Wireless Router for Home Networking

Do you want to make your own hotspot? Many hotspot areas using Wi-Fi appear recently in public places to offer people easy access to the Internet. New laptops and desktop PCs are equipped with Wi-Fi so that they can connect to each others or to the Internet. Even now some cell phones are also embedded with Wi-Fi. These cell phones can connect to other devices using its Wi-Fi interface besides already available bluetooth interface and USB connection. I haven't tested any cell phone with Wi-Fi yet but I wish I could buy Nokia N95 or Nokia E90 which has complete features than other cell phones including Wi-Fi connection. You may go to this website http://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3 for comparison, selection or browsing cell phones with Wi-Fi. If you own a laptop or PC with Wi-Fi connection, it is very convenient to provide it with Internet access via Wi-Fi especially at home or SOHO. Ethernet cable for LAN connection may be used for better security but I prefer Wi-Fi due to simplicity and convenience.

For installing my own hotspot, I propose 2 different units of affordable wireless router for home networking with price range around Rp 500,000 from 2 different brands ie: Netgear WGR614 and Linksys WRT54G. Both have strength and weakness as I mention below:

1. I guess the signal quality of Linksys WRT54G is better than Netgear WGR614 because Linksys has 2 antennas to handle fading caused by multipath propagation, especially for house with many wall partitions
2. The setup interface in Netgear is far better than Linksys due to simplicity, intuitiveness, and manageability. For instance, it is a bit difficult to setup firewall inside Linksys, whereas in Netgear you can open or block any ports very easily. You can also make restrictions and select other setting much simpler in Netgear without complicated ways

For ease of use, you may choose Netgear but for location with many wall partitions I think Linksys is better. At present, I install Linksys WRT54G as my home hotspot controller. The unit runs smoothly after tuning it up for around 1 month. It is not easy... Some links that may be helpful to those who want to setup their own wireless router at home:

1. Appropriate channels for use on a wireless network
2. Advanced Wireless Security for the Masses
3. 10 tips for improving your wireless network

NEW! In order to use WPA2-PSK for better security, you have to update Windows XP to Service Pack 3. Without it, you can only use WEP which is not as secure as WPA2.

I will show you my settings if I have more spare time to write the articles in later postings. For now on, good luck with your tweaking!