Although the technology is widespread and mature, 802.11 wireless networking is confusing for many people – and frustrating for nearly everyone. It hasn’t helped that the next generation of 802.11n networking equipment seems to be stuck in an endless development cycle, resulting in hundreds of routers and access points and adapters on the market that are not quite compatible with each other.
SmallBusinessComputing.com has written an introduction to wireless networking that covers all the basics in a plain, straightforward way. If you want to catch up, this article will bring you up to speed on the acronyms, the options to extend the range of a wireless network, and the choices for securing the network.
If you go shopping, I’ve had consistently good luck with Netgear’s Rangemax products, built on technology licensed from Ruckus Wireless. Try the WPN824 router or WPN802 access point, matched with the WPN111 USB adapter. Setup is well-designed and the range and reliability are as good as anything I’ve ever tried.
