I'm considering going wireless and wondered what people thought about it over gigabit ethernet for streaming etc.

I basically have a server where all my dvds are stored as ISO's. I also use this server for downloads while sleeping. So the server gets a lot of use.

Then I have my dessktop computer that I use all the time for work etc.

Finally I have my htpc which is more or less on 24/7. I hardly use this for internet. Just for mymovies when adding dvds on my server, vista updates etc.

That is the main set up of my network. Currently my cable modem goes into a router and then everything else is on CAT6 via a gigabit switch.

I'm about to move my server to another location and so I've been looking into wireless and im wondering if I would lose too much performance if I were to go with it. Is it good enough to stream dvds? If I were to add an extender to the network, would it handle it?

Appriciate any input.

For robust streaming go wired. If you ever plan on streaming high bitrate video/audio then go wired. If it is possible to go wired then go wired!

direstrates:

For robust streaming go wired. If you ever plan on streaming high bitrate video/audio then go wired. If it is possible to go wired then go wired!

wireless is that bad? :p

Well relocating my server is really only a question of running 1 long eithernet cable over the "tidyness" of wireless

I definitely wouldn't connect your server to wireless. Extenders on the other hand can work if you do the following.

Use 802.11n over the 5Ghz band. Less interference from other wireless networks, cordless phones on the 5 Ghz band and the 802.11n can supply enough bandwidth to stream DVDs and some broadcast high-def content (19Mbps or less).

Dedicate the 802.11n network to streaming, do not have your PCs on it for just day-to-day "data" stuff. I have also found that connecting devices to a bridge such as the Dlink DAP series is better than a bunch of devices connecting wirelessly themselves. The more wireless devices on the network, the greater the overhead of the wireless protocols. For example, I had the Popcorn Hour and the DMA2100 extender in our bedroom use separate wireless adapters to connect to the Dlink DAP-1555 in the computer room. When I connected both the Popcorn Hour and the Extender to another DAP-1555 running in bridge mode, the performance of the DMA2100 was greatly improved.

Also, do you have a Cable TV outlet where you want to move the server? IF so, have you looked at MoCA to bridge the Ethernet over the Coax? I have installed it to connect the Media Center PC here in the computer room to my XBOX 360, PS3, and Toshiba HD-A2 in the living room and it works much better than the 5 Ghz Wireless-N did.

Thanks for the response - I think ill just avoid it for now after reading these posts :)

wireless N was a hopeless experiment for me - not ready for prime-time... go wired!

jmallory07:

I definitely wouldn't connect your server to wireless. Extenders on the other hand can work if you do the following. Use 802.11n over the 5Ghz band. Less interference from other wireless networks, cordless phones on the 5 Ghz band and the 802.11n can supply enough bandwidth to stream DVDs and some broadcast high-def content (19Mbps or less). Dedicate the 802.11n network to streaming, do not have your PCs on it for just day-to-day "data" stuff. I have also found that connecting devices to a bridge such as the Dlink DAP series is better than a bunch of devices connecting wirelessly themselves. The more wireless devices on the network, the greater the overhead of the wireless protocols. For example, I had the Popcorn Hour and the DMA2100 extender in our bedroom use separate wireless adapters to connect to the Dlink DAP-1555 in the computer room. When I connected both the Popcorn Hour and the Extender to another DAP-1555 running in bridge mode, the performance of the DMA2100 was greatly improved. Also, do you have a Cable TV outlet where you want to move the server? IF so, have you looked at MoCA to bridge the Ethernet over the Coax? I have installed it to connect the Media Center PC here in the computer room to my XBOX 360, PS3, and Toshiba HD-A2 in the living room and it works much better than the 5 Ghz Wireless-N did.

Too bad the link to their Certified Products is broke!! Can this co-exist with cable signals, or does it take the whole cable over? Also, if it can work with cable signals on the same line, how do you keep the signal from getting out of the house and on to the rest of the outside cable network?