Help with networking?

Question

I have two desktops and may soon get a laptop.

If I do so, I'll be switching from a wired to a wireless network.

I have high speed internet. If possible, I'd like to have the same connection speeds and download speeds on the laptop as I do on my desktop.

The networking won't be used for anything other than internet.

So:

1. Will a G network be fast enough to give me the same high speed as I get with the desktop connected directly to the modom?

2. Can WiFi connect to networks, for instance, if my laptop has WiFi, will it be able to connect to a router, or do I need an adapter?

3. Can anyone recommend a brand?

Answer 1

3 (first).  I administer a lot of networks and, unless you have no place to stick that few thousand dollars, I use Linksys.

1. Yes.  Your internet connection isn't faster than 108mbps yet (it probably will be some day), so 3 computers on a G network will still get full speed from a 3, 5 or 15 mbps connection.  An N network will transfer files between tthe 3 computers faster.  If you do a lot of that you might want to consider N (or a large flash drive).

2. Modern laptops come with wifi built in, so you don't need to add anything.  You can still connect one desktop wired, leaving you needing one wireless adapter.

Your connection speed won't change, and your download speed is almost always limited by the path to the server you download from, so that won't change.  (I still get some 40kbps downloads on a 15mbps connection.)

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Answer 2

You need a wireless router.

A/B/G/N dont matter if internet is your only concern.

If all the 3 computers are connected to a single internet connection then the average speed on each computer will be 1/3 of the total speed.

Answer 3

1) 802.11g has a maximum theoretical bandwidth of 54 Mbit/s, while a wired network is usually 100 Mbit/s (or 1000 if you have a fancy modem/router/whatever). If you work primarily with other computers on your network, you'll notice it's much slower, but unless you have a really, really fast internet connection, you won't notice anything otherwise.

2) Yes. That how WiFi is usually used.

3) I can't recommend anything, but a) don't use Sweex, and b) if you're using a Linux-based distro, you really want to check what your distro's policy is concerning firmware in the kernel (if you use Windows, there shouldn't be a problem; the drivers usually work normal there, as far as normal applies to a non-deterministic OS like Windows).