Four Ways to Get More Out of Your 802.11n Wi-Fi Network
In a recent post, I made the argument that even though the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard is draft technology, it’s worth upgrading to now. If you are running an 802.11n network at home, it’s entirely likely that you could be getting more out of it. In this post, I’ll detail four easy ways to get more from your wireless network.
Use USB Adapters to Add Systems to Your 802.11n Network. There are many inexpensive USB adapters that you can use to very easily add machines to an existing 802.11n network. PC users can go with 3Com’s Wireless USB Adapter for adding systems to an 802.11n network. For Mac users, the MaxPower USB Stick Adapters are only $50, and will put your Macs on your 802.11n network easily.
Add a Range Booster. If you’re using an 802.11n router alone to get wireless access around the house, consider adding a range booster for faster performance wherever you may roam. D-Link’s Wireless USB Rangebooster can be found online for around $100, and can let you do things like roam wirelessly outside while getting good speeds.
Guage Your Wireless Performance. There are several free utilities you can use for testing the actual throughput you’re getting from your wireless network at various locations. QCheck is an excellent one that can help you quantify your performance and evaluate whether range boosters or extra access points might make sense for you.
Experiment with Different Locations for Your Wireless Equipment. Wi-Fi is radio technology, and radio technology is extraordinarily bizarre in terms of what works well and what doesn’t. If you’ve never experimented with different placements for your router, range booster, and access points, do so. Simply placing a router up high, instead of down low, can give you much better performance. Central locations are also good to experiment with. Also, don’t place a router or access point near metal or obvious obstructions.
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I swear this guy is paid by D-Link or somebody…all these posts about Draft-N. We get it!
I somewhat agree with Marc’s comment.
I don’t know if he is but it seems likely.
I am not sure this article is reaching it’s target audience, the web worker or if it’s just trying to sell. It’s like he was told to write some words to make the “daily” in the webworkerdaily.
If you have an “N” network and are a “web worker” you probably already have all the equipment (laptop, printer) you want on the wireless network. I mean, there was a reason to get setup with a wireless network, right? Nevermind the fact that “G” is probably plenty for the vast majority of webworkers out there. It’s cheaper, ratified and ubiquitous.
On the following topics:
USB ADAPTERS – What isn’t discussed is if you have older laptops/desktops with USB 1.0 or 1.1 you’ll only get 11Mbps instead of the advertised 108Mbps the the “N” standard promises. If you have USB2, it isn’t an issue. Also, there is no personal reference about how this worked on either a PC or a Mac. Is this what the author uses? Or is this just product placement in the guise of help?
RANGEBOOSTER – Again, no personal reference. Do you use this? Also quotes this thing for $100. This article was written today and the link points to vendors who sell it for $30. Did the author even look at the referring link? Also, in his last article, he states he is surprised by the fact that more readers don’t have access points in addition to wireless routers to extend the range of the wireless networks. He goes on to say how easy it is to setup access points and extend range. While it’s not clear, his surprise to more readers not having access points would infer that he has an access point. Why not recommend an access point instead instead of a range booster as he has in previous articles? There’s lack of consistency here. Was this just another opportunity to sell something? That’s the way this comes across.
GAUGING WIRELESS PERFORMANCE – He does point to free software. But really, how do most people gauge their wireless performance? “Does it connect to the internet?” “Yeah?” *It Works!* “If you can’t connect?” *Move Closer* Again, is this even valuable to the target audience? Does the author use this? Brief overview?
An example of good signal strength ranges? Tell us why you think this is an “excellent” tool. After the other 2 “recommendations” this just seems to be a ploy to meet a commitment to meet a page referral count to the vendor page.
I don’t mean this as an attack but this is laid on thick. I don’t begrudge anyone a means of making money but WOW… Just WOW
Jeff and Mark, no I definitely don’t work for D-Link–I’m a ties-free writer, and my post has to do with how much of a benefit I’ve gotten out of going to N technology, when many people are waiting for ratification of the proposed standard. I know sooooo many people doing that, when it’s a mistake.
I use both access points and range boosters to accentuate my 802.11n network, and they are godsends. I’ve talked to a lot of readers of our blog here who use only a router for wireless access–when it’s so cheap to extend range and performance.
With regard to QCheck–my response to any criticism of this free application is try it. I used it all the way back when NetIQ had it, and it will tell you everything about your Wi-Fi network’s performance.
Best,
Sam