Looking for a decent router, have a few ?'s

R

rkf76

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 3, 2005
Messages
173
I am looking for a router now that I have an XBox 360, swapping ethernet cables is getting pretty old. I currently have cable internet via Comcast and am using a Motorola SB5101 modem. I plan on connecting the 360 via ethernet to whatever router I get cause $100 for a wireless adapter is ridiculous and because it sits pretty close to my computer anyway. I've been doing some reading online and I'm under the impression that I need to get a router that has 100mb bandwidth or better. Is that the case and why? Does my internet connection determine or dictate the actual bandwidth that there would be to dispurse via the router? Does this spec even matter since I'll be using an ethernet cable to connect it?

I know with this planned setup that I could go with a wired router but my son is going to be getting a computer in his room pretty soon so I'd like to prevent from having to buy another router when that time comes. His room is about 30ft from my computer, if that matters.

I've heard the 802.11a is the most secure way to go, but the most expensive too. 802.11g seems to be the most common and 802.11n seems to be the future. That being said, I'd imagine "g" would be the way to go, am I wrong for thinking that? Or should I plan for the "n" revolution? One thing to consider is the fact that i'm not an early adopter of technology.

I've been searching for decent routers and am strongly considering these:

Linksys WRT54G2
D-Link WBR-2310
Linksys WRT54GL
Linksys WRT110
Netgear WGR614
Belkin F5D8231-4

Right now I really want the WRT110 (although the Belkin offering is pretty damn sexy) mainly because it matches everything in my computer setup, piano black w/blue led's. Since I know nothing about the specs or what to look for in these things i'm going purely off looks right now. That is something that is important to me so I'd like to preserve the sexy of my computer as much as possible, but not at the cost of performance unless the discrepancy is so minute that it's irrelevant.

I'd like to keep the cost as reasonable as possible so I'd say $80 would be about as much as I'd like to spend for it but I would consider upping that a bit if neccessary.
 
802.11a is just a link standard, it isn't more or less secure than the others. 802.11g is the most practical choice. From your list of routers, the WRT54GL looks to be the best one to me. You can flash DD-WRT or Tomato firmware on that without much hassle.

As for your bandwidth question, well, it all depends on what you get from your ISP, which I doubt is more than 100Mb. Anything on your LAN (whatever connects to your router at your house) would be able to utilize all 100Mb of that. This limit is controlled by the link speed of the router's interfaces, not the router itself. What that means is, you could have several hosts exchanging information between each other at 100Mb and thus have 800Mb+ flowing through the router at any given time. On your WAN (your ISP), say around 20Mb, is what you'll be ultimately limited by. Finally, on your wireless LAN side of things, even though it's 54Mb.. it's really about 20-30Mb on average for 802.11g.

I know it sounds a little weird, but hopefully that will make some to you.
 
From your list, I would go with the Linksys WRT54GL with the DD-WRT or Tomato firmware as just2cool mentioned.

If you can increase the budget to about $95, I would recommend the D-Link DIR-655. Just ordered one myself.
 
PC_User said:
If you can increase the budget to about $95, I would recommend the D-Link DIR-655. Just ordered one myself.
Click to expand...

I'd definitely go with the DIR-655 as well. But if you don't think there will be need for wireless-N, then go with the Linksys WRT54GL and like mentioned twice, flash it with custom firmware.
 
What's so special about the DIR-655?

Alot of people seem to like the WRT54GL, and why should I flash it with custom firmware? How is that done and what's the point of doing it?
 
rkf76 said:
What's so special about the DIR-655?

Alot of people seem to like the WRT54GL, and why should I flash it with custom firmware? How is that done and what's the point of doing it?
Click to expand...

The DIR-655 is well known for being a fast and reliable router among peeps here in the forums. It's just a well-built a router.

The main reason to flash the WRT54GL with custom firmware is to get significantly better options, features and performance than with the stock Linksys firmware. Just a quick (a bit outdated) overview:
http://lifehacker.com/178132/hack-attack-turn-your-60-router-into-a-600-router

DD-WRT wiki:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Pretty much the only reason why I'd recommend the WRT54G is since that you can flash it with DD-WRT
 
rkf76 said:
What's so special about the DIR-655?

Alot of people seem to like the WRT54GL, and why should I flash it with custom firmware? How is that done and what's the point of doing it?
Click to expand...
Alot of people are still locked into recommending the WRT54GL/WRT54G(early HW version)/Buffalo products simply because it's been the mainstay of the DD-WRT/Tomato/OpenWRT firmware stage despite being some of the oldest hardware in circulation. Simply put, the only way to get a decent featureset and performance out of one of those is to flash it with a custom firmware package as listed above.

If on the other hand you're willing to spend a little more cash and want a great out-of-box experience with a gigabit switch and newer hardware inside, look for the DIR-655.

Does my internet connection determine or dictate the actual bandwidth that there would be to dispurse via the router? Does this spec even matter since I'll be using an ethernet cable to connect it?
Click to expand...
Your internet connection provider is the sole determining factor in how much potential bandwidth you have. That said your router and cable modem, to a lesser extent, can limit the accessible bandwidth you experience.

Your modem is DOCSIS 2.0 certified, which means that it is certified to deliver bandwidth up to 38/30Mbps. That's typically more than your ISP will provide you in here in the states so you're good there.

The next obstacle is your router; IF your router is based on older hardware and has stock firmware, there's a good chance that you'll never see your potential bandwidth. Now if you've only got a basic 768/128 service (like that in Comcast's new triple-play package) than it doesn't really matter what router you get but if you've got the 6Mbps of better package the router you choose starts to make more of an impact. How the hardware and software (firmware) of the router are put together, the parts and quality of construction, can make a significant difference in your experience. Of course, just about any router out there is going to have you the minimum 6Mbps of potential bandwidth but not all are going to be able to handle "Speedboost" and higher speed services.

The speed of the integrated switch on the router does not affect how much potential bandwidth you experience, only how fast internal transfers (computer-to-computer) occur. Therefore any router with a 100Mbps integrated switch or better will work but that does not mean, by any stretch, that you will be able to see that much bandwidth WAN-to-LAN (from the internet to your computer) - rather only LAN-to-LAN (from computer1 to computer2).

A router comparison chart can be found here.

Also of note, I have started recommending people purchase their router from a B&M store if at all possible. Of course if the cost is $30 bucks higher it may not be worth it but the nice thing about buying from your local electronics store is that if there is a problem, you can take it back and exchange it. If you buy from an online e-tailer their response is going to be "call the manufacturer, it's not our problem." The main reason you should bother? Because getting a defective SOHO class router out of the box is not unheard of and not having to deal with the manufacturer, across the board, is a good thing.
 
I agree things like routers are better to buy at B&M incase in doesn't work when you arrive.
 
I would go with PFsense and an old router for an AP or the D-link DIR-655.

The only reason to go with DD-WRT or Tomato is for more options, its not going to fix the fact that you are still using a POS router. If you are a havey gamer/torrenter, do yourself a favor and avoid the cheap consumer routers and go the PFsense w/ AP or D-link DIR-655. Your money will be better spent IMO.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/

Do some research.
 
Another vote for the dir-655. It has a lot of features and the hardware is vastly better than the craptastic Linksys WRT54x series. Seriously those routers have been around for five years and the revisions only reduced the flash and ram to make them even crappier products.
 
Danny Bui said:
The DIR-655 is well known for being a fast and reliable router among peeps here in the forums. It's just a well-built a router.

The main reason to flash the WRT54GL with custom firmware is to get significantly better options, features and performance than with the stock Linksys firmware. Just a quick (a bit outdated) overview:
http://lifehacker.com/178132/hack-attack-turn-your-60-router-into-a-600-router

DD-WRT wiki:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Pretty much the only reason why I'd recommend the WRT54G is since that you can flash it with DD-WRT
Click to expand...
The DIR-655 is getting alot of reccomendations not only here but on other forums I vist too. I'm gonna have to keep this in mind.

Orinthical said:
Alot of people are still locked into recommending the WRT54GL/WRT54G(early HW version)/Buffalo products simply because it's been the mainstay of the DD-WRT/Tomato/OpenWRT firmware stage despite being some of the oldest hardware in circulation. Simply put, the only way to get a decent featureset and performance out of one of those is to flash it with a custom firmware package as listed above.

If on the other hand you're willing to spend a little more cash and want a great out-of-box experience with a gigabit switch and newer hardware inside, look for the DIR-655.

Your internet connection provider is the sole determining factor in how much potential bandwidth you have. That said your router and cable modem, to a lesser extent, can limit the accessible bandwidth you experience.

Your modem is DOCSIS 2.0 certified, which means that it is certified to deliver bandwidth up to 38/30Mbps. That's typically more than your ISP will provide you in here in the states so you're good there.

The next obstacle is your router; IF your router is based on older hardware and has stock firmware, there's a good chance that you'll never see your potential bandwidth. Now if you've only got a basic 768/128 service (like that in Comcast's new triple-play package) than it doesn't really matter what router you get but if you've got the 6Mbps of better package the router you choose starts to make more of an impact. How the hardware and software (firmware) of the router are put together, the parts and quality of construction, can make a significant difference in your experience. Of course, just about any router out there is going to have you the minimum 6Mbps of potential bandwidth but not all are going to be able to handle "Speedboost" and higher speed services.

The speed of the integrated switch on the router does not affect how much potential bandwidth you experience, only how fast internal transfers (computer-to-computer) occur. Therefore any router with a 100Mbps integrated switch or better will work but that does not mean, by any stretch, that you will be able to see that much bandwidth WAN-to-LAN (from the internet to your computer) - rather only LAN-to-LAN (from computer1 to computer2).

A router comparison chart can be found here.

Also of note, I have started recommending people purchase their router from a B&M store if at all possible. Of course if the cost is $30 bucks higher it may not be worth it but the nice thing about buying from your local electronics store is that if there is a problem, you can take it back and exchange it. If you buy from an online e-tailer their response is going to be "call the manufacturer, it's not our problem." The main reason you should bother? Because getting a defective SOHO class router out of the box is not unheard of and not having to deal with the manufacturer, across the board, is a good thing.
Click to expand...
Wow, thanks for all that info, looks like I have some more homework to do.

BTW, I was absolutely planning on buying locally for the exact reason you gave, especially considering my lack of technical knowledge regarding these things; being able to go in and talk to someone about it if need be or to exchange it if it proves to be defective is something worth paying for.

sc0tty8 said:
I would go with PFsense and an old router for an AP or the D-link DIR-655.

The only reason to go with DD-WRT or Tomato is for more options, its not going to fix the fact that you are still using a POS router. If you are a havey gamer/torrenter, do yourself a favor and avoid the cheap consumer routers and go the PFsense w/ AP or D-link DIR-655. Your money will be better spent IMO.
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/
Do some research.
Click to expand...
I don't do torrents and won't be gaming online as I don't have and likely won't get the XBox Live Gold membership. I just want to be able to connect to Live for any and all upgrades and for Live 365 on NBA Live 09. I'll use the wireless part for my PSP and to sync my Zune.

Captain Colonoscopy said:
Another vote for the dir-655. It has a lot of features and the hardware is vastly better than the craptastic Linksys WRT54x series. Seriously those routers have been around for five years and the revisions only reduced the flash and ram to make them even crappier products.
Click to expand...
Well, unless I find that the DD-WRT flash is for me, I'd surely get a DIR-655 before I got a WRT54.

I'm a sucker for eye candy, and being able to maintain the sexiness of my computer setup is very important to me. That being said, the DIR-655 doesn't rank very high on my short list of routers I want. The one leading the way at the moment is the Belkin N1 Vision (making sure to get the 2000 series instead of the problematic 1000 series). Even if I were to get the DIR-655 and it worked well without a hitch, I'd still wonder about the Belkin so I think I'll get that one first and hope for the best. If it doesn't work out then it's gonna be hard for me to get something other than the DIR-655 with so many people recommending it.
 
DIR-655 is a great router so you can't go wrong with it.

I'm using the DIR-615 and despite what many people say or went through with it, it works great but I only use it as an AP alongside my pfSense router.
 
I personally do not like Belkin routers...am using one at the moment. The N1 Vision sure looks nice but it's more expensive than the DIR-655 and the difference in price is really not justified. Not to mention that many people greatly dislike Belkin's firmware (I am one of those people). Linksys and D-Link are the leaders in the router markets.
 
Gott said:
DIR-655 is a great router so you can't go wrong with it.

I'm using the DIR-615 and despite what many people say or went through with it, it works great but I only use it as an AP alongside my pfSense router.
Click to expand...
After reading as much as I have about routers and the problems people have with them, it seems more often than not that it's settings that are the cause of most problems. Things like overheating, buttons being hard to push, etc., those things of course are mechanical/manufacturing issues but it seems those type of problems are less common, at least among to top makers.

That being said, it seems to me that one shouldn't put too much weight on bad reviews about these things unless it's a common mechanical/manufacturing issue that's common among them. The Belkin N1 Vision is a great example. Lots of reviews out there about this unit, the most common complaints are:

unsatisfactory VPN support
buttons hard to push
drops connection

I don't know what VPN is so i'm assuming I don't have a need for it. The button being hard to push is laughable, and the dropped connection thing seems to be a complaint about any router and is usually caused by some settings somewhere.

I'm a complete and total noob when it comes to routers so I could care less about any custom firmwares and all that crap, i'm sure the stock firmware will be plenty for me. Maybe as I learn more I'll have a need for it, but right now all I need is simplicity, functionality, and sexy.

PC_User said:
I personally do not like Belkin routers...am using one at the moment. The N1 Vision sure looks nice but it's more expensive than the DIR-655 and the difference in price is really not justified. Not to mention that many people greatly dislike Belkin's firmware (I am one of those people). Linksys and D-Link are the leaders in the router markets.
Click to expand...
If the 655 and the N1 Vision were equal in everything besides looks, I'd gladly pay $20 more for the sexy N1 Vision. That being said, I can get the Vision local for $120 while CC has the 655 for $100, as ugly as the 655 is I think I'll take my chances with the Vision first.
 
rkf76 said:
If the 655 and the N1 Vision were equal in everything besides looks, I'd gladly pay $20 more for the sexy N1 Vision. That being said, I can get the Vision local for $120 while CC has the 655 for $100, as ugly as the 655 is I think I'll take my chances with the Vision first.
Click to expand...

It's not wise to buy a router based on look and not performance. The DIR-655 will easily outperform the N1 Vision, as can be seen from this chart. Ultimately, the choice is yours...but it does seem a bit noobish to say the least.
 
Enjoy the blekin router (intentional misspelling). The last one I tried to use (not mine) sucked balls. The router was on one side of the house, The router barely covers half the house. Good thing thier family PC is withing 100 ft. Beyond that my laptop (intel 3945ABG, along with 2 cardbus cards, a modded USB adapter) my PS3, and a dell laptop with a dell wireless card) couldn't get a signal upstairs at all of any decent speed. Also the connections constantly dropped. I was able to get a better signal from the neighboor's wirelss through 2 brick walls in thier ENTIRE house. Sad.. It was a brand new 802.11N router.
 
PC_User said:
It's not wise to buy a router based on look and not performance. The DIR-655 will easily outperform the N1 Vision, as can be seen from this chart. Ultimately, the choice is yours...but it does seem a bit noobish to say the least.
Click to expand...
It's also not wise to buy a router based on performance that's beyond what you'd ever need for the environment in which it's going to be used. I don't think a noob like myself who's main reason for even getting a router in the first place is to allow my XBox 360 to connect to XBox Live via my Silver membership is going to have the same needs as someone with a Gold membership who plays games online and has VOiP and two other PC's that need to be online as well. My needs and bandwidth requirements are very low compared to most of you guys so I don't need my router to be able to do a bajillion mbps throughput.

Beyond that, I like trying out products myself and forming my own opinion on them, which is why I didn't ask for product suggestions. I take reviews with a grain of salt because everybody's needs/wants/preferences/expectations and abilities are different. If I can get the Belkin setup to do what I need it to do for me and with no degredation of my online experience then it's a win/win as I have a router that does what I need it to do and looks damn good at the same time. If it doesn't work out then I take it back and try others until I find one that performs as needed for me.
 
I use the Buffalo WHR54 with Tomato.. Its a great combo it was ultra cheap and it works. Even with the factory firmware it works well. I
 
OmegaAvenger said:
Enjoy the blekin router (intentional misspelling). The last one I tried to use (not mine) sucked balls. The router was on one side of the house, The router barely covers half the house. Good thing thier family PC is withing 100 ft. Beyond that my laptop (intel 3945ABG, along with 2 cardbus cards, a modded USB adapter) my PS3, and a dell laptop with a dell wireless card) couldn't get a signal upstairs at all of any decent speed. Also the connections constantly dropped. I was able to get a better signal from the neighboor's wirelss through 2 brick walls in thier ENTIRE house. Sad.. It was a brand new 802.11N router.
Click to expand...
So you write off the whole brand because of that? You have no idea if that thing was even setup right, it's amazing how one little setting not being set right can affect a routers performance. But there's probably no talking sense to you so I'll just disregard what you said just the same as you'll disregard what I said.

Wrench00 said:
I use the Buffalo WHR54 with Tomato.. Its a great combo it was ultra cheap and it works. Even with the factory firmware it works well. I
Click to expand...
I've heard alot about Tomato and DD-WRT, but what's so special about those custom firmwares? Do they allow a level of performance significantly better than the stock firmware?
 
rkf76 said:
It's also not wise to buy a router based on performance that's beyond what you'd ever need for the environment in which it's going to be used. I don't think a noob like myself who's main reason for even getting a router in the first place is to allow my XBox 360 to connect to XBox Live via my Silver membership is going to have the same needs as someone with a Gold membership who plays games online and has VOiP and two other PC's that need to be online as well. My needs and bandwidth requirements are very low compared to most of you guys so I don't need my router to be able to do a bajillion mbps throughput.

Beyond that, I like trying out products myself and forming my own opinion on them, which is why I didn't ask for product suggestions. I take reviews with a grain of salt because everybody's needs/wants/preferences/expectations and abilities are different. If I can get the Belkin setup to do what I need it to do for me and with no degredation of my online experience then it's a win/win as I have a router that does what I need it to do and looks damn good at the same time. If it doesn't work out then I take it back and try others until I find one that performs as needed for me.
Click to expand...

Then you certainly don't need the Belkin N1 for $125. Get something like this Rosewill for $23 and then spend the rest of the money upgrading your computer or investing in the stock market.
 
rkf76 said:
So you write off the whole brand because of that? You have no idea if that thing was even setup right, it's amazing how one little setting not being set right can affect a routers performance. But there's probably no talking sense to you so I'll just disregard what you said just the same as you'll disregard what I said.
Click to expand...

I write off the whole brand because I've heard lots of bad things about them. Here, around town, and from personal experience.

I verified that it WAS set up properly because we were the a whole week house sitting and really wanted to use my ps3 on thier nice new 42" LCD.

No the router just sucks. I tried repositioning the antennas, changing it to G only mode, etc. Thier house is taller than mine since its a 2 story, but not as deep or wide on the lot.
My house is almost 2x as wide. I can get a signal from my d-link with an el-cheapo mag mount antenna (WBR-1310 if you are curious) with FOUR BARS on the other side of the house. the mag mount antenna is no higher gain than the stock. I just needed it because the router is inside my steel rack.
I can barely get 23% upstairs in the upstairs living/game room area. The signal stops being usable 4 feet from the farthest wall from router.

I'm writing off the whole brand because Belkin likely doesn't even make them. We are talking about a company that went from cables and laptop bags, etc to freakin ROUTERS!! Would you buy an LCD from goodyear if they starting selling them?

You may not need the specs of the D-link now, but the best thing to do when you buy tech is not to buy what to support what you have now, but to buy what will carry you into the future to some extent. Just go by that rosewill and be done with, since you ovbiouslly dont want to buy something thats tried and true and recommended by almost everyone in this sub forum.

BTW I'd read the reviews before I buy a router: http://reviews.cnet.com/routers/belkin-n1-vision/4505-3319_7-32537863.html

I'm done with this thread.
 
PC_User said:
Then you certainly don't need the Belkin N1 for $125. Get something like this Rosewill for $23 and then spend the rest of the money upgrading your computer or investing in the stock market.
Click to expand...
Wow, you go from one extreme to the other. No need to take it personal bro, I've already stated that i'm gonna give the Belkin a shot and if that doesn't work then the DIR-655 is gonna be hard for me to pass up considering how many recommendations i'm getting for it. Everythings gonna be ok.

OmegaAvenger said:
I write off the whole brand because I've heard lots of bad things about them. Here, around town, and from personal experience.

I verified that it WAS set up properly because we were the a whole week house sitting and really wanted to use my ps3 on thier nice new 42" LCD.
Click to expand...
That's fine, ur entitled to your opinion. But I'm going to form my own based on first hand experience. Since I've been researching routers I've heard lots of bad things about Linksys/D-Link/Belkin/Netgear/etc., so if I were to adopt your way of thinking it's very likely I wouldn't ever get a router.

and BTW, I have read many reviews about the N1 Vision and have read many threads about them in forums all over the net, and while there are many negative reviews on it, there are plenty positive reviews on it just as well. The most telling detail left out of most of those reviews is the expertise and knowledge of said reviewer. Like me for example, this is going to be my very first experience with a router so it's going to be incredibly easy for me to not do something right and just as easy for me to place blame on the hardware when it could very well be my fault so if I lose my patience in trying to get the thing setup I could very easily write up a negative review on it.

Of all the reviews I've read the one constant, even in the negative reviews, is how easy it is to set this thing up and get it running. That's exactly what I need, and the ability to see who is accessing my connection is a nice feature to have as well, among others.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top