I have updated my Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller with Driver Version: 10.3.723.2015, which I presume is for W10. Does this driver accommodate AC D-B technology? I'm running x64 W10 on a PC which was formerly W7 SP1 which I built. If I were to purchase an AC D-B router, would I achieve the performance improvements via Ethernet cable, assuming the driver is AC D-B compliant? There are numerous AC adapter wireless cards available for desktops that I could add to the motherboard but I prefer to not enable wireless except when doing something on my laptop or my adult children are visiting. Thank you!
You need to specify the hardware devices by model number. That said, I think you are confused about the various technologies. The Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller is for your Ethernet adapter - that is, for a wired connection to the router. AC indicates 802.11ac "wireless" networking. Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a "wireless router". That is a marketing term for an integrated device that includes in one box, a router, a WAP (wireless access point) and a 4-port Ethernet switch. Those are 3 totally discrete devices that just happen to share a box, circuit board and power supply. A router has just two connections, one input and one output and is used to connect (or isolate) two networks (your network and the Internet). The Ethernet switch is used to connect wired devices to the input side of the router. The WAP connects your wireless devices to a 5th internal Ethernet port inside the box. In other words, the performance over Ethernet has nothing to do with the wireless (AC) side of things.
Thank you for the reply! Essentially I am aware of everything you've mentioned, indeed, "Dual-Band" being part of the marketing term. I guess my question should have been, "Do the gigabit routers offer performance improvements through the Ethernet switch (Cat cable connections) too?" Thank you!
No, dual band is a real technical term. It does not mean wireless and Ethernet. Dual band is ONLY about the wireless side and it means the wireless router (WAP actually) is capable of supporting two different wireless devices using two (dual) different frequencies (5GHz and 2.4GHz) or "bands" at the same time. For example, it can support a wireless notebook using 802.11n at 5GHz and another wireless device using 802.11g on 2.4GHz. These are totally separate from any Ethernet (wired) connected devices. "Gigabit" routers refer ONLY to the Ethernet side. When you see 10/100/1000 Mbps that means 10 Megabit, 100 Megabit and 1000 Megabit (1 Giga) bits per second. 1000 M = 1 G. This device supporting 802.11ac means it will provide the fastest speeds possible for your wireless devices that also support 11ac. So to take full advantage of 11ac, your notebook must also support 11ac. So a "dual band Gigabit router" means the device supports 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz wireless devices (the dual band) and it supports Ethernet device on a 1Gbps wired (Ethernet) network. Clear as mud, huh?
Clear as Tea anyway! I basically had researched and assimilated most of that also. The problem is, my obsessive side read an article last week that the router manufacturers may be forced (by the fcc) to manufacturer them such that even the current ones that run dd-wrt will cease to exist. The article implied you might want to purchase an updated router now, since (according to the article) some are already coming off the assembly line as such. I installed Tomato on my router years ago and that obsessive side of me isn't ready to give it up should my current router fail.
And does your current router support 1Gbps Ethernet? 1Gb Ethernet will not affect an individual computer's access to the Internet, but gigabit networks are nice if you currently or plan to do any streaming over your network. The "proposed" FCC ruling is being considered because some users have been using open WRT and other 3rd party code to use unauthorized channels on the 2.4 GHz band, increasing the RF wattages on the transmitter side and using DFS channels in 5.3 – 5.7GHz band without DFS functionality. These unauthorized uses are causing interference with neighboring WiFi networks and interfering with Doppler weather radars. These are all totally unacceptable and must be stopped somehow and at this point, there seems to be no other way. We cannot blame the FCC. Sadly, once again, it is the badguys are ruining things for the rest of us. Just another reason to stick with Ethernet when possible, IMO.
