Guys, I need some help. I have a garage that is located about 75 foot from my house. I seem to get good wireless signal out there at the moment. I have a couple of samsung tv's and a dvd player also a cctv system that I would like to connect to the Internet.
My current wireless system is really outdated. I'm using a dell true mobile 1184. It works good, but I know there are alot better systems out there now. As of right now the only items that uses wireless are two laptops that belong to my daughters. Occasionally they use there ipod, or ds on the wireless network. I know they will freak out when I upgrade the router. Best they can do is about 2Mbps and we have 7Mbps coming in. I also have a tv and dvd player that I'm thinking about putting on the internet that is in my family room.
My first decision was to buy a new netgear wndr3700 and move it to my entertainment center in the den. I would then run two cat 5 or cat 6 cables to my desk to hook up my den tv and dvd player. From there I would run two feeds from the netgear wndr3700 to the garage via an underground conduit. From there I would hit a switch with one and have another as spare. I then could run from the switch to all my devices.
My second decision was to still by the netgear wndr3700, leave it at my desk, run the cat 5's from my desk to the entertainment system to pick up my den tv and dvd player. For the garage I would purchase the netgear wnhde111 and use it in the garage as a bridge. However looking at the pics on amazon it looks as if it only has two ports for ethernet. So I would still need to purchase a switch in order to get everything hooked up. Am I thinking about this right or do I have it mixed up.
Which route do you think I should go? The "wired" connection would be more work, but probably more dependable, although the reading on new n wireless networks looks to have come along way since I purchased my old dell 1184 router.
As far as the uses go, I will be using it for video to the tv and internet radio etc. Also I will be viewing the camera system via a smart phone, while I'm away.
Should I spend the extra money on cat 6 vs cat 5 or will cat 5 be good enough for years to come?
The first thing about 802.11N is that while it may be newer, there is one major difference between your old router and a newer one with wireless N. 802.11b has a good distance that it can have, however the through put is lower ( ie like you said only about 2mbps). While Wireless N has a higher through put, it has a lesser distance that it can support. However, in your case I do not think that will be a problem as you will have a wnhde111 at the other end. However, you also have to factor in if there are storms, that you may have a slightly lower signal. I would try to have both the WNDR3700 and the wnhde111 as close as possible though. If you upgrade to wireless N, you not only have to take into account what you are trying to do, but also if your devices also support Wireless N. However, if you have the means, I would go with an underground line out to the garage. I would also use a steel conduit over a PVC one as it will last longer and underground varmints wont be able to chew through it and cut your cables.
