Wireless modem for TalkTalk...

[andyoxon]

Anyone use one? 

These are supposedly compatible -tested:
DG834G - Version 3
Huawei HG520
Philips SNA5630NS
Belkin G Wireless

The Netgear DG834G - Version 3 is a 54mbps, but I notice the newer ones are 108Mbps.  Will the "54" be fine? It seems to be still available from Amazon.

Andy

[border-rider]

if the main use is internet/email then 54/108 will make no difference - the bottleneck will be your broadband speed.

If it's for video over the network or shifting big files from PC to PC then yes, 108 will be faster.  But last time I looked 108 wasn't quite an IEEE standard.  54 is IEEE 802.11 g.  That means it may not be fully supported/stable between devices.

I have a DG834G and it's been fine.  Quite old-tech now though

[andyoxon]

Thanks MV - what would be the transfer rate of my wired modem...Huawei SmartAx in comparison?  If video streaming such as BBC iplayer will work fine with the 54Mbps wireless - then I'll go with this...

[border-rider]

Wired depends on the adapter in your computer.  100 megs is usual, 10 on an old machine (max, it may well be a bit lower in practice)  Might get a gig if you have a fancy card.

Unless it's an old 10 meg ethernet card, your broadband connection will be  a lot slower than the network connection (unless you have access to a damn big pipe); mine's about 7 megs.  The router's not going to make any odds as to whether you can use BBC iPlayer. 

The only thing I would say is that ADSL2 may be on the way so it'd be worth checking the router can be configured for this.

[andyoxon]

This is what I have apparently:  Intel Pro WLAN 3945 Internal Wireless (802.11a/b/g 54 Mbps) for Core 2 Duo Processors

On connection Talktalk say this...

Most of our customers will have no trouble using a non-supported WiFi router on TalkTalk network. All you'll need to do is enter:

    * Your user credentials
    * All the relative settings found on your Connect & Go CD regarding your router. (E.g. Incoming/Outgoing mail server; DNS servers; ADSL Modulation; Encapsulation mode, etc.)
    * TalkTalk modem settings
    * Your security settings (your WEP key or WPA key)

A small percentage of TalkTalk customers who are using a non-TalkTalk router will not be able to connect to our service. We have identified that the following Netgear router may not work on our network:

    * DG834G - Version 1
    * DG834G - Version 2

With these routers there may be an issue with the firmware which prevents you from connecting to the Internet. The router will present the error message: "CHAP authentication failed".

The following modems and routers have been tested and have no connection issues with our network:

Wired modems:
...

Wireless routers:

    * DG834G - Version 3
    * Huawei HG520
    * Philips SNA5630NS
    * Belkin G Wireless

the Netgear appears to be the only one on their online shop (not that I'd buy it from there).  Most sites do not mention the version.


If you go by comments on a quick google of - TT and wireless - it's tempting to stick with wired...

[andyoxon]

Can anyone see any potential  issues with the spec of this one?
Huawei Terminal

This is what TT will sell me for £49 - at least it should work...

[border-rider]

Looks good

I'd not heard of that manufacturer until I got a 3G data modem  - badged as "Three" but made by them - with which I'm very happy.