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Can I haz router? (Purchasing advice.)
ElJeffe
Registered User, ClubPA regular
Registered User, ClubPA regular
Okay, so my wireless router is an old LinkSys WRT54G. It is very old. Like, so old. I think it still uses 802.11b, though for all I know it may be completely hamster-on-wheel based. It is old.
I've been having an increasing amount of difficulty with wireless network access sucking. Things like Netflix are hit and miss, my Wii just flat out refuses to connect to the internet without hanging, my laptop laughs when I try to stream video, and I'm thinking maybe it has to do with the fact my router was built by cavemen. Conspicuous is the fact that when my connection hangs, rebooting the router fixes the problem.
So.
First, is it likely that terminal oldness may be the source of my woes? And second, if so, what do I need to know when buying a new one? Anything I buy needs to be holyfuckingcheap, because I am poor. So, under $50-ish would be nice. I don't plan to do anything profound with it. I mostly want to be able to stream Netflix and surf the internet. I don't much care about online gaming. I am not a power-user, though streaming HD video is a plus. My wireless-enabled devices include a desktop PC, laptop, 360, Wii, and probably a wireless-enabled BD player in the near future to replace the PS3 that just asploded.
Help!
I've been having an increasing amount of difficulty with wireless network access sucking. Things like Netflix are hit and miss, my Wii just flat out refuses to connect to the internet without hanging, my laptop laughs when I try to stream video, and I'm thinking maybe it has to do with the fact my router was built by cavemen. Conspicuous is the fact that when my connection hangs, rebooting the router fixes the problem.
So.
First, is it likely that terminal oldness may be the source of my woes? And second, if so, what do I need to know when buying a new one? Anything I buy needs to be holyfuckingcheap, because I am poor. So, under $50-ish would be nice. I don't plan to do anything profound with it. I mostly want to be able to stream Netflix and surf the internet. I don't much care about online gaming. I am not a power-user, though streaming HD video is a plus. My wireless-enabled devices include a desktop PC, laptop, 360, Wii, and probably a wireless-enabled BD player in the near future to replace the PS3 that just asploded.
Help!
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ElJeffe on
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I don't suppose you have a friend / family member with a different router you could try to see if that is the point of failure? It always sucks to replace something like that and then just find out the ISP is throttling you.
I might be able to borrow a really long ethernet cable and bypass wireless and see if that fixes things; my router is on the opposite end of the house from most of my equipment. (I could connect it to the laptop, but the laptop is a piece of shit and it's hard to tell if it's laggy because of internet issues or it's laggy because it just sucks.)
I always recommend D-Link's products, because they're built well and they have always given me good customer service. The least expensive model you see in Best Buy or whatever your nearest big box store is should more than cover your needs, and i think will run you 20~ to 30~ bucks.
Yup; that should be able to do anything a more expensive router would do, so long as there's only one user, say, streaming HD video through it. 150 mbps is more or less standard, and you only need 300+ if you have multiple users doing stuff like gaming or streaming.
Oh, and make sure you tell the Best Buy rep to go fuck themselves when they offer you the extended warranty.
Having owned the 601 you linked, I would recommend this instead. It's 300 (vs 150) which might be overkill for what you need, but better safe than sorry, IMO. It also has gbit ports for any wired connections you might be using which is great for file sharing. Its increased range (multiple antennas) will also likely help with the distance between your router and equipment.
Until I needed more range, that router performed extremely well for me. All the problems I thought the router may have been giving me turns out were the cable internet acting up. It's highly stable and easy to use. Anecdotal, but mine still works fine after 5 years of continuous use.
The only thing you're missing out on is N technology, but I haven't found that to be a significant feature since I've upgraded. G works great for almost everything.
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