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General discussion

Does anyone use a network for their home or small office?

Dec 28, 2007 8:47AM PST

I'm considering upgrading to a better wireless router, I've got some cheap belkin thing right now, but I'm wondering how much better it will get considering that I only have the slowest dsl speed available. Is it worth upgrading both? My wireless is currently at 802.11 I think.

Discussion is locked

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What's better for a router?
Dec 29, 2007 12:18AM PST

Either it routes, or it doesn't. And it's faster than ADSL anyway.

Only you yourself can decide if the current speed and price of your Internet connection suit you. Faster = more expensive. No need to do it if you are happy with what you need now. Faster ADSL = faster downloading, faster receiving of emails with large attachments, possibly a better quality of streaming video and faster browsing. That's up to you.

Kees

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Signal Strength
Dec 29, 2007 12:38AM PST

Not knowing exactly what you have I would guess that the only real improvement you would get by upgrading is a stronger signal allowing you to work further away from the router. Since you are running on a slower DSL connection, I doubt a new router will speed up data transfers.

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You can't imagine...
Dec 29, 2007 2:00AM PST
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Ah...
Jan 7, 2008 12:23AM PST

I wonder if that alone will improve things considerably. Thanks!

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Getting the Speed That You're Paying For
Jan 8, 2008 5:57AM PST

Another great resource for evaluating the speed (or lack thereof) of your broadband connection is

CNET Bandwidth Meter Speed Test
http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.html

Although no test is perfect, it can still be invaluable for
a) finding out if you're getting what you're paying for
b) having objective information to reference when calling tech support

Joshua Feinberg, author and editorial director
Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course