30 Days of AppleTV – Day 12


So, I decided that it might be a good idea to upgrade to 802.11n. I mean, why not, right? I’m constantly transferring files either to my external storage, or to the AppleTV…so I decided I would go and drop some cash on an N router.

I also made the stupid choice of trying to save a few bucks.

So, instead of ordering the Airport Extreme, I decided, instead to get a Netgear N router. Why? Well, my current wifi router is Netgear and it works great. I love it. It could just be a little faster…so I thought I’d give the Netgear brand another shot, and save $60 bucks or so over the Airport Extreme.

Big mistake.

I got the thing home, and the installation process was a freakin’ nightmare. I had to download a firmware update before I could even get the router to work (and I had already unhooked the other wireless router, so I had to hook my Mini up to the cable modem directly). After I managed to get the thing up and running…which took a few hours of troubleshooting…and I had paid the $1.99 for the “N” upgrade for the Macbook Pro…I was ready to get everything running.

So I changed the info on the AppleTV, and got the Macbook Pro to see the network, and I was up and running.

The Macbook Pro told me that I had upgraded from 54 Mbs to 144 Mbs….a good jump…not the “up to” 250 Mbs promised on the box…but not bad…

…if it were true.

I download the latest episode of Lost (which took forever BTW – the servers are hit pretty hard when these new episodes come out). Then I tried to watch it.

As I have mentionedin previous posts, the streaming to the AppleTV has been flawless…until last night. You would think if my cheapy G router could keep the shows flowing with no problems, that its super-fast big brother would work even better (I mean, after all, this router is supposed to stream HD)…not so. In fact, the the AppleTV lost contact with the show on a number of occations, and when I tried to let it sync, the whole network lost its connection.

This happened a few more times over the next hour. So after another 45 minutes or so of jacking with this, I finally put it all back in the box, and it’s going back to the Best Buy today.

What a mess.


Kossi Adzo

Kossi Adzo is a technology enthusiast and digital strategist with a fervent passion for Apple products and the innovative technologies that orbit them. With a background in computer science and a decade of experience in app development and digital marketing, Kossi brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to the Apple Gazette team.

3 Comments

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  1. I can definetely recommend the Airport Extreme. USB disk support and printer support is a welcome addition to this super fast reliable wifi box

  2. In the apple we trust. Get the Airport Extreme, I got one at my office and its amazing, especially with a USB hub, we have a bunch of external drives and printers networked flawlessly. Unfortantly I dun have a draft n wireless card so I can’t see a speed difference.

  3. Netgear stinks. I made the same mistake with going with a cheap Netgear router. Bad idea. I switched to Linksys and haven’t looked back.

    However, I should note that the low end routers generally stink from all manufactureres… Spent a few more bucks, ie $60-80, to get the mid-tier model and you often have fewer problems.