I'm tired of my older Linksys at home flaking out on us and failing to keep a signal properly, so what's the general consensus on a simple, reliable home wireless router? We're using WPA now, if that's any considering, but I don't know what newer encryptions are out there.
Weren't Linksys THE go-to for a wireless router? That's what I'd always thought. I recently got a netgear, but it's kind of craptastic. My v2 WRT54G has lasted me years, and with either Tomato or DD-WRT on it, has all sorts of features.
DD-WRT is defintely rock solid xtreem to the maxx. The only reason I don't have a perfect 100% uptime since I flashed my router with it are city wide power failures. Other than that, it's always on, always connected, with perfect WiFi signal and stuff downloads as fast as my DSL connection can go.
I've been using one of these since mid-2006 (I got a new puppy then, so you can probably guess the need for WiFi) and it has been very reliable. I put Tomato on it for extra features and the nicer interface.
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I have to agree with Linksys. They've come a long way since Cisco bought them up.
That being said, I did recommend some D-Link products to a friend, but I will be helping him set them up, and the type of wireless print server he was looking for wasn't offered by Linksys.
If I had to pick up a new wireless router for any reason (my FiOS one is working fantastic right now), I would either do Netgear (I feel they have better radios) or Linksys + Tomato.
i have had several WRT54GL routers (when I leave a flat I tend to let the flatmates keep the router so they don't have to go through getting a new one) and have had nothing but awesome with various flavours of the open source firmwares. openWRT with LuCi is good without being excessively complicated (just offers a few handy things the regular firmware doesn't).
I don't know how much they go to improving the signal quality etc but I've never had issues with range/crashing anywhere I've used any of them.
One of the coolest things about DD-WRT, for me at least, was that my router had a 16mb cache and was only using 4mb for the default firmware.
So between the overclocking of the router's processor, and the newly opened cache space for more persistent connections, network performance is hopping.
Weren't Linksys THE go-to for a wireless router? That's what I'd always thought. I recently got a netgear, but it's kind of craptastic. My v2 WRT54G has lasted me years, and with either Tomato or DD-WRT on it, has all sorts of features.
Your positive LinkSys experience comes down to the fact that you have a v2. In later versions of the WRT54G, they switched from embedded Linux to VxWorks, which allowed them to cut down the amount of embedded storage and memory required. I think v4 was the last 54G before they started shaving down the hardware specs. I wouldn't buy a 54G these days, personally. The stock firmware is not great, and it's much more difficult to replace it with open firmware in current models. If you get a 54GL though, you're basically getting a recently manufactured v4 54G; stability should be better, and if you do have an issue it's trivial to put alternate firmware on it.
I have personally been having excellent experiences with various Belkin routers in both commercial and residential setups. Set up alot of their G routers for clients doing one floor networking in the last couple of days, and it's been pretty solid so far. Yeah, it's G but if you're doing small area and on a budget, it's a damn good deal. I'm using one of their N routers now for my own use, been with it about a month and not a single drop or low reception yet.
I have personally been having excellent experiences with various Belkin routers in both commercial and residential setups. Set up alot of their G routers for clients doing one floor networking in the last couple of days, and it's been pretty solid so far. Yeah, it's G but if you're doing small area and on a budget, it's a damn good deal. I'm using one of their N routers now for my own use, been with it about a month and not a single drop or low reception yet.
Belkin is kind of a crap shoot.
They make some nice routers, there is no denying that, but they also make the cheapest piece of shit routers you can buy.
I'm employed in a networking tech support call center and I can't even begin to tell you the number of calls I get where a piece of shit belkin from walmart is the problem.
Maybe you can suggest a few models that have had success with you?
I used to have good results with Buffalo but they ran into some patent-related problems for a while and stopped being able to sell wireless hardware for like a year so who knows if they suck now or not.
I use a D-Link DIR-655 and it is hands down the best router I have ever owned.
Linksys routers would give me weak signals when I was inside the house. Try to take it in the backyard and it was really flaky. With the D-Link range and signal strength is just great now.
My experiences with Linksys have been pretty crap.
So basically the best routers are from Linksys and ASUS, is this correct?
I have had a Linksys WRT54GC router for over 3 years, but it just stopped working. I have no idea what's wrong with it.
Everyone has their pet brand. Quite frankly, the fact that there are at least 3 brands being touted here is good news that the networking industry is teeming with good product (it's about damn time).
I think the biggest reason why people are enjoying the Linksys routers is because of the 3rd party firmware you can install on them. Also, they seem to have increased their reliability since Cisco picked them up.
Can anyone tell me what's the best, recent Linksys router that I can buy? Apparently there are some models of which only versions X or Y can be customized.
I have personally been having excellent experiences with various Belkin routers in both commercial and residential setups. Set up alot of their G routers for clients doing one floor networking in the last couple of days, and it's been pretty solid so far. Yeah, it's G but if you're doing small area and on a budget, it's a damn good deal. I'm using one of their N routers now for my own use, been with it about a month and not a single drop or low reception yet.
Belkin is kind of a crap shoot.
They make some nice routers, there is no denying that, but they also make the cheapest piece of shit routers you can buy.
I'm employed in a networking tech support call center and I can't even begin to tell you the number of calls I get where a piece of shit belkin from walmart is the problem.
Maybe you can suggest a few models that have had success with you?
I had a belkin for a few months. Fucker wouldn't stop overheating. What the fuck is a router doing that's so damn intensive, it regularly overheats?
I'm actually contemplating upgrading my router to an N here in the near future. I've been running a WRT54GL for a couple years with mostly* no problems. But, as my wife and I spend more of our online time on our laptops, and less on the desktop, the speed difference is becoming noticeable.
*Every 3 or 4 months, it'll just decide to intermittently drop the signal for a day or two. Every 15-30 minutes, it'll just stop broadcasting an SSID for a couple minutes, which brings the primarily mentioned laptop browsing to a dead halt, and leads to a lot of swearing and yelling at our electronic devices. Then, just as suddenly as the problems began, and without any clue on what was done to fix it, it'll magically start working flawlessly again.
Poor designing and poor voltage control and cheap ass chinese capacitors will make any electronic component overheat under even minimal load.
Cisco is the company behind Linksys, and they've built some of biggest fucking routers that support the internet as an entity. Check out the newest Linksys or Cisco router that has all the hardware features you need/want and then install a third party firmware on it.
Alright, what's the status of N then? I know the next shiny thing is always just around the corner, but are there any rumblings on when we can expect Q or whatever it ends up being labeled?
I'd hate to drop $100-150 for a router with the intention of it lasting me the half-decade, and have the next system come out six months later.
Edit: I see it's already been approved, and will be 802.11y, but can't find anything about when consumer devices will hit the market.
Alright, what's the status of N then? I know the next shiny thing is always just around the corner, but are there any rumblings on when we can expect Q or whatever it ends up being labeled?
I'd hate to drop $100-150 for a router with the intention of it lasting me the half-decade, and have the next system come out six months later.
Edit: I see it's already been approved, and will be 802.11y, but can't find anything about when consumer devices will hit the market.
According to wikipedia, N is still a draft, so it's not finalized. So I doubt you'll have to worry too much about some new standard coming out soon.
Actually, the UI is about a billion times better, easier and a lot more consistent.
The tabs and categories actually make sense, there is a TON more information, both about the current state of your device and how to configure it.
It also gives you many more useful options.
it's a win/win scenario, really. Better performance and better control.
I've used both dd-wrt and tomato and they are both easy enough to install and use. Check into both of them and make sure you'll be able to do what you want and just pick one. Worst case scenario is you don't like it and have to flash to the other to try it out.
I personally prefer tomato at the present for bandwidth monitoring with the amount of streaming and downloading that goes on between the five of us here.
Edit: I see it's already been approved, and will be 802.11y, but can't find anything about when consumer devices will hit the market.
Having not yet done the due diligence, I can't see Y being anything more than a bandwidth/cap increase. However, I'm likely wrong.
I've never had a need for anything faster than G, and I've raided in WoW using a G connection, among other things. I can't foresee most people needing anything faster than an N connection for at least a few years.
Everyone's stance on value is different, but if you are able to get at least a year out an N router, I would say you at least got your money's worth.
Edit: I see it's already been approved, and will be 802.11y, but can't find anything about when consumer devices will hit the market.
Having not yet done the due diligence, I can't see Y being anything more than a bandwidth/cap increase. However, I'm likely wrong.
I've never had a need for anything faster than G, and I've raided in WoW using a G connection, among other things. I can't foresee most people needing anything faster than an N connection for at least a few years.
Everyone's stance on value is different, but if you are able to get at least a year out an N router, I would say you at least got your money's worth.
You've obviously never tried to stream HD vids to an area of the house where you could not (or very difficult) install CAT6.
*Edit* Not from online, I mean from a media server
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Years 1-2 were rock solid,
year 3 we had some intermittent disconnects
year 4 flashed DD WRT, and it's been rock solid yet.
That being said, I did recommend some D-Link products to a friend, but I will be helping him set them up, and the type of wireless print server he was looking for wasn't offered by Linksys.
If I had to pick up a new wireless router for any reason (my FiOS one is working fantastic right now), I would either do Netgear (I feel they have better radios) or Linksys + Tomato.
I don't know how much they go to improving the signal quality etc but I've never had issues with range/crashing anywhere I've used any of them.
So between the overclocking of the router's processor, and the newly opened cache space for more persistent connections, network performance is hopping.
Belkin is kind of a crap shoot.
They make some nice routers, there is no denying that, but they also make the cheapest piece of shit routers you can buy.
I'm employed in a networking tech support call center and I can't even begin to tell you the number of calls I get where a piece of shit belkin from walmart is the problem.
Maybe you can suggest a few models that have had success with you?
You can find 'em on the cheap on craigslist and such.
Picked up a GL which works flawlessly for 30 bucks, flashed it with Tomato.
Not if you have DDWRT/TOMATO/Whatever open FW.
I have had a Linksys WRT54GC router for over 3 years, but it just stopped working. I have no idea what's wrong with it.
Linksys routers would give me weak signals when I was inside the house. Try to take it in the backyard and it was really flaky. With the D-Link range and signal strength is just great now.
My experiences with Linksys have been pretty crap.
Steam | Live
Everyone has their pet brand. Quite frankly, the fact that there are at least 3 brands being touted here is good news that the networking industry is teeming with good product (it's about damn time).
I think the biggest reason why people are enjoying the Linksys routers is because of the 3rd party firmware you can install on them. Also, they seem to have increased their reliability since Cisco picked them up.
Frankly, the hardware doesn't mean shit as long as you can load good third-party software on there.
I had a belkin for a few months. Fucker wouldn't stop overheating. What the fuck is a router doing that's so damn intensive, it regularly overheats?
*Every 3 or 4 months, it'll just decide to intermittently drop the signal for a day or two. Every 15-30 minutes, it'll just stop broadcasting an SSID for a couple minutes, which brings the primarily mentioned laptop browsing to a dead halt, and leads to a lot of swearing and yelling at our electronic devices. Then, just as suddenly as the problems began, and without any clue on what was done to fix it, it'll magically start working flawlessly again.
Nice Belkins are nice.
Cheap Belkins are cheap.
Poor designing and poor voltage control and cheap ass chinese capacitors will make any electronic component overheat under even minimal load.
Cisco is the company behind Linksys, and they've built some of biggest fucking routers that support the internet as an entity. Check out the newest Linksys or Cisco router that has all the hardware features you need/want and then install a third party firmware on it.
I'd hate to drop $100-150 for a router with the intention of it lasting me the half-decade, and have the next system come out six months later.
Edit: I see it's already been approved, and will be 802.11y, but can't find anything about when consumer devices will hit the market.
According to wikipedia, N is still a draft, so it's not finalized. So I doubt you'll have to worry too much about some new standard coming out soon.
Chock full of test numbers, bottom line for N is they like the Linksys/Cisco E3000. Not sure if you want that much router though.
I really hate being a broken record like this, insisting on DD-WRT post after post. But it IS that good.
The tabs and categories actually make sense, there is a TON more information, both about the current state of your device and how to configure it.
It also gives you many more useful options.
it's a win/win scenario, really. Better performance and better control.
Edit: Which would be better for that particular router; Tomato or DD-WRT?
Tomato is really easy to use, much easier than DD-WRT, and still provides more options than default firmware.
I personally prefer tomato at the present for bandwidth monitoring with the amount of streaming and downloading that goes on between the five of us here.
Having not yet done the due diligence, I can't see Y being anything more than a bandwidth/cap increase. However, I'm likely wrong.
I've never had a need for anything faster than G, and I've raided in WoW using a G connection, among other things. I can't foresee most people needing anything faster than an N connection for at least a few years.
Everyone's stance on value is different, but if you are able to get at least a year out an N router, I would say you at least got your money's worth.
You've obviously never tried to stream HD vids to an area of the house where you could not (or very difficult) install CAT6.
*Edit* Not from online, I mean from a media server