Ten Tips and Considerations on Upgrading to Wireless N
- 1. Use the Same Manufacturer for All Gear
- 2. For Full Improvements, Replace Adapters
- 3. Don't Mix Wireless B/G with N
- 4. By Default, the Higher Speeds Won't Work
- 5. Use 40MHz-wide Channels Only with Strong Signals
- 6. Carefully Select 40MHz-wide Channels
- 7. For Fastest Wireless-to-Wired Connections, Go Gigabit
- 8. For Best Throughput, Take Advantage of the 5GHz Band
- 9. For Best Performance, Don't Use WEP or WPA
- 10. Make Use Of Your Old Wireless B or G Gear
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Upgrading your home or office Wi-Fi network to 802.11n—or Wireless N, as I'll refer to it—can provide greater coverage, increased speeds, and overall better performance for more demanding applications and devices.
However, just like everything else that appears too good to be true, there is fine print. You wouldn't achieve these promised speeds and performance levels by just plugging in the Wireless N (or now, Draft N 2) gear "out-of-the-box," or without setting changes and careful considerations.
To help you maneuver through the upgrade, I've compiled ten tips, hitting on important issues you need to know.
1. Use the Same Manufacturer for All Gear
Like the older wireless standards, Wireless N is supposed to be standardized and work among devices from other manufacturers. However, especially with the Wireless N Draft products (before the official standard is complete), you might find that gear from various vendors don't work well together.
It's best to evaluate the product offerings from the vendors, choose the best, and stick with that manufacturer.