Which Wireless Router Do you Recommend?

[radhak]

Note, I want recommendation, which could be different from the one you currently have (Of course, the logical would ask - why?) !

Which also means, you could dish on the problems you had with others !

Today, as a first, the comcast tech support guy proved me wrong! I told him I was unable to connect to various sites (but ok with others), he says 'your wireless router must be bad'. And we went the whole process of elimination, and looks like when I connect the modem directly to the p.c. it works fine, and when i reconnect back to the wireless netgear, it does not. So I need a replacement. About time, seeing that this one was bought 5 years ago!

And while you are recommending the brand, please also give me some headsup on the version - is the 'g' version the fastest now, or is it the 'n' (or am i two steps behind)?

As you can observe, i am not googling for this - with the errands lined up for today, may not be able to get too much time... !

[LinuxRandal]

To the best of my knowledge, N still isn't an offical standard yet. I bought a Linksys with the FULL dd-wrt already on it, off of Ebay, for around $10 more, shipped, then I could buy just the router for.
My b-i-l has a netgear, which he has had some issues with (not truely sure it is the routers fault, I think too many wireless signals), and he isn't very computer literate. My brother has an OLD b era D-link that he won. It is still ticking along.

Look at the features available and that will help you narrow it down. That was why I went with the Linux based one, I want some extra's.

[Hellrazor]

The last time my router acted stupid about connecting to some sites and not others I made sure the router was pushing the DNS server IP's correctly. I added the DNS server info manually into my TCPIP settings and I haven't had the problem again.

[radhak]

a Linksys with the FULL dd-wrt already on it,

You lost me there - what's that in English ?

The last time my router acted stupid about connecting to some sites and not others I made sure the router was pushing the DNS server IP's correctly. I added the DNS server info manually into my TCPIP settings and I haven't had the problem again.

Now its entirely possible I have the same problem - because when I pinged comcast.net, it failed, but went thru with their ip-address (and after that, comcast.net worked too)!
how do i do that manually - do i need to edit the hosts file? (I thought those were ancient techniques not needed in today's advanced world !)

[LCHIEN]

i have a new WPN824 (netgear, bought 2 months ago), works flawlessly so far.
I use it for Web surfing, an ocassional big file download and now Roku streaming video.

Didn't see any advantage in paying extra for a N router, as all my network clients had G cards or interfaces.

As discussed recently, I have had 3 other wireless routers (D-link and Linksys) all crash and burn (mostly failed wireless connectivity) and so have others - there seems to be some degree of unreliability in wireless hardware, maybe as someone siggested with the chip sets.

[Hellrazor]

Now its entirely possible I have the same problem - because when I pinged comcast.net, it failed, but went thru with their ip-address (and after that, comcast.net worked too)!
how do i do that manually - do i need to edit the hosts file? (I thought those were ancient techniques not needed in today's advanced world !)

Are you running weenydoze? Go to Properties for your network connection, click on TCPIP 4, click on properties, select "use following DNS server addresses" and enter the DNS server IPs are recommened by your ISP.

[poolhound]

This may not be what you want to hear but IMHO it’s a crapshoot. I have worked in the computing and communications industries for most of my life and have experienced products from most of the major manufacturers both personally and professionally. I think you are wise to avoid many of the internet reviews especially those from consumers as many of the reported issues are either user error or the fault of some other piece of equipment e.g. cable box, PC, ISP etc…

I once had a d-link that I hated and swore never to buy another one, but that was a few years back and with the technology changing so fast current products bare no comparison. I currently have one of the basic Netgear models (WGT624) and it works very well for what it is. I use all 4 of the hard wired ports and the wireless connects laptops and more importantly my TV media center and playstation setup and it copes with streaming video pretty well.

Before you go and buy a new router, decide what you need it for and what you want it to do. If you are simply connecting a couple of basic devices (PCs, printers)and have no major distance issues then any of the midrange “g” models will work just fine. If you want something with higher performance do remember that all the elements in your network will need to be 100% compatible i.e. if you use XYZ Corps “superMEGA WHIZO SPEEDY LINK” at 100,000,000 GBps then you will only have the possibility to get this speed if all the equipment uses XYZ corp interfaces.

Reasons for wanting a better router might be…

1. If you are moving lots of data around servers in your network
2. Active online gaming
3. VoIP Telephony
4. Streaming Video

If you are doing any or all of the above, finding a router that allows you to set QoS (Quality of Service)parameters would be great so you can configure which type of traffic gets priority.

Do also consider that when it comes to the bottom line the router only controls your network. If you put a great router onto a bad, low performance external network, that will become your weak link. Having a 108Mbps router is no real use if your ISP only supplies 1Mbps!!!!

I have been considering getting a QoS enabled router for a while as I have a VoIP phone in my home office but I think most of the issues I have are the fault of my ISP. I get great speed 10M+ but get “jitter” problems from time to time. This just shows that no matter how good your router you can still have issues out of your control.

You could buy a nice new Unisaw but if you only have Sh%tty HD plywood to work with you will find it hard to make fine furniture!!!

[radhak]

Mike, my isp never gave me any DNS servers!

Jon, while I'd be happy to try and diagnose this router and try and fix it, I was also finding it slower than what i'd want. Of course, without any scientific data to back my wish, I am not even sure I'd get anything better!

[gsmittle]

I chose "Other" because I'm very happy with my AirPort Extreme Base Station. Technically, it's a Time Capsule since it has the Base Station with a 1T server-grade HD inside. You can set up the drive with accounts or share the whole thing, and use it to back up your computers besides.

It comes with Winderz admin software, but since I don't run Winderz, I've not used the software. When I was forced to use a Winderz laptop for work, I actually had less trouble connecting at home than at work. Oh, it's dual-band, too, so my slower laptops and iPods don't slow down the fast ones.

g.

[leehljp]

I can't believe some of you guys suggesting a "G".

OK, if you expect this to last 4 to 6 years and a new computer comes along next year, guess what it is going to have in it - an "N" and you will be stuck with "G" speeds.

Is there a difference? You guys may not notice it but I sure can tell the speed difference. I have an N that is password protected WEP2? and a G unprotected for the occasional business meetings at my home. G is slower for sure. When two or more get on, it becomes very evident. N allows wireless backups to be going on while LOML on video Skype with family in the states and I am surfing the internet. No noticeable slowdown. But on the G, when two computers are online at the same time, it shows!

Also, When I went to the N modem last spring, after a couple of months, I manually set my computer back to G to see if I could tell the difference with G on the N modem. It didn't take a youth like quickness, response and thinking to be able to notice the difference immediately.

And now you recommend getting last years technology as new for the next 5 years? Doesn't make sense.

[gerti]

1) the N-draft was accepted and will become the new standard (unchanged).
2) I am not sure one can just look at brands, because even within a brand models vary widely, down to the underlying OS.
3) While not cheap I think the new (3 months or so) version of the Apple Airport Extreme is great. It has two radios and can support G and N simultaneously. That allows you to run N capable equipment at maximum speed on the new frequencies, while still staying backward compatible to anything only supporting G.

[LinuxRandal]

You lost me there - what's that in English ?


Now its entirely possible I have the same problem - because when I pinged comcast.net, it failed, but went thru with their ip-address (and after that, comcast.net worked too)!
how do i do that manually - do i need to edit the hosts file? (I thought those were ancient techniques not needed in today's advanced world !)

First, dd-wrt, is a different firmware, that is Linux based, and runs on certain routers. It has MUCH more features then the standard router.

Now, look at your routers setup page (go to its ip address). You should be able to find out what DNS address you have received from your isp ( for putting in your system).
Then again you could have a hardware problem (I had the wan port on the nat/firewall box and the modem's in post, both get fried by lighting some time back).

I can't believe some of you guys suggesting a "G".

OK, if you expect this to last 4 to 6 years and a new computer comes along next year, guess what it is going to have in it - an "N" and you will be stuck with "G" speeds.

Is there a difference? You guys may not notice it but I sure can tell the speed difference. I have an N that is password protected WEP2? and a G unprotected for the occasional business meetings at my home. G is slower for sure. When two or more get on, it becomes very evident. N allows wireless backups to be going on while LOML on video Skype with family in the states and I am surfing the internet. No noticeable slowdown. But on the G, when two computers are online at the same time, it shows!

Also, When I went to the N modem last spring, after a couple of months, I manually set my computer back to G to see if I could tell the difference with G on the N modem. It didn't take a youth like quickness, response and thinking to be able to notice the difference immediately.

And now you recommend getting last years technology as new for the next 5 years? Doesn't make sense.

While N should be backwards compatable, to the best of my knowledge, there is no N standard. This allowed me to buy my router in the fiftty dollar range, while stores were effectively selling them off for the newer N, NON standard.
I prefer to wait for a standard (think of the BlueRay, HD-dvd fight, or Beta, VHS fight).

[leehljp]

LR,

I don't dispute your expertise in this discussion, but the real problem or worry is not in the "standard" to which you are alluding. When it comes down to it - a quality built modem produced before a format is officially "standardized" - does not have the problems that cheaper modems have that are made after the format has become standardized.

That basically is the telling point in the poll. Look at the spread and which ones don't have much recommendation! Why? Cheap and don't work well at best. I have a G modem made by a quality manufacturer before "G" was standardized and it is still working. PC and Macs both access it without a problem 5+ years after it was made, before the standard was set.

Well made technology will adjust even with minor variances before the standard is set and keep on "ticking".



Why am I seeing more and more technology people prefer the older slower last years technology . . . People who used to be on the cutting edge, looking forward to the next great thing? Are technology people being passed up, getting old, tired, worn down?

[radhak]

Thanks LR. Comcast prefers to keep the DNS servers to 'as specified by the server', ie, dynamic.

But I did verify that my modem is really fried : I dug deep and found a much older Netgear router (version 'a' !) somewhere in my to-be-trashed heap, which when put in place, works! For all I can see, there's not much of a speed difference - but that's because I am typing here and not downloading anything...

That helps me two-fold : confirms that the hardware is the problem, and allows me to work till I get a suitable replacement with the help of this thread.

Hank, you have very pertinent point - the sole reason I'd want to buy the latest/cutting edge technology for this particular situation is that this modem might be with me for the next 5 years!

At the same time, you gotta admit, the very fact that people with solid experience in technology are wary of the latest-and-greatest is an indictment : new is flaky! And if the standard is not yet passed, then doubly so : just ask any HD-DVD-player owners how they feel !

Surprising I never considered Apple Airport - I have a Mac! It shall definitely make my short list.

[crokett]

I would not get a Netgear. I had a Netgear for 5 years before it died early last year. I replaced it with another Netgear that doesn't work nearly as well as the old one did. Among other things I have to reboot it 2 or 3 times a week.