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&gt; Anyone that can give an explanation of why or why not?<br />
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Because if they conform to specifications they should be compatible and work together, just as you don't need to use the same brand NIC[s] and switch[es] and router[s] on your whole LAN.<br />
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802.11n is not yet a ratified specification, of course.
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> Anyone that can give an explanation of why or why not?

Because if they conform to specifications they should be compatible and work together, just as you don't need to use the same brand NIC[s] and switch[es] and router[s] on your whole LAN.
 
802.11n is not yet a ratified specification, of course.

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Thank you very much. Good to know next time I get that question from a customer.
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Thank you very much. Good to know next time I get that question from a customer.

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I had a customer in the store today, wanting to buy a Netgear router (N). He had a Linksys router from before, which did not work. He had a Linksys wireless network card in his desktop computer. He wanted to know if he could use his Linksys wireless network card with the Netgear router (N).<br />
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The question is as follows: I guess you can do this, but isn`t it best to have the wireless networking card from the same manufacturer as the router? I am thinking of software issues etc. Anyone that can give an explanation of why or why not?
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I had a customer in the store today, wanting to buy a Netgear router (N). He had a Linksys router from before, which did not work. He had a Linksys wireless network card in his desktop computer. He wanted to know if he could use his Linksys wireless network card with the Netgear router (N).

The question is as follows: I guess you can do this, but isn`t it best to have the wireless networking card from the same manufacturer as the router? I am thinking of software issues etc. Anyone that can give an explanation of why or why not?

Can one &quot;brand&quot; router work with another &quot;brand&quot; wireless network card?

Wireless networking is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and enterprise (business) installations avoid the costly process of introducing cables into a building, or as a connection between various equipment locations. Wireless telecommunications networks are generally implemented and administered using radio communication. This implementation takes place at the physical level (layer) of the OSI model network structure. The key hardware components of a wireless computer network include adapters, routers and access points, antennas and repeaters.

Wireless Hardware

A router is a networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks. Routers perform the "traffic directing" functions on the Internet. The most familiar type of routers are home and small office cable or DSL routers that simply pass data, such as web pages, email, IM, and videos between computers and the Internet. More sophisticated routers, such as enterprise routers, connect large business or ISP networks up to the powerful core routers that forward data at high speed along the optical fiber lines of the Internet backbone. Though routers are typically dedicated hardware devices, use of software-based routers has grown increasingly common.

Can one &quot;brand&quot; router work with another &quot;brand&quot; wireless network card?

Can one "brand" router work with another "brand" wireless network card?