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Might buy a new router today need help

xxteargodxx

Well-Known Member
Apr 18, 2010
140
8
Jersey City, NJ
Looking to stay around the $50 dollar range on a bit of a budget here. Looking to replace our old Linksys Wireless G WRT54G router seeing as when I plugged the power cable back into it, it gave off sparks (But is still working).

Here are a few I'm considering. And feel free to make recommendations if you want.

Netgear 4-Port Web Safe Router with 10/100 Mbps Switch.
Linksys Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Broadband Router.
Netgear WNR1000 RangeMax 150 Wireless Router.

Also not sure if it matters but most of us in my house use Wireless G Adapters to pick up the Wireless signal.
 
I will most likely go Linksys cause our router we have now has never given us any issues in the past. I'm just concerned about the one I listed because some reviews for it on Staples website say it has poor connectivity.

A lot of the connectivity issues are typically caused by the composition of your home. If your home has block or older plaster walls then wireless signals have more difficulty getting through them.
 
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I will most likely go Linksys cause our router we have now has never given us any issues in the past. I'm just concerned about the one I listed because some reviews for it on Staples website say it has poor connectivity.

The WRT160N (for cable connections) is pretty good.
I replaced my WRT54G with it because we were getting swamped by a nearby MIMO router - no longer a problem :)
 
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I have a question for those familiar with routers. The wireless-N car in my netbook can be configured to run at max transfer rate all the time (300MPS). If I do this on the netbook, would I need to adjust a setting in the router? I'm pretty sure the answer is no, But just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything.
 
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Getting the maximum data rate consistently on a wireless router, nearly any wireless router, is nearly impossible. There are so many variables involved that we have no control over like RF interference, signal attenuation, compatibility between the radios on the router and the computer, etc.
Yeah I get that, but that wasn't the question. The question was that if I max out the setting on the card (even if means that the card won't necessarily be operating at that transfer rate), would I need to adjust setting on the router as well? I'm pretty sure the answer is no, but wanted to verify.
 
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It depends upon the router - I have a D-Link GamerLounge 4500 and in order to assure that you get as close to 300 Mbps on your router, you need to understand and implement the following:

To have your Draft N wireless network connect at 300Mbps as it should, ensure that the following requirements are met.

1) The router and adapter are both D-Link 802.11N products and are using the latest firmeware/drivers. Ensure that the 802.11 Mode of the router has a 802.11N mode selected. Also if you have issues with mixed mode, try locking the 802.11Mode to either 802.11N Only or 802.11G/N.

2) If you are using encryption the router must be configured to use AES cipher. In some firmware versions/models, the only way to get the AES cipher is to run WPA2. If you can not select the Cipher, selecting WPA2 only will force this cipher type.

3) The channel width needs to be set to 20/40Auto, if it is not, the adapter will report a connection speed of 130Mbps. This is a feature that was added for compatibility with Intel 802.11N adapters, as they only operate on a channel width of 20.

D-Link reccomends that you use the D-Link Wireless utility, however the Windows Zero Config will also work.

Assuming you have met all of these conditions, you should see a 300Mbps connection speed with either the D-Link Utility or WZC.

Note: Not all Intel adapters are the same as D-Links' N line. Some Intel adapters do not support the broader 40 Channel Width option. This (by design) limits their connection speed to 130. Check the specifications of your Intel adapter to ensure that it is capable of bonding on the 40Mhz range to achieve the full 300Mbps.

-Lycan

You'll need to verify the wireless N card in your laptop is compatible with the router to achieve this full throughput that you are trying to get. More than likely the wireless card in your laptop is not made by LinkSys / Cisco / D-Link.

And while I agree that LinkSys is top brand, it also depends upon what you want to do, and how well you can configure your router. I stuck with D-Link b/c every router I have bought from them works - to this very day (going back 10+ years now). I have both of my DI524s, my DGL 4300 and my new DGL4500. But you cannot beat the rock-hard stability of the LinkSys routers, and being able to use DD-WRT is a triple bonus on those routers.

My current setup is G/N on my 4500, and I can connect to it on my DROID from the other end of the house....and I get amazing throughput halfway down the house in my bedroom. On your Android phone, check out the app WiFi Analyzer - it will open your eyes as to who is around you broadcasting on which channels (typically, most are using 6) so if you opt for alternate channels, like I did, your signal strength (and thus receptivity on your device) will go through the roof, particularly if you find a channel no one is using....
 
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I replaced a bad Netgear router with a Linksys WRT54GS, and swore I would never use Netgear again. Over time I flashed my router with DD-WRT and swore that I was in router heaven.

This weekend I went to Fry's with the intention of upgrading to the Linksys E3000. The sales guy talked me into a Netgear WNDR37AV which happened to be on sale. Against my better judgment, I bought the router, and so far I have been quite impressed.

I had to jump through some hoops with my ISP (Frontier, formerly Verizon) to get the old router MAC address cleared from my modem, and I had some issues with a Windows Home Server, but once I got those cleared, everything has been great!

One positive side effect that I've noticed is that my DroidX and iPod Touch have stopped disconnecting from the wireless network. Under the old router, I would connect the devices, set them down, and later when I picked them, they woud be disconnected. Now I find them still connected the next day.

I still think Linksys is an awesome brand, but Netgear has wowed me back...
 
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I just bought a linksys E3000 and it should be delivered tomorrow, so I hope to have it hooked up by the weekend.
well I hooked up the router over the weekend. WOW, what a difference. This thing looks tiny and discrete, but it packs a wallop. It has 6 (yes I said six) internal antenas, can run in multiband mode at both 2.4ghz and 5ghz (and automatically defaults to multiband mode), supports onboard usb storage for a network drive (but oddly does not support a similar set up for a network printer, sets up a 1 GBT LAN, and includes a very handy password protected guest account that allows up to 5 devices to log into it without logging onto your main section (or having to share your log in and password).

Set up was easy, but could have been a bit clearer. the router did not come packed with any instructions. All instructions where on the CD provided. The problem with using the CD is that it only runs on Mac or Windows (not Linux compatible), and is set up for what linksys considers you want as default. for power users who want deep configuration of their router, you have to access the configuration website and work from there, but that disables the ability to use the disk again. Anyhow, installation wasn't too painful. The mac and the windows rig were able to be configured automatically, while the Linux rig and the Android devices had to be configure manually.

The performance difference is stunning.

Oddly though, the linux rig, which has a wireless N card did not experience as big a performance boost as I expected. I think I need to configure the wireless card on that to boost the transfer rate.

All in all, I am extremely please with this router thus far.
 
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Get the Linksys E2000, Target has them on sale currently for 79.99. You can flash it with the mega build of DD-WRT which is rock solid. I deploy them for business and they have been able to handle a lot of users and DD-WRT adds a ton of features not found in your off the shelf firmwares.

well I hooked up the router over the weekend. WOW, what a difference. This thing looks tiny and discrete, but it packs a wallop. It has 6 (yes I said six) internal antenas, can run in multiband mode at both 2.4ghz and 5ghz (and automatically defaults to multiband mode), supports onboard usb storage for a network drive (but oddly does not support a similar set up for a network printer, sets up a 1 GBT LAN, and includes a very handy password protected guest account that allows up to 5 devices to log into it without logging onto your main section (or having to share your log in and password).

Set up was easy, but could have been a bit clearer. the router did not come packed with any instructions. All instructions where on the CD provided. The problem with using the CD is that it only runs on Mac or Windows (not Linux compatible), and is set up for what linksys considers you want as default. for power users who want deep configuration of their router, you have to access the configuration website and work from there, but that disables the ability to use the disk again. Anyhow, installation wasn't too painful. The mac and the windows rig were able to be configured automatically, while the Linux rig and the Android devices had to be configure manually.

The performance difference is stunning.

Oddly though, the linux rig, which has a wireless N card did not experience as big a performance boost as I expected. I think I need to configure the wireless card on that to boost the transfer rate.

All in all, I am extremely please with this router thus far.

That's funny. I just picked up the Linksys E2000 this week as well to replace my WRT54G2. The performance like you said is stellar.

My only problem is that I'm having some issues configuring it so I can open NAT for two 360's to connect to Xbox Live. Linksys said it's not possible but I've done it before with previous routers including my WRT54G2 and GS. I was able to open NAT on my console but not for the other.
 
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