The Router Recommendations Thread (Consumer)

overall I think it is one of the best consumer grade routers.... but Netgear has been known to bugger up certain firmware versions. There are also occasional users that get a bad unit.

Case in point. I just figured out today that the SIP AGL security feature on my WNR3500v2 aka N300 isn't implemented correctly. Few devices out there work 100% flawless. The old D-link DI-655 with certain firmware was definately one of the more bug free routers as was the WNR3700 v1.

At the moment I am on a Zyxel soapbox. I 'll fall off as soon as I can find something this box can not do.
 
Netgear just released the 4500 and 3800. Software and feature wise the 3800 seems better on paper while the 4500 has three stream on 2.4 and 5 GHz freq.
 
Zyxel USG 100 install.

L2TP VPN configured, with internet routed through the wan. Done

IPSec VPN configured, with internet routered though the wan (single user) Done.... I plan on reconfiguring for multi authentication tonight.

Update: Multi-Authentication is working as expected.

FTP virtual server, configured and working. I'm a little concerned that the port 20 looks closed, and port 21 is open on the WAN. My last router showed both ports as stealth even when the FTP was working correctly.

Its amazing to experience a rock solid VPN endpoint like this device possesses.
 
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Been sporting a WNDR 3700 here for over a year, havent had any issues with it until this past weekend. S eems like once i day i start dropping packets, wirelessly, and wired, internally to the router itself. pinging 192.168.x.1 -t will have about 75% packetloss. Also affects the internet access as well. I have taken every device off my network, wired and wireless in turn and found that the removal of any one device has no affect. What does fix it for a day or two is changing the MTU from 1500 to another number, then back to 1500. Dont know if this unit is failing or what, it is on the latest firmware.
 
that asus-rt-n56u's features are nice I like its features but any alternatives that are less ugly? plan to replace my stock fios router and plug in a few usb drives and a printer.
 
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I nabbed an Asus RT-N56U based on this thread and possible DD-WRT in the future. I've used their RT-N16 in the past, and found the DD-WRT on it much easier to move around on; though, the default GUI for Asus' firmware isn't bad either.

So now I have a question: I currently have another Asus N-13 (jeez, what else do I have that's from Asus?!) and plan to game on the Wi-fi connection using the dual-band N fancy stuff, but would it be better to go off of the motherboard's built-in networking port for an ethernet cable and hardwire myself to the router rather than going over the air? I think the router will be all of five feet (four, maybe three) from the computer so signal strength shouldn't be an issue, but I was wondering if anyone had any preferences/first-hand knowledge of this stuff.
 
Anyone able to provide some suggestions for the following....

Router functions are currently, for the foreseeable future going to be taken care of by a dedicate dual-NIC (gigabit) box that's running Untangle (or perhaps, another UTM/Router etc...distro). It has hardware beyond any consumer router I'm aware of, with a Core 2 Duo and 4gb of DDR3.
Connected to said Untangle SFF is a TrendNet TEG-S80g 8 port gigabit switch. Not sure if that needs an upgrade, but I may need more ports.

Into said switch is plugged my old DLink DIR-655, acting as my wireless access point, which is what I really need to replace. This thing just doesn't seem to be up to snuff, be it connecting to another PC in the house (with good signal, mind you) which uses its USB dongle to access the wireless network, or streaming content wirelessly - I have a WDTV LivePlus w/ Asus USB Wireless N dongle that connects to view content from a SAMBA share on-network, usually 720p and 1080p movies. It can usually handle 720p (across the floor of the house, with only minimal structural impediment) but sometimes 1080p becomes more difficult and if things aren't lined up just right, I need to copy it to a USB HDD and play from there instead.

The DIR655 also handles all the wireless devices in the house and does a passable job where the internet is concerned for general browsing. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be one of those routers that supports DD-WRT or something like that, so I have it using one of the updated versions of the normal firmware with all the routing stuff turned off and most of the settings at default.

I'm gathering that its early Draft N support just isn't as proficient at high bandwidth, high connection, multi-machine wireless connections,so I've been thinking about an update. Its obviously one of the eldest parts of my network. Does this sound like the right decision or am I missing something?

With respect as WHAT to replace it with, I suppose I technically only need a wireless access point - preferably one running 802.11N 450mb-500mb or whatever the current maximum "turbo" speed happens to be for best performance. Unfortunately, I've not seen that many access points for SOHO use on sale anymore, and certainly none with decent 802.11N, most are legacy B. The vast majority I've found are $500+ business AP's and repeaters. However, there are some like the TRENDNet TEW-690AP that seem to be 450mbps N (Single, Dual, Tri band?) APs that may be a good idea. Then again, many of them are nearly or as expensive as a true SOHO router so it may be a better value just to get the router instead (say, to take with me when I need to be mobile?) . So far, I've found the following routers that look like some of the best on paper, circa October 2011...

D-Link DIR-857 - 450mbps dual band, and what looks to be some decent hardware. Only thing I worry about is incompatibility with DDWRT/OpenWRT etc... seems the 825 was covered with DDWRT.
TrendNet TEW-692-GR - 450mb dual band, looks like everything's covered on paper? Again, unsure about 3rd party.
Buffalo AirStation WZR-HP-AG300 - Similar to DLink, but running natively on OpenWRT! Looks to have some of the best features
Linksys E4200 - Another dual band setup. Heard that Linksys is no longer worthwhile, but it seems development is coming along for this model on DD-WRT at least.
Asus RT-N56U - Dual Band etc... Good prices, looks nice, but I hear not compliant with any 3rd party firmware, nor will ever be.
Netgear WNDR4500 - 450+450 Dual Band, like the TrendNet. Some say the best hardware? Not sure if proprietary only or 3rd party available. Seems that earlier versions aresupported...

Right now I'm considering the Buffalo simply because it includes DD-WRT support from the start, but I've read that as of late DD-WRT has issues with power/bandwidth on many channels concerning Atheros devices that are not present under standard manufacturer firmware, but I know that OpenWRT/Luci/Gargoyle all update relatively swiftly and fix things... So yes I suppose its time to make choices...

Anyone have some advice on where to go for my uses? Buffalo seems the most "Open" by default and has good hardware and a good rep so I'm leaning that way, but I do need to look into if the power/bandwidth DD-WRT issue is there on that model; it IS the default firmware afterall. The Netgear seems to have some of the best hardware around offering 450 on each of the dual bands so that's a good bit of bandwidth. Anything else I should be aware of? Thanks!
 
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For AP only consider the following:
http://www.netgear.com/home/products/wireless-range-extenders/access-points/WN802T.aspx

Or a Ubiquity Unfi.



The WN802T has the same antenna array as the highly regarded Netgear 3700v1 Unfortunately neither supports 5GHz.

The Unfi is far more capable, and may be too capable/complicated if you are looking for a simpler solution.

And OP don't drink the DD-WRT kool-aid. DD-WRT rarely improves wireless performance.

It DOES give you a ton of features, which many people find useful.

Almost every credible review I have seen ends with the same result. Equal or poorer wireless performance when comparing DD-WRT against the manufacturer's firmware.

Again....I want to be clear. I did not say anything about reliability or routing performance. I am ONLY speaking about DD-WRT's wireless performance.
 
Does anyone have a more updated list on this? I'm looking for a new wireless router. Or if someone could recommend a few for me that'd work as well.
 
Asus RT-N56U users...

Anyone use\confirm NAT loopback with this router?

I.E. able to access a server via public DNS from behind the router? If you had say server/service behind the router with a internet DNS name of "server.mynetwork.com", you could access that server/service with the same DNS both inside and outside of the network.

This post says it is possible at least with virtual server options...

Thanks!
 
AMD_RULES said:
Is the linksys E3000 any good?
Click to expand...

On paper it its good dual band 802.11n gigabit router only failing they have its the antenna but that is relatively easy to mod and fix other than that ddwrt is supported and they run well I just got an e2000 and the only difference between them is the 3000 does dual band where as the e2000 only does 1 band at a time
 
I need a wireless router suggestion. I need to be able to use it as WAP/Bridge.

Essentially I need to be able to take it to a LAN party, grab the existing wireless signal, and share it out and handle DHCP duties for attendees. It would connect to a 3com 48 port 10/100 switch via gig uplink, so it needs to have 4 port gig router as well.

*IF* at all possible I would like to avoid having to mess with DDWRT. Is there an off the shelf unit that will do what I need?

I may not have access to the broadcast units MAC address, from what I have learned so far, the Netgear's in bridge mode require that......

Said router would then be plugged into a 10/100 switch (has gig uplink).

What are my best options?
 
What's good in wireless routers slightly above consumer grade? I have a very high use household of 6 people who all stream from our media server, frequently at the same time. I've been using a DIR-655 for years now and it's held up like a tank, but lately it's been less and less apt, obviously straining under the load when we're all home at once and have 4 PCs, 4-6 game consoles, cell phones, tablets, 50+ devices total connected to it.

So I'm looking for something more beefy, sub $500. Any suggestions?

edit: If it supports PoE that's a plus, but not required.
 
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Hello fellow [H] peeps. I am in the market for a new router. I have been using the dir-655 for the past 5+ years. I have one at my parents house and its been great. I have one at my place but it's my bros and he is taking it to his new house so I need to get a new router. Currently I dont have any issues the dir-655 and its current $70 at newegg, but if there is newer technology out I would be more than happy to get something around the $100 range.

I currently have 2 desktops, 1 hardwired and one wireless, 2 laptops, 1 apple tv, and a xbox. We usually dont use everything at the same time and not too much streaming from comp to comp. Mostly just regular internet use and gaming with 1 pc and the xbox. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
Can someone recommend me a wireless router or two that is under $100? I already have a main router for my business class cable connection I just need something to give me wireless. Thanks all
 
Celestein said:
What's good in wireless routers slightly above consumer grade? I have a very high use household of 6 people who all stream from our media server, frequently at the same time. I've been using a DIR-655 for years now and it's held up like a tank, but lately it's been less and less apt, obviously straining under the load when we're all home at once and have 4 PCs, 4-6 game consoles, cell phones, tablets, 50+ devices total connected to it.

So I'm looking for something more beefy, sub $500. Any suggestions?

edit: If it supports PoE that's a plus, but not required.
Click to expand...

Ubiquity unifi will handle that load. The pro model that should be released next year is a dual band radio unit. For now that's it for Ubiquity. There are other options like meru's devices.
 
4saken said:
Been sporting a WNDR 3700 here for over a year, havent had any issues with it until this past weekend. S eems like once i day i start dropping packets, wirelessly, and wired, internally to the router itself. pinging 192.168.x.1 -t will have about 75% packetloss. Also affects the internet access as well. I have taken every device off my network, wired and wireless in turn and found that the removal of any one device has no affect. What does fix it for a day or two is changing the MTU from 1500 to another number, then back to 1500. Dont know if this unit is failing or what, it is on the latest firmware.
Click to expand...

Same thing happened to me the last week or so. No firmware update for a while and the wireless signal has gone down. It's a shame because when it works, it works great.
 
Last OP update was a year ago? Looks like someone needs to do some work.;)
 
I have had so many routers from Netgear 3700 to other Linksys models. The Apple Extreme I have now has been the most reliable.
 
Monkey34 said:
Last OP update was a year ago? Looks like someone needs to do some work.;)
Click to expand...

I agree, I'm trying to find a good up to $100 router that has wifi and I've asked a few times in this with no such luck on recommendations, where is op at? Haha
 
Because some people don't know about that website and because this is stickied so it should be updated regularly, even if it's just to link to that website. Some people just creep the H for all of their answers. :D
 
Bought a WNDR3800, which seems mostly fine so far, except:

the switch side of it won't allow my xbox360 and win7/media center to find each other. Googling suggests they use broadcast packets to do so. putting them on a standalone switch that's then wired into the router allows them to talk.
 
Does anyone have any experience with MIMO?

I was wondering if 3x3 mimo is much better than 2x3.

I have been eyeballing the E3000 for $55 at newegg, but I want the best performance for h264 media encoding.
 
I have to change a el-cheapo router in one of the companies I work. I would normally go with WRT54GL, but I think it's a bit old by now and since I don't follow the market that much I hope you can help me a bit here...

What I'm looking for is:
- wireless router
- would like to have a long range(so external antennas are probably mandatory)
- N standard would be good, but not nessessary
- solid running
- support for ddwrt, since I need PP2P VPN server

There will be 12-15 computers plugged to the router. There is no heavy traffic in terms of connections, emails and web traffic mostly.

Is WRT54GL still the best choice or should I go with something else... O, and I don't want to spend more than 100€, I prefer something around 50€:)

lp, Matej
 
anarchyx said:
Does anyone have any experience with MIMO?

I was wondering if 3x3 mimo is much better than 2x3.

I have been eyeballing the E3000 for $55 at newegg, but I want the best performance for h264 media encoding.
Click to expand...

I do. I will never go back to 2x.

I have WNDR4000 with an Intel 6300n in a desktop adapter (this is the best wifi card on the market). I pull 25 megaBYTES per second sustained, two rooms away. Connecting at 450mbps link speed.
 
Any recommendations on a router around the $70 range? Helping a friend replace an old DI-524 from DLink. Found the LINKSYS E3000 for $70 on sale at Newegg. They claim retail was $180. Reviews look good but some are all over the place. Some times hard to tell if the person leaving the review knows routers or not. (The one posted above is likely the refub units Newegg is selling.)

Anyway, trying to get the most bang for the buck. Thanks..
 
Looking for the most WRTable router possible. Upgrading from a 10 year old Linksys 54g workhorse. Found the Linksys E3000 which seems to be perfect for my needs, the only single gripe I have is it doesn't appear to support IPv6. Is there an equivalent router to the E3000 that adds IPv6 and is as WRT friendly? The newer Linksys E3200 and E4200s I question the WRT-ability of.
 
Well it looks like ipv6 support for the E3000 is unclear at best.
It does look like the E3200 does support it with the latest firmware, however the WRT-DD firmware cannot enable the 5Ghz channel at this time. This is definitely a showstopper for this alternative.

So, it looks like I'd either go with E3000 with the intent of installing DD-WRT firmware (which might enable ipv6 support)
OR
Go with the E4200 without the intent of installing DD-WRT firmware.

So now I have to research the Linksys firmware for the 4200 and see if I could live without the DD-WRT firmware. Otherwise I'll go with the E3000.
 
Since it appears that ipv6 support can be enabled by virtue of software (firmware in this case), it's making me wonder whether ipv6 can/is also implemented in hardware. Perhaps it can and is in pricier equipment.

That aside, I think I'll go with the bargain basement E3000 with the intent of installing DD-WRT. It will still be a huge upgrade from my WRT54G and will give me plenty to play with for some time to come. I've already got a FreeNAS box and Upnp set up and all that jazz so I don't need the bells and whistles of the E4200, however the 4200 did offer surprisingly fast WAN -> LAN speeds. Oh well.

Thanks, community, for listening. :)

Have a nice day
 
I've got a Asus RT-N16 with DDWRT now that I'm using for GigE switching and wireless N. I've got a hardwire ethernet connection to the other side of the house where I would like to get a wireless AP. I'm looking at either replacing the current GigE switch there with a GigE router, or just adding a wireless access point to the existing switch. I know absolutely nothing about what I should be looking for in just extending the wireless signal or how I should set it up in relation to my current wireless setup.

I am a fast learner though :)
 
SBMongoos said:
Any recommendations on a router around the $70 range? Helping a friend replace an old DI-524 from DLink. Found the LINKSYS E3000 for $70 on sale at Newegg. They claim retail was $180. Reviews look good but some are all over the place. Some times hard to tell if the person leaving the review knows routers or not. (The one posted above is likely the refub units Newegg is selling.)

Anyway, trying to get the most bang for the buck. Thanks..
Click to expand...

I almost picked one up today but google leaves you feeling unsure about dropping that kind of money with reviews all over the place.
I crappy belkin keeps crashing when I use utorrent.
 
Is it worth it to flash DD-WRT to my Netgear 3700 V1? Will it provide better performance wireless wise or will it just only add VPN access?

I'm just curious before I was my time with it or possibly brick it and would like some advice from anyone that's done a recent DD-WRT flash and see a positive difference?
 
Just picked up an Asus-n66u, should have it in a few days. Will let you guys know what I think of it.
 
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