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Which wireless router to buy?

M

mancuso

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 29, 2008
4
0
Denmark
Hello :)

I'm after a new wireless router, but I am really lost when it comes to which. Currently I have a D-Link DI-524 which has more and more problems (slow/dropping connections, bad signal etc.), so I think it's about time to replace it.

The router is located in the room next to my office and I will be connecting one MB and one MBP, plus a printer via LAN. I sometimes need to connect one of the laptops in the living room, which is right next to my office on the opposite site of the room housing the router.

Can anyone suggest a particularly good router given my needs? One under the $100 mark would be nice, but not necessary.
 
I would look into some used Netgear routers on ebay and even 2wire isnt a bad brand on a budget.
 
mancuso said:
Hello :)

I'm after a new wireless router, but I am really lost when it comes to which. Currently I have a D-Link DI-524 which has more and more problems (slow/dropping connections, bad signal etc.), so I think it's about time to replace it.

The router is located in the room next to my office and I will be connecting one MB and one MBP, plus a printer via LAN. I sometimes need to connect one of the laptops in the living room, which is right next to my office on the opposite site of the room housing the router.

Can anyone suggest a particularly good router given my needs? One under the $100 mark would be nice, but not necessary.
Click to expand...
Go linksys
 
I have the Airport Extreme, it's simple, effective but very expensive maybe too expensive for some people but I'm happy with it.

If your on a tight budget I would suggest a nice linksys.

ChrisN
 
Which Linksys out of curiosity? I have an older one that I'm having problems with my MB aluminum connecting (and my iPhone) to. They don't seem to get DHCP info properly requiring me to hardcode the address and DNS servers. My PC laptops have always worked ok with this. I'm pretty sure it's the WRT54G (v4 or 5) but I don't have it in front of me. I flashed the firmware about 3 weeks ago to the latest and it didn't get better. I have not tried it with the latest MB FW update and 10.5.6 yet.
 
I would spend the extra to get an airport extreme just because NAT-PMP (apple automatic port mapping protocol) works flawlessly so I don't have to have any ports forwarded.

For apps that need to get through my router and don't support NAT-PMP, I have a free app called Port Map which you can setup to provide the NAT-PMP function to apps that don't have that feature.

I have never been able to get UPnP (non-apple automatic port mapping protocol) to work right with any hardware combination, but I never really put a lot of effort into trying to get it to work.

I do like knowing my ports are only open when the app that needs the ports is open. Setting up an Airport to function like this is very easy. There are other features of the Airport that I like better, especially the way it is configured via the airport utility as opposed to logging into the router using my browser.
 
Shawn D said:
I would look into some used Netgear routers on ebay and even 2wire isnt a bad brand on a budget.
Click to expand...

Netgear are good if you want to power cycle it every week. Don't get that if you want something stable.

Get apple or linksys or d-link instead.
 
check amazon for some cheap wireless routers.
the DIR-655's pretty nice
popcorn.gif
 
I don't mind spend the extra for the Apple router. I'm assuming that none of my PCs will have a problem with it either :) --

Thanks for the info.
 
I always but whatever is on sale at Fry's (last one was a $20 cheapie G-router by 'Airlink'), and have never had problems.

But yeah, the Apple Airports are obviously easier to set up for novices.
 
mancuso said:
Hello :)

I'm after a new wireless router, but I am really lost when it comes to which. Currently I have a D-Link DI-524 which has more and more problems (slow/dropping connections, bad signal etc.), so I think it's about time to replace it.

The router is located in the room next to my office and I will be connecting one MB and one MBP, plus a printer via LAN. I sometimes need to connect one of the laptops in the living room, which is right next to my office on the opposite site of the room housing the router.

Can anyone suggest a particularly good router given my needs? One under the $100 mark would be nice, but not necessary.
Click to expand...

Airport Extreme
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB321LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA0Mg&mco=MjE0NDc0OQ

$99 So You Can Keep A Buck
:apple:
 
I have to say, I was very apprehensive about spending $179 on a router...of all things, for the Airport Extreme, but it works with EVERYTHING! My PC, MBP, iPhone, Wii, and my parents computer all connect seamlessly to this device. My wireless printer and hard drive (external) also connect perfectly to this small device. It is also easy to maintain and service. I would recommend it without a second thought. :apple:
 
I should also recommend the Linksys WRT54G (I have the v2.2), it has been with me during the last 4-5 years, and it has never failed on me. I use it daily with my MacBook, my wife's PB G4 and our Wii. It serves intermittently another 4 laptops trough wireless.

It's also really customizable.
 
If you want to get by inexpensively, yet get some bang for your buck, you could buy a used Linksys then load DD-WRT firmware. The new firmware will make it perform much better than new. Among many enhancements over the OEM firmware you will be able to change settings such as the transmit power from very low to very high.

For my wireless needs I have an old WRT54 using DD-WRT firmware and it works great!

If you feel you need the security and/or robustness you may want to get some help to set up a Smoothwall router or IP Cop router. I use a Smoothwall router with the wireless router only used as an access point. My network is divided among three separate NIC's on the router; one for normal wired traffic, one for the WAP and a third for DMZ.

This goes way beyond what most people do but I have to say that if you use a wireless router, your wired traffic will be vulnerable. Most people who use wireless don't care about this but the fact is wireless can be broken into in a matter of minutes. If you use a mixed network of wired and wireless, your wired traffic will be as vulnerable as your wireless traffic. This is why I use a Smoothwall.
 
Don't waste your time with the WRT54G. Get the WRT54GL. It is the functional version of the WRT54G series. They are cheap and very reliable.
 
iff you do plann on buying the airport express, do mind the fact that it doesn't have an ethernet port. so you won't be able to connect anything to it by wire.
 
Thank you everybody for the answers.

Airport Express users, is it possible to connect more than one USB device by using a hub or is it only able to handle one at a time?
 
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