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When purchasing a new wireless router your focus should be on how you expect to use your wireless home network and not the latest trend, buzzword or wiz bang feature. Start by recognizing which type of network user you are. Network users generally fall into one of three categories:
Surfers Streamers Gamers Surfers Surfers generally do not put a big demand on a wireless network. They simply want to sit comfortably in a remote location on the couch or by the pool, surf the web, send emails and print out a document or two every once in a while. A Wireless-G router is more than sufficient for this type of network user. Wireless-G (Max 108 MB per second) routers and adapters are inexpensive and backward-compatible with wireless N. Streamers While streamers do their fair share of surfing they are mostly into sharing files from computer to computer. They spend a lot of time searching for and downloading large movie, music and video files to a central computer and streaming out to multiple PCs on the network. Video and multimedia files put a heavy load on a wireless network and should not be interfered with by other activities. The best type of wireless router for Streamers is a wireless-N (Max 320MB per second) router that uses MIMO (Multiple antennas) to fill the room with a signal that seemingly comes in from all directions. Many wireless N routers also have a features called QOS which allows you to optimize your network for video. Gamers Many Gamers feel the only useful purpose for a computer is running the latest games and hanging out in chat rooms with their friends. Games are timing sensitive applications which need the fastest, strongest signal possible to run without lag or hanging.
Gamers can typically be found in close proximity to other Surfers and Streamers who can easily become frustrated about the lack of bandwidth left over by Gamers. The type of wireless router needed in a household filled with Gamers, Surfers and Streamers far exceeds the capabilities of your typical wireless G or even N router. The best type of wireless router for this household is a dual band wireless router which allows you to run two totally different networks from the same router. Dual band routers allow you to run your networks on totally different frequency bands to keep them from interfering with or "stepping on" each other. You can set up your dual band wireless router as follows: SSID #1 2.47 GHZ Band. (Wireless G, N) Surfing, printing and file sharing. SSID #2 5 GHZ Band. (Wireless N, A) Gaming and video, music streaming. Of course a dual band router is much more expensive than a wireless-G or wireless-N router but they are coming down in price. If you, your friends and family are serious about getting the most from a wireless network a dual band wireless router is the way to go. Wireless Security Another consideration when purchasing a wireless router is wireless security. The types of wireless security available do not vary from router to router but the way you set it up does. Most routers come with the traditional setup CD which you can pop in and follow and hopefully end up with a secure wireless connection. A new feature called WPS or wireless protected setup is designed to make setting up security even easier for consumers. It involves simply typing in a 8 digit pin or pressing a button to activate. Your wireless security parameters are then automatically generated for you. There are minor caveats involved with WPS and the way it works on networks that have been set up in more traditional methods. So a good understanding of wireless security protocols is still helpful but not always necessary.
Wireless Router Deals Finding a wireless router that meets your needs can be difficult. Visit this site to find the wireless router deals that are best for you. J Richard Jones has been supporting computers and networks for over 15 years. Visit his site to learn more about setting up a wireless network.
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==== ==== For more information, as well as deeply discouned wireless networking products, please click this link. http://bit.ly/wHLCla ==== ====