[Dave G]

I already have a network set up using a Linksys Wireless-B (not G) 2.4GHz/802.11b router.  Will that work with the Squeezebox I'll be getting in the next couple of weeks?  Or should I replace it with a wireless-G router?  I know that a 802.11g router can transfer data faster than a 802.11b router can, but I don't know whether the difference matters with a Squeezebox.    

Thanks.

Dave

[jakepunk]

I was unable to stream FLAC over 802.11b using a D-Link DI-614+.  The audio would skip.  Upgrading to 802.11g using a Linksys WRT54G solved the problem.  Those results could have been specific to my environment, though.  I would give it a try with your existing 802.11b network with the expectation you may need to upgrade.  It might work.

It also depends on what kind of audio format you are using.  AAC has a higher tendency to skip using 802.11b.
http://www.slimdevices.com/su_faq.html#troubleshooting-aacwireless
http://slimdevices.com/su_faq.html#about2-80211impact

On a related note, I recommend against the D-Link DI-624 802.11g device.  It is very flaky, and I could not get it to work.  I successfully use the Linksys WRT54G, and I found that setting the wireless channel to 1 eliminated interference with my microwave oven.

[Dave G]

Thanks, JP, that helps.  I'm using FLAC.  I'll try my 802.11b network before making any changes.  As you say, it may work, but it sounds like I may ending up having to upgrade the router, esp. if I ever decide to use more than one Squeezebox.  

Dave

[Russell Dawkins]

Hi jakepunk,
well, that was disturbing, about the D-Link DI-624, as that's what I have and all I've ever used. I am on a high speed cable connection and find I often cannot play streaming videos right through without a hangup at some point. My up/down load speeds to my server are typically 450/2000. I am newer than you would believe possible to computers and the associated language, having got the first one to be used for more than word processing in May 2004 (Mac 17" powerbook).
As a substitute for the D-Link (now well beyond best before date) would you suggest a Linksys WRT54G?
Russell

[jakepunk]

The DI-624 Rev.C is a pile of junk, in my opinion.  You can read horror stories on dslreports.com by people like me who couldn't get it to work.  My experiences with it were:

1. It reboots for no apparent reason.  This is most likely caused by over-heating.  The two common remedies I read on dslreports.com are to mount it vertically with the included feet and/or reducing the transmit power to 50%.  I'm not making this up.  I tried this and it stopped its intermittent rebooting.

2. It doesn't sync reliably with my Macintosh Powerbook.  The two devices were constantly resynchronizing.  The process took less than a second and the Mac GUI didn't alert me, so I hardly noticed it, but there were times when I would click my browser at the exact instant as a resync, and the page wouldn't load.  The log files on both the DI-624 and my Powerbook were filled with an unending list of resync messages.  This may be happening with your Powerbook.

3. It doesn't sync reliably with a D-Link DWL-G520 Rev.B3 card (from the same manufacturer, mind you).  One of the suggestions on the forum was to downgrade the firmware version.  But the old firmware is not on D-Link's USA site, you have to hunt for it on their Canadian site.  The downgraded firmware seemed to improve syncing at first, but I needed it to sync to a specific frequency to avoid interference with my microwave oven.  It would not sync.  I switched it back to default channel 6, and it would.  At this point, I gave up and bought a Linksys WRT54G.  I set it up in 5 minutes and it works great.

D-Link marketing is notorious for using the same product number with different underlying parts.  For example, they used to market an 802.11b network interface called the DWL-650.  But there were two totally different versions of it, and they used different connectors (PCMCIA versus Cardbus ... if you had an older laptop and didn't know any better, you might buy the wrong thing since the latter doesn't fit in the former).   My point is that your DI-624 might be a different revision than mine, and it might work fine for you.  The video streaming problems you mention happen to most residential broadband users.  I always right-click and Save As when downloading video to avoid choppy playback.

I used to have a D-Link 614+ with 802.11b, and that thing was rock solid (even though the user interface was maddening).  I could microwave a turkey and chat on my cordless phone while pressing my head against my computer and it never dropped 1 packet!  I figured upgrading to 802.11g with the same vendor would be a breeze.  Not so.  I don't hate D-Link, I just hate the DI-624.

I am happy with the Linksys WRT54G Ver.5.  To be fair, there are 5 different versions of the Linksys WRT54G.  I wouldn't go out and get one unless you experienced the same insurmountable problems as I did.

[sleepysurf]

My main system Squeezebox2 is located abot 75 ft from a Wireless B Linksys BEFW11S4.  It works fine, despite getting only ~55% "wireless strength" reading, because of the large memory cache of the Squeezebox.  However, I do encounter occasional dropouts from my microwave, and sometimes my 2.4gHz wireless phones.

YMMV, depending on your room layout and actual signal strength.

[Dave G]

sleepysurf wrote:

My main system Squeezebox2 is located abot 75 ft from a Wireless B Linksys BEFW11S4. It works fine, despite getting only ~55% "wireless strength" reading, because of the large memory cache of the Squeezebox. However, I do encounter occasional dropouts from my microwave, and sometimes my 2.4gHz wireless phones.

Thanks, sleepysurf.  That's the exact router I have and my Squeezebox will be somewhat closer (~40 feet), so I'll definitely try it out before making any changes.  

Dave

[jakepunk]

I'd like to amend my recommendation of the Linksys WRT54G ver.5.  I began developing problems with iTunes mpeg streams skipping, and I also had problems playing online games (Counter-Strike).  I read on linksysinfo.org that versions prior to 5 are more reliable.  I exchanged my ver.5 device for a ver.4 device, and it works without problems now.  You have to look at the serial number on the box to determine what version it is.  This thread has a list of what serial numbers correspond to which generation of firmware.  If the serial number starts with CDFB, it is version 5.  This kind of stinks if you're ordering through the mail, but if you're buying a new one at a retail store and you have the option to choose, you might as well get one that works.

Linksys changed the firmware in ver.5 so that you couldn't hack the Linux firmware found in previous versions.  Then it announced that there will be a WRT54GL model that has Linux on it.  I'm not interested in hacking my router; I just want something that works reliably.  It drives me nuts when vendors release two totally different things with the same product number/name.

[Dave G]

jakepunk,

Thanks for following up on this.

Dave

[Dave G]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.  I got my wireless Squeezebox 3 yesterday and it works just fine with the Wireless B Linksys BEFW11S4 router.  The SB3 is about 40' and one floor away from the router.  I'm not sure of the signal strength, but I didn't have any dropouts during the 2 hours I played it.

Dave

[Dave G]

Oops!  Spoke too soon in my Dec. 21 post.  While my SB3 connected easily to my computer via my Wireless B Linksys BEFW11S4 router on Tuesday (Dec. 21), it would not connect at all on Wednesday and only briefly on Thursday.  So today (Friday) I bought a Linksys WRT54G wireless router, installed the latest firmware from the Linksys site, and now everything seems to be working perfectly.  

For me, at least, the Linksys wireless B router turned out not to work, but the  WRT54G wireless G router works fine.  It's the dreaded version 5, but I've not had the problems with it some folks have -- at least so far (knock on wood!).  

Dave