Wireless Network Question?

[nicolle19]

I am kind confused on how the speed of wireless routers work. At this point I have Time Warners cable internet Road Runner at the basic service of 1.5mbps. I have a wireless router which is lynksys wrt54g v5, which gives me up to 54mbps. I dont really understand how the speed translates it seems the most I would get anytime if i upgraded to the higher service is 6 mbps. I need faster service cause it kinda drags, so should I upgrade the service or get a new N router for my Imac c2d. And how exactly does the router speed and service speed work for my actually speed.
Thanks

 

[Patronus]

You are right, it does not affect your internet access speed. However, it greatly affects your intra-network data transfer speed (wireless printing, file transfers between computers over wireless, network drive access, etc.)

 

[WildCowboy]

Your wireless is much faster than your cable internet connection. Getting a faster wireless router will do nothing for your connection speed when dealing with the outside world. In order to get faster transfers from the internet, you'd need to upgrade your cable internet service.

Think of the internet and your wireless as a series of tubes D ) and your data as water. You've got a big fat pipe with your wireless network to deliver the data from your router to your machine, but you've got a skinny pipe with your internet service connecting you to the outside world. Getting a bigger wireless pipe does nothing for you because you're still limited by your small upstream pipe.

 

[nicolle19]

So for me the best thing for me to do would upgrade to the 6 mbps. I shouldnt waste my money on the the airport extreme with the N technology, since I only have one computer. Is there a differnce in the speed from the interenet via router and wired.

 

[flopticalcube]

No. You are restricted to the slowest link in the chain, your cable modem.