In order to answer these questions, I tested six 802.11n routers (also known as N routers) from Apple, Belkin, Buffalo Wireless, D-Link, Linksys, and Netgear. I assessed the ease of use of the routers' menu system and used Ixia's IxChariot throughput software tool to measure each router's performance by moving a notebook equipped with an 802.11n client card 10, 50, and 200 feet away. I performed the tests twice -- once on a dedicated 802.11n network and once on a mixed network that supported both 802.11g and 802.11n devices. I then compared these results to the performance of a Linksys WRT54G 802.11g router.
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It should be noted that my testing was performed in a "real world" environment -- namely, my home -- and not in a lab. The assumption was also that each device would be installed following the manufacturer's basic instructions in an environment that would be capable of accommodating both 802.11n and 802.11g devices, even if there were only N devices present.
As a result, it is possible that some, if not all, of the routers could have been tweaked in various ways to optimize performance. If you are comfortable going into the nitty-gritty -- especially if your home is equipped only with N-capable devices -- you may want to contact the vendor to find out how you can get the best performance possible.
What happened? Well, while you might expect N routers to perform much better than a G router, the results may surprise you.
Apple's Airport Extreme Base Station will immediately jump out at you with its simple yet elegant design. Its white finish makes it a fashionable addition to any room, but its performance and price make this router a bit of a disappointment.
Setting up the Airport Extreme Base Station takes a matter of minutes. Much like other Apple products, it "just works." The router comes with an Airport Utility CD that works on both Mac and Windows, and allows you to easily configure the router: change the router name, assign it a location, and establish WEP or WPA encryption. Without a doubt, this setup was the quickest and simplest of all the routers in this roundup, but it would have been nice if advanced features were more readily available.
That said, it's not hard to find those features beneath another tab called "Manual setup." It offers the option of setting access times if you don't want your kids to use the Internet while they should be doing homework, and even lets you pick which band (2.4GHz or 5GHz) to use. When using the 2.4GHz band, any B- or G-equipped device can connect to the Base Station. With the 5GHz option turned on, only N routers can connect to the wireless network; I found that this option substantially improved overall performance.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
