Wireless Internet?

Question

How can I found out what kind of Wireless Internet my new laptop supports? I know there's G, N, etc.. and different types of wireless cards. I want to buy a router but I don't know which kind my new laptop supports. It's an HP 6607 TK-53

I also am confused on which Wireless Router to get, because there's so many.

Answer 1

You have a very nice computer that supports g. Here's the skinny. If you go wireless, understand regardless whatever router you buy, your wireless will never be as fast as a Cat V wired connection to any router you purchase. In other words wireless cannot physically equal or out perform wired.

You are correct, there are many routers. Overall if you buy a Linksys, you can't go wrong. They have been the industry leader in routers since routers were made and are a standard for businesses because of their reliability and customization abilities for complex applications and fairly simple to set up.

There are three routes you can take for wireless. 1) buy a regular g router. This is popular and something you will not need to purchase a card for-expense $40. 2) purchase a version of a faster speed g like 2x OR 4x. Expense $60 max. 3) you can get a router with g using MIMO technology-expense $80 at the low end 4) An N router using MIMO-$120 Max

Most people are satisfied with the Linksys 2X or 4X router that sells for $60. For 80% of the people going wireless, this is what they use. If you want better range a MIMO g is the next better, but the price is the same as an N MIMO.

The price of a good N router has come down considerably and is now very competitive. I personally purchased a D-Link N Router called extreme DIR-655. It's good and once it was set up works better than the fastest g routers and if you want to go even faster, you can get the D-Link N card for about $50. Linksys also has a similar one that's good. I picked D-Link at the recommendation of a friend who said it works great in a large house he has and a review I saw on PC magazine. For a little extra money, in my view it's better to get a strong router than one you eventually may want to trade up for. The most important thing you can do when you get a wireless router is make sure you set your security settings-ideally WPA2 or 4.

A router will always drop to the same speed as the slowest device you have the router connected to. While I personally chose a D-Link, I believe the Linksys and others maybe just as good. Linksys is more established and has great service.

I purchase my router at a store called costco

Answer 2

whats the point of getting and wasting your money on an N router if your laptop does not even support it. you cant use the frequency if you cant use the frequency. just cuz your laptop uses g just means it will never use N... only g. too pointless at the moment.
i recommend the linksys wrt54gl with a third party firmware.
turns a $60 router to a $600 piece of equipment.
I stand by it 1000%
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190

Answer 3

Relax,
get an N router.
an n router will support your laptop unless it has a very old 802.11 a system, which if it is embedded in the computer itself it most certainly isn't.
n routers are bit more expensive, but they have a much greater range and reliability. and 802.11 g computer will connect to it just fine.