"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
On 1/26/2007 9:24 AM, James wrote:
I'm having a hard timne figuring out how a new router improved your
download speed by 20% since your connection to the internet is only a
fraction of the speed of any local router connections. Most hispeed
internet connections, dsl, cable, etc. average somewhere around 1 to 2
meg. Local hardwired ethernet is either 10meg or 100 meg. Most local
are 100meg. I'm thinking you did not do a valid comparison. It's hard
to do a valid comparison as your hispeed internet connection speed also
varies depending on who else is active in your immediate area as you
share the routers belonging to your provider with your neighbors. As
well as the type and length of the connection and the percentage of
errors.


"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
I ran out of ports on my old four-port wired Netgear router, so, instead
of buying a switch and adding it on, I bought a wired Linksys eight-port
router. Ran a speed test immediately afterwards and noticed to my
delight a 20% uptick in download speed. My old Netgear router was about
five years old, I guess, and the Linksys router I bought was introduced
two years ago, I was told.

Interestingly, the number of wired routers available is down
substantially since the advent of WiFi. I suppose almost everyone is
going wireless in the home, but I still think wired is mo' betta. When
we built this house, I connected several rooms with Cat5e cable. I do
use wireless at the kitchen table sometimes, and it works just fine, but
it is not nearly as fast as wired.

The new router is a BEFSR81. Well under $100, if you're shopping for
one.




I have no idea, but it did. I test speed several times a week on three
sites and I tested immediately after installing the new router. I never
had speeds as high as the test now reports. As Yoda told me: Gift horses
in the mouth look not.

In a router, the packet comes in and the ip header is stripped off, the mac
address is changed to the mac of the router. The ip header is then
reassembled and the packet is sent on its way. This happens for all packets
both directions. With the new electronics and ASICS it is possible to read
the packet in to a buffer and just stuff the new mac address into the
packet - a LOT faster. I don't know if that is the answer for this router
in particuar, but it general its very close.