Wireless Routers: B vs G

[chucknorris]

I am looking into purchasing a wireless router for use with my mom's new cable modem, but have a few questions.

Obviously with budget as a concern, b is much cheaper than g. Would I notice any sort of bottleneck using a b router for a 1.5 mbps cable connection with only one user connected at a time? Is it worth it to pay twice the price for g?

I don't have any current need or interest in having a wireless network per se, so my only concern is with using the internet connection.

For either standard, what is a high quality, affordable router? I really trust linksys, and have found a b for about $20.

Please help me make a decision!

 

[ohcrap]

Short answer (because I'm lazy), no internet bottleneck with b or g.

802.11b = 11Mbps (approx.)
802.11g = 54Mbps (approx.)

Both support transfer rates much faster than that of your internet speed. If you do a lot of LAN gaming, I suggest paying the extra cash for g, but if all you really want is to get more than one computer online wirelessly, b suffices just fine.

 

[VanMac]

If you can get the funds, go for the 802.11g

You may not need it now....but good to plan for going forward. You definately get a higher speed wireless network, so if you ever start getting other machines on the network, you will utilize that bandwidth. Not to mention wireless printing, Xbox, iTunes, etc, etc.

Linksys WRT54G is not that much $$....and a very good router (I use it...very happy).

Happy networking.

 

[chucknorris]

Thanks for all of the help guys.

I'll check out that linksys router, but am still leaning toward b.

Right now, I'm a poor college student. I "need" wireless internet, but not wireless networking. And if I get a wild hare to set up a wireless network, I'll either live with the speeds (can't be too terrible), or upgrade at that point. Who knows? N may be around by then.

 

[Poeben]

Either choice should be fine for your needs. I would say get the G just to be more futureproof, if you can afford it. That said, I recently bought a Linksys B router for two reasons:

1. I have no G hardware, only an iBook with B.
2. It was $5 after rebate, so no big deal to upgrade to another one later.

Good luck.

 

[MUCKYFINGERS]

We have 802.11b at my house and we have at a given time 3-5 computers using the connection at the same time and our internet works just fine and speedy.

 

[Lacero]

You'll only see the benefits of g if you transfer files between local computers, otherwise if it's for internet access, b is more than enough.

 

[BlueT]

Another vote for B. By the time you might need huge speeds, the next generation of WiFi will show up, making the currently high price of G look silly.

 

[chucknorris]

Either choice should be fine for your needs. I would say get the G just to be more futureproof, if you can afford it. That said, I recently bought a Linksys B router for two reasons:

1. I have no G hardware, only an iBook with B.
2. It was $5 after rebate, so no big deal to upgrade to another one later.

Good luck.

The point about future-proofing is well taken. I normally do my best to protect against obsolescence (an impossible task), but a b router seems to be more than enough for my needs.

I do have g hardware, but I really don't think spending $20 or so will make me feel guilty about upgrading later.

As far as the $5 linksys router goes... how? where?

 

[lfielder06]

I say go with b. I have a b and I still can transfer files to my xbox wirelessly. Although it does take longer it isn't too bad. I got a netgear router for $10 after rebates. Check your local best buy, circuit city, or office depot for great deals on wireless b routers.

 

[Mechcozmo]

$20 for a G router here, and with ~4 devices accessing it... it is worth the extra bandwidth. That said, it is a D-ling piece of sh-- er, i mean, crap.

 

[doucy2]

We have 802.11b at my house and we have at a given time 3-5 computers using the connection at the same time and our internet works just fine and speedy.

i have the same setup
its works great i can even play games over the net wirelessly

 

[lopresmb]

I just got a linksys G router and it works just fine. One thing about G, yes, it is faster for networking computers, but unless you have a internet connection running over 10 MB a sec or so you won't see any performance gain there (in the future you may though)

--also, G routers are backwards compatable with B hardware, so there is no concern there, but...

--G is a higher frequency bandwidth (that is shorter wavelength signal), so a G signal is only good for about 50 some feet or so, while your longer wavelength B signal is good for about 150 feet, so there's a thought

--also, its sometimes to find B hardware these days, I went to buy an adaptor for my wife's computer and could only find a G one.