I need to get a new router and range in what I am looking for. Does anyone know if Airport is better than Linksys? I was wondering in there was some sort of unit of measure so that I could objectively compare the two before buying. Thanks.
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New Router, which is best?
- Thread starter zcamann
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I have an Airport base station. I would have to say that it does a really good job, and is very easy to work with; as is every Apple Product. However, they are pricey; but well worth it in my opinion.
I bought my Wireless N, model off of eBay used, but in New condition for around $80.
I bought my Wireless N, model off of eBay used, but in New condition for around $80.
Airports are easy to use, OS X has a built in solution for them. They are also very reliable. Problem is, they carry the Apple premium on them, hence pricey. Too pricey for many.
Linksys, Netgear and D-Link making great 802.11g/n routers. And they are cheap. No comment on their ease of use.
Linksys, Netgear and D-Link making great 802.11g/n routers. And they are cheap. No comment on their ease of use.
The CNET reviews don't generally provide good comparison discussions in the reviews but the reviews are worth while to help decide, the data for the comparison are included. I have both a time capsule (airport extreme) and Linksys WRT610N. Both give good range and signal. In my house the WRT610N gives a bit better signal strength through the walls/floor. I like the setup of the WRT610N better too. Both work fine.
I would not get an 'N' router that was also not a gigabit switch and I definitely would not get a cheaper 'G' router if you want a good signal with more than 1 wall between the computer and router. I got rid of a Linksys WRT54G to get better range and power as well as going from 10/100 ethernet to gigabit.
I would not get an 'N' router that was also not a gigabit switch and I definitely would not get a cheaper 'G' router if you want a good signal with more than 1 wall between the computer and router. I got rid of a Linksys WRT54G to get better range and power as well as going from 10/100 ethernet to gigabit.
If you get your cable from Comcast they started a deal where you pay $10 for shipping and they will send you a Netgear router. Anything goes wrong and they fix it. If the router you buy fails and they have to come out to diagnose the problem, then you pay for the call. 
Sadly, I had just bought a new Airport Express on Ebay when I got my first laptop a few weeks ago. I learned of this deal and called Comcast and they sent my the Netgear router. So I sold my Airport Express on ebay for a loss. After two hours on the phone with Comcast they could not get it to work and they cannot send me a new one until I return the defective one. So I am currently routerless.
I guess the moral of this story is A) your cable company may provide a N router for little or no charge and B) if you can find a deal on a Apple router on ebay just buy it since it is designed to work smoothly with you Apple stuff
Sadly, I had just bought a new Airport Express on Ebay when I got my first laptop a few weeks ago. I learned of this deal and called Comcast and they sent my the Netgear router. So I sold my Airport Express on ebay for a loss. After two hours on the phone with Comcast they could not get it to work and they cannot send me a new one until I return the defective one. So I am currently routerless.
I guess the moral of this story is A) your cable company may provide a N router for little or no charge and B) if you can find a deal on a Apple router on ebay just buy it since it is designed to work smoothly with you Apple stuff
The Airport Extreme works very well for what it does, but it doesn't let you customize many settings or tweak the network very much. It's also pretty expensive. For customization and stability, it's hard to beat the Linksys WRT54GL with a custom firmware (I recommend Tomato), but you sacrifice wireless-n and a gigabit switch for that. I think it's worth the tradeoff and the money saved, personally.