Choosing Your Internet Connection Type
Written by: Barry Davidson
You’d like to upgrade to a high speed internet connection, but you’re torn between wireless or wired. You would also like the reliability of a wired connection for your main computer, but your internet service provider is trying to push you into going completely wireless.
Why not have both?
Choices in affordable routers have greatly expanded in recent years. Not only are there models which are either wired or wireless, but there are also models which accommodate both. It is possible to buy a router with four RJ45 ethernet jacks, which also supports 802.11g wireless protocol. Having four wired computers downstairs and three computers with wireless internet upstairs has never been easier.
Don’t listen to your internet service provider when they try to get you to rent or buy their equipment. They’ll just overcharge you, and try to tell you that you have to go totally wireless. You also never know what you’re getting when they bring the equipment to your home. That three to ten dollar a month equipment rental charge adds up. Plus, you get the choice of product with proven reliability.
For example: The Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router with four-port switch (WRT54G) retails for about 49.99 USD. If you find a company which has free shipping, you only need to worry about the cables which run to your computer. A Cat6, twenty-five foot cable retails online for under 10.00 USD. In most cases you’ll need a fifteen foot or shorter cable.
So, for under 80.00 USD plus shipping you can buy a router which does both, and have it installed before dinner. Just plug it into your cable, DSL, or satellite modem and go from there. The RJ45 jacks on the cables will only fit into one jack on the computer, unless you have a separate PCI NIC card and onboard ethernet.
Don’t let your ISP or other factor make the decision for you. Why shouldn’t you have your cake, and get to eat it too?
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