codewize is just the first person who pops into my head as a computer and networks expert on cadillacforums.

anyways, my question is, is 2mbit more for $10/month more worth it, if its from sprint will i really be getting those whole 2mbit more or is it just a ploy, also, if i set up a wireless connection in my house will my laptop be able to tap the whole 5 mbit?

btw service is from embark aka sprint

I assume the 5MB is download only? Do they guarantee 5MB?

i wondered who embark was lol

i say do it. your lappy wont be the bottleneck, i have an old wireless router which still runs at 11Mbps. DSL "should" be guaranteed bandwidth. Read the contract :)

i wondered who embark was lol

i say do it. your lappy wont be the bottleneck, i have an old wireless router which still runs at 11Mbps. DSL "should" be guaranteed bandwidth. Read the contract :)


You never truely see 11mbps. You are lucky to see half in the real world.

Most standard 802.11b routers get 3 to 5 in real world settings.

802.11g is marketed at 54mbps but real world number is in the low 20's.

Put either one of them anywhere near a microwave..... 0 mbps. :bighead:

Also, remember your realized speed will only be as fast as the slowest part of your network. Your laptop not only recieves packets from your wireless router but has to send them as well... this is usually where most of the packet loss occurs there by slowing down your realized speed.


Is 2mbps worth it? What do you have now? And do you do alot of downloading?

These questions are good ones. Oh and thanks for thinking of me even though I totally boned up the last DSL question :)

Anyway, your laptop will not be the bottleneck. Any newer wireless equipment is rated at 54Mb. You'll never get all of that due to overhead but you should get more than 20Mb.

The point is if you can get 5Mb on DSL and it's guaranteed bandwidth then you'll get all of that 5Mb even on an internal wireless network. DSL is usually pretty close to the rated speed because it's a circuit switched service rather than a shared medium or packet switching. In other words, dedicated circuit to the CO unlike cable.

niiiice, thanks for all the answers, and by the way, my lappy is equipped with the newer technology 802.11g i think thats what it says, something along those lines, whats the difference in 802.11b and 802.11g

niiiice, thanks for all the answers, and by the way, my lappy is equipped with the newer technology 802.11g i think thats what it says, something along those lines, whats the difference in 802.11b and 802.11g

They both operate in the 2.4ghz (same as your microwave and most household portable phones) spectrum.
802.11b is rated at 11mbps and 802.11g is rated at 54mbps... not that you will ever see that in real world scenarios.