The Router Recommendations Thread (Consumer)

(Hope you don't mind my jumping in on this one)
simultaneous dual-band operation: Yes, you can run a combination of either (including a and b) or run just one of them. I think the 825 is setup by default to run both bands. You can access the router and turn on/off how you want this set up.

As for speed. Your lowest will be the default. If you have a 1Gbs (or referred to as Mbps) and a 100 Mbps the 1Gbs PC will match the slower connection. This is not a problem per se but how it functions. Your network is only as fast as your slowest connection.

This is true on the WiFi side as well. If you have a slower WiFi card (maybe in an old laptop for example) then your WiFi performance will be impacted the same way.

I'm sure Orinthical will respond as well but in regards to your switch question either way will work. However, your network will perform, ultimately, better if you plug all your connections into the switch and then run one ethernet cable to a port on the router. Both devices manage network "traffic". If you have a router with 4 ports (both the 825 and the 655) that is actually a switch built into the router. Which is common for home and small office applications. But by letting one device manage your PCs, printers, etc. it would be easier for the user to manage as well.
 
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Kept getting distracted every time I'd type up a "quick reply" and then come back to have the session time out and lose everything. Ugh.

Celerator said:
Can you explain why this configuration is your preference?
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It's a standard network topology known as a "star" or "hub/spoke" that eliminates hops between your systems and increases perceived performance. All switches, or in this case systems, are tied back into a primary switch which then connects to a router. This reduces "hops" in your network and better controls link saturation thereby increasing performance. An example for your specific environment: Node1 is on the router's integrated switch while Node2 and Node3 are on the add-on switch. You initiate a large copy from Node1 to Node2. There is only a 1Gbps link between switch and router. While it's actually unlikely, let's say that the copy saturates that link -- Node3 is now contending for bandwidth between the add-on switch and the router and may be slow to or unable to browse the internet.

Now, is that entirely realistic in the majority of home environments? Not really, but you asked where the recommendation came from. :) In an enterprise network the core network is typically redundant and there are multiple links to each spoke switch, ensuring redundancy and throughput. Putting all of your systems on a single switch and then running a single cable back to your router reduces complexity, allows you to perform maintenance on the router without taking down more than you have to, reduces "latency" and potentially increases system-to-system streaming and copy performance.

Celerator said:
Also, just to clarify, by "simultaneous dual-band operation" do you mean the situation where one laptop is using g and another using n at the same time? I presumed that this would happen automagically...
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Simultaneous dual-band operation actually refers specifically to the wireless 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and is a relatively new feature in consumer routers. It allows you to run a 2.4GHz access point for compatibility at the same time as a 5GHz one (generally shorter range but more robust and less interference) for wireless-N clients capable of using the 5GHz band. The two can show up as the same SSID or use one for a 'guest' network while keeping all of your systems on the other.

Celerator said:
And one more question that arose when I looked at the comments on the suggested sites: If one connects (to a switch or router) one computer with a 1000mps nic, and another with a 100mps nic, is there a problem with the speed being reduced to the slowest speed? Any ideas (keywords) I can use to investigate this issue?
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A computer connected at 1Gbps doesn't slow down because there's a system connected to the same switch at 100Mbps except when talking to that specific system; in which case the link speed is unaffected however any interaction will be limited to the maximum link of the slowest system in the transaction. So a 1Gbps computer can talk to another 1Gbps computer at (or up to) 1Gbps while a 1Gbps computer can only talk to a 100Mbps system at its maximum rate of (up to) 100Mbps.

It's not a problem at all to have mixed speed network cards plugged into the same switch, gigabit systems will still be able to talk to each other at gigabit speeds.
 
Say I have all my devices connected via ethernet, does simultaneous dual band operation matter as much? I was thinking about getting a wireless N router and the DGL-4500 really caught my eye.

Edit: If all I use is 11g and 11n, I don't need dual band since both run on 2.4Ghz, right? Also it only matters for wireless clients, correct?
 
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First timer in this thread! I am looking to upgrade from the crappy wireless router Time Warner leases you (some POS Netgear with one antenna that drops connection every 10 minutes).


Any good sub-$100 "N" wireless routers? I am so sick of dropped connections. Used to have a WRT54G and it dropped connections or would just reset all the time. I just want stability and speed. Any suggestions are welcome.

Thank you in advance.
 
Look into D-Link's solutions. I have a DIR-655 and love it, but it has ethernet as well. You seem to be looking for wireless only.
 
GJSNeptune said:
Look into D-Link's solutions. I have a DIR-655 and love it, but it has ethernet as well. You seem to be looking for wireless only.
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I figured most wireless routers have ethernet ports. I figured they were just tossed in for the hell of it. I was looking at the DIR-625 I believe it's called. All I care about is that it won't drop connection or reset randomly or whatnot. I'm so sick of crap wireless routers that do this.
 
If you want good 802.11G based connectivity get a Cisco 1121 AP for ebay for under a hundred bucks. Those things are fantastic, been using mine for several years with zero connectivity problems.
 
FatFed said:
Say I have all my devices connected via ethernet, does simultaneous dual band operation matter as much? I was thinking about getting a wireless N router and the DGL-4500 really caught my eye.

Edit: If all I use is 11g and 11n, I don't need dual band since both run on 2.4Ghz, right? Also it only matters for wireless clients, correct?
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Correct - simultaneous dual-band won't help with wired clients, only wireless... and only in special circumstances. For example wireless-N can operate in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands but only newer adapters support the higher-range. Simultaneous dual-band operation allows you to run a 2.4GHz access point for older computers while allowing your devices that support it to take advantage of the less crowded 5GHz band.
 
I'm looking for a new wireless router to replace my WRT54G (V2.0). This router has served me well, but in the past couple weeks the wireless has become incredibly flaky, timing out about once a minute, as well as 100+ms latency spikes (plus about 2Mbps throughput with both my N and G cards)

I've been running Tomato firmware, so I would like something with similarly specific settings if possible (as far as QoS and Port Forwarding are concerned). Bandwidth monitoring would also be nice (Comcast caps), but not mandatory.

I've seen much aclaim for the DIR-655, but I also ran into this: http://arstechnica.com/hardware/reviews/2007/11/802-11n-router-roundup.ars/5 Obviously that article is pretty old, but completely failing at 35ft worries me... I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance here. Surely it should have a better signal than my 6-year-old WRT54G (which was working perfectly up until a couple weeks ago)?

I've also seen some pretty positive reviews for the TRENDnet TEW-631BRP, but then when I checked newegg they seemed to be very hit and miss. Same goes for the D-Link DIR-625.

P.S. I don't even necessarily need wireless N or gigabit ethernet, I am just looking for a quality and reliable signal from a decent range (20-35ft) through a couple walls, and actually be able to make use of my 10Mbps internet connection without plugging in.
 
UPDATE: I installed Windows 7 on one of my PCs that uses wireless, and that seems to have fixed the problem somehow :confused: I tried those 2 different adapters on the machine, and both had the same problem in XP, but both somehow work in Win7.. *knock on wood*

My old laptop with XP (using integrated adapter) still has the problem though. I just don't understand this at all. It seems my router suddenly doesn't "like" Windows XP or something (which just seems crazy/impossible..).
 
UPDATE: I ended up getting the TRENDnet TEW-652BRP. It was on sale at Fry's (huge electronics retail store) for $29.99. Turns out TRENDnet is just made up of old D-Link parts (TRENDnet is owned by D-Link). It's worked fantastically so far! No drop-outs or random disconnects, solid signal, etc. From what I've read, hardware-wise it's got the same components as the D-Link DIR-615.
 
Anyone able to suggest a great wireless-n router that doesn't have a gigabit switch? I ask because I'm most likely going to buy the switch separate and don't want to pay extra to have a needless one integrated into the router...

edit: From this thread's main page these seem to fit the bill and have decent NewEgg reviews - D-Link DIR-625; NETGEAR WNR2000; TRENDnet TEW-633GR. Am I better off just getting a wireless-N Linksys and flashing to DD-WRT though?

JayteeBates said:
If you want good 802.11G based connectivity get a Cisco 1121 AP for ebay for under a hundred bucks. Those things are fantastic, been using mine for several years with zero connectivity problems.
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How often are you seeing this on eBay btw?
 
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Recently I been having trouble with a Linksys WPC600N notebook adapter, used to work great, now its keeps reseting itself, to max connection to 1mbps, etc. Used to work fine with my Dlink router until I reformated, any suggestions? Theres alot of bad reviews on it, but ironically it used to work fine for me until recently :(. Any place to get a custom driver? I don't even need high performance but 1 megabit a second is killing me.

I play with the settings and it connects later on to 130mb (its at 100 Signal strengh) but has strange problems ie "Cant associate with AP" and doesn't stream flash correctly. When it connects at 1 mbps it works fine except its uber slow. Thanks!
 
Bear with me, because I haven't shopped for routers in years. I'm still running an old Linksys that I think is dying on me. I see a lot of wireless routers that have USB ports on them that I can attach a USB Hard drive too for wireless network storage. How reliable is this, and is there one router with this feature that does it better than the others? I want to upgrade my router, but I also want to add network storage, so this sounds like something I can use. Being able to have all my media in one place for my laptop, two desktops and PS3 would be nice.
 
ok, so I need a new wireless router, had a wrt54gs that has served me well for 2-3 years, but I moved out and am in need of a new one. I have 1 laptop and an xbox 360 that I play online, I need a good wireless (yes I know wireless is not ideal for this). I have had no issues with my wrt54gs and the G standards, speed wise it has worked flawlessly and I have had solid connections, no lag, on the xbox360 (play a lot of COD4) and very low latency while playing WoW on the laptop. I figure to keep the options cheaper I will just stick with G. I went out and bought the wrt54g2, but after getting on the net I see nothing good about the range, dropped signals etc on this latest revision of my old linksys router. Anyone care to point me in the right direction, I am open to any brand, preferably one I can find at my local bestbuy as waiting to play xbox on line is killing me :) thanks a ton.
 
looks like I just needed to go back to what I know and like. Picked up a wrt54gl from newegg. Very happy with my purchase and I really like the fact I can try out DD-WRT now :D

Now I just gotta wait the 2 days till I recieve it.
 
Saying not to buy the DIR-655 because of a firmware bug in the latest release is like saying to not buy windows because it has bugs that will undoubtedly be fixed in the next release. DLink is presently handling the issue through support (according to that forum link) and replacing routers. Purchase locally and, should the problem arise within the store's return policy, take it back where it came from and get a new one.

1.3x is a major rev change, even if they only updated the second series of numbers. Wait to apply it on present routers until the second iteration and I'd bet this will be fixed. Good linkage though, I'll modify the front page shortly to reflect that there may presently be a firmware bug.
 
Orinthical said:
Saying not to buy the DIR-655 because of a firmware bug in the latest release is like saying to not buy windows because it has bugs that will undoubtedly be fixed in the next release. DLink is presently handling the issue through support (according to that forum link) and replacing routers. Purchase locally and, should the problem arise within the store's return policy, take it back where it came from and get a new one.

1.3x is a major rev change, even if they only updated the second series of numbers. Wait to apply it on present routers until the second iteration and I'd bet this will be fixed. Good linkage though, I'll modify the front page shortly to reflect that there may presently be a firmware bug.
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Thanks for your comments, and I do get your point. Take a look at what's happening in the DGL-4500 forums, though. It's not a pretty picture.

Consider my scenario: I bought a DGL-4500 from Newegg a couple of months ago. After the return period, I updated my router to the latest firmware in order to fix known bugs. Now I'm in the unfortunate position of not being able to return the router to Newegg, having a router that locks up every couple of days, and if D-Link were to replace the router then what? Best case, I'm back to a previous firmware with the bugs I was hoping to avoid in the first place.

I'm fairly certain that if Windows were bluescreening every two days, and Microsoft were issuing no official comment on the matter, complaints such as mine would be considered valid!

Is the DIR-655 in better shape? I don't know; I haven't been following it that closely. The situation with the DGL-4500 made me want to offer some sort of warning, though.
 
So what seems to be the overall router to purchase? I personally would like to have a gigabit ports in the back of mine. I dont see alot of great reviews on the linksys items but then there is alot of this talk about Dlink with their firmware.

I have a linksys right now and it kicks me off at least once or twice a day and its absolutely annoying!
 
ern said:
So what seems to be the overall router to purchase? I personally would like to have a gigabit ports in the back of mine. I dont see alot of great reviews on the linksys items but then there is alot of this talk about Dlink with their firmware.

I have a linksys right now and it kicks me off at least once or twice a day and its absolutely annoying!
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Some of the newer Linksys gear is actually quite nice but you'll often have to go top-tier to get anything an enthusiast would be happy with; wait, isn't that true for just about anything? :cool: Yes, probably.

Linksys was bought up by Cisco and thus became preoccupied with becoming Cisco's retarted love-child. D-Link found a niche and exploited it with decent-performing "gaming" products that enthusiasts could be proud of. Netgear on the other hand seemed to take a 'screw all' approach and become 'business friendly' --- which apparently, in their vocabulary, means that you have to make crap-all for consumers. As of late however, and unfortunately, it seems D-Link thinks that the consumers who buy their 'gaming' line of products MUST also interested in pay-services aka SecureSpot and are thus jamming it down everyone's throats. :sigh:

It all depends on what people are looking for and how much they are willing to spend.

As for the buggy firmware; it happens from time to time but only the newest revisions on the shelves should come with the new reportedly-buggy firmware and even then it doesn't seem to affect everyone (mine still works great - as an AP) so YMMV. Buy B&M so you can take it back if you have trouble during the first <insert return policy time here> days.
 
Let's play "recommend me a router" :)

I just bought a house with 3 total floors (basement, 1st, 2nd) and I need to ensure it has wireless access in every room. It's an older house (built in 1936) and has extremely solid construction (lots of metal beams, hardwood floors, etc.).

The modem and my office are both in the basement and my wife's office is on the 1st floor almost directly above mine. Her pc and both our laptops are/will be equipped with wireless-n adapters. Until I buy another router I'll be using a Linksys WRT54GL with some custom firmware and an old Netgear gigabit switch that's a little long in the tooth. The Linksys will actually handle DHCP and be the internet gateway, but everything else (PCs, phones, laptops, 360) will be networked through the wireless-n router.

I plan on continuing to use the Linksys since I can monitor bandwidth with it. I'd like a router with both gigabit WAN and LAN ports, but it's not a deal breaker. I just need something wireless-n and with decent enough power to cover the whole house that I can configure to work with the Linksys.
 
I have a D-Link DIR-825 I'm quite happy with. Has a lot of features. I have not upgraded to the latest firmware as of yet. Intentionally.
 
I got DIR-825 yesterday and thinking about returning it as it drops WIRED connection all the time. Debating whether to wait for a firmware update, but these guys seems to have a lot of firmware issues and my version is not mentioned anywhere (new B1 revision 2.00NA). Going from my old Linksys router that I rebooted once a year along with the cable modem for about 7 years - this one is too exciting :p
Any other suggestions? I just need a fast router with a gigabit switch, printer sharing port is a bonus.
 
What is a good wireless NIC to go with the DIR 655? The 655 looks to be a fairly nice router.
 
uriz3n said:
I got DIR-825 yesterday and thinking about returning it as it drops WIRED connection all the time. Debating whether to wait for a firmware update, but these guys seems to have a lot of firmware issues and my version is not mentioned anywhere (new B1 revision 2.00NA). Going from my old Linksys router that I rebooted once a year along with the cable modem for about 7 years - this one is too exciting :p
Any other suggestions? I just need a fast router with a gigabit switch, printer sharing port is a bonus.
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What f/w do you have on this router now? Also, don't forget to check your firewall. These apps update from time to time and can block connections with an update. Although that should be rare or not happen. But if you swapped out from a Linksys to a DLink that would change your IP address. Linksys uses a default of 192.168.1.1 where a DLink uses 192.168.0.1. Your firewall may have seen the changed and blocked the IP address. I have my firewall set to "interactive" so when there is a change it will let me know and ask me what to do. If it were set to automatic it would make the change on it's own and very possibly blocked the IP address and it would appear to have knocked out the wired ports.
 
Can anyone suggest a small business Cisco (or similar) router with WLAN? Yes, this will be for my personal use (and hopefully certs.). I'm trying to find one used on eBay so probably their older models would give me a better chance for anyone about to recommend some amazing new one they have. I'm willing to spend some to get a solid, reliable router with good uptime and full-out performance. Features are important but don't take the foreground of my attention.

I have seen the CISCO871W-G-A-K9 and it looks solid as well as the Cisco 851, though the 851 seems less celebrated.

Or would I just be better off with a WRT54GL running Tomato? Feel free to tell me off.

(Hopefully this isn't violating the thread's topic)
 
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SBMongoos said:
What f/w do you have on this router now? Also, don't forget to check your firewall. These apps update from time to time and can block connections with an update. Although that should be rare or not happen. But if you swapped out from a Linksys to a DLink that would change your IP address. Linksys uses a default of 192.168.1.1 where a DLink uses 192.168.0.1. Your firewall may have seen the changed and blocked the IP address. I have my firewall set to "interactive" so when there is a change it will let me know and ask me what to do. If it were set to automatic it would make the change on it's own and very possibly blocked the IP address and it would appear to have knocked out the wired ports.
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Tried disabling firewall, but that did not help. Exchanged the router for the same model, and still having the same problem. My second wired machine has the same problem. Not sure if I can downgrade from 2.00NA firmware since it is on the newer hardware revision, but maybe will try this weekend.
 
uriz3n said:
Tried disabling firewall, but that did not help. Exchanged the router for the same model, and still having the same problem. My second wired machine has the same problem. Not sure if I can downgrade from 2.00NA firmware since it is on the newer hardware revision, but maybe will try this weekend.
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Decided to give D-Link one last shot, but got DIR-655 instead, everything works fine now.
 
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