The promise of fast wireless speeds is here in the form of wireless N, but 'plug and pray' won't cut it. Here are some of my notes for getting decent wireless N connectivity:
1. Separate N from the G and B devices.
- Have at least two access points - 1 for wireless N, and 1 for wireless G/B. The wireless N access point will throttle down to g and b speeds whenever a g or b device connects to it. The best way to prevent this is to connect your b/g devices to a second access point.
2. Use AES Encryption, or none at all.
- WEP and WPA encryption do not support the maximum wireless performance on N networks.
3. Wireless chipsets do matter.
- The most common chipsets are Atheros, Broadcom, and Ralink. Ideally, your computer's wireless chipset and wireless router or access point chipset should be from the same manufacturer.
- Trying out a friend's router first before buying the same model would be great. There are instances where a laptop won't connect to the access point at all, no matter what setting you do.
4. Get a wireless router/AP with a good track record.
- You usually get what you pay for. The occasional bargain device excluded. ;)
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