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Internet connection speed - plus is N worth it over G?

H

HXGuy

macrumors 68000
Original poster
I currently have a G wireless router and using the Speedtest.net app, I got about 7GB/sec download.

Would a Wireless N network do better and would it really affect my browsing experience?

To compare, my desktop got 18GB/sec via LAN cable.
 
HXGuy said:
So then the answer is no, right? 😀
Click to expand...

Yeah. It's only useful for streaming and file transfers within your network.

But I think they both have there strengths and weaknesses in terms of signal strength and range. I forget what they are though.
 
It's been awhile but when shopping for routers some claimed 1000 foot range on a N router, speed isn't really an issue unless your running a website out of your basement.
 
HXGuy said:
I currently have a G wireless router and using the Speedtest.net app, I got about 7GB/sec download.

Would a Wireless N network do better and would it really affect my browsing experience?

To compare, my desktop got 18GB/sec via LAN cable.
Click to expand...

You sure about those speeds? 🙂
 
HXGuy said:
I currently have a G wireless router and using the Speedtest.net app, I got about 7GB/sec download.

Would a Wireless N network do better and would it really affect my browsing experience?

To compare, my desktop got 18GB/sec via LAN cable.
Click to expand...
7GB/sec is impressive since G is only spec'd to 54mbps or slightly le4ss than 7MB/sec.
 
you likely meant 7 "MB" not "GB" per sec. Thats about right for Wifi G. Most people wont see any benefit for their internet connection by going from G to N, only on internal network speeds with transferring between computers etc. If you needed a new router for some reason than dont spend 50 bucks on a G model when you can get an N for 80 or 90. Most DSL speeds in the US and Canada wont exceed much more than about 1 "MB" per sec. The fastest Ive gotten on Shaw here in Canada with a Nitro acocunt is about 8 MBps (megaBYTES per second) on about a 100mbit connection at work. At home I have a fiber at 40mbit per sec and will see about 4MBps pretty often on sustained transfers but 99 percent (or more) of web users in the US wont have that for a few more years.

In short, dont worry about upgrading from G to N if all your doing is web surfing. If you need faster xfers at home for media or file xfer, then go with N, but make sure your computers will support it as well.
 
HXGuy said:
I currently have a G wireless router and using the Speedtest.net app, I got about 7GB/sec download.

Would a Wireless N network do better and would it really affect my browsing experience?

To compare, my desktop got 18GB/sec via LAN cable.
Click to expand...

Damn my fiber channel doesn't even go fast!
 
Ok a let me offer a real world diff. I use aebs n only at home my gf has my old link sys wet54g with tomato installed. I'm not going to argue specs with anyone just tell you that the aebs loads pages much faster than the old g. I am an it pro. Dont bother quoting numbers to dispute me. Just try both and see what you think. I abx'd with an express and passed with flying colours. So yah, if you can get some n going it's worth it. It's not just about raw throughput numbers.
 
h00ligan said:
Ok a let me offer a real world diff. I use aebs n only at home my gf has my old link sys wet54g with tomato installed. I'm not going to argue specs with anyone just tell you that the aebs loads pages much faster than the old g. I am an it pro. Dont bother quoting numbers to dispute me. Just try both and see what you think. I abx'd with an express and passed with flying colours. So yah, if you can get some n going it's worth it. It's not just about raw throughput numbers.
Click to expand...

In a lot of cases it has less to do than the wireless speeds and more to do with the processors in the newer wireless routers. If it can handle switching/routing faster the overall speed on the network goes up. I had seen this happen with my power line adapters when I swapped my WRT54GS running tomato with a WRT600N. Same thing happened again when I swapped the WRT600N (due to wireless issues) for my current Netgear WNDR3700. http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/ has some good benchmarks about it.
 
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