I'm using an asus laptop for a wireless access point, how long could it last working day and night? one year, two years? have anyone of you had this experience? Thanks for the answers.
That's a rather open-ended question Is it powered up 24/7 ? Is it getting hot ? fan running at high speed ? If the answer is "no" to those questions , it could last indefinitely. I would try something like " Speedfan " to monitor temperatures , fan speeds and cpu load .
You are asking, is it good to use a tool for something other than what it was designed for? Notebooks are not designed for 24/7 use. Will it work? Well, a QM noted, if kept properly cooled, it might. But is it "good". I would say, no. What is a "wireless router"? Technically speaking, there is no such thing as a "wireless router". That is simply a "marketing" term for a "3-way" "integrated" device consisting of a router, a Ethernet switch (typically 4-port), and a wireless access point (WAP). These are three discrete network devices that just happen to share the same box, same PCB (printed circuit board) and same power supply. Note the 4-port switch connects internally to the router's one input. And the WAP actually connects internally to a 5th Ethernet port of the switch. Note there are dozens of inexpensive (less than $50) "wireless routers" - devices designed just for this purpose - to provide 24/7/365 wireless access to your network. Not only that, they have the necessary security features (encryption and access control) to ensure only those computers you want to have access, get in to your network. And with the integrated router, you can ensure those you allow access cannot gain access to your private network. If you already have a router and just want to add wireless access, you also buy a discrete (separate) WAP like this to add to your network. But personally, a wireless router does the same thing, but adds greater flexibility and "future proofing" to your network. The more you spend on a wireless router or separate access point, the better performance you will get. If your notebook only supports 150Mbps, that is the best any connected device will get (and that will go downhill from there as more and more devices connect. With a decent wireless router or WAP, multiple devices can connect at the same time and still achieve better performance.
Well, finally I bought a router TPLINK TL-WR740N and it works fine. Thanks quietman and Bill_Bright, the laptop works fine but I think it consumes more energy than the router.
I think that was the much wiser option. That's to be expected. Routers are really pretty basic devices running a really basic operating system with basic programing. The router simply passes data packets back and forth. A notebook is a full fledged computer running a really complex operating system and other programs (including resource hogging security apps). A notebook is powering a built in drive, lots of RAM, integrated sound card and integrated graphics card, and a monitor too - plus more.
