If you plan to DIY a wireless local area network (WLAN), you may want to know what a wireless access point is and what those terms like 802.11a/b/g/n refer to. After all, it is the most important device in a WLAN, and a bad choice would affect the overall performance. What follows are some wireless access point reviews that may help you.

What is a Wireless Access Point?

It refers to the device, which acts as the centralized receiver and sender of wireless signals in a local area network. In other words, all other wireless devices talk with the access point only. If two other wireless devices want to communicate with each other, they will have to use an access point as a medium. Thus, the first thing to consider is to have Linksys wireless access point setup properly, wherein Linksys is one of the common brand of WAP devices.

When the number of devices increases, the overall bandwidth demand will also increase. The access point, because of its capacity limit, will become the bottleneck of your WLAN.

In addition, since all the traffic goes through the access point, and a malicious attacker can easily capture wireless packets, security of a WLAN relies greatly on the encryption strategy of the access point.

What Does 802.11a/b/g/b Mean?

802.11a/b/g/n refers to different industrial wireless standards. 802.11g is the most widely adopted standard now, and most of the wireless devices you see are 802.11g compatible. 802.11n is the newest wireless standard, which provides higher speed limit and wider signal coverage. 802.11n is a promising standard and is likely to be supported by most new wireless devices. 802.11a/b are relatively old standards and not used very often.

How Does the Standards Affect a Wireless Access Point?

As one of the wireless devices, an access point is greatly defined by the standard it implements. Different standards lead to different frequencies of channels, transfer rate limit and security measures. The 802.11g access points use the 2.4GHz channel and have a transfer rate limit of 54Mbps. The wide spread of 802.11g standards is now a problem because it leads to high probability of interference between wireless devices such as wireless keyboards and wireless adapters.

The 802.11n access points can use either the 2.4GHz or the 5.4GHz channel and has a transfer rate limit of 540Mbps. The 5.4GHz channel is cleaner and fewer conflicts will happen. The 540Mbps transfer rate limit makes it comparable with the speed of a wired local network. Thus, having a wireless router booster as well can make the connection more faster.

The above wireless access point reviews are mainly centered on the importance of standards. When you are purchasing your own WAP, you should look for as many specific reviews on specific products as possible.

If you’re setting up a theater room or a home theater, and you buy wireless speakers for this purpose, it is recommended that you buy a wireless speaker adapter. For people who live in houses that were built many years ago, wires and cables are certainly of interest. Installing cables through walls and wood floors are very uncomfortable, and it’ll look like a big web. Thus, the wireless speakers for tv were invented to relieve this discomfort, even if you live in a house built over a century ago.

Now, after installing the speakers, all you need is to install adapters. These devices are designed specifically to make them work, even with the speakers not only the old and new. They assist in traffic than perfect sound, even if other wireless objects are present in your home. These adapters can run on electricity from its main source of domestic appliances, or may even be forced to work for the same audio device that you listen. But nevertheless, they are clutter free; you do not have to worry about wires and cables any more.

There is a difference between the wireless adapters that have a Bluetooth adapter and a standard set of wireless stereo speakers. Bluetooth adapters, as the name implies, use Bluetooth technology to transit the audio from MP3 players or other audio device for receivers, whether speakers or headphones. Speaker of the adapters is almost no interference of sound, which makes the sound quality above all. This type of adapter is usually directly related to the audio devices. Standard adapters are equipped with cable outlets, which in turn are connected to the outlet of the speaker. They run on electricity and come in nine models typically volts. Once you plug it in, you’ll see a symbol flashes on the screen, indicating that the adapter has successfully connected.

The last thing on speaker adapters is that when you find these adapters, you must make sure that you choose the one that is compatible with your audio device and speaker. If you want to use these wireless speakers in your office, it is best to use a Bluetooth adapter for the speakers and portable music players.

1. Do not name your SSID your last name or first name

2. Do not have your pass phrase your last name of first name

3. Don’t leave your wireless channel at six, change it to 2 or 11

4. Don’t leave your wireless network open enable some sort of encryption

5. Place your wireless router in the middle of your home not next to a wall

6. Don’t place your wireless router next to large heavy objects [Read more…]