Router needed for remote control

[Coronos]

Hello,

I tried the router selector tool, but didn't find the filters I need (or misunderstood the filters that are there!). I need a recommendation for a router to wirelessly connect an iPad 2 with a digital soundboard. The iPad will be used to remotely control the board.

The router will not need to connect to the internet, and will only ever have the iPad connected wirelessly. It will generally be used at a range of 50' to 150', and it will always have line-of-sight. There won't be a lot of data transfer, but when there is, I need it to be fast.

The most security needed is that the ID is not transmitted, although I expect anything available now will have much more than that. Other users of the iPad remote have stated that 5 GHz routers have had fewer connection problems due to interference than the 2.4 GHz routers, but I wonder if I should get a dual-band just to cover my bases.


So to sum up, my tentative requirements are:
simultaneous dual-band N-mode
good line-of-sight range
reliable high-speed transfer from iPad to soundboard

Not important:
number of wired connections (minimum 1)
security
storage transfer
USB/printer connections

Will an N600 be fast enough, or should I go to an N900 due to the range I will be working at?

I'm hoping not to spend more than around $120.

 

[thiggins]

A higher-class router is going to provide higher throughput only if the client device (the sound board in this case) supports that class.

How much data are you transfering? Doesn't seem like it would be a lot.

You really would be better off in 5 GHz given the overcrowded 2.4 GHz band.

 

[Coronos]

A higher-class router is going to provide higher throughput only if the client device (the sound board in this case) supports that class.

How much data are you transfering? Doesn't seem like it would be a lot.

You really would be better off in 5 GHz given the overcrowded 2.4 GHz band.

I've checked all the manuals, brochures (3.7 MB PDF), and webpages that I could find, and none of them have any specs on the connection. I can tell you that the board is a Soundcraft Si Expression, and it's a new product this year. It uses Harman's HiQNet for the router connection.

You are correct, there shouldn't be much data transferred. My main concern is that when I change a value on the iPad, the board receives that change instantly.

 

[thiggins]

My main concern is that when I change a value on the iPad, the board receives that change instantly.

That depends more on latency than bandwidth. Latency is always a problem with Wi-Fi. Ask any gamer. No guarantees about that, especially in 2.4 GHz.

 

[Coronos]

That depends more on latency than bandwidth. Latency is always a problem with Wi-Fi. Ask any gamer. No guarantees about that, especially in 2.4 GHz.

Is latency something that is normally measured in routers? If so, are there any that fare better than others?

Would you suggest a 5 GHz only rather than a dual-band? My thought was that if the router detected that the 2.4 GHz signal was not being interfered with significantly, it would switch to it and I would gain the advantage of the range of 2.4.

 

[thiggins]

I stopped measuring latency directly some time ago. Latency and throughput are closely related and tend to track one another.

Wi-Fi is a very "lossy" transmission medium. A lot of bandwidth goes to retransmitting data lost due to errors. Error rate depends a lot on wireless environment. A noisy environment with many networks leads to higher error rates as well as more competition for limited bandwidth.

You won't find many (any) 5 GHz only routers. Routers don't decide the band that clients connect to, clients (devices) do. A dual-band router is good to have so that you have the option of using 5 GHz, which I recommend you start with.

 

[Coronos]

Ok, so I'm looking for a dual-band router with high throughput. Can we assume (at least for this decision, if not ultimately) that the wireless connection to the iPad 2 is going to be more of a limiting factor than the wired connection to the soundboard?

The only info I found was that the iPad 2 supports 802.11n, and I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that it is dual-band. Do you know if it supports the high (450 Mbps) transmission rates?

 

[thiggins]

The client side is most always the limiting factor in the performance of a wireless connection.
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...228-an-experiment-in-wireless-power-and-range

iPads are N150 class devices with maximum link rate of 150 Mbps. Apple limits to the lower 65 Mbps rate in 2.4GHz.

Spend around $60 on an N600 router and run your own experiments.

 

[Coronos]

iPads are N150 class devices with maximum link rate of 150 Mbps. Apple limits to the lower 65 Mbps rate in 2.4GHz.

Spend around $60 on an N600 router and run your own experiments.

Thank you.