It's been 7 years since I went wi-fi router shopping...

[varaonaid]

Whew! It's been 7 years since I went router shopping. At that time, my choice was fairly...the Linksys Wrt54GS. It was not expensive with all the rebates back then and was consistently given rave reviews. Now, things are different. There are so many options out there that I'm overwhelmed, frustrated and have no idea who to believe, opposing opinions from consumers and varying reviews from the large tech companies (Cnet, PCMag, etc)!

Here's my setup: Cable Internet (currently running to the Linksys WET54GS), then I have a networked blu-ray player (Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc), networked media player w/hard drive), VOIP phone adapter.

Two laptops connected to the router wirelessly.

In addition, I have a second Lynksys WRT54G that's connected to the first router wirelessly that has the same networked blu-ray player and networked media player (since both are wired only, we're using the wireless router with other firmware to allow the wired devices to connect wirelessly to the main system - something that seems much more common now that when it was setup 7 years ago). Oh, and a wireless printer.

So, I guess my questions are simple: what routers do you recommend and what device to use to connect the bedroom equipment to the wireless system.

I've seen a lot of the new routers have simultaneous dual band transmission which seems it would be of benefit in my setup. What I'm not sure about is if I really need gigabit ethernet (for the bluray and media player streaming) or if fast (100mb) ethernet is enough. I don't know how much that changes anything. Price is an issue but I don't want to overlook anything that could really benefit our setup. All my patch cables are Cat.6 ethernet (the price difference on Monoprice was so small, I figured I might as well have Cat6 vs 5).

I'm fairly tech savvy but I don't want an impossible setup to maintain...but if there's some minor tinkering to do to save a lot of money, that would be a possibility.

Last this, the reason I'm wanting to upgrade is that the router doesn't appear to be functioning properly anymore. It won't maintain broadcasting the internet speeds that are getting to the modem for more than a short time after reboot - and that doesn't always work. I've seem the speeds frequently drop to 1mb download/0.5 upload instead of the 13/5 that we should be getting (but only occasionally do). This does appear to be the router because connecting directly to the modem gives the correct speeds and none of the tweaking I've done to the setup has been helpful.

Sorry this was a bit lengthy but I wanted you to know the particulars. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much in advance!
Rae

 

[Neutron]

You won't be able to go Gigabit with wireless, but Linksys does have a router they say is made for HD quality streaming. If price isn't an issue I would look into the Linksys E4200. It's Wireless-N so you will need to make sure your other devices are compatible with Wireless-N.

If price is an issue and you want to stick to a budget the Linksys E1200 is a good one to look at. I'm running that same router for our home wireless and it has been working great so far.

 

[isaacmorseMI]

If you have the $ I would recommend the Apple Airport Extreme. It justs works and it is very simple to setup. It is a simultaneus dual band router with gigabit ethernet ports.

Sent from my iPad 2 using the SatelliteGuys App

 

[isaacmorseMI]

You won't be able to go Gigabit with wireless, but Linksys does have a router they say is made for HD quality streaming. If price isn't an issue I would look into the Linksys E4200. It's Wireless-N so you will need to make sure your other devices are compatible with Wireless-N.

If price is an issue and you want to stick to a budget the Linksys E1200 is a good one to look at. I'm running that same router for our home wireless and it has been working great so far.

Wireless N is backwards compatible with both Wireless G and B.

Sent from my iPad 2 using the SatelliteGuys App

 

[Stargazer]

If you need something with better range try Ubiquiti. They make wireless n products in 2.4 ghz and 5 ghz. This is what the wireless internet providers use.

 

[varaonaid]

Awesome info! Thanks so much for sharing. Umm, I don't think that range is too much of an issue - we live in a two bdrm apt, very well made with concrete floors etc...we never hear the neighbors at all. So, in some ways, if the range is too good, it could be worse for us as we live in the city. LOL.

I've come to the same conclusion that gigabit itself won't really be of much use to me now or in the near future, though one person told me that a gigabit router would likely have more CPU and RAM. Don't know if that's right or now but I'm not going to let it be a primary focus. Price is more of an issue and I'm not afraid of 3rd party firmware like DD-WRT or Tomato. I used Sveasoft (used to be part of DDWRT or vice versa) firmware 7 years ago to turn a Linksys WRT54G into a wireless media bridge. I'm not an Apple fan particularly and definitely couldn't afford the premium price, though I appreciate knowing that it's a good router.

At this point, I don't know if I need a dual band or if I should go with a good solid single band and possibly consider flashing it with DD-WRT. So hard to know if I'm over or under buying...

One last question...how do you feel about refurb'd routers? There a Linksys E3000 that can be had for around $70 refurb'd but the reviews are mixed...either it's the greatest deal ever or a couple of people were sent bricked routers, one even had a coffee stain on it. I've heard that the E3000 is OK as stock but it good with DD-WRT. I've heard that it runs hot which concerned me a bit.

Thoughts?

 

[Bongu]

From my experience, the power supplies are the components that fail most on consumer grade routers. I have had these failures on netgear, linksys, and d-link equipment. I do use quality surge suppressors so I don't feel that is the problem.

If you are like most users, any of these brands should serve you well.

I am currently using a netgear wireless n with gigabit ports. I have 2 8 port gigabit switches so I have hardwired gig connections throughout.

I have approximately 8 devices hardwired at any given time. I have a Linux server that I use to store my photos and music collection on as well as numerous video files.

I stream video to four pcs in the house on some occasions from this server. This is why I wanted the gig connections.

I have 16/3 cable speeds and I find the provider is the main source of slowdowns.

Sent from my Timex Sinclair using SatelliteGuys

 

[digiblur]

If you need something with better range try Ubiquiti. They make wireless n products in 2.4 ghz and 5 ghz. This is what the wireless internet providers use.

+1 on this. After using some of their products I will never ever buy a consumer router again. The range on their stuff is insane!! Priced right too!

 

[varaonaid]

From my experience, the power supplies are the components that fail most on consumer grade routers. I have had these failures on netgear, linksys, and d-link equipment. I do use quality surge suppressors so I don't feel that is the problem.

If you are like most users, any of these brands should serve you well.

I am currently using a netgear wireless n with gigabit ports. I have 2 8 port gigabit switches so I have hardwired gig connections throughout.

I have approximately 8 devices hardwired at any given time. I have a Linux server that I use to store my photos and music collection on as well as numerous video files.

I stream video to four pcs in the house on some occasions from this server. This is why I wanted the gig connections.

I have 16/3 cable speeds and I find the provider is the main source of slowdowns.

Sent from my Timex Sinclair using SatelliteGuys

So do you find the cable providor slows down randomly, certain times of the day? I'm trying to figure this all out and I'm about to conclude that I need to start with the router as the problem source as direct connected speeds were consistently good. I'm hoping thing will work together once I get that sorted. I think that the Linksys is either just tired or overwhelmed by the amount of use and streaming that is commonplace these days. I mean, 7 years ago, what *was* the average internet speed? 1-3mb/download or something? Maybe less.

Any many thanks to everyone for all your help, experience and advice. It's still overwhelming to figure out what I NEED (instead of *want*) and there's a budget but it's getting easier to get my head around now.

 

[Neutron]

Wireless N is backwards compatible with both Wireless G and B.

Sent from my iPad 2 using the SatelliteGuys App

Duh!! I knew that... Been a long week for me....

 

[rockymtnhigh]

One thing to realize about Dual Band Wireless N -- not all laptop modems (or smartphones) can use the 5GHz band. My toshiba laptop only sees the 2.4Ghz network; my mbp sees both (and can use both at the same time if the SSID is the same on both channels).

 

[LMW]

Wireless N is backwards compatible with both Wireless G and B.

I’m under the impression that while N routers are backwards compatible, that they will only run at the N speed if all the devices connected are N devices. Meaning if you connect a B or G device all your connections will slow down to the B or G speed. Can anyone confirm if I am correct?

 

[JrC]

When I was upgrading my wireless network I needed a wired to wireless bridge. I stumbled on the Zonet ZSR4174WE Wireless N Router. I bought a number of these and a ZSR4134WS 802.11N Wireless Broadband Router w/Fixed Antenna.

This configuration allows me to easily connect my older server (Digital AlphaServer DS10 / OpenVMS) to my wireless network.

These work well for me.

 

[isaacmorseMI]

I?m under the impression that while N routers are backwards compatible, that they will only run at the N speed if all the devices connected are N devices. Meaning if you connect a B or G device all your connections will slow down to the B or G speed. Can anyone confirm if I am correct?

Not all of your connections. Just your B and G devices will run at B and G speeds.

Sent from my iPad 2 using the SatelliteGuys App

 

[televisionarchives]

So why does everyone think about this one? Over a mile range?Premiertek PL-APN POWERLINK PL-APN Boost N 802.11b/g/n AP Router + 1W Amplifier/Booster 2in1 Combo High Power 1W, 28dBm w/High Gain Dual 5dBi Dipole Antenna Wireless Router w/4 Port Switch Transmit up to 2000 Meters Improving 6X Signal Reception and

 

[Bongu]

So do you find the cable providor slows down randomly, certain times of the day? I'm trying to figure this all out and I'm about to conclude that I need to start with the router as the problem source as direct connected speeds were consistently good. I'm hoping thing will work together once I get that sorted. I think that the Linksys is either just tired or overwhelmed by the amount of use and streaming that is commonplace these days. I mean, 7 years ago, what *was* the average internet speed? 1-3mb/download or something? Maybe less.

Any many thanks to everyone for all your help, experience and advice. It's still overwhelming to figure out what I NEED (instead of *want*) and there's a budget but it's getting easier to get my head around now.

My cable provider is Comcast in the Chicago area.
My provider is usually pretty good during the late evenings, but they slow down for me during the day. I replaced my first 2 Linksys due to then quickly becoming obsolete and I didnt notice any slowdowns while on early DSL at 1.5MBps. I went cheap and got bargain prices on old tech that I outgrew very quickly once I got hooked up to cable after the DSL provider(Covad/Earthlink) kept jacking with me.. My online experiences go way back to 110 baud acoustic couplers with teletype equipment, so I have seen vast improvements in data transfer speed.

Tech changes very quickly, so plan ahead. The Ubiquiti products mentioned previously should work well and should "future proof" you for a few years.

If you are in an apartment, you can get one of the higher power routers, you just need to make sure it is secure. My family bugs me for running WPA2 with MAC address filtering, but I tell them that they can feel safe knowing my network is secure. I only authorize address in the router as I read them on the devices myself. I am very paranoid about keeping my personal information personal and being into tech for many decades had opened my eyes to a lot of the pitfalls. One of the things I tell friends and family that set up their own wireless networks is that they must change the default password before they turn on the wireless part of the device.

 

[digiblur]

So why does everyone think about this one? Over a mile range?Premiertek PL-APN POWERLINK PL-APN Boost N 802.11b/g/n AP Router + 1W Amplifier/Booster 2in1 Combo High Power 1W, 28dBm w/High Gain Dual 5dBi Dipole Antenna Wireless Router w/4 Port Switch Transmit up to 2000 Meters Improving 6X Signal Reception and

You might find yourself having issues close to the router due to the router and antenna gain being too much.

 

[digiblur]

If you are in an apartment, you can get one of the higher power routers, you just need to make sure it is secure. My family bugs me for running WPA2 with MAC address filtering, but I tell them that they can feel safe knowing my network is secure. I only authorize address in the router as I read them on the devices myself. I am very paranoid about keeping my personal information personal and being into tech for many decades had opened my eyes to a lot of the pitfalls. One of the things I tell friends and family that set up their own wireless networks is that they must change the default password before they turn on the wireless part of the device.

MAC address filtering is a waste of time. If someone is tech savvy enough to crack your WPA2 key, then getting past your MAC address filtering is nothing. It's actually very simple. One or two commands and you are through the MAC address filter. If you want to make sure you are secure use a random generated WPA2 key that is long! Mixed case and nothing out of the dictionary.