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AR15.COM
11/25/2012 7:57:37 AM EDT
My current network consists of a cable modem in the basement connected to a wired router.  I have Cat5 cable running to the living room, bed room and a main floor closet.  In the living room I have a switch to connect an Obi phone box, DirecTV, and DVD player for Netflix.  In the closet I have a wireless g router.  In the bed room I have another DVD player for Netflix.

I recently purchased an ASUS Black Diamond Dual-Band Wireless-N 600 Router (RT-N56U) to provide better speeds and coverage.  My question / issue is, I would like to get a gigabit wired router for the basement so I can improve the streaming speeds for Netflix and DirecTV and ensure I am maximizing the capabilities of the new wireless router.  I am currently tying the new router in the basement and its performance is ok, but does not connect well with my iPod.

So,
1. Will I really gain anything with a gigabit router or should I stick with the current router with 10/100 ports?
2. Does anyone make a wired gigabit router for less than $200?
3. Should I just get an inexpensive Wireless N router with gigabit ports and disable the wireless side so it does not interfere with the ASUS router on the main floor?
4. Or, should I just get a repeater / range extender for the main floor?

Thanks for any inputs.
11/25/2012 8:45:15 AM EDT
[#1]
I doubt it would help much unless you have greater than 100Mb into the house.  It would only help internal coms like device to device transfers in excess of 100Mb.  A lot of home pc's can spin platters to send at 1Gbps anyways.  I have a 1Gig switch off my 10/100 for local file access, but my Cisco ASA Internet firewall is capped at 100Mb with my Service provider giving my a sub100Mb rate, so, ya, no loss there.

Makes sure you upgrade to Cat5e if you do, Cat5 isn't gig rated.
11/25/2012 10:01:55 AM EDT
[#2]
Having Gig ports will only make a difference for internal LAN traffic between systems, unless your internet provider is providing speeds faster than 100Mbit.  That said, I have Gig internal because I do move files across the network often.
11/25/2012 10:50:07 AM EDT
[#3]
You don't need to disable the wireless on any of the devices.  Just set all of them to have the same SSID (name) and encryption.  Then set them to be evenly spaced across the channels.  Your devices will move between them without you noticing.

I've got three access points in my house and never know when one I'm connected to.
11/26/2012 9:14:44 AM EDT
[#4]
Thanks for the feedback. I moved the router to the main floor and get much better reception. I may try the same SSID recommendation to improve coverage on the far end of the house.
11/28/2012 6:40:40 PM EDT
[#5]
Run Cat5 from the cable modem to your Asus router in the most centralized location on the main floor and use WiFi for as much as you can.