# Need a new router



## Nordic (May 22, 2012)

I need a new router. My current router (http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=492429) isn't able to do it anymore. It doesn't like having four computers connected and had trouble with three. I don't know what I am looking for. Searching newegg gave me some ideas.

My internet speed is 10mbit down and 1mbit up. I have varying amounts of connected devices to the network. Usually no more than 4 at a time. Hulu and gaming are the biggest network hogs, and often are used at the same time. I rarely do any wlan sharing. All this with in a mild range.

I have never used ww-drt or tomato. It would certainly like to try them but it is not a requirement. Really I want to try them because of the learning experience. I like the sound of QoS features. I also like the idea of usb connected storage/printers. Dual band all sounds good. I would like to get one to last me a while so a bit of future proofing is desired.

I don't really know what feature are worthwhile. Any suggestions on what I might be looking, I would be grateful. I probably will be getting it at end of June.

Could someone please explain the difference between Up to 300+300Mbps  compared to Up to 600Mbps? Does 300 + 300 mean that two computers get 300mbps?


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## mtosev (May 22, 2012)

how about a linksys wrt160nl? i just got it recantly and flashed it with the dd-wrt firmware and it works great with it


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## Nordic (May 22, 2012)

I found this website that helped a lot. http://www.smallnetbuilder.com

I think I have narrowed myself down to three routers.
Dlink - D-Link DIR-655 Wireless Broadband Router Xtreme N ...
Asus - ASUS RT-N16 Wireless Router 802.11b/g/n up to 300M...

The dlink is faster, and the go to router for this performance segment. It supposedly has some firmware issues and does not support dd-wrt.

The asus is about half as fast as the dlink, and basically the runner up in this performance segment. It supports dd-wrt.

Both are about $75

Netgear - NETGEAR WNDR3700-100NAS Wireless Gigabit Router/ U...

The netgear is if I wanted to jump up to more performance/futureproofness. Its dual band, really fast, and can do dd-wrt. Also $20 more. Probably the best choice and is only $20 more

Thoughts?


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## Completely Bonkers (May 23, 2012)

www.ubnt.com e.g. http://www.microcom.us/airrouter.html

I used to DDWRT a netgear pro box. Now I am using ubnt and happy with it. Ubnt designs products for ISP providers and commercial installations... and happens to have a couple of products in their range that work well for home application.


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## remixedcat (May 23, 2012)

How much range do you need?

If you need awesome range look into AMPED WIRELESS!!!!


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## Nordic (May 23, 2012)

james888 said:


> I need a new router. My current router (http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=492429) isn't able to do it anymore. It doesn't like having four computers connected and had trouble with three. I don't know what I am looking for. Searching newegg gave me some ideas.
> 
> My internet speed is 10mbit down and 1mbit up. I have varying amounts of connected devices to the network. Usually no more than 4 at a time. Hulu and gaming are the biggest network hogs, and often are used at the same time. I rarely do any wlan sharing. *All this with in a mild range.*
> 
> ...



mild range. My current router does a great job already covering the entire block and then some. I just need it to cover my house.


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## remixedcat (May 23, 2012)

it's funny cuase my sis had a belkin that only lasted 1 day... I am actually shocked yours lasted that long... LOL...

I have a NETGEAR that's lasted me 6 years with no problems so that would be your best bet out of the ones you list... My netgear's range is actually pretty good considering it has a nub of an antenna and it's around a lot of stuff. However NETGEAR is doing something I don't care for... ditching external antennas... this makes it impossible to hook up a new antenna to get better range... most of the time you gotta just use it in router mode and get a really good AP.


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## FordGT90Concept (May 23, 2012)

james888 said:


> Dlink - D-Link DIR-655 Wireless Broadband Router Xtreme N ...


An excellent router.  It has two features I wish my DGL-4500 had: guest wifi (WAN access only) and IPv6 support.  My brother and a friend of mine both have one and had no issues with it.


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## Canzara (May 23, 2012)

I have had nothing but grief with D-Link routers.
I've had 3, albeit not the one mentioned. These things require being reset on a regular basis. It almost seems as though once you've had a certain amount of bandwidth go through the router, it stops working until you reset it. For me this was an average of about every 4 days.
Again, this is with 3 different d-link routers.
My linksys never had this problem. After growing sick of it for a 3rd time I found a netgear n600 on kijiji brand new in the box for dirt cheap and its been awesome!
Not one reset necessary since I got it back in January. I would normally have not gotten a netgear due to the belief that its mass market crap, but I'm sold. It just works great without any of the d-link grief.


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## Nordic (May 23, 2012)

remixedcat said:


> it's funny cuase my sis had a belkin that only lasted 1 day... I am actually shocked yours lasted that long... LOL...
> 
> I have a NETGEAR that's lasted me 6 years with no problems so that would be your best bet out of the ones you list... My netgear's range is actually pretty good considering it has a nub of an antenna and it's around a lot of stuff. However NETGEAR is doing something I don't care for... ditching external antennas... this makes it impossible to hook up a new antenna to get better range... most of the time you gotta just use it in router mode and get a really good AP.


This belkin really does have super long range. It would be a good access port probably if I needed it.

This netgear is more than enough for my needs and could probably last 6 years of my needs, as far as I know.



FordGT90Concept said:


> An excellent router.  It has two features I wish my DGL-4500 had: guest wifi (WAN access only) and IPv6 support.  My brother and a friend of mine both have one and had no issues with it.


Thats good to know. The dlink has enough performance for what I need now for sure. I think the asus is out. I pride performance of dd-wrt.


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## Nordic (May 23, 2012)

Canzara said:


> I have had nothing but grief with D-Link routers.
> I've had 3, albeit not the one mentioned. These things require being reset on a regular basis. It almost seems as though once you've had a certain amount of bandwidth go through the router, it stops working until you reset it. For me this was an average of about every 4 days.
> Again, this is with 3 different d-link routers.
> My linksys never had this problem. After growing sick of it for a 3rd time I found a netgear n600 on kijiji brand new in the box for dirt cheap and its been awesome!
> Not one reset necessary since I got it back in January. I would normally have not gotten a netgear due to the belief that its mass market crap, but I'm sold. It just works great without any of the d-link grief.



Thats like my problem with this belkin. It has to be reset every 5 minutes - week with all the use it now has. When it was just me it needed reset like every few months. Reviews for this dlink show it to be very stable. Only firmware problems that the average user can't figure out. I think most here are above average in this regard.


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## remixedcat (May 23, 2012)

read this for more belkin LOLz

http://www.overclock.net/t/1249692/what-router-brand-do-you-use/10#post_17142395


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## mtosev (May 23, 2012)

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Known_incompatible_devices
btw you can't install dd-wrt on that D-link router.


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## Nordic (May 23, 2012)

mtosev said:


> http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Known_incompatible_devices
> btw you can't install dd-wrt on that D-link router.





james888 said:


> I found this website that helped a lot. http://www.smallnetbuilder.com
> 
> I think I have narrowed myself down to three routers.
> Dlink - D-Link DIR-655 Wireless Broadband Router Xtreme N ...
> ...


Nope. It sure doesn't.


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## Canzara (May 23, 2012)

I didn't realize before but that is the same netgear I have. Its been great.


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## Nordic (May 23, 2012)

Canzara said:


> I didn't realize before but that is the same netgear I have. Its been great.



Good to know. Smallnetreview gave it great ratings. I don't know where I would be on finding a router without their reviews. Now I just got to decide how much performance, futureproof, and price do I want. I still have a month to decide. So alls good


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## Avelict (May 23, 2012)

One thing I would definitely cross reference across your choices is the availability of QoS (packet prioritization). If you do a lot of online gaming or HD media streaming, QoS will make a big difference in your experience.


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## Completely Bonkers (May 23, 2012)

I dont want to sound a bore, but I refer again to ubnt and their firmware: http://www.ubnt.com/airos

QoS and traffic shaping is well covered, as well as much more. Click the link for details.


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## Nordic (May 23, 2012)

Avelict said:


> One thing I would definitely cross reference across your choices is the availability of QoS (packet prioritization). If you do a lot of online gaming or HD media streaming, QoS will make a big difference in your experience.


I am glad to hear this is a worthwhile feature. It is one of the features I am looking for. All my choices so far have it.



Completely Bonkers said:


> I dont want to sound a bore, but I refer again to ubnt and their firmware: http://www.ubnt.com/airos
> 
> QoS and traffic shaping is well covered, as well as much more. Click the link for details.


Ubnt by what I read seemed to be the best out there. Kinda like WebOS in my eyes. My concern was hardware. The netgear and dlink seem to fit my needs hardware wise better.


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## remixedcat (May 23, 2012)

if you really wanna go high end get Extreme Networks!!! Solid gear used in tons of places and cheaper then Cisco.


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## Nordic (May 23, 2012)

remixedcat said:


> if you really wanna go high end get Extreme Networks!!! Solid gear used in tons of places and cheaper then Cisco.



Thanks but no thanks. Just looking for home router that can last years.

Edit:
I just purchased the netgear 3700. I just checked ebay  and bought it for $47. Claimed to be only used for a month, before moving to completely wired internet. I will let you guys know how it goes.


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## Nordic (Jun 13, 2012)

After being shipped late, it is finally here 20 days after purchase. It is in good condition.
I now have 7 times faster lan transfers. I am surprised to see better pings in speed test and games. Internet bandwidth is 5 mbps slower. That I am trying to figure out now. I am not done playing with it yet.


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## remixedcat (Jun 13, 2012)

Awesome! You runnin DDWRT yet?


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## Nordic (Jun 13, 2012)

remixedcat said:


> Awesome! You runnin DDWRT yet?


Should I?
I think I am going to try it with stock firmware for a little while.


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## remixedcat (Jun 13, 2012)

Try stock and if you don't like it put DDWRT on it or Tomato.


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## Jetster (Jun 14, 2012)

The Netgear 3700 is a solid router. Enjoy


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