a few things-

what is better/faster? G-only, B-only, or mixed?

what channel should it be on? 1-11?

what security mode? WPA? WPA2? mixed mode?

AES or TKIP? AES + TKIP?

i was just messing around with settings to get my goddamn wii to connect to netflix, which i finally accomplished through random changing of options, but in hindsight id like to know what it all means.

thanks in advance!

1/25/2012 6:52:53 PM

G is faster than B (N is even faster), but mixed should be more compatible with older devices

channel shouldn't matter unless you're getting interference from other routers, but you could always try changing channels to see if you get a stronger signal

WPA2 > WPA > WEP although unless you think somebody is actively trying to hack into your connection, WEP is fine in many scenarios...but assuming you go WPA:

AES is supposed to be a little more secure than TKIP but i haven't seen issues with either

1/25/2012 7:02:02 PM

FWIW 802.11n requires WPA2 w/AES to achieve full throughput.

1/25/2012 7:07:40 PM

Running mixed is typically slower than B, G, or N only. If you don't have any wireless B devices, set it to G only.

If you have wireless N and G devices, I'd recommend finding a "true" dual band (dual antenna) router.

1/25/2012 7:35:27 PM

well this seems to have all the information you need.

I can also second trying to get on to one standard - or getting a true dual band with two simultaneous radios. They just don't put fast enough processors and radios in the consumer stuff to do it well.

Here are some deals from slickdeals today:
http://1saleaday.com/?CID=168142&AFID=178621
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?SID=u105762t0f0fp67848dd0c0s701&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16833124388

1/25/2012 9:43:25 PM

Quote :

"what is better/faster? G-only, B-only, or mixed?"

I doubt you have anything that won't do G, so generally G-only is fine. Keeps your speeds up.

Quote :

"what channel should it be on? 1-11?"

The only non-overlapping channels in the 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n band are 1, 6, and 11. That said, the further away from other nearby networks (in the sense of channels), the better signal quality you'll have. 1,6, and 11 are recommended because if everyone is smart about it, you can not cause any problems with each other in proximity. Generally not an issue for most people though.

Quote :

"what security mode? WPA? WPA2? mixed mode? AES or TKIP? AES + TKIP?"

WPA2, stay far away from WEP - that can be cracked that in no time. Use AES for more security, but some devices won't use it. You can do AES+TKIP to help maintain compatibility for devices.

Quote :

"If you have wireless N and G devices, I'd recommend finding a "true" dual band (dual antenna) router."

This is only true if the N device is a 5GHz device. There's 2.4GHz N also, and you'd see no benefit to purchasing a dual-band router. "Dual-antennas" is different, and is there for diversity. It doesn't necessarily mean that there are two radios .

I'm about to order this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124411

1/26/2012 11:29:02 AM

touche

I picked up an E4200 about a month ago. I like it.

Couple bucks more could get you the V2.

1/26/2012 12:29:13 PM

I thought about the V2, but 900 Mbps isn't really a "thing." Figured I'd save a little since I don't really need the V1 anyway

One thing that I couldn't find, but I know is supported on the E4200, is how many SSIDs can I create per Band? Is it just one per band + the guest SSID?

1/26/2012 12:36:08 PM

Really it's only one SSID per band.

Guest access is only on 2.4 GHz, and you can't change the SSID...it just adds "-guest" to whatever you've set for the 2.4 GHz SSID.

1/26/2012 1:11:55 PM

^^those E4200's are the junk. I was gonna get one for the main office; but I'm trying to get wifi to my house and need something longer range

Might get one anyway because we send a buttload of traffic and our current linksys WRT54G crashes about 5 times/day....

1/26/2012 4:51:48 PM

thanks for the great info!

1/26/2012 7:21:30 PM

wireless SSID broadcast? enable/disable?

1/27/2012 7:45:47 PM

disable it

like a ninja

1/27/2012 7:47:01 PM

you usually talk about gay things so im not sure if i should believe you.

1/27/2012 7:50:06 PM

Seriously though, it's harder for people to see that you even have a network to exploit or try to leech off of; it's an additional barrier to the already daunting task of sending a capture file up into the cloud for a few months to crack WPA2 encryption...

1/27/2012 8:02:38 PM

Disabling the SSID broadcast just leads to a false sense of security...

1/28/2012 12:10:21 AM

it doesn't hurt but it doesn't help that much

1/28/2012 12:14:26 AM

don't be the low hanging fruit

1/28/2012 4:12:02 AM

Instead of disabling SSID broadcast, you should change the SSID to something like "NSA Surveillance", that will keep people from even thinking of trying to hack you!

1/28/2012 9:40:54 AM

https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm

1/28/2012 10:25:10 AM

So my router (http://homesupport.cisco.com/en-us/wireless/lbc/befw11s4) finally shut the bed and I'm looking for something new. Anything in the $40-$60 range worth picking up? At the high end of my range, I was looking at either the linksys E3000 or WRT54G (and throwing Tomato on it). I'm only going to have my xbox wired to it and phones/tablets using the wifi. Probably will need to pick up a wifi adapter for my desktop, any suggestions for something mediocre for that?

1/31/2012 10:11:07 AM

^ Got the E3000 off of slickdeals for $60. Put tomato on it and it has been working great ever since.

1/31/2012 11:27:34 AM

Quote :

"JLaird: finally shut shit the bed"

But yes, either that E3000 or my personal preference: Buffalo http://www.newegg.com/Store/BrandSubCategory.aspx?Brand=1646&SubCategory=145&name=Buffalo-Technology-Wireless-Routers ... I have 2 of the WZR-HP-G300NH and they've been absolutely solid for the past 2 years. Before that I owned another Buffalo and it lasted for 5 years before I arbitrarily upgraded. Awesome pieces of gear.



[Edited on January 31, 2012 at 12:29 PM. Reason : .]

1/31/2012 12:28:35 PM

Sorry to keep noobing it up over a year later, but now I'm wondering why the wired connection through this router is so slow while the wireless is blazing fast?



What should I check?

[Edited on February 26, 2013 at 11:35 AM. Reason : -]

2/26/2013 11:34:22 AM

check yo willy yo!

2/26/2013 12:14:03 PM

I did but it keeps coming up short!

(joke)



Its a Belkin N150 piece of shit they bought here at work. Again, wireless = very fast, wired = slow as shit.

[Edited on February 26, 2013 at 1:35 PM. Reason : -]

2/26/2013 1:11:45 PM

Haha, it was the router's firewall.

Switched it to "off."

Nothing to see here folks.

2/27/2013 12:25:57 PM

You should learn how to properly set it up for greater security, rather than just turning if off and calling it a day.

2/28/2013 6:16:24 AM