Wireless Internet is becoming very popular these days. Most newer laptops have built in wireless, and this allows you to search for a connection and hook up to the Internet in a short amount of time. It also allows a convenient way to connect more than one computer to an Internet connection. I have had good luck with the Zonet Wireless Broadband Router ZSR4154WE. However, it is seeing limited availability and the Zonet wireless router ZSR4154WS is easier to come by, and it is considerably cheaper. There is little difference between the two models.
Features
You get a 4 point switch and a firewall in one feature. A four port switch gives you the capacity to connect up to four devices through Ethernet cables, if you need to. This is in addition to any wireless connections. A firewall is a nice feature to have in a router. This helps to maintain a safe and secure connection. There are many things out in cyber space that seek to do harm to your computer. If they cannot reach you, they cannot harm you.
This router has the new 11n capability as well as 11b and 11g standards. MIMO technology increases the signal up to eight times the distance of transmission, and it can send and receive 150 Mbps of information. There are several encryption methods to choose from, like WEP, WPA, and WPA2.
Using the Router
Setup is very easy as there is little to do. The instructions are pretty straight forward and easy to understand. You should be up and running in no time.
Words of Wisdom
I have had no problems with this wireless router. In fact, it has been pretty much trouble free. However, this is my second one, as the first one was hit by a power surge from a lightning strike. I do not blame this on the router. It is my fault for not using surge protection. Since then, I have protection for it, and for the cordless phone base in the living room.
Security
Security is simple to set up. However, you may not wish to use the most modern types of encryption. For example, you may have a computer with an older operating system like XP on wireless. It may not be able to recognize the signal after it is encrypted. However, there is an easy way to keep others from accessing your network. You can use your mac filtering option.
Mac Filtering
All computers have a mac address, and it is basically a number that identifies the computer. All mac addresses are different. You can use mac filtering in two different ways. The first way is to eliminate any mac address that show up on the log. The second way is to only allow mac addresses from computers on your network. The instructions come with the router, and are not difficult to understand. To find the mac address, go to the command prompt and type in "ipconfig/all". Look for "physical address", and it will be six sets of double alpha numeric characters. For more info on mac filtering, go to Ezine Articles.
To Sum it Up
With broadband Internet and laptops gaining in popularity, a good wireless router is essential to many households. Zonet makes some very good ones, and they do not cost a lot of money. You can get very good security and a firewall with your new router, also. If you have problems with security and older operating systems, you can use the option for mac filtering. For more information on wireless network security, you can go to http://posturown.com/making-home-wireless-network-secure/.
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