I need a wireless router that will have a modem connected to it so I can get my wireless High Speed Internet through my MacBook...Is there any particular Router on the market that is better than others or is wireless G or N better? Can I use anything?
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Routers
- Thread starter lopaka
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You can generally use everything, but I had bad experience with a lot of Netgar routers. Now Im using Apple ABS and its just great
I use a Linksys (Cisco) WRT54G myself, as I don't transfer very many large files between the computers on my network.
HawaiiMacAddict
HawaiiMacAddict
I'd agree with the above that Netgear can be a bit suspect. I'd also not recommend SMC based on some of my client's experiences.
The Apple Airport stuff is nice and integrates well with your Mac but I'm not the biggest fan of not being able to administer it from a web browser. The price on apple's product is a bit higher than most competition for what you get as well.
Linksys (a division of Cisco) makes some good products. I don't like that the Linksys I had didn't have a way to reserve an IP address via DHCP. This caused me to change my firewall rules on the router on occassion for inbound connections (I could have used a fixed IP address on the systems but preferred not to on my mobile devices that would be used at work as well).
I've used both Linksys and Apple. I went from Linksys to Apple due to the above and the fact that I wanted to try out the airTunes feature with the airport express.
N is theoretically better than G but you have a bottleneck at your cable modem. Unless you are going to be doing transfers from one computer to another (and they both support 802.11N) you are not gaining any great benefit, IMO, by going with N.
I believe this is the unit I had that didn't have DHCP reservations. It's a great product if you don't need that feature, btw.
Ugh, please don't call the Linksys crap "Cisco"
I know Cisco owns them, but the crap made by Linksys is nowhere near deserving of the Cisco label. It's like calling an old VW Bus a Bentley because they're owned by the same company.
[/rant]
I called it a division of Cisco, which they display on every product. Don't remember any advertising of VW that does that.
You don't think that Linksys is a decent product on the consumer side? I run Cisco wireless in my company and although it's heavily configurable and has tons of features it's also something I'd never recommend to my consulting clients (the home ones). Perhaps you run Cisco at home but I'd find that a bit overkill.
From a stockholder perspective of CSCO, I'm glad they have products that can generate extra income from the consumer side.
/counter rant
Every Linksys router I've owned has been a piece of junk that drops connections and reboots randomly. I got fed up, replaced it with a Cisco 851W and that thing is rock solid. Yeah, perhaps it's overkill, but I'm not rebooting the router each day
Aloha yg17,
You obviously have an abysmal purchase record with respect to Linksys routers. Of course, that is NO justification to blanket the remaining Linksys routers with your complaint. I myself have used Linksys, Belkin, and D-Link, but prefer Linksys.
Let me add that I am a bit at odds with your extremely condescending comment on associating Cisco with Linksys. It (your statement) was a bit like comparing the performance of a Mac Mini to a Mac Pro. I understand that Cisco is geared towards the corporate market, but the fact remains that Cisco bought Linksys. As a matter of fact, you can clearly see their logo and 'Cisco Systems' stamped on their Linksys products (I have both the WRT54G Wireless Router with 4-Port switch and EZXS55W 10/100 5 Port Workgroup Switch). If Cisco is OK with the association, maybe you should rethink your position.
With that being said, there are a few things I would like to do with my WRT54G, such as MAC address filtering on both wireless and wired connections - I can only filter wireless connections now. I also would like to create VLANs, but can not justify the purchase (read: not a monetary, but functional justification) of a "real" Cisco configurable switch and current IOS for same, so I deal with the choices left to me.
Remember that, unlike you, other people have had nothing but success with their Linksys products, then try to not sound like a whining crybaby when you denigrate their purchase. Linksys makes products that work, maybe not as well or as configurable as those made by Cisco, and work well. If Linksys products were all defective, they would no longer be offered for sale anywhere.
I, myself, have not suffered from dropped connections, but have experienced small "hiccups" from time to time - nothing a reboot of the router will not cure. These "hiccups" have never occurred within less than two months of each other as well, so with nowhere near the frequency of your claims.
HawaiiMacAddict
I had a Linksys that gave me nothing but problems. I ended up getting a DLink DIR-655 that I saw at a Costco one day. It has worked flawlessly and has all the security settings that one needs. I would recommend that to anyone.
Cheers
Cheers
I've had bad luck with Linksys products, and thus, when someone wants recommendations on a router, I make sure to mention my experience with Linksys products. That's great other people have had success with Linksys products, I have not, and I will make sure to let that be known when someone wants to know what router to buy and what router to stay away from. I don't think that makes me a "whining crybaby" and I would hope that if I ever posted a thread asking for recommendations for a certain product, that someone would post any negative experiences without fear of being called a "whining crybaby" by someone like you. Isn't that the point of asking for recommendations and advice on what to buy?
As long as your Macbook can take advantage of 802.11n, I'd use it. Tests seem to show that it offers a faster connection and more range. My MB Pro is receiving wireless from a D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme router connected to my Vista box. It's worked well for me, and it seems to be very configurable.
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=530
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=530
Two comments:
Yes, even if you're only using the router to access broadband, 802.11n will give you greater range, or greater speed at a given range when you're near where 802.11g would begin to fail.
Linksys is fine, as long as you get the 'real' WRT54G (assuming you don't end up wanting 802.11n), which is now called the WRT54GS. The current WRT54G is not nearly as good as the WRT54GS, which used to be the WRT54G (confused yet?). The 3rd party firmware available for the WRT54GS makes it a very nice router for the price. That said, the Apple products are the easiest to use with Apple systems, but the aforementioned lack of web access is a pain - the Apple products work well but aren't as flexible.
Yes, even if you're only using the router to access broadband, 802.11n will give you greater range, or greater speed at a given range when you're near where 802.11g would begin to fail.
Linksys is fine, as long as you get the 'real' WRT54G (assuming you don't end up wanting 802.11n), which is now called the WRT54GS. The current WRT54G is not nearly as good as the WRT54GS, which used to be the WRT54G (confused yet?). The 3rd party firmware available for the WRT54GS makes it a very nice router for the price. That said, the Apple products are the easiest to use with Apple systems, but the aforementioned lack of web access is a pain - the Apple products work well but aren't as flexible.
Wow that's unfortunate that all the Linksys routers you've had have dropped connection. All the ones I've had have been fine. Although once I kept dropping connection and our crappy ISP blamed our router (Linksys) so we changed, and changed and the problem continued.
After all that it was the ISP and we changed and kept the original router and everything has been fine with it since. No dropout connections. I believe mine is the WAG54GS with internal modem for ADSL connection.
After all that it was the ISP and we changed and kept the original router and everything has been fine with it since. No dropout connections. I believe mine is the WAG54GS with internal modem for ADSL connection.
I have a Linksys WRT300N (Wireless N) and it has speed and range. But, my MB keeps D/C from it but that is a Leopard bug.