer (I'm not btw, can't confirm this) it knackers your prod.. or pling or whatever it is they go on about betwen ranting about noobs and pwning people.

goujon945 · 16 Jul 2008 at 21:02

Wi-fi maybe be a little slower but not really noticeable. Wired is better for reliability though, even wireless N can have dead spots and random hissy fits! I wouldn't worry too much though, it should be fine but if not there are loads of people who could help

Scam · 16 Jul 2008 at 21:09

If you already have it all wired up already, then why bother switching? It seems rather pointless to me. Unless of course your wires are in the way or stand out too much.

lsg1r · 16 Jul 2008 at 23:34

personal experience.
wireless and wired have same pings - this is from both a pcmci and a lan based wifi bridge though, usb adapters do seem to have a slight lag though.

my wifi bridge is usually as stable as wired although windows being windows the pcmcia and usb adapters seem to have more issues than anything else, I put this down to drivers mainly.

If you've already got the wires setup I'd leave as is myself.

pastymuncher · 17 Jul 2008 at 11:50

Scam said:
If you already have it all wired up already, then why bother switching? It seems rather pointless to me. Unless of course your wires are in the way or stand out too much.

Thanks for the replies so far. good of you all to take the time to answer. The main problem being that the modem/router runs off the same power extension as my pc. I only have a single socket with no option of fitting a second. My pc room is just a large cupboard. Because when i finish using the pc i switch the power off at the wall this means that the modem/router is never on for more than three hours at a time, often less. If i leave the wall socket switched on, even with everything else turned off, i am getting a 46w power draw which is why i turn it off. This must be killing my profile as it must think that the connection keeps getting dropped. The reasoning behind going wireless was that the modem/router would be downstairs and could be left on permanantly, hopefully boosting my profile. This would also do away with the need for a 15m ADSL extension cable. I could stick my current wired modem/router down there but then i would need a 15m ethernet cable instead. Actually, thinking about it, would this be ok to do? Can you even get them that long?