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Best Internet Hardware for Macbook? (wireless router,cable modem)

P

pilotkid

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Aug 22, 2006
1,009
212
Chandler, AZ
OK, i'm tired of my internet being so slow so i went to the apple store and asked someone what they thought. All they said it could be was my Surfboard cable modem and a D-link wireless router (each at least 3-4 years old). So I have decided that I'm just going to suck it up and get a new cable modem and wireless router. Any reccomendations? I want the fastest there is but would like to stay under the $150 mark for each (meaning a total of about $300 for both).
For those of you wondering my highspeed internet provider is Cox Communications. Thanks again
 
pilotkid said:
OK, i'm tired of my internet being so slow so i went to the apple store and asked someone what they thought. All they said it could be was my Surfboard cable modem and a D-link wireless router (each at least 3-4 years old). So I have decided that I'm just going to suck it up and get a new cable modem and wireless router. Any reccomendations? I want the fastest there is but would like to stay under the $150 mark for each (meaning a total of about $300 for both).
For those of you wondering my highspeed internet provider is Cox Communications. Thanks again
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I have a Surfboard SB5101 Cable modem, and a Netgear WGR614v5 Wireless Router and it works great. IMHO Motorolla is the way to go for Cable Modems. I also like Netgear for routers, and other networking equipment, though I haven't had much experiance with other brands aside from Linksys, which IMO is a POC. Just my .02
 
Airport or Airport Express of course! :D
Don't know so much about cable modems though.
 
I second the WRT54G. If you like to tinker, get the WRT54GL. It allows easier modding with third-party Linux stuff.
 
Your existing cable modem should be just fine. As long as it is connecting at the maximum rate that your cable provider allows you to connect at, it doesn't really matter what model of cable modem you have. (As long as your current cable modem is reliable. If it's constantly disconnecting, have the cable company test the signal where it enters your hosue/apartment building/whatever before doing such a drastic step as getting a new cable modem.)

As for wireless? Any 802.11g base station should work fine. I suggest sticking with a "name brand" like Linksys, D-Link, or Netgear. I've had issues with some of the off-brand names like AirLink. Of course, an Apple AirPort Express or Extreme would work extremely well with a Mac. Don't bother with any of the 'high speed' 802.11g products, or 'pre-n' products, unless you plan on buying same-brand networking hardware (for a PC in the house, for example.) The Mac won't take advantage of the extra speed. (The ones with multiple antennas can help distance a little bit, but unless you live in a very large house, or have a large yard that you want coverage on, it won't matter.)
 
no connection

dreamsINdigital said:
I have a Linksys WRT54G wireless router for my MacBook and it works great.
Click to expand...

Ok, so I have a Linksys WRT54G also, except I can't access the internet from my macbook with it. I don't know if I installed the router incorrectly or what. Could you help me?
 
pilotkid said:
OK, i'm tired of my internet being so slow so i went to the apple store and asked someone what they thought. All they said it could be was my Surfboard cable modem and a D-link wireless router (each at least 3-4 years old). So I have decided that I'm just going to suck it up and get a new cable modem and wireless router. Any reccomendations? I want the fastest there is but would like to stay under the $150 mark for each (meaning a total of about $300 for both).
For those of you wondering my highspeed internet provider is Cox Communications. Thanks again
Click to expand...

Sorry but I don't see why any of that gear would cause your connection to be slow. Even if you were using old 10 base T gear that should still be enough for a speedy cable modem connection.

What speed does http://speedtest.net say you have vs what the cable company says you're paying for?
 
If you have lots of active connections, it could bring lesser routers to a grinding halt. For example, if you have lots of bit torrent files active, the number of connections could be overwhelming your router. The following is a link to a chart where you can see how many connections many routers can handle.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/component/option,com_chart/Itemid,189/chart,124/

Personally, I have a D-Link DIR-655 and think it's one of (if not the) best consumer routers on the market now. Also, if you decide to go with a Linksys WRT54G, be careful which you pick up. Some models are quite bad.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/26843/51/
 
pastrychef said:
Personally, I have a D-Link DIR-655 and think it's one of (if not the) best consumer routers on the market now.
Click to expand...
Is there a DIR-655 model with a USB port that can handle an external drive? I had a cursory look through D-Link's web site but couldn't find anything. I'd like to be able to do wireless backups and I don't have anything that could function as a file server to connect to my network. I suppose I could get an Airport Extreme base station but the reviews for the DIR-655 are consistently encouraging. And I'm not a big fan of having fixed capacity storage and wireless router functionality in a single package as in the Time Capsule.
 
alembic said:
Is there a DIR-655 model with a USB port that can handle an external drive? I had a cursory look through D-Link's web site but couldn't find anything. I'd like to be able to do wireless backups and I don't have anything that could function as a file server to connect to my network. I suppose I could get an Airport Extreme base station but the reviews for the DIR-655 are consistently encouraging. And I'm not a big fan of having fixed capacity storage and wireless router functionality in a single package as in the Time Capsule.
Click to expand...

No, the DIR-655 does not support USB drives. The only thing you can do is purchase a NAS hard drive enclosure to replace your USB enclosure. Gigabit ethernet is MUCH faster than USB in my experience.
 
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