Noob question about ac router

[prankster]

Hi everyone,

I am a newbie in wireless networking. I recently bought an R7000 nighthawk. I would like to utilize its ac feature by buying a wireless adapter. My question is do I need to get the same brand in order to fully maximize its "beam" technology? If not then I was interested Edimax wireless adapter. It looked like one of the most affordable adapters out there.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bobsilver]

You do not need to buy the same brand of adapters to that of the router. What you do want to look for is the speed of the adapter to fully utilize the R7000 speed. The speed is a combination of things but most important is the number of radios the adapter has. Netgear for example offers 1 usb adapter that is the A6200 that is listed as a 900mbs speed in AC. What it means is that it is a 2 radio adapter. IN the AC standard each radio is capable of up to 450mbs per radio in the 5ghz (AC band). In the N standard its 150mbs per radio. Each is capable of supporting 3 radios per band.

So if you want the best performance from your R7000 look for an adapter that lists 1350 mbs in the 5ghz band. That would be a 3 radio device. Also be aware that these devices also list their total speed including the 2.4ghz band. Don't be fooled by that. Look for the highest speed in the AC side at 5ghz.

Bob Silver
NETGEAR Networking Consultant

 

[microchip]

No, you don't need the same brand

 

[thiggins]

My question is do I need to get the same brand in order to fully maximize its "beam" technology?

802.11ac standardized the way beamforming is done and requires support in both router and client device.

So you can buy any 802.11ac adapter.

 

[prankster]

Thanks everyone. Edimax it is.