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The Broadband Router
Features Guide
Choosing
a Wireless Ethernet Solution
 Not all 802.11b solutions are built
alike! As a matter-a-fact they are many things that need to be taken into
consideration before purchasing a router that has 11Mbps wireless
Ethernet. First off, don't expect more than about 5Mbps or so from
an unencrypted 802.11b connection on your lan. With WEP (encryption)
turned on, expect speeds between 2.25 and 3.8 Mbps. This is still much
faster than your broadband connection but can be very slow for
transferring gigs of data between LAN computers.
When a router supports 802.11b, it is considered a
wireless access point.
Encryption
level
Routers support one or two
different encryption levels 64bit and 128bit. BTW, 40Bit is the same thing
as 64bit, just different ways of looking at it. All the devices on your
network need to be the same encryption level for you to turn on WEP. Most
128bit cards can be set to 64bit, but 64bit cards can not be set higher.
64bit
keys
Most access points allow you to set up
to 4 different encryption keys, some only allow one. This is not that
critical for home use.
Key type, ascii or hex
Some manufacturers make you
type in your keys in ascii, some in hexidecimal. Try and get an access
point and cards from the same manufacturer to ensure easy setup. Ascii and
hex can be converted back and forth, but it is a pain.
Mac address based
access lists
 To further enhance
wireless security, access points can sometimes be configured to only react
to certain specific network adapters (certain computers). The computers
are recognized by the MAC address of the network adapter, kind of like a
hard coded globally unique serial number built into each network adapter.
Supports roaming?
802.11b often only reaches 150
feet or so indoors. If you have a huge home or want to extend your
wireless LAN completely into your yard, look for a wireless setup that
supports roaming. Roaming allows multiple access points to talk to each
other to extend the wireless network range. Few access points support this
right now.
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