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The Router Recommendations Thread (Consumer)

Does anyone have a real opinion on the Netgear WNR2000? I just bought this because I needed a cheap N router. So far it's been working pretty damn good and fast and I can't really complain either way. But I love to hack my routers with new firmware and I know that there isn't a ddwrt firmware for this router because it runs off the Atheros chipset. So does anyone know of a good hack or way to get this cheap router even better?
 
I'm going to need a router for my college dorm this coming September, long story short they have the network setup so only one IP per Ethernet wall jack can be assigned meaning switches are out of the picture. My biggest concern is stability, I don't want to have to reset this thing ever if possible and because of that I want a third party firmware(preferably tomato). The only problem with this is I want a router with high WAN to LAN throughput(read: fast processor) I would like to have something capable of close to 100mbps but I know its not possible and if I get placed into an older dorm its not necessary(wired with cat3, yuck).

I wanted to purchase the Asus WL-500W but I read that 3 out of 4 flashes brick the router which sucks. My main uses for the router are going to be Xbox Live, usenet downloading(I only torrent when I have no choice which is maybe once a month if that)and web browsing. I will not be using the wireless at all because we are not allowed to have it enabled because they don't want people interfering with the schools provided wifi.

I do currently have a WRT54GL running DD-WRT as a client bridge to connect consoles at home, so I have some experience with third party firmwares.
 
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@MrBojangels: Quite frankly, stick with the Linksys, or just get a solid wired router with 10/100/1000 on it. Your connection @ school will not be above a solid 40Mbps, so it's moot to even bother upgrading. The only reason why I would even bother recommending is if you are going to have a LAN running in your room. However, being that you are in a dorm room, I highly doubt that you are going to be on a Gigabit LAN (though many colleges have upgraded recently).

What you are running, and the # of devices you will have connected to it, ... you should not have any problems with your existing router.
 
I was planning on leaving the WRT54GL I have where it is because I've always let little cousins and what not use it when my parents are watching them or they just want to spend the night, plus getting that to work was such a pita I never want to do it again(something with the version of DD-WRT I used wouldn't allow the main router to DHCP an ip to whatever is connected to the bridge).

I know I wont have a very strong connection but I was considering a way to get myself a 30mbps dedicated line for me to use through comcast.
 
Well what about the Asus WL-520gU, its cheap, has a 240mhz cpu(vs the WRT54GL's 200mhz), and easy to install tomato on.

I'm just skeptical because it looks like DD-WRT is only stable on it at 200mhz, is tomato the same way? Is it better just to overclock a WRT54GL if I really need the extra power?

Edit: I was seriously considering the TRENDnet TEW-633GR but I decided the unreliability of the hardware and firmware wasn't worth the price and performance, it is a bit bigger in dimensions the antenna aren't detachable so I ended up just ordering the Asus which should be sufficient with a tuned tomato firmware. Linksys has some very powerful routers for reasonable price that are DD-WRT compatible but the enclosure design with internal antennas is piss poor at dissipating heat and leads to their routers failing fairly fast.

Worst comes to worse I could throw a spare NIC into this old 1.8ghz dell I have laying around and install smoothwall on it.
 
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I have read the first post, but I'm not sure for what product to go so I would like some advice.

I am moving in my new apartment next week and I will be living with a roommate. We will be sharing the same internet connection, but we do not have a router yet.

I want a router that has at least 4 ports and 2 antennas (wireless-G required, wireless-N is a plus but not essential). I want a router that allows me to forward many ports (and port ranges), not the usual 10 forwards limit that can be found on some routers.

The most important feature the router needs to have, is "bandwidth management per internal IP" or whatever the real name for that feature is. Basically, I want to be able to limit the download and upload speed of any user on the router, based on his private IP (or MAC address or whatever). For example, the specs of our connection is approximately 8 mbps of downstream and 1 mbps of upstream. I want to set my speed and my roomate's to half that for our respective machines so that he can't download faster than 4 mbps even if the other 4 mbps is not utilized at that point in time.

Basically, I want to be able to play a video game online without lag while my roommate downloads games on Steam at his maximum speed of 4 mbps.

What product would suit my need?

It would be nice if it can be bought from there.

Some friends taught me about some custom firmwares (DD-WRT and Tomato) that would allow me to do what I want with a cheaper router, but I have no idea at all how that works, I am open to every idea that allows me to meet my objectives.

Thank you in advance for your help.
 
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I installed Tomato onto the WL520gu and it seems to be running fine, I don't have any issues running my full download and upload speed though sometimes it will randomly add 8ms of latency compared to my fios router, it seems to have stopped though.

edit: Seems it has no problem maxing out my 10 usenet connections at 2400KBps, struggles a little with heavy torrenting. I managed about 355 total connections in utorrent(tomato was reporting something like 900 connections total)with a constant 2MBps download(2048KBps) with about 300KBps upload however pinging out to google during this stress test results in an almost constant 25% packet loss. Tomato reported about .75 to .92 CPU usage during this time, ram seemed almost unaffected; web browser remained fairly responsive. The router also remains cool to the touch, unlike the newer Linksys routers that sit at almost 120F doing nothing but idling.

This is all using the latest tomato speedmod firmware.
 
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What's the best router for getting a consistent <1ms hard wired connection?

It seems netgear (been through 3 of them) always has some random 2ms, 15ms, 120ms every couple of minutes. My Linksys T-mobile (just died mysteriously after 6 months of use and QOS never worked) had the random spikes of 15ms every couple of minutes. I use wifi some times for causal surfing but don't really care for wifi speeds.
 
rfisher983 said:
What's the best router for getting a consistent <1ms hard wired connection?

It seems netgear (been through 3 of them) always has some random 2ms, 15ms, 120ms every couple of minutes. My Linksys T-mobile (just died mysteriously after 6 months of use and QOS never worked) had the random spikes of 15ms every couple of minutes. I use wifi some times for causal surfing but don't really care for wifi speeds.
Click to expand...

1ms LAN to LAN or LAN to WAN? Whys it have to be under 1ms? I can do both lan to wan and lan to lan in <1ms to 1ms with my tomato router with no load. Short of gaming I don't think there is any noticeable delay between 1ms and 50ms in web browsing.
 
Right now I have a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 running DD-WRT. I'm looking to purchase another router to act as a Repeater to extend my signal. Should I get another WHR-HP-G54 or a WRT54GL?

Also does any one what I should set TX power to for my WHR-HP-G54...? Thanks!
 
AMD_RULES said:
Right now I have a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 running DD-WRT. I'm looking to purchase another router to act as a Repeater to extend my signal. Should I get another WHR-HP-G54 or a WRT54GL?

Also does any one what I should set TX power to for my WHR-HP-G54...? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Both have the same chipset, the buffalo has a better wireless radio and is cheaper. Unfortunately both models are overpriced as hell right now on newegg.
 
MrBojangels said:
Both have the same chipset, the buffalo has a better wireless radio and is cheaper. Unfortunately both models are overpriced as hell right now on newegg.
Click to expand...
I'm gonna wait for the prices to come down and then i'll grab another Buffalo. :)
 
I'm looking for a router, with N and G support and with a good range, My current router is a Victek Tomato WRT54GL and it cant seem to give a stable connection to my computers in the other rooms. I need something with more power, I already have the transmit power up as high as the site suggests.
 
Luthair said:
I'm looking for a router, with N and G support and with a good range, My current router is a Victek Tomato WRT54GL and it cant seem to give a stable connection to my computers in the other rooms. I need something with more power, I already have the transmit power up as high as the site suggests.
Click to expand...

I would recommend the D-link DIR-655...I've had some crap D-Link products in the past, but this is one solid router...I bought one for my parents, and they haven't had any problems with it...It's also the one I was using until I bought this pimpin Cisco router for my certifications :D
 
I am currently running a Tomato'ed Linksys WRT54GS router and Buffalo G wireless bridge (for the 360) and looking to make the move to N wireless.


So, I need both a router a bridge for another room. Budget for both is a max of $150.

Doesn't need to have gigabit built into the router as I have a separate gig-E switch.

Any suggestions for both devices?
 
I am leaning toward an ASUS WL500G Premium V2 and a Buffalo WHR HP G54. I will use the router using either tomato or DD-WRT. Which one would you guys say is more realistic for my uses which are gaming and QoS really.
 
My brother just got a new apartment and the internet is being installed pretty soon. He's getting a 10mb/2mb connection, and this will be split between (at most) 3 laptops. His is a Macbook with wireless-N, although he won't be doing any local network transfers at all so N really isn't needed (it's a small apartment so range isn't a big deal either). He'll be using it for pretty basic internet functions. iTunes, Hulu, and web browsing basically. I have no idea what is a good, affordable (affordability = biggest issue next to reliability) home router. When I researched them for myself I had a $100+ budget and was looking at the high-end D-Links, so I'm not sure what to suggest to him but I figured you guys would know best. Thanks for any and all recommendations.
 
Turns out my dorm connection did indeed end up being 100mbps, without my router I get 94mbps/76mbps, with I get about 50mbps both ways.
 
I'm looking for a reliable consumer router that can run for months on end without spontaneously rebooting, refusing to route packets, freezing completely, or needing to be power cycled. I've yet to find a single router that doesn't have a bunch of user reviews stating that crashes are a routine (several times a month) occurrence.

Can any hardware routers fit this bill or do I need to dedicate a Linux box as a router?
 
Overwind said:
I'm looking for a reliable consumer router that can run for months on end without spontaneously rebooting, refusing to route packets, freezing completely, or needing to be power cycled. I've yet to find a single router that doesn't have a bunch of user reviews stating that crashes are a routine (several times a month) occurrence.

Can any hardware routers fit this bill or do I need to dedicate a Linux box as a router?
Click to expand...

Uhh any popular DD-WRT/Tomato router will do this.
 
Overwind said:
I'm looking for a reliable consumer router that can run for months on end without spontaneously rebooting, refusing to route packets, freezing completely, or needing to be power cycled. I've yet to find a single router that doesn't have a bunch of user reviews stating that crashes are a routine (several times a month) occurrence.

Can any hardware routers fit this bill or do I need to dedicate a Linux box as a router?
Click to expand...
Even the best routers will have the occasional dud, whether that dud be hardware or software related - that's just how it works in manufacturing. Many router manufacturers do not have the money in their consumer line to do the extensive testing that companies like AMD and Intel do to assure customer's don't get quad-core processors with only one core actually operational. QC/QA is often done at a per-model and not an individual basis with a single router every hundred ro so getting extensive testing to ensure a batch of thousands /should/ work.

Just about any router good consumer router can live up to your requirements and business routers certainly can. Look at the higher-end in the list and buy local if you can for easy exchanges should you get a dud.

As the poster above said, you could go the DD-WRT route as well... but be mindful that many of the routers with newer, faster hardware are not compatible with DD-WRT. Don't shoot yourself in the foot just because you've heard how great DD-WRT is. And yes, some of the newer routers can be flashed with 'experimental' versions of DD-WRT. I'm not ruling it out entirely - just noting that many of the routers that are on the compatibility list are quite old, either from a model or hardware perspective.
 
Orinthical said:
Look at the higher-end in the list and buy local if you can for easy exchanges should you get a dud.
Click to expand...

Is the WRT310N in the right ballpark or do I need to go higher?

Reviews on NewEgg don't suggest high stability but NewEgg reviews are not encouraging for any router I've looked at, either.
 
Overwind said:
Is the WRT310N in the right ballpark or do I need to go higher?

Reviews on NewEgg don't suggest high stability but NewEgg reviews are not encouraging for any router I've looked at, either.
Click to expand...
The WRT310N is decent enough from what I've seen of it. Getting DD-WRT on it, if you intend to do so, can be problematic and buggy as it only has 4MB of flash RAM on it; although not impossible.

The DIR-655 or DIR-825 are competitors in the same price range if you don't intend to use DD-WRT and the DGL-4500 is only slightly more.

Hope that helps.
 
kevinzak said:
My brother just got a new apartment and the internet is being installed pretty soon. He's getting a 10mb/2mb connection, and this will be split between (at most) 3 laptops. His is a Macbook with wireless-N, although he won't be doing any local network transfers at all so N really isn't needed (it's a small apartment so range isn't a big deal either). He'll be using it for pretty basic internet functions. iTunes, Hulu, and web browsing basically. I have no idea what is a good, affordable (affordability = biggest issue next to reliability) home router. When I researched them for myself I had a $100+ budget and was looking at the high-end D-Links, so I'm not sure what to suggest to him but I figured you guys would know best. Thanks for any and all recommendations.
Click to expand...

same here except comcast said "Downloads up to 12Mbps, uploads up to 2Mbps with PowerBoost®" for me. I dont want to rent their shitty router so i was also wondering what router i could get for around $50. something stable and easy to work with. I'll be torrenting a lot if that needs to be considered. thanks!
 
After reading a bunch more reviews I narrowed down my choices to between a Cisco 851W and running SmoothWall under Vmware Server. Given the 851W's $300+ pricetag, I'm currently running SmoothWall...
 
I picked up a ASUS WL-520GU for as a repeater
I have 2 D-Link DES-1105's for LAN games and small data storage networking
And I use a second ASUS WL-520GU as a wireless access point for my house (Laptop, PS3 and Xbox 360 connected to this)

I heavily suggest the ASUS WL-520GU if you need a repeater, these are very easy to configure to be setup as one. And they do make great wireless print servers as well if you need one on the slightly cheap side, there are better wireless printer servers out there, but for the price, the WL-520GU is a good setup.
The D-Link DES-1105 I do not suggest alot, there good for switches, but again, there on the cheap side and sometimes act like there priced. There are better choices out there and for around about the same price range.

Good Hunting for your next router or switch or hub, lol! :)
 
This thread should probably be updated soon... I have gathered the following from the four routers in the sub 200 high performance category:

D-Link DGL-4500
Firmware issues, don't like that D-Link has not resolved them in 2 months or more.

Linksys WRT610N
Lower ratings on newegg for the price range. Not sure about the quality now after reading about overheating and a few other things.

D-Link DIR-655 XTreme
-Also D-Link... so no go.

TRENDnet TEW-633GR
-According to TRENDnet this is basically rebadged DIR-655. This would be my only choice from the four in question.

My question is should I get the TRENDnet or wait for something else to come out? ><

I don't like playing the waiting game with tech, but my options don't seem so good.

Edit:
"Reviews on NewEgg don't suggest high stability but NewEgg reviews are not encouraging for any router I've looked at, either."
This is so true ><
 
Do you think the Netgear WPN824 is good choice on the low budget?
Right now I am using two laptops with correct inboard 802.11n chipset. I can only connect with one laptop at a time using my AWUS036H card. The signal comes from a far away cheap att router 802.11g. My objective would be to have a correct signal on both laptop without using my external card.
I dont need no fancy option.
What do you think?
It is also available at best buy close to my place which means I can send it back easily if it doesnot perform as expected.
 
sickpuppy said:
This thread should probably be updated soon... I have gathered the following from the four routers in the sub 200 high performance category:
Click to expand...
Sadly there really isn't much going on in the consumer router market these days - hopefully that will change now that draft-N has been ratified as just plain N-wireless.

sickpuppy said:
D-Link DGL-4500
Firmware issues, don't like that D-Link has not resolved them in 2 months or more.
Click to expand...
I don't like that either - and noted as such - that doesn't change the fact that it's still one of the better choices at the top of the ladder and is only a firmware update away from being remedied.

sickpuppy said:
Linksys WRT610N
Lower ratings on newegg for the price range. Not sure about the quality now after reading about overheating and a few other things.
Click to expand...
WRT610N, just like the 160N and others in the new Linksys styles are suceptable to heat, just like everything else out there. Newegg reviews, from what I've seen, have become increasingly negative on a lot of things recently. Don't believe everything you read there, the WRT610N is still a sturdy competitor in this running.

sickpuppy said:
D-Link DIR-655 XTreme
-Also D-Link... so no go.
Click to expand...
The D-Link DIR-655 is one of the things D-Link has done right over the last few years. There's nothing wrong with it and if you avoid it just because it's a D-Link, well... you'll probably only be happy building a linux/BSD router anyhow.

sickpuppy said:
TRENDnet TEW-633GR
-According to TRENDnet this is basically rebadged DIR-655. This would be my only choice from the four in question.
Click to expand...
The hardware is virtually identical but it's not the same - that said, it was once considered the poor-man's DIR.

sickpuppy said:
My question is should I get the TRENDnet or wait for something else to come out? ><
Click to expand...
At this point? With the wireless-N standard finally being fully ratified, I'd expect a turn-over of consumer products here very shortly. I'd say snag a refurb DIR-655 if you can or get one on the cheap and hold out for something new.

sickpuppy said:
Edit:
"Reviews on NewEgg don't suggest high stability but NewEgg reviews are not encouraging for any router I've looked at, either."
This is so true ><
Click to expand...
Exactly.
 
loopingz said:
Do you think the Netgear WPN824 is good choice on the low budget?
Click to expand...
Avoid it. A Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 or WRT130N get better throughput per Smallnetbuilder and the WRT160N at $20 more would all be a better choice. Even the WRT110/120N seem to be better performers.

loopingz said:
Right now I am using two laptops with correct inboard 802.11n chipset. I can only connect with one laptop at a time using my AWUS036H card. The signal comes from a far away cheap att router 802.11g. My objective would be to have a correct signal on both laptop without using my external card.
I dont need no fancy option.
What do you think?
It is also available at best buy close to my place which means I can send it back easily if it doesnot perform as expected.
Click to expand...
If you were to grab the WHR-HP-G54 for instance, you can load DD-WRT on it and then set up a repeater -- setting the WHR-HP-G54 somewhere in-between where your signal is best and where you need it most. That's a great use for older router hardware and DD-WRT.
 
loopingz said:
Do you think the Netgear WPN824 is good choice on the low budget?
Click to expand...

that is a horrible router. you can have mine if you want, just pay shipping. i cant believe i still have it honestly.

the WNR843B is a wireless N, and is good. there is also a netgear *300N or something like that in hot deals, for $40 its a dual band N router that seems nice too.
 
Orinthical said:
Avoid it. A Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 or WRT130N get better throughput per Smallnetbuilder and the WRT160N at $20 more would all be a better choice. Even the WRT110/120N seem to be better performers.


If you were to grab the WHR-HP-G54 for instance, you can load DD-WRT on it and then set up a repeater -- setting the WHR-HP-G54 somewhere in-between where your signal is best and where you need it most. That's a great use for older router hardware and DD-WRT.
Click to expand...

So would you recommend the whr-hp-g54 with a high gain antenna or the Wrt160N?


krupted said:
that is a horrible router. you can have mine if you want, just pay shipping. i cant believe i still have it honestly.

the WNR843B is a wireless N, and is good. there is also a netgear *300N or something like that in hot deals, for $40 its a dual band N router that seems nice too.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer but it looks like I will try something else.
 
loopingz said:
So would you recommend the whr-hp-g54 with a high gain antenna or the Wrt160N?
Click to expand...
If you are going to use it as a repeater, get the WHR-HP-G54 and load DD-WRT on it.

If you want to replace your existing router with it, get the WRT160N.
 
The installation is one modem router in my neighboor apartment, can send a wifi g signal. In my apartment with inboard wifi it varies form nothing to two bars. With AWUS036H, it between 3 to 5 which is much better but not perfect. I have only one one AWUS for two pc and it is pain to move the laptop with the big antenna around.
If I get the WHR-HP-G54 with DD-WRT set as a router. I install a big antenna. I think I can hope a three to 4 bar consistent between the router and the modem then good connection with my two laptops any place in the appartment.
If I get the WRT160N set in directly in my neighboor apartment (he is ok), can I hope a consistent signal for both laptop on their internal wifi?
 
sickpuppy said:
I don't like playing the waiting game with tech, but my options don't seem so good.
Click to expand...

As far as it seems, none of the consumer routers on the market are worth buying. If you want something decent, buy a Cisco router and a stand-alone WiFI AP.
 
So what should you get exactly?

I have Cox cable telephone/Internet so I must use their router?

My wireless router sucks and I want to replace it cheaply, what should I get? I just have a desktop and a laptop. I only need one wireless access point and one wired.
 
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