So I'm completely oblivious to modern wireless technology. For about 7 years I've been using the same crappy netgear router, and I finally want to invest in some new technology. It was my understanding previously that while Wireless could be *fast,* it would never be as fast as land line routing via Ethernet Cable. Has that changed with the latest "N" technology? I'm trying to remove some of the wires in myhouse, and forcing a switch to Wireless would be ideal if I can experience the same download speeds I experience on a land line. (Torrents and Downloads usually come in at 700 Kbps - 1.2 Mbps) For the sake of argument lets assume there is no ambient interference in my house that would disrupt a wireless signal. I know that's not the truth, but I can personally take care of those issues. Anyone that can provide help with the questions above, plus recommending a good router/card combo would be a champ. (I'm fed up with Netgear - looking more at LinkSys systems)
Wireless N is OK but still not as good as a cable. Wireless is a shared bandwidth medium so if one of the clients is using a lot of bandwidth the rest of the wireless clients will be slow.
Well wireless 'n' technology can theoretically run upto 150Mbit/s. Most computers now come with either 100Mbit/s or 1GBit/s ethernet ports. So if your currently using 100Mbit then there should be no difference there assuming the wireless runs at optimal capability, though it almost certainly won't. However, (I think) the highest approved ADSL speed is 24Mbit/s so it should not be a problem. I don't really like netgear either very much but linksys should be better I believe there made by cisco. I've had some experience with cisco ethernet systems but I don't know so much about there wireless systems.
To be honest, you shouldn't really face that much of a speed decrease. Maybe a bit at most, but certainly nothing drastic. However, it is only one cable we're talking here (ethernet to your modem, and that's it). A router will take away the ethernet cable away, but nothing else. Now, unless you are expanding your network with mobile devices in the future, or it is an absolute must to get rid of the cable, the best option would be to stick with the wired connection.
