Linksys, netgear, belkin

[Van]

Are they all good wireless routers and what is everyones recommendation?

I have a netgear first gen mimio wireless that's failing and needs to be replaced soon. I've had linksys and now netgear and both have been good except for the fact that both wont work together ( IE the linksys pc adapter wouldnt see the netgear router ) however the belkin offers up more information on the box and it does help that its also cheaper than the others.

Right now Im using netgear wireless usb G adapters on both our desktops so I need these adapaters to work with the new router until I can get new ones if needed.

 

[Jared Twomey]

Out of those brands, I have had the most trouble having to occasionally reset the Belkin routers. When they work, they work fine... just have to power cycle them occasionally.
I like Linksys stuff right now. That is pretty much all I have bought in the last couple years, and haven't had a problem with any of it. In fact, I have a linksys router sitting in a closet that hasn't been touched, or power cycled in well over a year.

 

[charper1]

I prefer the award winning D-link products. Have had limited experience with, yet positive results with, Linksys

 

[iwc5893]

I prefer Netgear...

I had constant issues with my DLink when I had one.

I will say this much though, you get what you pay for when it comes to wireless routers. Spend the money now to get the higher end routers, as it will save you money in the future.

 

[Van]

Of all the wireless stuff that Ive had the motorola card for my dead laptop was actually the most reliable out of it all. The netgear wpn824 that I have providing wireless wouldnt update its firmware and its only running in 10mb mode as opposed to 100mb and now I cant connect to it with wep or any other security inabled so its time for it to go.

 

[tawhite]

I'll throw in a vote for Linksys, have never had a problem.

 

[avediswolf]

I use nothing but linksys, mainly because "it just works"
I have a wrt54g V2 ( Very Old ) router that is still putting along with no issues serving my 802.11b and g machines. ( using dd-wrt custom firmware )
I also have a WRT310N that I am using as an AP on my existing network.
I also have 2 linksys switches.

Now that I think of it, I do have a D-Link print server. No issues from it as well.

 

[digiblur]

I prefer the ones that you can load dd-wrt on

 

[charper1]

Supported Devices - DD-WRT Wiki


http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/What_is_DD-WRT?

 

[Van]

Ok so it looks like linksys is what people are leaning towards here and I did have a decent run with them before except for an issue with an under sized pci cards antenna that allows for a dead spots. The problem with going to a larger antenna on the pci cards is that structurely the connecter isnt soldered to the board very well.

 

[Van]

Ok so if I go with a linksys router I need to know that it will work with my wpn111 usb antenna's until I can replace them with linksys ones, as I stated before I had an issue where the lynksys pci card would not work with the netgear router by basicly not seeing the router at all.

 

[FlyingJ]

Along the same subject... I have an older Linksys G Wireless Router connected to my ATT DSL. The DSL isn't exactly lightning as far as i can tell. I use it for my Desktop PC, my Laptop and my PS3 and Wii. The PS3 downloads take for freaking ever! Is it time to switch my router? Can I do it fairly economically. I don't want to buy more than my DSL will be able to do. So is Wireless N the answer? Was told D-Link, never had problems with the Linksys, just looking for more speed. Seems when the laptop is in use along with the desktop, the Wii and the PS3, things really slow to a crawl! Thanks for any advice!!

 

[JAG72]

Along the same subject... I have an older Linksys G Wireless Router connected to my ATT DSL. The DSL isn't exactly lightning as far as i can tell. I use it for my Desktop PC, my Laptop and my PS3 and Wii. The PS3 downloads take for freaking ever! Is it time to switch my router? Can I do it fairly economically. I don't want to buy more than my DSL will be able to do. So is Wireless N the answer? Was told D-Link, never had problems with the Linksys, just looking for more speed. Seems when the laptop is in use along with the desktop, the Wii and the PS3, things really slow to a crawl! Thanks for any advice!!

Sorry but it truly sounds like you are maxing out your DSL connection. The wireless G router you have should be enough to handle any type of Internet connection that you have.

 

[FlyingJ]

I think you are right! Thanks. Just checked with AT&T, seems that at my location I can only get the lowest of the DSL speeds they offer...Yuck!

 

[riffjim4069]

Just my two cents...

I used D-Link products for many years...not bad, but just about all of their products would die in a year or two. I have probably obtained a half-dozen wireless routers from the likes of TrendNet, Belkin, etc. over the past two years (freebies after rebate) , but they sit in the closet since my Linksys routers (and whatever that box is that Verizon stuck in my bedroom closet that I turned into a bridge) are rock-solid reliable for my home networking needs.

 

[JAG72]

I think you are right! Thanks. Just checked with AT&T, seems that at my location I can only get the lowest of the DSL speeds they offer...Yuck!

Who is your local cable provider? Insight, Time Warner or WideOpenWest? You might be able to get a better connection with one of them for just a little more a month.

 

[RandallA]

Funny I read this thread, I'm setting up a Linksys wireless router for my brother in law and WPA just doesn't work. I've had so many authentication problems (WPA and WPA2) and low signal with Linksys routers that I can't recommend them anymore. My wireless D-Link router has been working for 4 years with no problems.

I hear too many complaints about the Netgear equipment that I've never bought one so I can say how they really are.

 

[charper1]

Same here: I have had the same DI-624 for years; perfectly flawless. Of all the friends I have setup as well are still going strong.

 

[boomerang]

It seems that everyone has different experiences with wireless routers. I used Netgear products pretty much exclusively for a long time with zero issues. I strayed and tried Linksys and had nothing but problems. I picked up a Buffalo inexpensively and am using it right now and it's rock solid.

It seems that everyone has different experiences. Then again, I would imagine that not all models are as reliable as another within a single manufacturer.

 

[Hall]

I know the quality of today's product isn't directly comparable, but I've got a Linksys BEFSR41 (wired) router from 2000 that still works just fine. It's only functioning as a switch today though as I have a WRT54G (v6, the "crippled", low-memory version) that's running DD-WRT as our router now.