I have a Netgear G router now and lately all it does is crap out. I've had it for quite some time now so I think it's had it.

I have an iMac that has a wireless N card so I figured why not get a router that can do that as well.
I do have a home server that will be connected to the router so if it had a gigabit port as well that would be huge.

Just looking to see if anyone has bought one recently and could give any advice on what to stay away from.

4/17/2008 3:57:29 PM

Any of these: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices

4/17/2008 4:12:55 PM

so just put that on it or get a new one?

4/17/2008 4:56:11 PM

if you can put that on there give it a try

4/17/2008 5:04:46 PM

Oh yeah! Sorry, I figured you already had it. Try putting DD-WRT on your current router and see if it helps out...

4/17/2008 5:08:05 PM

Ok - I have a Netgear WGT624 and it doesn't really have any documentation for it but it's not on the do not use list so I guess I'm ok.

^ No worries I'll give it a shot and if I brick I'll just grab a new one.

4/17/2008 5:17:28 PM

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8040121&st=wireless+n&lp=3&type=product&cp=1&id=1157068454881

I've got this one (both my girlfriend and I have Intel Wireless-N cards in our notebooks) and have been extremely happy. There is very little drop-off speed from being plugged in and being wireless compared on Speedtest.net. Most of the reviews I read prior to purchasing gave it one of the higher rated customer satisfaction on various websites.

Before this one, I was leaning towards Linksys (since my previous B router and G router were both Linksys), but the reviews weren't very positive for the Linksys N router.

4/19/2008 7:23:44 PM

i think any of the linksys ones work fine...we got a new one at my apartment and it works great. we never get kicked off the 'net anymore.

4/19/2008 7:53:41 PM

4/19/2008 8:19:07 PM

i've heard linksys's stuff has gone down hill recently.

I'm looking to buy a router with n capabilities as well. Though, if anyone can recommend one that allows for using a usb peripheral, that'd be sweet too.

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 10:57 PM. Reason : ]

4/19/2008 10:56:45 PM

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/802-11n-router-roundup.ars/7

Ars Technica did a test of a bunch of them, and speed-wise Apple actually makes one of the best. It also has a USB port on it for printers and hard drives.

4/19/2008 11:54:58 PM

Our Linksys craps out a lot, what is a DD-WRT?

4/20/2008 11:26:03 AM

It replaces you routers firmware to open up more options to tinker with.

just an update on my original request as well - it's not compatible with my netgear router.
One thing on that Ars article was that it really seems to say do not upgrade just yet. I guess I will just sit this one out and wait a bit longer.

4/20/2008 11:36:13 AM

yeah, i was going to suggest Apple too. I use the Airport Extreme with all Macs, which uses a client-side Airport Utility for administration, and after using that tool I wonder how I've gotten by with using the 192.168.1.1 web-admin utility from Linksys for so many years.....
I don't know how the Airport Utility for Windows is, though whoops, you have an iMac. So yeah, i'd go with the APE
http://www.apple.com/airportextreme/

[Edited on April 20, 2008 at 11:43 AM. Reason : .]

4/20/2008 11:42:05 AM

always been a fan of the Belkin stuff, pretty easy to manage, doesn't crap out more than average and actually looks reasonably decent compared to a lot of the brands (good for media area setup etc)

4/20/2008 2:57:45 PM

Quote :

"Our Linksys craps out a lot, what is a DD-WRT?"

A router is pretty much just a specialized computer... it has ram, and a processor, and flash ram as a HD. DD-WRT is open-source software that gives your router features that are normally only available on high-end $texas routers. Also, it lets you do things like boost the power to the transmitter beyond factory limits. I usually keep my SSH private key on my USB flash card, and a copy of PuTTY. With the two, I can SSH into my router from anywhere. There's also an option to host a website off your router (granted you fit the website onto 4 megs of flash ram... or however much your router has).

4/20/2008 3:01:26 PM

^^^ I bought a Time Capsule last night, and used the Windows version of the Airport Utility. It functions exactly the same as the Mac version, including same interface and features. Pretty slick stuff, and seems far more reliable than many web interfaces that I've used with other wireless routers.

4/20/2008 7:43:59 PM

I get > 90mbps on my Apple APE with my MBP

4/20/2008 11:27:02 PM

Apple Airport is quality stuff.

4/20/2008 11:29:51 PM

so it seems the general consensus is dont get one if you arent going to use dedicated N?

4/21/2008 12:39:47 AM

how often would a "g" router actually be the bottleneck?

4/21/2008 1:29:42 AM

^ For standard web browsing with a typical high speed connection, not very often.

For campus/faster internet connections, somewhat often.

For local file sharing/video streaming (if you have a slingbox or AppleTV or something), it's pretty much THE bottleneck.

4/21/2008 1:45:53 AM

^yep. basically i want to set up a fairly robust home network, with storage for media files, and files in general (ideally on a centralized server, but for now just network storage). streaming content around the house is pretty bad ass.

my only concern is bottlenecking the N to allow for b/g devices to conenct (pda's, etc). I suppose i can find a cheap ass g router and hard wire link the two together, right?

[Edited on April 21, 2008 at 2:04 AM. Reason : ]

4/21/2008 2:02:49 AM

i used a linksys wrt54gs for years (w/ DD-WRT)

now i've got an airport extreme 802.11n and have no complaints, it even supports 802.1x

4/21/2008 3:05:00 AM

^^^ gotcha

[Edited on April 21, 2008 at 4:00 AM. Reason : just wanted to make sure i wasn't handicapping myself with my "g"]

4/21/2008 3:59:40 AM

Quote :

"moron All American 10333 Posts user info edit post ^ For standard web browsing with a typical high speed connection, not very often. For campus/faster internet connections, somewhat often. For local file sharing/video streaming (if you have a slingbox or AppleTV or something), it's pretty much THE bottleneck."

Would you mind backing up this statement? All the Ethernet interfaces on the APE are GigE. Outside of the n protocol on wireless its just as fast as any other wireless option.

So again how is it the bottleneck when all the interfaces are GigE?

4/21/2008 8:39:06 AM

I think he meant that the wireless N router is the bottleneck in that scenario

4/21/2008 8:57:38 AM

Ahh even then I get > 90mbps over wireless with my APE/MBP which isnt too bad at all, imo.

4/21/2008 10:41:33 AM

whoops, i typed that wrong.

I meant to type that the wireless G router would be the bottleneck in that scenario.

4/21/2008 11:02:31 AM

I really love my Airport Extreme -- it's good stuff.

4/21/2008 11:30:15 AM