Cheap Wireless Router

A cheap wireless router these days will be one of the older generation 802.11 b or 802.11 g. However, the traffic on the frequency, 2.4 GHz, used by these cheap wireless routers is heavily congested, especially in cities, so it is better to go for a new 802.11 n series, if you can stretch to it. The 802.11 n is also six times faster than a cheap wireless router.

Cheap Wireless Router

There are hundreds of routers out there and many a cheap wireless router as well. However, be wary of buying a very cheap wireless router, because you may be disappointed with its performance.

The difference in price between a cheap wireless router and a good wireless router is not that much, but the difference in quality can be huge.

This is especially true if you want to use your cheap wireless router for streaming films, watching TV or playing games. The old 802.11 b or g technology is usually too slow for modern applications like films and games.

The latest in the family of 802.11 is the 802.11 n, which can run at 300 MHz instead of the old standard of 54 MHz, which means an increase of about 600%. Not only that, but the old 802.11 b/g protocols work on the 2.4 GHz frequency, which can be a bit crowded these days.

The new standard works on 5 GHz, which is not crowded and is faster, though you will probably not experience double the speed. They also incorporate a QoS technology (Quality of Service) called StreamEngine from Ubicom which allows packet (data) prioritization. This also has the effect of speeding up the delivery of the data.

You can probably get away with using a cheap wireless router with 802.11 b/g if you are not planning to play the latest and fastest games. You certainly do not need a fast wireless router just for surfing the Internet.

However, if your laptop has an 802.11 n wireless modem, then you really should keep up with modern technology and get a wireless router that is capable of taking full advantage of 802.11 n, because they provide much more stable connections over a longer distance and at greater speeds as well.

Should you go for a cheap wireless modem or not? Well, the quick answer is no, but really it depends what you mean.

Get a good wireless modem for as little as possible by all means, but it really is not worth buying old technology that you know has been superseded just because it is cheap. Soon all laptops will be 802.11 n enabled and then you will be losing out with your old router.

A good connection is what makes the Internet fun or a real drag, so if you want more chance of keeping the Internet fun, do not buy a cheap wireless router, it would be better to wait and save up.

Do not be tempted by merchants selling off old stocks of cheap wireless router devices and read about what your laptop (or computer) can take advantage of before you buy anything too advanced.