Wireless-N Questions - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Hanni · 07-06-2010, 08:15 AM

I haven't upgraded my network in several years since I made the switch to g and it's time for a new router. I've done some searching but couldn't really find definitive answers to my questions.

I would likely purchase a dual band linksys router as I want to put the second PC and xbox on G as I don't see the need to upgrade them to N. However I want to run the PS3 on N on the second band. My understanding is that this is possible however will the G band have a negative effect on the N band or are they truly independent?

Secondly do I really need to go through the trouble of setting up a bridge so that the PS3 can utilize N. I notice when streaming video from my PC that I sometimes get stutter and I'm wondering if it's just an issue with the old router of if 54mb/s simply isn't enough?

BlackEleven · 07-06-2010, 08:23 AM

Buying a wireless N-router for a PS3 would be a waste since the PS3 has a wireless G card in it, thus it will still go at G speed.

The stutter might be dude to bandwidth limitations, it depends on the size of the video. Is it 720p or larger? The easiest fix may be just to buy a USB stick and copy your movie on to there than plug that into the PS3. It's a lot cheaper than a router too.

Hanni · 07-06-2010, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hanni

Secondly do I really need to go through the trouble of setting up a bridge so that the PS3 can utilize N. I notice when streaming video from my PC that I sometimes get stutter and I'm wondering if it's just an issue with the old router of if 54mb/s simply isn't enough?

I understand that, but you can set up an access point and then wire that to your PS3. A basic N router/access point isn't any more expensive than an adapter for an XBOX 360 so it's a viable option as I find the PS3 to be a much better media device.

MickMcGeough · 07-06-2010, 08:46 AM

First, dual-band means that the router operates on more than one frequency. Wireless G is 2.4Ghz, but Wireless N can be 2.4 or 5Ghz. You only need dual band if you want the 5Ghz band for your wireless N devices (assuming they support it - many don't).

In theory, having an 802.11n/g router running in backwards compatibility mode with 802.11g will have no impact on performance. In practice (at least with my D-Link router), going to 802.11n only mode had a very small performance increase.

Two very important points about 802.11n:

1. Make sure that your router supports both 20Mhz and 40Mhz modes. My 802.11n devices on 40Mhz have significantly better throughput than they do on 802.11n 20Mhz.

2. Don't listen to marketing jargon on 802.11n device throughput. Nothing can sustain 300mpbs (at least nothing you'll find at Best Buy or whatever) although they will all claim it. I've gone through 3 802.11n routers and about 5 802.11n devices and the fastest configuration I've found couldn't sustain more than 50mbps in my area (which is pretty good - fast enough to stream uncompressed HD video and 5.1 audio). On a low-end D-Link 802.11n router, I couldn't get higher than 25mbps. A good 802.11g router would probably have been better.

I don't know about PS3 802.11n support, or why setting up a bridge would allow the PS3 to utilize N...

Finally, if the PS3 can support 5Ghz 802.11n, make sure you do get a dual band router with 5Ghz support. The 2.4Ghz is ridiculously saturated with other wireless devices, wireless phones, microwaves, you name it. If you live in the city you will have a hard time getting very high performance out of a 2.4Ghz 802.11n network.

ETA: Sorry, didn't see you were hardwiring the PS3. My points still stand. If you can, get 5Ghz 802.11n support on your media server and plug your PS3 in directly to the 802.11n 5Ghz router.

Hanni · 07-06-2010, 08:56 AM

The PS3 does not support n, which is ridiculous. However you can setup an access point that you plug your PS3 in to, the access point transfers the wireless connection to the PS3.

Now I'm second guessing, perhaps I'll just get the router for now and go from there.

edit to your edit: the pc that acts as the media server is wired to the router at this point. I see your point though, move the modem and router into the living room and run the pc wireless, not the PS3. Something to consider, thanks.

An additional question then, any experience with USB network adapters? I don't have room on my motherboard for another card so this would be my only option.

2nd edit: moving the modem isn't possible, the office is the only place with cable, every other coax outlet is satellite TV.

cKy · 07-06-2010, 09:50 AM

I use a Linksys 610 router - and a Linksys 300 as a AP upstairs (which I use for my 360). The speeds suffer a little from the software (using DD-WRT) but it works well enough to play certain files. HD support on the 360 is ofcourse crap.

MickMcGeough · 07-06-2010, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hanni

The PS3 does not support n, which is ridiculous. However you can setup an access point that you plug your PS3 in to, the access point transfers the wireless connection to the PS3.

Now I'm second guessing, perhaps I'll just get the router for now and go from there.

edit to your edit: the pc that acts as the media server is wired to the router at this point. I see your point though, move the modem and router into the living room and run the pc wireless, not the PS3. Something to consider, thanks.

An additional question then, any experience with USB network adapters? I don't have room on my motherboard for another card so this would be my only option.

2nd edit: moving the modem isn't possible, the office is the only place with cable, every other coax outlet is satellite TV.

Yeah, just one though. I picked up a Belkin F5D8053 from memory express for about $25. It's based on the Realtek RT2870 chipset which is pretty good - a lot of $85+ USB wireless adapters use the same thing. This one is 2.4Ghz only but supports 40Mhz. I can get between 45mpbs - 50mbps with it.

Hanni · 07-06-2010, 11:57 AM

I think I'll just go with the router and keep using g for now and see how that works. Then I just need to hope that PS3 adds support for a usb adapter at some point.

BlackEleven · 07-06-2010, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hanni

I think I'll just go with the router and keep using g for now and see how that works. Then I just need to hope that PS3 adds support for a usb adapter at some point.

You could copy the file to a USB key and play it directly off that if it the file is under 4GB.

Another (more expensive) option is to use a powerline ethernet adapter. Something like this.

Hanni · 07-06-2010, 12:21 PM

The stutter doesn't happen often enough to justify spending much on it, it could just be the age of my current router, or a slowdown on the PC. I have noticed my network going down intermittently however so it's time for a new router regardless.

The files I'm playing are rarely over 1gb so playing them off a USB drive is a good option as well. I'm just anal about having everything running as smoothly and hassle free as possible, even something as small as transferring the file to a USB drive.

MickMcGeough · 07-06-2010, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hanni

The stutter doesn't happen often enough to justify spending much on it, it could just be the age of my current router, or a slowdown on the PC. I have noticed my network going down intermittently however so it's time for a new router regardless.

The files I'm playing are rarely over 1gb so playing them off a USB drive is a good option as well. I'm just anal about having everything running as smoothly and hassle free as possible, even something as small as transferring the file to a USB drive.

It's worth switching channels on the router as well. Some channels in my area were hugely saturated.

teamchachi · 07-07-2010, 01:06 AM

Probably not an issue of bandwidth. 802.11g should be plenty fast for video streaming. Have you used a stumbler to see what channels are being used in your area? Does the stalling happen when the microwave in your house is turned on? How about when people are talking on 2.4ghz cordless phones? Do have any scheduled large file transfers that could be taking up network bandwidth? How far away from the base station are you?

Hanni · 07-07-2010, 07:51 AM

Bought the new router last night. There are only 4 wireless networks in my area, most of my neighbors are 50+ so the number of networks is low. I had the previous router set to a channel that no one else was on. I live in a town of 12,000 with good spacing between the neighbors so saturation shouldn't be much of an issue. No cordless phones in the house, only 2 cell phones. No the microwave isn't on, I am aware of all these possible issues. We'll see how things go with the new router, if all is well then it was an issue with the 5 year old router, if not I have more troubleshooting to do.