Has there been any significant improvement in router tech since 2004? Upgrade or no?

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Epiik

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 2, 2007
Messages
314
Hello wise tech people,

I'm still using a Linksys WRT54G Version 2. It was purchased many years ago.

Fairly often my connection goes away abruptly and says "can not connect to network" and I have to hard reset the router which is annoying as I have to reset the name and password so many times I've just been lazy and just use an unprotected linksys.

Is this cutting out problem due to actual hardware and I would benefit from buying a new router or is it a firmware thing and I should check for new firmware and/or using a 3rd party thing like DDRT or tomato or something?

Thanks for your help, I am so clueless when it comes to routers.
 
AMD_Gamer said:
those routers are known to start to die and cause problems like that.
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Ah, so I should buy a new model?

Any recommendations? Consumer use, gaming and seeding. Maximum of 5-7 ever connections, usually 2-3.
 
Arguably the best consumer router available right now is the Netgear WNDR3700. Pricey at ~$150-170, but it kicks ass and takes names.
 
Just get any router that can run DD-WRT

I have a Buffalo(I know) WHR-HP-G300N running DD-WRT and it runs great, it has the Atheros chipset.
 
I probably don't need something like the 3700. I just need a router that won't limit my bandwidth and not lose connection.
 
The D-Link DGL-4100 has worked great for me. It's not new, but I don't recall ever having to 'reset' it.
 
I must be lucky! I've been using a Linksys WRT54GS ( ver. 7 ) for quite a few years now and have never had any issues with it dropping out. The only thing I've done is a firmware upgrade and it's performed flawlessly!
 
Well, there are processor and throughput improvements of course, and maybe (big maybe) feature improvements in off-the-shelf firewalls, but the biggest improvement is the number of simultaneous connections allowed. Before Bittorrent, this was never a problem for most home users. It is now. So based on that alone, even if you don't need more speed for your broadband connection, I would say upgrade.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/index.php?option=com_chart&Itemid=&chart=124

I believe that dd-wrt also alleviates the little 200 session limit on some of the older routers, such as your WRT54G, but I can't be sure.
 
If it used to work and it no longer does, and he has the same usage pattern, it's the beginnings of hardware failure, not a firmware/software issue. Putting a new / different firmware on the box isn't going to fix anything if the box itself is half dead.
 
Ok, I've got tomato up and running. Not sure if I did the QoS stuff all correct but I'll report back if the dropouts stop, thanks!
 
Epiik said:
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Has there been any significant improvement in router tech since 2004.
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Heck yeah. Much like PCs....processors have gotten much faster, the average RAM has gone up, features have increased, wireless has gotten faster and with greater range. Along with the increase in horsepower, throughput for the routers has gone way up...able to keep ahead of todays faster broadband speeds.
 
I have a Linksys WRT54GS V1 and have had DD-WRT installed on it for a long time.

Recently, the wireless has been crapping out every night. Wired machines still have internet.

Is that a hardware failure or firmware problem?

This has been happening since around fall season.
 
I've got a WRT54G v.2 & v.4 and they both run DDWRT. Never have any issues and there's honestly no reason I can see to upgrade. I'm not too familiar with 802.11n but that would be the only reason if I had machines that can support that speed.
 
plinko said:
Your WRT54G v2 will run both Tomato and DD-WRT. Both will give you more/better features and stability than the stock firmware. I've tried both and keep coming back to Tomato: simple GUI, huge feature set and rock solid. At least it will give you food for thought as you contemplate buying a shiny new router.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato_(firmware)#Compatible_routers
http://www.linksysinfo.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=160
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I have also tried both DDWRT and tomato, and like you keep returning to Tomato, In fact on my Asus RT-N16 I am running a fork of Tomato called Tomato USB, which brings USB and 802.11n support.

http://tomatousb.org/
 
Epiik said:
I probably don't need something like the 3700. I just need a router that won't limit my bandwidth and not lose connection.
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With all due respect, your problem with the old router is out of date firmware or it's just plain old!

Since your only requirements are that it won't limit bandwidth and not lose connections, just go to your local electronics store and buy a new router for $30-$40! :)
 
rickyricardo said:
...just go to your local electronics store and buy a new router for $30-$40! :)
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IMO that's basically a waste of money. If you load the latest version of Tomato on your WAP device, and you have no problems, why switch? Do the OP have clients that can talk to a device over 802.11n band?
 
I have V1 of the WRT54G and I had problems with it dropping the connection randomly. It only happened monthly and unplugging and plugging the router back in would fix it, but it was still a pain in the arse. I put Tomato on it a year or so ago and I don't believe I've had to power it down since.
 
weuntouchable said:
I have V1 of the WRT54G and I had problems with it dropping the connection randomly. It only happened monthly and unplugging and plugging the router back in would fix it, but it was still a pain in the arse. I put Tomato on it a year or so ago and I don't believe I've had to power it down since.
Click to expand...

I tried Tomato but didnt like it.

I went to DD-WRT and have been on it since. But recently my router has been crapping out the same way yours is with the wireless connection. I do the same thing to temporarily fix it. such a pain in the ass when I'm playing XBox360 and I have 2-3 people telling me to reset my router every day.

I just ordered a Netgear WNDR37AV from amazon but they're OOS. Hopefully they'll ship one soon.
 
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