Best wired router for home use

S

Sphexi

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 22, 2004
Messages
310
I've been using a BEFSR41 Linksys wired router for a few years now, it runs pretty decently, but about once or twice a day for the last week or so it's started locking up. I can't access the internal page, can't do much of anything short of yanking the power cord and reset it, which works pretty well. Haven't changed anything in my setup so I know it's nothing that I did, I'm betting it's just old and starting to wear out, 3 or 4 years of 24/7 [H]ardcore usage will do that to almost anything I suppose.

Few requirements that I have of new hardware:

- 4 port LAN switch
- Router with NAT
- Port forwarding for Bit Torrent/MSN/etc.
- Static routing (I have a wireless router setup as an AP, need to route traffic to it)
- Support for Source without rolling back the Firmware (will explain lower down)

I've been looking at D-Link, another Linksys, and a few other brands I'm not so familiar with, such as Zonet and Xterasys.

As for the Steam thing, there's a known "issue" that Steam seems to have with certain (aka a LOT) of routers/firmware that causes connection issues, as you can see at the following link http://steampowered.custhelp.com/cg...mtzeXMgcm91dGVyIGZpcm13YXJl&p_li=&p_topview=1

The Linksys BEFSR41 has such an issue, which means I have to keep the firmware on it back in the 2003 era for it to work at all with Steam, which is kind of stupid as it's obviously a Steam issue, but they refuse to acknowledge or fix it, so I'll deal. Seems that Actiontec and Linksys routers are having the most problems, but I'd like feedback from owners of other hardware who use Steam, if possible.

Basically, I'd like recommendations based on personal experience, I'm willing to spend upwards of $50-$60 for a decent box, and like I said it doesn't have to be wireless as I already have a wireless AP setup, and would actually prefer to keep them separate (I'm paranoid like that, damn you Linksys 802.11B crap routers).
 
Well, I have a Linksys BEFSX41, it does all the things you want and it has a built in packet insepection firewall. Not sure about the firmware issue though, i've never had to mess with it.
 
lol as I was typing that it locked up again. It's an extremely weird problem, I can't access it at all, yet the diag. LED doesn't light up as if there's a problem. After about 5 minutes it seems to force a reset on itself and starts working, but I can tell it reset because my DHCP lease from Adelphia goes back to 12 hours. I know it's not my comp cause my Vonage box loses connection too, as does my wireless router. It's all setup on a UPC so not a power problem, and it's well ventilated so not overheating. I gotta assume it's simply on it's last leg.

I'm looking at the SX41 now, slick looking box. If it performs like the SR41 I'll be happy :)
 
Wow...you know what, I just unplugged my wireless AP and it kicked back on, and things have sped up at least twice as much as they have been running. I'm somehow suspecting that it was flooding the LAN side of the router for some reason :(...crappy ATT hardware.
 
Most of the time when something like that happens its because of some kind of IP conflict or packet collisions. Try assigning the AP a static IP from your router and see what happens.
 
Everything I do is static IPs. My Vonage box is static, my main and wireless box are static, my AP is static. The ATT router is simply a piece of garbage, a waste of an otherwise useful $20 that I wish I hadn't spent. It reset itself every hour on the hour since the day I bought it, and ATT's techs said they knew about it and had no plans on coming out with a firmware to fix it.

Currently though, my Linksys box is still resetting, but just not taking as long to do so. Just reset itself now, but it did so in about 5 seconds rather than 5 minutes like it was doing. So I'm still going to be getting a new box.
 
I'm looking at that fancy D-Link gaming router, the 4300 I believe. I'm also looking at the WRTG Linksys one, as well as the D-Link 524 802.11g model. The 524 is like $30 or something after a rebate, and I get a 30% discount on the before rebate price at work, so that's probably the way I'll end up going. Anybody use the 4300 though, looks slick as all get-out.
 
Dlink routers are crap.. in working on the ISP side of things, I wholeheartedly recommend the Linksys routers, hands down.

The BEFSR41 is the tried and true one, yours just sounds to be getting flakey, which I have definately seen after prolonged use (3+ years).. and the other BEFxx41 or 81 routers are in that group.

The only linksys routers I have had any issues with are the BEFW11, as it is a bit unstable (at least when I had it, I gave it to my mother, and she has had to restart it twice in the last year and a half)

You could always go for the WRT54G router, and just not use the wireless, since you can get the Sveasoft Linux Firmware for it. I do have one of those that I am using as an access point at home, and it works like a champ too.
 
depends on what you are looking to spend but how about the cisco 831 broad band router. Though be aware it will set you back around 300 or more.

KM
 
Theres also the 1605R, 1710, or 1720 w/WIC-1ENET, but he said he wanted cheap.. The 1605 might be the cheapest solution of these (at about $150 on ebay), and the 1720 being next cheapest (1720 for $150 or so, and another $40 for a WIC-1ENET)

The other thing you need to be aware of with Cisco, is you will need to make a configuration, they are far from plug and play, but they are extremely powerful and flexable, in the right hands, and proper conditions.

on a side note, I am using a 1720 right now to make this post.
 
Sounded like a good enough title to bump this thread. My D-Link DI-704P is dying on me. I've had it for about 1 1/2 years and about 8 months ago it started dropping the Internet every so often without one drop the first 10 months of use. It really hasn't gotten so worse that I needed another one until tonight. Seems to drop about every 10 minutes or so. It's time to get a new one and I'm staying away from D-Link. I've narrowed the search down to two routers:

Linksys BEFSX41
NetGear FR114P

I have two computers hooked up to a router and will probably need a 3rd in a couple years. I am on the Internet at forums a lot and game online from time to time. Which one of these would be my best solution? Hope I can post this before the D-Link cuts out on me. Thank you.
 
I would recommend the 3Com OfficeConnect, I have one great routers, easy to use as well. Forgot the model number though.
 
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