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Can someone reccomend me a wireless routrer with good distance.
- Thread starter mytiburon
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YeOldeStonecat
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Get a Draft-N/MIMO router. Far superior range over old G. And you don't need a G adapter to benefit from the increase in range...even antiquated old B adapters will still received the boost in signal strength/distance.
this is a VERY naive statement. Draft-N (at least, the draft these routers are based on) is VERY VERY different than the current drafts and will even further different from the final revision. I'm a peer review member of IEEE ComSoc, so I've seen a couple of the drafts come my way for peer review. You will serve yourself much better by buying a good, quality A/B/G router now than invest all the money required in a draft-N router and network cards and then have to replace it all when the final revision is released (which, at this point, doesnt look likely to happen until sometime mid-2008).
Yep, anything below version 5 running dd-wrt for a price/performance ratio is amazing. The buffalo WHR-G54S is also kick ass, again can run dd-wrt.
I have been testing out a few different residential Access Points recently. Re-evaluating AP's on the market and what we recommend for residential use to customers. I was running a WRT54G with Tomato Firmware and DD-WRT depending on the week. Range was pretty good. Three weeks ago I started using a D-LINK DIR-655 Draft-N router (new firmware makes this 802.11n Draft 2 compliant). I must say that the range is MUCH better than what I was getting witht he WRT54G. I miss some of the extras that the WRT54G had with DD-WRT but overall the DIR-655 offers much better range and speed.
If you have a laptop that has 802.11n draft built in (my new Dell D630 has it built in), then I would recommend this hands down, if you only have older b/g stuff and don't want to spend over $80 then stick with the WRT54G.
If you have a laptop that has 802.11n draft built in (my new Dell D630 has it built in), then I would recommend this hands down, if you only have older b/g stuff and don't want to spend over $80 then stick with the WRT54G.
I have a 3Com that I install for clients... they were $80 a while back with a $50 rebate, so I bought 5 of them. I actually wish I bought like 50 of them. They sell like hot cakes... I don't think they're available, though 
On the other hand... get a WRT54GL and install DD-WRT... that will be my project in a week or so when I get some more free time. I'll post my results, but I know they'll be useless since a lot of people here already have used it and swear by DD-WRT...
Good luck in your search!
Let us know what you decide on...
On the other hand... get a WRT54GL and install DD-WRT... that will be my project in a week or so when I get some more free time. I'll post my results, but I know they'll be useless since a lot of people here already have used it and swear by DD-WRT...
Good luck in your search!
Let us know what you decide on...
YeOldeStonecat
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I don't believe so at all. Why? Because for the past couple of years...since I've started using MIMO routers....my clients get to benefit from the increase in range of them. I can use a single AP instead of dealing with several old G units which would be required to blanket an area. I don't have to deal with complaints of "I can't connect when I'm in the room down the hall", or "I can't connect from upstairs".
The mistake people are making...is thinking that when "N" becomes official and hits the store shelves, that current Pre-N and Draft-N routers will simply cease to stop working, or will not be compatible with existing clients, or blow up or something. They won't. Most people are using them with adapters that are just "G" anyways.
On top of this...look at how cheap units are? Barely a hundred bucks...or a hundred 'n fifty bucks for nicer ones. Purchasing one now..and enjoying the huuuuuge increase in range and excellent daily performance of it for the next 2.5 years with my current Centrino G chipset is a no brainer. When "N" becomes official and hits the stores...by that time..if my router isn't upgradable...and for some reason I insist of having official N at that time..it's a no brainer to use a little pocket change and purchase a new one. Computers and peripherals have gotten so cheap, it's not like you're spending 1800 bucks on an entry level AP here.
Well said.
What is a 802.11n router, really? It's a 802.11g router with a superior CPU, a more powerful radio, and a draft 802.11n operating mode. Even if you don't care about the latter -- which you can disable if you want -- you still get the benefit of the superior processor and more powerful radio for 802.11g.
There were reasonable arguments against 802.11n routers when they cost $300. But they aren't $300 anymore. Many are under $100. The top router of any kind on the SmallNetRouter Performance Charts is the D-Link DIR-655, which sells for $99 shipped from Frys.com.
If you have strong evidence that current draft 2.0 routers won't make it to final ratification without hardware changes then you should compile it and publish it.
Anything draft N should be very good at G
I put in another vote for the WRT54G (anything other than v5, which can still be modded, but why bother) running dd-wrt. If I remember clearly, you can get the broadcast strength up to something like 28mw. It performs as well, if not better sometimes, than my Aironet which was literally more than 10 times the price.