So which wireless router should I buy?

atomicdad · Post by **atomicdad** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 7:09 pm

Alot of home networking questions lately. I don't have a question but a request.

I'm looking to get a wireless router for my home, what is a good one to get. Essentially I just need it for my wifes laptop so she can work at night in front of the TV. I don't need wireless for my desktop machine, I figure I would just hardwire it into the router that I would keep in the back office.

So what are some suggestions for decent hardware that is not too expensive. Not that I'm lazy, well I am, and can't look up routers myself, but I would like to know what is crap and what is worthwhile from first hand users.

ElTaco · Post by **ElTaco** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 7:25 pm

I personally like D-link because it provides a lot of features that most SOHO wireless devices don't offer. If you go with Linksys, make sure its a unit that was manufactured after Cisco purchased Linksys. It won't offer all the latest security stuff but at least their code was cleaned up.
Cisco is always great, but too expensive for the home.

atomicdad · Post by **atomicdad** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 7:44 pm

What do you think about this gizzmo,

Netgear wgu624

Will this do the job, or is it a little over the top?

I do come from the Tim Taylor school of thought, why use a simple hand saw when a compound miter saw will do the job.

ElTaco · Post by **ElTaco** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 8:01 pm

Looks fairly nice. Netgear isn't bad. It doesn't come with some of the bells and whistles historically that cisco for example does, but you probably wouldn't be looking for those.
I do have one of their pcmcia 802.11G cards and I have to say that it does rather well and their software is fairly cool. It wasn't very useful for sniffing out networks though.

Anyway, sure its an over kill but oh well. Make sure you have an 802.11G or 802.11A pcmcia card for the laptop and you should probably get one of theirs if you want to take advantage of the 108mbps connection.

One drawback I see is the single antenna design. There is actually a very valid reason to have a dual antenna on your router/AP, but only if you have multiple floors. If you understand how antennas work, you'll understand what I mean. It has to do with how polarized antenna signals work. Depending on what material your house is made out of and how many floors there are, you might want to consider something with two antennas. If you have a one floor house then you are fine.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:08 am

I've got one of these. Linksys Wireless G Broadband Router. It was very easy to set up and I haven't had any problems with it.

You can get one from Amazon for less than $60.00.

atomicdad · Post by **atomicdad** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 5:39 am

Thanks ET and Mike, I went with this:

What me worry?

Turns out the little woman already has the compatable wireless card for her laptop, so after the mail-in rebate it is only gonna be $67 and change. I trust your right about the antenna, I'm in a typical SoCal single story wood frame with no ceiling insulation, so I figure It should be fine.

PSUFAN · Post by **PSUFAN** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 1:20 pm

Mikey wrote:I've got one of these. Linksys Wireless G Broadband Router. It was very easy to set up and I haven't had any problems with it.

You can get one from Amazon for less than $60.00.

That's what I have also. I like it a lot.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 8:54 pm

I always thought the Linksys stuff was the bomb. Helping set up a multiple-routered home network recently changed my opinion. Ended up bringing in an expert, who is quite an accomplished IT guy, and he came to the same conclusion, that Linksys has lost their freaking mind.

They seem to have some severe connectivity issue between very similar product models these days, which the Linksys tech support guys(you know it's going well when you're getting advice from a "tech guy" that's so unqualified, that he can't get a job that pays more than $10 an hour) eventually told us would never work. I forget the specific models, but they shared the EXACT SAME PLASTIC CASE. And they don't interconnect. And no amount of firmware updates can make them.

Freaking criminal, if you ask me. Previously, I thought they made the best wireless products for the home. Now, I won't touch one with a ten foot pole.....it was THAT much of a ludicrous situation.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:13 pm

Most (not all, but most) home users don't need and never will need a multiple routered home network.

However....a.d. after reading about this will probably want at least three.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:17 pm

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Signal didn't carry through the house, for some reason. Several rooms needed network access.

It SEEMED simple enough.

Fuck Linksys.

Mister Bushice · Post by **Mister Bushice** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:21 pm

I'm not totally happy with my linksys router. I get drop offs constantly, causing me to reboot, unplug the modem and router for 30 seconds, and restart. Pain in the ass. Next router will be a different company.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:32 pm

Dinsdale wrote:It seemed like a good idea at the time. Signal didn't carry through the house, for some reason. Several rooms needed network access.

It SEEMED simple enough.

Fuck Linksys.

I had the same problem with my old wireless "b" router, not getting a signal from the back corner at one end of the house to the front corner at the other end, so we had to move the computer closer. I don't know if I have the same range problem withe the newer "g" or not. It depends on how many walls you have, what you have in the walls and where exactly the equipment is located.

atomicdad · Post by **atomicdad** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:12 pm

Mike, have you tried putting mirrors in your hallway?

atomicdad · Post by **atomicdad** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:18 pm

As far as Linksys goes, I bought one of their basic routers about two years ago or so. The thing crapped out after about 9 months, flat out stopped working. So I would just as soon try somebody else and see if they will fuck me differently.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:18 pm

I've done the "mirrors on the shoes" trick.....is it the same sort of deal?

ElTaco · Post by **ElTaco** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:30 pm

I've said from day one that Linksys was crap. My issue was always Security. Their encryption algorithms always sucked. They used shortcuts that made it a lot easier to decrtypt their traffic. Cisco fixed this to some extent, but I bet their manufacturing process didn't get much better so their quality probably sucks.

Your problem might actually be between an older model Linksys and the newer Cisco/linksys products. Cisco updated the code so that it doesn't use cheap work arounds anymore, or it doesn't seem to but this may have caused some incompatiblities with encryption between some similar models.

I have a netgear router that I got for free and it works OK. I haven't heard either way if its awesome or not, but it does ok. I have certain issues such as the single antenna design and the lack of some of the more advanced security features that D-link and Cisco support.

D-Link seems to be in between a Cisco quality and linksys quality products. It is a little bit more expensive sometimes but their software seems to be written well and they offer some of the newest security features that most SOHO routers/APs don't offer. Its no Cisco Access Point but it gives you a lot of options if you know how to use them.

Of course with Cisco, you buy fairly decent quality of products, made for companies with security in mind, but you also pay a price for the name.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:03 pm

atomicdad wrote:Mike, have you tried putting mirrors in your hallway?

I haven't thought of that.
I know the OL wouldn't mind. She's always complaining that we don't have enough full length mirrors in the house.

Jimmy Medalions · Post by **Jimmy Medalions** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 4:21 pm

I used to run with a Linksys router, but didn't have good coverage in the house. Switched to a Belkin, and have found it to be 50% better in terms of signal strength.