For the love of god, recommend me a ROUTER!

[nsjong]

Okay, so my friend and I each have a router, from Linksys.
They're about 3 - 5 years old. Updated firmware, etc.
They're pieces of crap.

So I'm on a relentless hunt for a new router.
Wireless capability and password security is a must, as it seems they don't make one without it these days.

I know there are some pretty amazing people around here that know inside and out about this stuff.

Please help a high school student and his sister (as well as his friend) in dire need of help.

Cheers,
nsjong

PS: Budget is maybe $120 or so.

 

[ingwe]

This looks like a good one.

[size=xx-small]((((I'm sorry.))))[/size]

 

[Jon118]

Honestly, the Linksys WRT-54G is still a pretty good router. Plus it has a few variations so it could pretty much suit whatever needs you have.

 

[guzziguy]

I've had a LinkSys for years now with no problems, It just runs and runs. I use 128 bit WEP for authentication and the wireless is encrypted.

Sorry that you've had a bad experience. I think that you'll have a problem finding a home router that is any better. When I worked at Cisco, we jokingly said our motto really should be "We suck less", meaning that while we had plenty of issues, our competitor's problems were even worse. You may run into that with other routers.

Please note that I never worked on any LinkSys product and bought mine long before Cisco acquired them.

 

[Hardwired]

Apple Airport Extreme. I went through several different Netgear, Linksys, and D-Link routers before arriving at one that just works. Plus I can stream music through my house with Airport Express extenders.

For the other type of router, I choose Bosch.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

I'm on my second WRT54G (power spike killed the first one) with DD-WRT. Netgear/D-Link had too many problems for my taste. I was always diagnosing problems for friends, plus with Netgear it really seems like a crapshoot when it comes to range and stuff.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hardwired /img/forum/go_quote.gif Apple Airport Extreme. I went through several different Netgear, Linksys, and D-Link routers before arriving at one that just works. Plus I can stream music through my house with Airport Express extenders. For the other type of router, I choose Bosch.

What's the range like? Seeing as it doesn't have antennas..

 

[brotherlen]

I've heard nothing but good things about the D-Link Xtreme "N" router, I'll pick up one in the coming weeks. Has Gigabit LAN ports in the back. Depending on your budget, the wireless "N" routers are leveling out in price. Worth checking out. All "N" are backwards compatable with B,G signals. Also the range is greater than normal G. Or if your feeling froggy, Hack Attack: Turn your $60 router into a $600 router

Good luck with your search. As routers and most hardware vary with results from system to system and with every user.

 

[Nebby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ingwe /img/forum/go_quote.gif This looks like a good one. [size=xx-small]((((I'm sorry.))))[/size]

Strangely enough, that's exactly what I thought of when I read the thread title....

 

[RYCeT]

I'm using wrt54gl w/ tomato firmware. At first I used ddwrt. ddwrt got more features compared to tomato however I got no luck with ddwrt, it's having problem managing torrents traffic vs other traffic eventhough I've put them under bulk and that router just reset itself twice in the last week I used ddwrt. I tried tomato and it's been working great ever since.

 

[LordofDoom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brotherlen /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've heard nothing but good things about the D-Link Xtreme "N" router, I'll pick up one in the coming weeks. Has Gigabit LAN ports in the back. Depending on your budget, the wireless "N" routers are leveling out in price. Worth checking out. All "N" are backwards compatable with B,G signals. Also the range is greater than normal G. Or if your feeling froggy, Hack Attack: Turn your $60 router into a $600 router Good luck with your search. As routers and most hardware vary with results from system to system and with every user.

Yep I have a derivative of the D-Link Xtreme N, I have the D-Link DGL-4500 Gamer after an upgrade.

Amazing router, but a bit pricy. I believe their Xtreme N 655 is a bit cheaper, $130 maybe?
Found it: Newegg.com - D-Link DIR-655 IEEE 802.11n (draft) IEEE 802.11g IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.3 IEEE 802.3u Xtreme N Gigabit Router - Retail

 

[jgonino]

No love for Netgear? I use a WGT-624 V3, and I works flawlessly. Good fast wireless coverage on 2 floors, and I have never lost connection.

 

[epaludo]

I and a friend own a Netgear WPN824 each. We both love and don't have any problems with it. Good coverage area and connection never gets problematic. Don't have much knowledge with, but i've a few friends with linksys wrt54g and most of them are satisfied. Although the WPN824 has more coverage and seems more robust ...

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordofDoom /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yep I have a derivative of the D-Link Xtreme N, I have the D-Link DGL-4500 Gamer after an upgrade. Amazing router, but a bit pricy. I believe their Xtreme N 655 is a bit cheaper, $130 maybe? Found it: Newegg.com - D-Link DIR-655 IEEE 802.11n (draft) IEEE 802.11g IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.3 IEEE 802.3u Xtreme N Gigabit Router - Retail

I have the D-Link DGL-4500 as well. Hands down my favorite of all that I owned. The fastest and most stable.

-Ed

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

The WRT54G and GS have been very reliable in my experience. I prefer them for my customers because they are relatively cheap, and just plain work well with a minimum of hassle and monkey business.

My preferred wireless router is the Buffalo WHR-HP-54G, which has a more flexible and powerful interface than the Linksys, and a stronger wireless output and higher gain stock antenna than most, for better regular G coverage than most others (and drives aftermarket antennas much better). However, an injunction related to a patent suit is prevening Buffalo from selling them, so they can be hard to come by, and are generally a little more expensive than the Linksys.

I've not used Netgear, but I am somewhat skeptical about their case-as-an-antenna design. D-Link, I've had a mixed response to, never been particularly appalled nor impressed.