On Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 10:11 PM, ah...clem<[email protected]> wrote: > > new to this topic. perhaps i missed it in the deluge of replies, but > it seems no one addressed the point of cost vs protocol (b or n). > .... > if all you are doing > is connecting the base station to a DSL modem or a shared printer, and > to other computers which are basically independent clients of the DSL > and/or printer, then the older, cheaper, 802.11b card is already > faster than the DSL, and probably faster than the printer, so you > won't "see" any discernible difference in performance.
I think I understand the point you're trying to make, but I also think I disagree with it. While on paper an 802.11b connection may be more than enough to handle the throughput of a DSL connection, it also doesn't leave a lot of buffer space. If the computer is always going to be 10 feet from the router with no signal barriers and the max throughput will always be limited to that of a DSL connection, then wireless b may be fine. But what if he decides to move the router or computer so they are now separated by a room or two or three. Suddenly what was borderline adequate becomes noticeably inadequate. Another reason IMO to avoid these ancient 802.11b devices is because the only security they may support is WEP. WEP has become such a joke that I believe no one bothers to talk about how to hack it. Instead they focus on finding the *fastest* way to hack it. There are "how to" articles out there you can easily find with Google. > NEVER buy more horsepower than you are actually using right now. > if you ever need more in the future, it will be cheaper (and probably > better) then. Trying to go for the tightest fit to your current needs can also be a false economy. I think a better metric is the cost at the margin. If it costs you 5-10% more beyond your base cost to increase your performance by more than 100% then it may well be worth it to do that. Penny wise versus pound foolish and all that. I really don't know if I'd recommend that the OP go with wireless n at this point. He's never really said much about what he expects his network to look like. But at this point in time I also couldn't justify going with b unless the adapter is a total freebie and he has absolutely no concerns about who hacks into his wireless. A good enough g adapter is just not that expensive these days. -irrational john --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed Low End Mac's G3-5 List, a group for those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list?hl=en Low End Mac RSS feed at feed://lowendmac.com/feed.xml -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
