Best router for under $200?

[ShogunCS]

Hey guys, my currest Linksys router (Wireless B) has been behaving irratically for awhile now and I am looking to purchase a new router. I would prefer to keep the cost of the new router under $200 canadian. Also, I need the router to be wireless. I would love to get a Cisco router or Nortel but even their lowest end stuff is pricey. So, I ask the question which router is the best in terms of performance and stability for the price tag of $200?

 

[BillLeeLee]

My standard answer to this is Linksys WRT54G with 3rd party firmware like DD-WRT. Just be sure not to get a version 5.

The router is around $40 - 50 USD.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Linksys WRT54GX
or
Belkin Pre-N
Last choice...Linksys WRT54GX2 (baby Pre-N)

Once you're setup a few Pre-N/MIMO networks..you'll never look back at old G. They simply are that much better.

I'm not up on currency rates, but they've come down quite a bit. You can even find the Belkin Pre-N unit around the US for mid-80's.

 

[killa62]

what's so much of the advantage with the preN stuff?
is it really that much faster than g?
for the price of the router and cards, wouldn't it be cheaper to get a full wired networking kit?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

what's so much of the advantage with the preN stuff?
is it really that much faster than g?
for the price of the router and cards, wouldn't it be cheaper to get a full wired networking kit?

The advantage is....I rarely see/hear complaints of "Once I walk 2 rooms down the hall...I lose my signal, how can I fix this?" For most people, the "speed" of wireless isn't the issue, since the majority of users are using it just for internet access...so all you need is a minimum of a couple of megs. But it's the distance coverage...that signal drilling through walls, down halls, through ceilings....where MIMO blows the doors off of old G/B.

And you can still use your old G/B wireless cards in your laptops or desktops..it's the router that punches the signal down for the distance. You only need MIMO cards to achieve the speed increase, the old ones will still gain from the distance.

Your question was "the best" in under a price range, including wireless. I've done an aweful lot of home and office WLANs. Since MIMO came out, that's all I use now, there is without question no turning back for me. The increase in performance, especially distance coverage, is sooooo much better. There are many brands which make "MIMO" routers/waps out there. However...only a few actually make ones based on the Airgo True-MIMO chipset..and that's the one that performs head and shoulders above the rest, in pretty much every test I've read and seen. Linksys and Belkin make routers based on this. Netgear has 1x model, an upper end model, based on this Airgo chipset, the rest of the Netgear line is based on the Atheros chipset. DLink as far as I know does not make any on the Airgo.

Now if you're on a super tight budget, yes the WRT54G is a great unit, I've installed many many of those. Just stay away from the Version 5.0. And based on quite a few compliants I've read about, stay away from the model with the SpeedBooster.

 

[1c3d0g]

My standard answer to this is Linksys WRT54G with 3rd party firmware like DD-WRT. Just be sure not to get a version 5.

The router is around $40 - 50 USD.

An even better option is to acquire the new WRT54GL, built specifically for the community with custom Linux firmwares in mind (it's the same as version 4 of the WRT54G router). They even have their own forum (it's new though, so activity is sparse).

Places to buy:
http://www.techonweb.com/products/productdetail.aspx?id=C35047&src=PG

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...14297-0185751?n=507846&s=electronics&v=glance

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?SCriteria=3854784

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=231286&_LOC=US

 

[ShogunCS]

Thanks for all of the replies guys... I'm looking into routers that support MIMO technology as well. My budget isn't a strict $200 price, I'm just trying to keep it around there while getting a router that fits my needs in the process.

 

[animeguru]

I just bought a WRT54GX2 a couple of weeks ago for use with my PSP and DS and it works like a charm (and is a couple bucks cheaper than the GX).

I get full signal strength all over my townhouse with the router on the top floor all the way in the back. Full signal two floors down in the basement, no problems with lag or anything. I'd definately recommend it.

I will say that the documentation that comes with it is shoddy; of course, I was setting it up as an access point rather than as my primary router. If you have some networking knowledge, you should be able to figure it out easily enough.