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Routers

Created Date: 4/23/2008
Last Modified Date: 4/23/2008
Routers are a major building block for any network. There are many different types and styles to choose from. Some offer better flexibility while others are ascetically pleasing. In order to build a network the first thing to understand are the different types that are available.

There are two basic types of connections that are available for routers: wired and wireless. Wired connections are always the best bet for any environment but sometimes the cost of adding a wired network outweighs the benefit of having one.

Wired


10 Mbps – 10 Mbps is the previous standard for networking. This speed is not capable of providing seamless media around the house.
100 Mbps – 100 Mbps is outgoing accepted standard of wired networking. At this speed video streaming (standard definition) is possible.
1 Gbps – At 1 Gbps not only is video streaming possible but full HD movies can be streamed with little to no buffering. This is the standard that will highly beneficial for any true ‘digital home’.

Wireless


802.11A (1999) – 802.11A is the first standard to reach speeds up to 54 Mbps. However, this speed is only capable in a limited area due to its higher frequency (5 Ghz). This is a great standard to adopt if cables cannot make the distance across a single room. Devices developed for the standard are probably only available in limited quantity from retail stores.
802.11B (1999) – 802.11B was the first major breakthrough in wireless technology. It provides 11 Mbps. At this maximum speed, data such as video are not capable.
802.11G (2003) – 802.11G added the benefits of 802.11A to 802.11B. This was done by taking the best ideas within 802.11A (orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing) and inserting it to a frequency that could handle communications over a longer distance (2.4 Ghz). Within this standard video transfer is very much possible. Though videos are possible to transfer within this technology, not all devices are capable of this communication.
802.11N (2009) – 802.11N is the future in wireless technology. It offers the promise of 300 Mbps communications. Even though this technology offers the promise, technology currently available in it is limited in draft form. It would be recommended that unless you are an early technology adopter to just stay clear from this technology until it is a ratified standard.
MIMO – MIMO (Multiple in / Multiple Out) is a term that is used by different providers to distinguish technology that is faster than 802.11G but is not 802.11N. Often this technology is specific to a certain manufacture. One such technology is Speedboost (from Linksys). In order to make this work, the manufacture compresses the bits before they are sent and then decompresses the bits on the recipient computer. In order for this technology to be useful, all devices on it must be compliant with the same standard. Typically this means that they have to be not only from the same manufacture but also from the same product line.

Device Interfaces


PCI Bus – The PCI Bus is the most common communication bus within the computer. This bus (connection pathway) provides a direct pipeline to all major components within the computer including the processor and RAM.
USB – USB is a technology developed to provided easy communications to any device that implements its communication standard. With all of that being said, it is still a secondary pathway over the PCI. This means that wireless devices that need basic communications to the web, for example web surfing, can are fine with this technology but devices that need a real time high speed communications are highly prone for failure.
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