am not well-versed in networking subjects, but can understand a few basics. i currently have a 450TC1 router in my PC room, and have connected the desktop to it (wired) & laptop (wireless). i need a better router now (preferably to be installed in 'repeater' mode) to stream HD movies to my media player placed in the hall, about 10-15ft away from my PC room, with 1 interrupting wall.
So you have a g router whose max output is 54Mbs.
You did not mention what media player you are using ? so i will assume its a 2.4Ghz n capable that has a max link speed of 72Mbs. At the distance you described it will probably link up at 65Mbs or even 54Mbs with either of the two router models mentioned in the thread title.
In other words pretty much the same as your g router currently. A marginal improvement. That is provided you cannot upgrade your media player, if you can then you can use either router to replace your 450TC1 and get an improvement.
See what matters more here isn't range (you are within it) but throughput. So a repeater is not a good idea because it will halve your throughput. For web browsing its not a problem but for media streaming a repeater is the opposite of what you want.
You best option and cheapest one is to run a cat5 cable from the 450TC1 to the media player provided it accepts a ethernet connection. However this might not be your easiest option.
To give you some reference. I get a real life SMB transfer speed of 5 Mbs from the same distance but through 2 walls with a tablet. That means the max file size i can transmit over two hours is < 5GB. Anything more than that and it will lag. But less than that works fine. I'm good upto 720p. Or even 1080p provided the file size transmitted remains less than 5GB over the viewing duration.
Note that this is with a tablet which is an inherently low powered device. A media player that will allow a N300 dongle or has a wifi PCI-ex chip say would manage double that easily if used as the media player.. So file sizes of 10-15GB become feasible.
In addition a key point i've noticed here is the wifi capable media player must buffer properly and be optimised for wifi transmission. If the player isn't up to scratch then your network (wireless or not) might be adequate but the viewing experience will still be under par.
am confused between the 2 models in the subject. am getting the asus one (used) for 4k, while the netgear one i'll have to buy a new piece for ~6k. the media player supports 802.11n. am the only wifi user at home (single floor), with only a laptop, the desktop, and the media player to connect to the router (most of the times, not simultaneously). would the dual-band on the netgear router be beneficial to me, given the price-difference?
5 Ghz requires the clients to be placed a third of the way closer than 2.4G. It also requires powered clients that can take a dongle or pci chip to get the advantages that 5Ghz offers.
What is the capability of your media player's wi-fi ? can it be upgraded, replaced entirely or is it fixed.
Being the only wifi user in the home is good, but how busy is the wifi neighbourhood around you ? Are there lots of other wifi networks around you or not ? When you try to connect up to your wifi, do you see a long list of other networks.
i have a seagate NAS, but getting to use the router for torrent-DLs sometimes would also be good, though not absolutely necessarily. could someone pls suggest to me, keeping in mind the price-factor & usage, which one should i go for? basically, to put, am not sure whether i need the dual-band or not, given the price-difference as well. please advise. the net-plan i have is of MTNL's DSL 1333 NU (1 mbps day, 2 mbps at night/Sundays).
If you don't require dual band the asus 16n is a good model which would serve your needs. In terms of hardware they are pretty similar 128MB RAM with 16MB flash. Just that one is dual band and the other is not. Both are N300. If your wifi clients are N300 then you get twice the transfer speed. Otherwise you will not get much improvement.
