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2.4ghz

Cisco's Linksys E4200 v2: The best saved for last

Cisco Systems released the original Linksys E4200 in January, which turned out to be a formidable wireless router.

Now as the year is ending, the company announced today the second version of the same router. And the Linksys E4200 v2 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N900 turns out to be one of the best, if not the best, router of the year.

The new E4200 v2 looks exactly the same as the original on the outside, with a sleek-looking design that looks more like an expensive jewelry box than a router. On the inside, however, it packs much more power than the … Read more

Amazon.com has the Adesso SlimTouch 2.4 GHz (WKB-4000US) Wireless Mini Touchpad Keyboard for $82.84, after $11.15 savings.

Save $11.15 on the Adesso SlimTouch 2.4 GHz (WKB-4000US) Wireless Mini Touchpad Keyboard from Amazon.com >> Regular price is $93.99 >> Sale price is $82.84 >> Savings $11.15 (11.86%) >> Click here for deal

Ask the Editors: Why does my laptop's Wireless-N speed cap at 130Mbps?

Like most editors at CNET, I often receive questions from CNET readers about specific problems. Here are a few that were brought up to me in the last month.

Q: My laptop's Wireless-N adapter only caps at 130Mbps even though my D-Link DIR-855 can offer 300Mbps speeds. What can I do to boost the wireless speed of the laptop?

A: That might already be the best you can get. Wireless-N (802.11n) comes in different "tiers" with different amounts of streams (also referred to as antennae). Each stream offers a throughput speed up to 150Mbps.

While most routers are dual-stream and cap at 300Mbps (future ones can even support multistream, offering speeds up to 450Mbps or even 600Mbps), a lot of adapters built in to laptop and notebook computers to conserve the battery life use the single-stream standard. This means they cap at 150Mbps (which translates into something around 130Mbps, which is plenty fast, by the way). Also note that the throughput decreases as you increase the range. Generally the optimal range for the Wireless-N is between 15 feet and 70 feet away.

Q: Does my laptop have to have a dual-band adapter to take advantage of dual-band routers, such as the Linksys WRT610n, the Apple Airport Extreme or the D-Link DIR-825?

A: No, it doesn't matter how many bands an adapter supports; wireless networking devices only connect to one another in one band at a time.… Read more

Wireless home theater speakers always have wires

It seems like every time I'm in a store that sells speakers I hear someone asking about wireless speakers.

It's a great idea, but then reality sets in: wireless speakers always have wires.

And get this: most wireless speakers have more wires than standard "wired" speakers. Think about it--a regular speaker has a wire that delivers both power and signal to the speaker. Since wireless speakers aren't "powered" by your receiver or amplifier, they have to be plugged into an AC power outlet (that, or come with built-in power amps that must be plugged into a power outlet). Another wire connects the amp to each speaker.

Affordable wireless speakers are never terribly good speakers. It seems like all of the engineering effort is directed at the wireless part, and sound quality is an afterthought.

Sure, transmitting signals to the speaker is relatively easy, but wireless receiver electronics are likely to degrade the sound compared to conventional wire. So wireless costs more and sounds worse! Nice!… Read more

Netgear ships high-end dual-band wireless router

Since my CES blog on Netgear's WNDR3700, I have received a numerous e-mails asking about the availability of the product. Today, I can provide readers with a definitive answer.

Netgear announced Tuesday the immediate availability of what it calls "the ultimate networking machine for gamers, media enthusiasts, and small businesses," the RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit router WNDR3700.

This is Netgear's highest-end draft-N router that offers true dual-band (concurrent signals in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands), as well as other features such as ReadyShare for high-speed access to a USB hard drive from any … Read more

TigerDirect.com has the Adesso 2.4 Ghz RF Wireless Mini Keyboard with Optical Trackball for $64.99, after $14.96 Instant savings.

Save $14.96 on the Adesso 2.4 Ghz RF Wireless Mini Keyboard with Optical Trackball from TigerDirect.com >> Regular price is $79.95 >> Sale price is $64.99 >> Savings $14.96 (18.71%) >> Click here for deal

Netgear adds DSL modem to dual-band router

If you sign up for a DSL Internet service, chances are you will be offered a router and modem combo device.

I would normally recommend against this kind of combo deal, as it doesn't provide the flexibility of choosing the right router for the network. That's not to mention that the combo router offered by the service provider tends to be subpar, in both performance and features. It's much more flexible to get just the modem and add a separate wireless router later.

Now I am about to change that mentality with what Netgear introduced at CES … Read more

Netgear reveals new dual-band router

I reviewed the Netgear WNDR3300 wireless router a while ago and complained that it wasn't a true dual-band router, citing that it was only able to offer Draft N performance in one band at a time. Now at CES 2009, Netgear makes up for that with its all new successor called RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router WNDR3700.

Netgear hopes to make the WNDR3700 the ultimate in wireless routers for both home and small business environments. Like all true dual-band wireless routers, such as the D-Link DIR-825 or the Linksys WRT610N, the WNDR3700 features separate Wireless-N access points that … Read more

Are dual-band routers must-haves?

It's been about a year since the debut of dual-band routers, those that support both the ever-popularly used 2.4Ghz and the newer, less busy 5Ghz frequencies. This was very exciting news at first, but after having worked with a few of them, I wonder if they are really worth it.

If you turn on a wireless network scan in a neighborhood of a big city (like where we are right now in downtown San Francisco), chances are you'll find multiple existing wireless networks.

Wireless routers are so popular now. Up till about a year ago, they all … Read more