My internet service provider tells me that I need to get a wireless adaptor for my computers to allow them to access the up-to-100 Mbps they are supplying me with. They know what a Windows PC needs (an N-series adaptor), but not what a Mac needs. Can anyone help? (My wireless speeds are low at the moment - around 10 Mbps; when connected via a cable, I can get the full 100 Mbps.)
iMac 24, Mac OS X (10.7.2), Lovely computer
If you have 802/11n windows machines, then you need an 802.11n wifi router. Mac computers are all 802.11n as well.
You could get an Apple wifi router as they are nice simultaneous dual band 802.11n wifi routers. But you can also get just about any other make that suits you.
I use a Netgear WNDR4500 (aka the Netgear N900) at my house for wifi - everything I have is wifi. A mix of 802.11g and 802.11n devices (TV, PS3, MacBook Pro, old Windows Vista desktop, printers, iPhone(s), iPad - the only thing connected by a cable is the N900 router to the AT&T residential gateway).
Depending on how many devices you have to connect and what they are capable of will help you decide. I wanted simultaneous dual band (ie it can use both the 2.4Ghz and the 5Ghz bands at the same time) as I have a mix of g and n speed items and some of the n are restricted to one band only. Simultaneous dual band will cost more than non-simultaneous dual band (ie. routers with both frequencies, but only one can be used at any given time).
Bottom line is that your Mac's do not need anything particularly special to them - they use 802.11n wifi and 802.11n (or a or b or g) wifi is the same no matter what OS you use on what machine. And if you can get one machine to connect, you should be able to get any machine to connect. Over the past dozen years I've used Apple routers, Belkin, dLink, NetGear, Buffalo - never had a problem connecting a mix of windows and Apple OS clients to any of them.
P.S. just going between my N900 router and my MBP, I get ~144Mbs indicated - my bottleneck is still the copper cable from the house to the fibreoptic link at the street).
If you have 802/11n windows machines, then you need an 802.11n wifi router. Mac computers are all 802.11n as well.
You could get an Apple wifi router as they are nice simultaneous dual band 802.11n wifi routers. But you can also get just about any other make that suits you.
I use a Netgear WNDR4500 (aka the Netgear N900) at my house for wifi - everything I have is wifi. A mix of 802.11g and 802.11n devices (TV, PS3, MacBook Pro, old Windows Vista desktop, printers, iPhone(s), iPad - the only thing connected by a cable is the N900 router to the AT&T residential gateway).
Depending on how many devices you have to connect and what they are capable of will help you decide. I wanted simultaneous dual band (ie it can use both the 2.4Ghz and the 5Ghz bands at the same time) as I have a mix of g and n speed items and some of the n are restricted to one band only. Simultaneous dual band will cost more than non-simultaneous dual band (ie. routers with both frequencies, but only one can be used at any given time).
Bottom line is that your Mac's do not need anything particularly special to them - they use 802.11n wifi and 802.11n (or a or b or g) wifi is the same no matter what OS you use on what machine. And if you can get one machine to connect, you should be able to get any machine to connect. Over the past dozen years I've used Apple routers, Belkin, dLink, NetGear, Buffalo - never had a problem connecting a mix of windows and Apple OS clients to any of them.
P.S. just going between my N900 router and my MBP, I get ~144Mbs indicated - my bottleneck is still the copper cable from the house to the fibreoptic link at the street).
Your iMac can handle up to a 300+ Mbps connection on wireless, so assuming that it is working correctly, this is not the problem.
Your wireless router....or interference from a cordless phone or other wireless networks around you might be an issue.
The fact that your router delivers full speed on Ethernet does not mean that it is producing full speed through the wireless radio. It may need to be checked by your Internet Service Provider.
But, if you suspect that the iMac is at fault, it might be a good idea to take it to an Apple store....if you have one near you....so they can verify things for you.
Bob Timmons wrote:
Your iMac can handle up to a 300 Mbps connection on wireless, so assuming that it is working correctly, this is not the problem.
Unless the router is the bottleneck, which I was admittedly assuming was the problem. Setecolinas - just what is the make and model of your current wifi router? Is is some ancient piece of hardware?
Hi Michael
The router is a new Netgear, so wasn't the problem. In the end, I decided that the slow wireless speed was caused by physical obstructions, so have moved things around and now have better speeds. Thanks for your help.
Great. Sometimes just changing channels makes a difference too, if you have it on one that is getting a lot of interferance.
Do I need an adaptor to get faster broadband speeds
