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Recommend a router

P

pusman83

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 9, 2005
101
0
We've had one computer in the house for so long, but in a few days, it won't be the case. I should be getting my 20'' RevB iMac soon and my mom bought a refurbished PIII 800mHz laptop. This is in addition to our (still functioning rather well) PII 450mHz. We currently have a DSL connection.

The connection is in the basement, with the modem currently plugged in to ol' faithful. While my iMac will be in the same room, the laptop will probably be 2 floors up (a bit less than 50 feet including obstacles).

Can anyone reccomend a decent wireless router for my needs? Thanks.
 
I have, and love, my Linksys WRT54G wireless G router. You can get it for under $50 after rebates. It should suit your needs well.
 
acedickson said:
I have, and love, my Linksys WRT54G wireless G router. You can get it for under $50 after rebates. It should suit your needs well.
Click to expand...
I second that. Nice hacks for it abound, and it plays well with my two AirPort Expresses. Thumbs up.
 
pusman83 said:
We've had one computer in the house for so long, but in a few days, it won't be the case. I should be getting my 20'' RevB iMac soon and my mom bought a refurbished PIII 800mHz laptop. This is in addition to our (still functioning rather well) PII 450mHz. We currently have a DSL connection.

The connection is in the basement, with the modem currently plugged in to ol' faithful. While my iMac will be in the same room, the laptop will probably be 2 floors up (a bit less than 50 feet including obstacles).

Can anyone reccomend a decent wireless router for my needs? Thanks.
Click to expand...


I can say from experience that it is sometimes pretty difficult getting a signal out of a basement. I have the same linksys router. I've also owned netgear routers. The Linksys does give you a slightly more powerful signal, but you may need to also purchase a booster to get the signal to reach the second floor.

Also remember, the weaker the signal is, the slower the connection will be. If the laptop on the second floor is only getting 1-2 bars of signal strength via a 802.11B card, the connection will feel laggy and downloads will only go at about 20k/sec tops. This will also have the same effect on any networking between your computers that you plan to do.

If your DSL line runs through a filter off of your main phone line you may be better off just moving it to a jack on the first floor and plugging it into the router there.
 
maxterpiece said:
If your DSL line runs through a filter off of your main phone line you may be better off just moving it to a jack on the first floor and plugging it into the router there.
Click to expand...

Not an option because the base comp (the PII) doesn't have wireless and we're not gonna install a wireless card into it :p.
 
The only way to know would be to buy the router and try it. If you're not getting a strong enough signal, then a signal booster would probably be your best option.

Good luck with your setup!
 
acedickson said:
I have, and love, my Linksys WRT54G wireless G router. You can get it for under $50 after rebates. It should suit your needs well.
Click to expand...

In Walmart, it's always $49.99. I also love mine. :D
 
Well I picked up the WRT54G (almost got the speedbooster one, but my comp is on Win98 ;) ) and am having the same trouble I was having when I tried too hook up a d-link router a few months ago. Everything's connected properly, all the LED's are fine but my main comp doesn't receive the modem signal :( .

Edit: I got it for 100$CAD - 15$ mail-in, but found another one for 80$CAD.
 
i'm a d-link fan. very reliable and also cheaper than linksys. the d-links also have embedded linux.
 
pusman83 said:
Well I picked up the WRT54G (almost got the speedbooster one, but my comp is on Win98 ;) ) and am having the same trouble I was having when I tried too hook up a d-link router a few months ago. Everything's connected properly, all the LED's are fine but my main comp doesn't receive the modem signal :( .

Edit: I got it for 100$CAD - 15$ mail-in, but found another one for 80$CAD.
Click to expand...

Search for 3rd party firmware. You should be able to boost the signal to 800% or so.
 
I second the recommendations on the Linksys WRT54G. You can set it up with the Sveasoft firmware and get a bunch of new functionality.

Another good site for information on the firmwares for this router is this one.

I've done lots of research, and will purchase this router next week to replace my aging 802.11b Linksys router.
 
Got it working (well, at least with my main comp).

So what's the deal with the firmware?
 
Woohoo! It all works. Now I'm waiting on the final piece of the puzzle: my iMac 20''... :( :cool:

Thanks for all the tips!
 
I set up a wrt54g (also have one at home), at a clients house, in his basement, and I got a 100% signal on the second floor.

Here's a tip: Think of a giant donut around each antenna as where the signal is strongest...tilt the antennas so they cover more vertical area then horizontal. But play around with it...I doubt you'll need that hack (but it is fun).
 
macapple said:
go with cisco not linksys
Click to expand...

NOT. Cisco owns Linksys and Linksys is better for home use. Cisco routers, although very good, are very bloated to keep their backwards compatibility (I don't know what else to call it). Unless you need these extra features which no home user would/could use and most businesses (even very large ones) don't use, go with Linksys.
 
Congrats on getting it up and running! Wireless is great isn't it? I'm really looking to the time when the only cord is for the power, maybe not even for that.
 
acedickson said:
Congrats on getting it up and running! Wireless is great isn't it? I'm really looking to the time when the only cord is for the power, maybe not even for that.
Click to expand...

That time has come! The iMac G5 only requires one power cord and nothing else when used with a b/t keyboard+mouse.
 
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