Router Question?

[Migla]

I bought a Boom (and love it) and bought a router the same day. I bought a Wireless-G router for $59 but noticed that the Wireless-N routers are now $79. I don't have signal problems with my Boom, but sometimes stations do just stop, I thought it might be the stream but maybe it's interference? I don't own a laptop so the Boom is the only thing using the router.

Do you think I should exchange my G for an N router for only $20 more? Or does a Squeezebox work best with G? I'm planning on getting a laptop in the near future, but would never be far from the router.

[MrC]

Squeeze* products currently are B/G-Only. An N router will provide no additional speed. Use whichever router gives you the best results (speed, distance, reliability).

If your future laptop will have an N nic, get the N router.

[Migla]

Squeeze* products currently are B/G-Only. An N router will provide no additional speed. Use whichever router gives you the best results (speed, distance, reliability).

If your future laptop will have an N nic, get the N router.

Thanks. Do all new laptops for sale these days use N? And there wouldn't be any negative effect for using an N router with my Boom, right?

[MrC]

I have no idea on the vendor breakdown of B/G vs. N NICs, but I'm sure its safe to answer "no", not all vendor ship with N NICs. It would be safe to say that some do, where some >= 1.

The N standard is not yet official, so products are "pre N", with each vendor having implemented their own high-speed version based upon their best guess and the current draft(s). While there are incompatibilities across vendor's implementations for N speeds, they are backwards compatible with B/G. Some routers will reduce speed if *any* client is a non-N client. Others will support concurrent B/G and N at the same time (eg. slower clients cause no penalty to N clients).

If you get an N router, it may be worthwhile to get one that doesn't reduce speed to the lowest common denominator.

[dean]

Oh, and see this thread:

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=42853

[dean]

On Feb 22, 2009, at 6:54 PM, MrC wrote:
> Squeeze* products currently are B/G-Only. An N router will provide no
> additional speed. Use whichever router gives you the best results
> (speed, distance, reliability).
But an N router may increase your range, in the case that your
wireless connection is marginal.

Hard to say how well it will work without actually testing in your
home with the specific devices to see.

If you can return one, why not buy the second one and test head-to-
head and return one of them?

[toby10]

I bought a Boom (and love it) and bought a router the same day. I bought a Wireless-G router for $59 but noticed that the Wireless-N routers are now $79. I don't have signal problems with my Boom, but sometimes stations do just stop, I thought it might be the stream but maybe it's interference? I don't own a laptop so the Boom is the only thing using the router.

Do you think I should exchange my G for an N router for only $20 more? Or does a Squeezebox work best with G? I'm planning on getting a laptop in the near future, but would never be far from the router.

You may well go through all of this and still get station drops. Internet Radio can be glitchy. I have a rock solid WiFi signal to my Boom with no competing channel overlap or interference, and stations do drop. Some streams will play for days without a hiccup then will stop 5 times in one day. Same with my wired SB3, it happens.

My point is that the station drops you are experiencing may have nothing to do with WiFi. I'd suggest you concentrate on reading the provided links and getting your G router properly setup (location, G only, proper ch, check for signal interference, run Network Test on your Boom, etc..).

You can always go N if needed or desired but I'll bet a properly configured G will run just fine in the vast majority of home applications.

Have fun with your Boom!