What router?

[category_five]

I have a linksys WRT54G V8and I'm going to host some ~20 slot games, but I'm a bit concerned the router won't be able to keep up. I can flash it with DD-WRT micro or purchase a new router. Which is the better option and if I do purchase a new router, which one has good hosting features?

 

[pwrusr]

Currently the best consumer grade router is the netgear WNDR3700AV. It should hold you over for quite some time.

 

[category_five]

thanks!

 

[pwrusr]

I've heard that the WNDR3700AV is the replacement to the WNDR3700. So go for the "AV" version if you go that route.

Another route to check into is http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato
use that firmware on your current wrt54g. though there might be special requirements for that version. Be sure to read up on the documentation before flashing... I personally have a WRT54GL that I run tomato on. While I don't run any gaming servers on it, I can tell you that Tomato runs worlds better on this older router then dd-wrt.

 

[|mkanet|]

A lot of people say this router is the best consumer grade router to get at this time, but may not know why.

The primary two reasons are:

1- It's unsurpassed CPU speed (680 MHz MIPS 32-bit CPU). A fast CPU speed is needed to process WAN->LAN routing with several simultaneous connections while doing packet level monitoring analysis. This is particularly useful for fast Internet connections 100mbps and faster. This router can comfortably handle my 120mbps Internet connection.

2- The invisible background support for proprietary VOIP services such as Skype. As soon as I upgraded to the WNDR3700AV, my temperamental Skype phone started working perfectly. With other routers, I would get frequent disconnects, echoed sound, or no sound on my end or remote end.

The only minor issue I found with this router is there is no power cycle option in the settings. So, the only way to do a full reboot is to unplug/replug it in or when making settings changes.

 

[Krypton]

I wish I could find a wireless N / gigabit router with decent USB performance.. None of them are worth trying to use as a NAS.

 

[|mkanet|]

Swetmore, USB 2.0 specs are the same on any controller; whether they are embedded on the system board of your PC or a router. They need to comply to USB 2.0 specs. Otherwise, the controller wouldnt be USB 2.0 compliant. It's not related to the quality or network/routing/switching/NAT performance of a router at all. You would get similar performance hanging your disk from another PC and sharing it.

I certainly dont have any performance issues with my USB disk attached to the WNDR3700AV. If you're seeing extreme slowness hanging a disk off a router, there's probably something wrong with the router or you might be expecting more performance than can be offered from USB 2.0 (minus overhead), especially via wireless signal.

PS: Slightly off topic, this doesnt mean that USB hubs are created equal (which their controllers still need to comply to USB 2.0 specs). There are many consumer USB hubs which are packaged with an inadequate power supplies; especially 7 port hubs and larger.

 

[Nate7311]

Swetmore, USB 2.0 specs are the same on any controller; <snip>

What he's referring to is the software implementation of the usb port. Many home routers with USB ports limit the resources that functionality can draw resulting in slow performance when compared to USB2.0 spec or expected performance of the attached device.

 

[Layyd]

Well, i hear about that Huawei E583C is a good USB WiFi router, it allows users to share broadband connections with other people in the car,home,office,etc.5.67Mbps upstream and 7.2Mbps downstream can support nearly all applications,like games,audios,videos. Does anyone know it?