Need to upgrade wireless router?

I have been experiencing rapid drops and reconnect to my wireless router. The router is connected to a NOW broadband box. The router is a 1st gen NETGEAR using 802.1g

Does one need to upgrade the router for better performance? I am achieving only 54mbps max in my notebook.

Yes. 54 mbps is a limitation of your router. "g" is maxed out at 54gbps. In fact "real world" speeds will be way lower.


If you want better performance, you need to go with the "n" spec on the router AND the notebook. Most newer notebooks can run b (11mbps), g (54 mbps) and n (150 or 300 mbps depending on variant). If you don't have a built-in "n" capable network card, you can buy a USB adapter.


I recommend the Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH or WZR-HP-G300N routers. Reasonably priced and excellent quality with good feature sets.


Note 1: The whole path counts. If the website itself is slow, then of course not wifi speed in the world will make that better.

Note 2: Wireless is almost always slower than wired.

Note 3: HK houses and apartments have concrete walls. This cuts down range.

Thanks, that was useful. I was aware of the "n" routers and presume it to be "network" and did not know it was the speed. Will check my notebook specs and its network card.