Wireless Routers & NIC

[pcmaster]

i have a whole bunch of questions regarding wireless router and nic's and PCMCIA's...hopefully somebody can answer them
1) what is the difference between a wireless router and wireless access point?
2) if i have a wireless router, can i connect to it using a normal NIC and wire?
3) what is the difference between a wireless router and wireless-G router?
4) is there a lot of interference in a wireless home network?
5) which is the best company or companies to look at while searching for a wireless router and PCMCIA?

thanks

 

[jlanka]

1) A wireless router is an access point and router in one box

2) Yes

3) Wireless G router is 802.11g Wireless router is 802.11b

4) Depends on local conditions

5) D-Link, Netgear, Linksys, etc.

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

 

[pcmaster]

so whats the difference between a 802.11g and 802.11b router? and if i have a normal wire router right now can i plug an access point into it and have 1 computer connect to the internet via the access point and wire router? cause if thats the way it works, it makes more sense to get an access point and not a wireless router considering the access point is much cheaper...any advice?

 

[mattg1000]

802.11b = 11 Mbps / 2.4 GHZ
802.11g = 54 Mbps / 5 GHZ

you can plug any networkable device (such as an AP) that has an ethernet jack into your router and it will work. you will have to configure the IP address to be static and tell it to relay DHCP addresses to your wireless clients. I would stick with the same brand as your router, that way if you call tech support they can help you with both.

As for the price, I just noticed the other day that the Linksys 802.11b router (w/ 4 wired ports) and the Linksys 802.11b Access Point are the same price (~$80). So, it depends on what brand you go with and what speed your go with. Obviously it is nice to have everything in one device for configuration simplicity, but on the other hand if that device craps out, your whole network goes down vs. having a device for each application (router, AP, etc.)

I would buy an AP and plug it into what I have. Be sure to do some sort of authentication or security (either don't broadcast the SSID, use MAC authentication, or enable WAP, or do them all if you are paranoid about people getting onto your network...)