Linksys WRT54GL question

[modraker]

I replaced my D-Link DI-624+ router with a Linksys WRT54GL because the signal from the Linksys is stronger. While the latest firmware from D-Link brought their router up to 108 mbps, the Linksys router will go up to just 54 mbps.

Is there firmware available that can take my Linksys WRT54GL up to 108 mbps?

[Lespaul20]

I don't think so.

Is 54Mbps not enough?

[modraker]

54 mbps is ok, but I'd hate to think I replaced my router to gain connectivity and lost speed.

[Lespaul20]

Well you only lost speed if you were file sharing over your network. I mostly likely wont slow down your internet.

[modraker]

Let's see if I can figure this out ... The internet signal going into my cable modem is 100 Mbps. The cable modem is connected to my Linksys router and still bringing in 100 Mbps. The wireless signal out of the router is 54 Mbps. So my wireless adapter at my computer is receiving 54 Mbps. Didn't my internet reception lose something?

[Lespaul20]

How do you connect to the internet? Who's your provider? It's not impossible but I highly doubt you have a 100mbps downstream connection. You probably are just seeing the LAN connection.

[modraker]

Please bear with me because I'm new at networking.

There are two networking icons at the lower right hand corner of my screen. One is called "Internet Connection" and shows a speed of 100 mbps. The other is called "Wireless Network Conncetion" and shows a speed of 54 Mbps.

My internet provider is Cox Communication and perhaps their signal is nowhere near 100 mbps. What are typical speeds from cable internet providers?

[Lespaul20]

Typical cable is between 5-10mbps. What you are seeing is the Ethernet speeds not your internet speeds. With the wireless you are limited to 54mbps for all traffic but you will never reach that limit unless you have a 54mbps internet service. If you perform a bandwidth speed test you will find what your internet service is.

[mojo]

Also, you will only get 108 Mbps out of a router that claims to support that speed (not the linksys) if you use a matching adapter specifically made to work with that router. The fastest speeds Cox offers in most areas is 12 Mbps, though if you are in an area where they have to compete with Verizon FiOS they might be as fast as 15 Mbps. Either way, you aren't slowing yourself down with a 54 Mbps router.

[modraker]

That's good to know. Thank you both for your help.

[Dia]

Originally Posted by modraker I replaced my D-Link DI-624+ router with a Linksys WRT54GL because the signal from the Linksys is stronger. While the latest firmware from D-Link brought their router up to 108 mbps, the Linksys router will go up to just 54 mbps. Is there firmware available that can take my Linksys WRT54GL up to 108 mbps?

Just wanted to clarify something from this original post so he understands more about networking and comparisons.

When your dealing with signal strength its usually how far a signal can go before it becomes unusable or weak which is called attenuation. In wifi this is a major concern and much more complicated (I wont go that deep into it).

When you want to talk about speed its called throughput not bandwidth (which a lot of people use interchangebly). So with your question your trying to figure out your throughput not signal strength.

Bandwidth is how much data you can put on a link (cable) at a time. Example of bandwidth with a analog telephone network. You take the highest frequency you want to transmit your voice and the lowest frequency you want to transmit at, minus the two and that is the bandwidth of that line.

This is just to help you with some terms in networking to know what your dealing with when you have a tech issue. When you I first read your post I wasnt sure if yuo was dealing with an attenuation problem or a throughput problem.

Hopefully this will help you in the future.

[Lespaul20]

When I use bandwidth I'm referring to the speed and throughput is the amount of speed being used.

[modraker]

Thank you Dia for your very informative contribution. I was mainly concerned about the difference in Mbps which I understand to be a unit of data transfer rate. Since my incoming internet signal is nowhere near 54 Mbps, there's really no problem.

I was imagining that my throughput (a new word I learned from you) had slowed down. I now realize that when I switched routers, I also switched from IE6 to IE7 and that phishing filter is slowing things down.

[Lespaul20]

I don't think Dia is entirely correct.

In computer networking literature, digital bandwidth refers to data rate measured in bit/s

In communication networks, throughput is the amount of digital data per time unit that is delivered over a physical or logical link, or that is passing through a certain network node

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWxGtl5J7WM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throughput
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwidth

[Great_One]

When it comes to wireless speeds, something people also tend to forget is:

You need to realize that wireless is half-duplex. If two computers are connected at 54M then they are sharing that 54M at half duplex. A single machine will see 20-24Mbps performance. 2 Machines will split those numbers in half.

[Lespaul20]

When you say half-duplex I think of one device transmitting all the time. So the device transmitting would get whatever bandwidth is available. Is that not right?

[Petef56]

modraker,
You can avoid thinking about all the technical specs and just do some simple tests that
will tell you all about your Interent conection speed. Run the simple online speed test
by clicking the link below...

http://infospeed.verizon.net/

1.) Connect the computer directly to the modem and run the test a few times.
This is the fastest speed you are going to get.

2.) Setup the router and connnect the computer directly to
the router and run the same test a few times.
This should be about the same speed as in step #1

3.) Run the same test from a wireless computer that is in the same
room as the wireless router. You should see some reduction in speed
becasue wireless is typically slower than a wired connection.

4.) Run the same test from the same wireless computer at various distances
from the router or from various locations in your building. The further away
from the router you are the slower the Interent connection should be.

Jot down the results of these tests so that you can refer to them
in the future if you suspect that something has gone wrong.

---pete---

[Dia]

Originally Posted by Lespaul20 I don't think Dia is entirely correct. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWxGtl5J7WM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throughput http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwidth

"The throughput is usually measured in bits per second (bits/s or bps), occasionally in data packets per second or data packets per timeslot."

The article is talking about how throughput is measured at the rate of how Fast its packets are delivered across the media (or link).

"digital bandwidth refers to data rate measured in bit/s, for example channel capacity"

Channel capacity is the key factor here. Digital bandwidth refers to how many packets you can fit onto the media at a given time. The better the mux/demux technology and the media you are using the more digital bandwidth capacity you can have which then increases your throughput. So theroitically speaking bandwidth can be used synamously because your talking about putting more packets on the media which will help transfer information but that is not entirely the speed.

This is how dial up turned into DSL to improve their throughput. Dial up removed its filter of analog cutoff frequencies increasing its bandwidth thus increasing their throughput. Is it faster then a completely digital network using cat5e rather then cat3? No because cat5e has a faster throughput as well as a higher media bandwidth which increases the overall throughput.

They can be used synamously but when your talking about pure speed its throughput. Too further confuse the matter there is also line coding schemes that can help throughput rates but consumes more bandwidth. Its complex and im not going to write a book about it you can study it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_code

When you say half-duplex I think of one device transmitting all the time. So the device transmitting would get whatever bandwidth is available. Is that not right?

One device transmitting all the time and no one else gets to transmitt is called a broadcast (example a TV station), half duplex is when one device talks the other listens then if the listening device needs to respond it can take over the link to transmit which yes it would have full bandwidth of the link, Full duplex is when both devices can communicate without waiting and has to split the bandwidth according to the nodes.

[Lespaul20]

Originally Posted by Dia They can be used synamously but when your talking about pure speed its throughput.

The links and video I posted say that Bandwidth is the theoretical amount that can be transmitted and Throughput is the actual amount being transmitted.

No its not right. One device transmitting all the time and no one else gets to transmitt is called a broadcast (example a TV station), half duplex is when one device talks the other listens then if the listening device needs to respond it can take over the link to transmit, Full duplex is when both devices can communicate without waiting.

Well thats what what I meant to say. Only one can transmit at time between two devices e.i. AP and the NIC.