📎 AI Summary:
The thread discusses choosing between wireless standards (b/g/n) for a Windows 8.1 setup with a Comcast gateway. The original poster seeks advice on upgrading to N for better performance and range, with experts explaining that using N can improve speed, distance, and auto-band switching, while security depends on router configuration. Ultimately, they also touch on the limitations of ISP-provided gateways, noting that replacing or configuring them may be restricted, and suggest methods for using third-party routers alongside ISP equipment. The overall sentiment is informative and helpful, with a focus on optimizing wireless setup.
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Peterr

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Thread Author #1
Hello
I have Win 8.1 and a Comcast Arris gateway.

I only have the two choices so which should I use? Currently I have b/g but I thought n provided advanced features.
If I change, do I have other changes to make so all is compatible?

Thank you
 

Solution
M
To use a 3rd party router with the modem/router combo supplied by your ISP, you can set the existing one to bridge mode and connect your new router to the WAN port (usually the 4th LAN port) and configure your new router to login using the credentials supplied by your ISP.

Alternatively, and more easily you can turn off wireless on your ISP supplied router and then connect your new to it using any of the LAN ports and configure the new one for wireless networking and automatic IP WAN access.
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Trouble

Trouble

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#2
nope nothing else
adding N to B/G will allow users with N compatible devices to connect and take advantage of the faster bandwidth available in the N standard while allowing others with B or G cards to still use the same wireless connection.
Occasionally you might find it optimal to select a channel that might be less prone to interference.
 

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Peterr

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Thread Author #3
I will change now and I cannot thank you enough.
peter
 

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Peterr

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Trouble said:
nope nothing else
adding N to B/G will allow users with N compatible devices to connect and take advantage of the faster bandwidth available in the N standard while allowing others with B or G cards to still use the same wireless connection.
Occasionally you might find it optimal to select a channel that might be less prone to interference.
Click to expand...

>>I am sorry to be so naïve, are you suggesting I should or should not use the one with n? I read your post over and was not sure if I was compromising security with the addition of the n.
Thank you
 

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Trouble

Trouble

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#5
No the 802.11 (b, g, n,) standard that you choose hasn't much to do with wireless security. You decide that by configuring wireless security on the router. I recommend WPA2 PSK (AES or TKIP whichever works best for you).
 

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BIGBEARJEDI

BIGBEARJEDI

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#7
Peterr:
One other thing Trouble didn't mention is that the "N" standard and the very new "AC" standards greatly increase the distance the radio signal can connect to your wireless router from distance-wise. The "N" standard doubles and in some implementations quadruples the strength and therefore distance that your wireless device can connect to your wireless router from! On routers using the old "G" standard; you have a max distance of 70 meters (230 ft.) indoors; and with the "N" standard that is increased to 250 meters (820 ft.) for outdoors (like using your laptop on your patio or back deck). That's about 3-1/2 times the distance! Of course, these numbers are Maximums and can be affected by the building materials in your home, apartment, or office building and also the weather. If you divide all these numbers by 1/2 that is more likely the practical maximum distance 35 meters and 125 meters for most home environments.

What's really important with the "N" standard for you is that the ability of "N" to handle what we call auto-band-selection. This allows "N" based wireless devices to much more accurately sense and switch between bands at 2.4Ghz and 5.0Ghz at those greater distances--all the while employing the latest security encryption (WPA2) as Trouble mentioned. However, WPA2 wasn't really achievable using many "G" routers unless you used a high quality manufacturer such as Cisco-Linksys or Netgear. That meant spending more money, and most Consumers didn't really see the need to spend more for a "standard-device" like a wireless router, so they often bought whatever was cheapest at the local computer store.

The practical application of this is if you have other wireless devices in your home such as portable electronic home phones, they often use the 2.4Ghz bands; and the newest ones use 5.0Ghz. What that means to you is if you are using a "G" router that can't sense and auto-switch to the unused band, you will get dreaded and unwanted interference. This presents itself in random signal loss which is like a TV losing picture just when you don't want it to. The "N" does a much better job of avoiding this with the above built-in technology, and can do it at a much greater distance while keeping the ability to run the maximum signal encryption (WPA2). "G" routers or many of them suffer from distance limitation and have to "dumb-down" or select an older less secure encryption at distance option such as WEP.

That's a short tutorial on why you might want to go with the "N" router; it's like a "G" router on Steroids, and the new "AC" standard is like an "N" router on X-men quality steroids! Bigger, better, faster, more secure, more distance capability.

BIGBEARJEDI
 

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Peterr

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Thread Author #8
Hello BigBear
Thank you for the thorough tutorial. It was very explanatory.
Unfortunately the tech brought a gateway instead of a modem.
I used to use my Belkin router with the modem which was labeled "N".
The gateway has only b/g and b/g/n.
So far I have not had any issues including TV etc..
Is it worth exchanging the gateway for a modem so I can use my Belkin Router with just N?
Peter
 

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badrobot

badrobot

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#9
Peterr said:
Hello BigBear
Thank you for the thorough tutorial. It was very explanatory.
Unfortunately the tech brought a gateway instead of a modem.
I used to use my Belkin router with the modem which was labeled "N".
The gateway has only b/g and b/g/n.
So far I have not had any issues including TV etc..
Is it worth exchanging the gateway for a modem so I can use my Belkin Router with just N?
Peter
Click to expand...

I don't think your ISP is going to allow you to do that. ISPs have switched to the gateway device (modem-router combo) to relieve them some problems and pressure of people seeking tech support of making an off-the-shelf router to work with ISP supplied modems. For them it's also the best thing they can do to save some tech ignorant users from the headaches of installation and troubleshooting. These gateways are programmed to be accessed remotely by the ISPs in case you called for help. They don't really need to come to your house to fix it. They can do it from their workstation. How do I know that? That's because I upgraded my internet subscription last year and they took away my good old Motorolla surfboard modem and replaced it with a gateway which they say I needed for the upgrade. My old modem will not be able to handle the new bandwidth. I told them I don't need a modem-router combo as I already have a router. But they said I don't have a choice but I can still continue using my router if I want to.So, I installed the gateway myself thinking that disabling the router feature (because I want to keep using my high-end router) will be just a matter of logging in to the gateway and clicking the disable-the-router-function button. But no. I called my ISP and they said they have to do it themselves. Either I go back to the store or they access my gateway remotely to disable it. So, to save my self from driving several kilometers, I just let them do it remotely. And that's how I know you can't exchange for a plain modem and how they can access your gateway (and probably your PC) remotely. And I am paying the gateway rental in full but only using half of it's feature. They won't let me buy it unlike before where you have the option to either rent or buy the modem from them. It's probably because if you buy it, you can deny them access to it remotely. And they don't like that.





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Mitchell_A

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#10
To use a 3rd party router with the modem/router combo supplied by your ISP, you can set the existing one to bridge mode and connect your new router to the WAN port (usually the 4th LAN port) and configure your new router to login using the credentials supplied by your ISP.

Alternatively, and more easily you can turn off wireless on your ISP supplied router and then connect your new to it using any of the LAN ports and configure the new one for wireless networking and automatic IP WAN access.
 

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badrobot

badrobot

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#11
Mitchell_A said:
To use a 3rd party router with the modem/router combo supplied by your ISP, you can set the existing one to bridge mode and connect your new router to the WAN port (usually the 4th LAN port) and configure your new router to login using the credentials supplied by your ISP.

Alternatively, and more easily you can turn off wireless on your ISP supplied router and then connect your new to it using any of the LAN ports and configure the new one for wireless networking and automatic IP WAN access.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's exactly what I did. The bridge mode did not work as expected and apparently only the ISP can configure the settings on the device. They need to deactivate router feature themselves and reset the configuration to accept a 3rd party router. Maybe if you buy an off-the-shelf router-modem combo you can play around with the settings. But it's probably just my ISP then.


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Mitchell_A

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#12
badrobot said:
Maybe if you buy an off-the-shelf router-modem combo you can play around with the settings. But it's probably just my ISP then.
Click to expand...

I've never been able to find an off the shelf combo. Which sucks because I really hate having both a modem and router. The default one my ISP gave me is the Siemens SE567 which basically has the wireless range of a wired telephone. I bought an ASUS RT-n66u to use which provides great range, but having two full-sized routers in my kitchen is somewhat of an inconvenience. Either way, glad it worked out for you!
 

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badrobot

badrobot

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#13
Mitchell_A said:
I've never been able to find an off the shelf combo. Which sucks because I really hate having both a modem and router. The default one my ISP gave me is the Siemens SE567 which basically has the wireless range of a wired telephone. I bought an ASUS RT-n66u to use which provides great range, but having two full-sized routers in my kitchen is somewhat of an inconvenience. Either way, glad it worked out for you!
Click to expand...

I have that router too and the reason why I wanted to keep using it is because of the NAS feature to stream movies from external hard drive (from my computer room to anywhere around the house). And it's a USB 3.0 so it's really fast when combined with gigabit powerline adapters.

There are modem routers everywhere. Maybe not the brand you are looking for but they are available:

Link Removed




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Mitchell_A

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#14
Since I first bought mine in July 2012 it's had a problem with the wireless completely dropping all clients so it's away for an DMA right now but hopefully it'll come back fixed. There's nothing more frustrating than being disconnected from Xbox Live in the middle of a game :(

Ever have an issues with yours?
 

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badrobot

badrobot

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#15
Mitchell_A said:
Since I first bought mine in July 2012 it's had a problem with the wireless completely dropping all clients so it's away for an DMA right now but hopefully it'll come back fixed. There's nothing more frustrating than being disconnected from Xbox Live in the middle of a game :(

Ever have an issues with yours?
Click to expand...

Oh, I never really use wireless connection since I started gaming with my PS3. Even though I have a good (not the best) bandwidth I only use my wireless internet for tablets/ipad, laptops and smartphones at home. My PS3, Desktop PC, HTPC, IP cameras and other streaming devices are connected hardwired. I have 4 powerline adapters around my house so that I can hardwire any bandwidth hungry devices at home. I even have 2 (one is built-in on the powerline adapter) wireless access points in 2 other rooms connected to powerline adapters to eliminate dead spots at home. The problem with wireless, specially with gaming, when someone else around your home connects to the internet on your network, there will be a sudden drop in bandwidth that will affect your gaming. Even a smartphone receiving weather updates can ruin your game. I never had problem with my router. But it gets really hot sometimes. But that's just it.

You may want to consider powerline adapters also for your xbox.




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Peterr

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Thread Author #16
Hello and thank you all for the advice. I wish I were capable of using my router in conjunction with the gateway but am not skilled enough.
I do have a password to enter the router(msie11 does not work only Firefox).
I also have a long key or internal password within the router/gateway, and using WPA 2 .
The super of techs said Comcast, my ISP, cannot get through my router nor my pc. He said they would have to "crack" the passwords, and that it violates their privacy policy. They can only remotely help those who have issues and give them the passwords if any. As they, Comcast leave it, it is WEP with no password.
Whatever the case, all is ok now and hopefully will be.

PS I found that using HTTP:// in front of 10.0.0.1 with MSIE 11 allows you to enter the router's part of the gateway - above I had said that explorer 11 does not work with the router, so just add HTTP:// .
 

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