What I have here at home is a LinkSys Cable/DSL router capable of IEEE 802.11g which affords me a 54 mbps wireless and a 100 mbps wired (for the 4-port switch tgis device gas)
The NICs on the wired machines (typically the 3Com 2C905 TX cards, and one 3C595 which also supports 100 mbps speeds) are fully optimizeed, locked in at 100mbps. File transfers between the clients is great for the wired units (upwards of 12 mbps). The file transfers between the wireless machines is not that good, typically falls under 180000 CPS, which would tantamount to about 1.5 mbps. But then, right now I have 6 laptops hooked into the network with wireless connections *LOL* yah, I got tons of visitors this weekend.
The total load on the network (connected to my cable modem - advertised downstream 1.6 mbps, upstream 256K, actual measured downstream 3.1 mbps, upstream 270K)) is:
Linux workstation/serrver - multipurpose
OS/2 workstation - also multi-purpose, which I use for generating scripting code using REXX.
Win2K workstation, which houses my IRC FServe uses up the lion's share of the upstream bandwidth.
WinXP workstation - including a peer-to-peer connection using a client called Rhapsody.
WinXP workstation - runs mostly multi-media stuff, is hooked into the entertainment system so my brothers kids can watch their DvDs and play games and stuff
WinXP laptop - which I use to VPN into my work, when called upon to do so, which is pretty frequent .
An old clunker Win 98 workstation, which I use to download stuff off IRC when and if needed
The visitors, and their laptops, 5 of them, they are mostly engaged in doing their pictures and e-Mailing them home, etc.
All those laptops ,and one of the WinXp woikstations carry the Wireless NICs.
It just is not worthwhile if you don't use up the bandwidth the cable company gives you in return for your money!!!!
If you have a MicroCenter, BestBuy or CompUSA near you, you can pick up a Wireless router and the cards required with relative ease. LinkSys makes them, so do D-Link, Belkin, Siemens, NetGear, and a host of other companies. They are all relatively simple to set up, and come with reasonably good documentation.
