I use Comcast High Speed and the cable modem is hooked up to a Wireless B router.The typical Comcast download data rate is 3-5 Mbps (I think). The upload data rate is probably much lower. Let's say my cable modem operates at 3 Mbps all the time. And, my Wireless B router has the typical throughput of 4.5 Mbps (according to Wiki). Will the router be dragged down to the 3 Mbps level? With the Cable Modem as the bottleneck for transmissions, is an investment in Wireless G or N a waste of money?
This really boils down to this WHAT'S IN YOUR COMPUTER. b,g,or n All routers are reverse compatible. Mos have settings in there utility to allow for N only or B G Meaning you can connect with a b or g machine. You can have a g machine and it will only connect at what your machine, and router will allow.
For most people, there is no need at all other than the increased area of coverage. Some people will want to do more with their networks than browse the internet though, such as moving large files, streaming music video between machines (e.g. a machine in their lounge), or playing games over their network. That is where the larger bandwidths are going to be more useful. Also bare in mind when you quote internet speeds (those Mbps we keep getting sold) your talking in Megabits, not Megabytes, so divide all your numbers by 8 and your more accurate :P
Technically yes, it would be. However have you tried going directly from the Comcast modem to your PC and testing the speed? I had an older D-Link Router that was chopping my speed almost in half even though it's throughput is supposed to be higher that what it was allowing through. I just upgraded to a Wireless N Router (even though all my devices are G) and I am now getting the same speed Wirelessly as I am through the ethernet.
Some of the new Wireless N router have a greater range than G. They are also faster for transferring files between computers on your home network. On the down side N routers are generally more expensive and you need a computer that has a compatible wireless card. Your internet connection speed is not effected by your router unless the router connection quality is so low that it drops below the speed of your internet connection, which is rare. Unless you need the range and transfer a lot of files stick with G. Also make sure you have wireless security enabled on your router so that nobody can steal your internet connection.
The cable modem will be the bottleneck for internet access, but a faster router will still allow faster connections if you are running a local network (i.e. two of your PCs connected in a LAN via the router will be able to transfer files between each other faster with wireless G or N than with B). Also, wireless B is a little bit old now and I believe there are some network cards that are not reverse compatible (e.g. only connect with Wireless G). That means someone with a new laptop might come by to visit and wouldn't be able to connect to your wireless network. So for just faster internet, wireless g won't help you. If you have a file server at home that streams all your music and videos, or you back up a lot of files all the time, it probably is worth it. (FYI a new Wireless G router is around $50-$60 USD on Amazon).
