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View Full Version : Need a new wifi router...



Matt Meiser
12-11-2012, 9:11 PM
I've had to reboot mine three times since Friday and that doesn't include another caused by a 2 minute power outage Sunday night--just seems to lose its mind and disappears. I'm sure there are threads about this in the past but they'd be out of date so I'm just starting a new one. I don't care about actual router features as I don't use it for anything more than an access point. I have a pfsense box for that. What I do care about:

Works well
Good range through walls
N support
dual band would be nice. I don't think we have anything that will go on the 5ghz band now but I'm thinking about a Roku box and eventually we'll have others.
Wall mountable or at least a way to cobble something. I have no where to set something flat where this goes.

Any recommendations (either way?)

Scott Shepherd
12-11-2012, 9:24 PM
Matt, don't give up yet! In one of those previous threads, I posted a link to a 3rd party firmware. I had a lot of issues with our router and before buying a new one, I flashed it with the new firmware and it's not been turned off or gone down 1 minute since then.

Here's the link....

http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/index

It looks overwhelming, but you can do it all in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

It rocks! Plus it gives better control and more options than most other off the shelf routers.

Matt Meiser
12-11-2012, 9:35 PM
This is actually a Buffalo that came with dd-wrt from the factory. It's running the latest firmware. This is a sudden issue so it's not likely to be software. I've never had to reboot the thing, ever that I recall, in the past.

Myk Rian
12-11-2012, 10:16 PM
D-link.....

Dick Latshaw
12-11-2012, 10:28 PM
D-link.....

Yep. Been running mine for about four years. Of course, that says nothing about the current models, of which I know not.:)

Matt Meiser
12-11-2012, 10:34 PM
Yep that's the problem. They all make some good models and complete junk. Looking for specific recommendations on current models here.

Dan Friedrichs
12-11-2012, 11:06 PM
I actually just bought a Linksys E1200, refurb, for $20 on Amazon. What can I say? It works and was cheap. N support, good range, and easy to set up.

paul cottingham
12-12-2012, 1:54 AM
try reflashing your current one. i have fixed routers that way before. Of course, there is always a danger you will brick it.

Dan Hintz
12-12-2012, 6:29 AM
D-link.....

I'm going to suggest against D-Link, particularly the cheaper models, if you have any cares about security. I do vulnerability research for a living... trust me on this one.

Whatever you choose, I suggest a mid-range and higher priced unit as a bit of insurance... it's not guaranteed, but it helps hedge your bets.

Jerome Stanek
12-12-2012, 6:47 AM
I have a Trendnet in the house and a netgear in the shop both are solid proformers. Microcenter has some deals on them

Brian Elfert
12-12-2012, 7:26 AM
I went years before buying a WIFI router. I had been using wired routers. I finally broke down and bought a WIFI router earlier this year. I read tons of reviews and finally settled on the Apple Airport Extreme. I looked at lots of other routers and even the other expensive ones had negative reviews by real world users. The Apple Airport Extreme had almost zero negative reviews other than the price. The Apple Airport Extreme will work just fine with a Windows machine. I have no other Apple products at all.

The Airport Extreme is like most Apple products. It just works. It never locks up like other routers and I have never needed to reboot it. It has gigabit Ethernet if you have stuff with wires yet. It will work for 95% of all users. The 5% who need lots of exotic features and the ability to load their own firmware will need to look elsewhere. I hesitated for a while on buying this because of the cost, but it has been worth it to me so far.

Matt Meiser
12-12-2012, 8:27 AM
Its not terribly expensive compared to most other top of the line ones. Does it have any provisions for wall mounting? Anything stupid like a light-up Apple logo (one Netgear that gets good reviews has a GIANT blue light on top.) And most importantly is it configurable enough to work only as an access point, not a router?

Curt Harms
12-12-2012, 9:07 AM
This may or may not be important to you. I've been half heartedly researching routers and having one or more USB ports that can serve as either a print server or plug-in storage seems like a useful feature. And some can be had with DD-WRT installed.

Andrew Pitonyak
12-12-2012, 9:31 AM
Matt, don't give up yet! In one of those previous threads, I posted a link to a 3rd party firmware. I had a lot of issues with our router and before buying a new one, I flashed it with the new firmware and it's not been turned off or gone down 1 minute since then.

Here's the link....

http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/index

It looks overwhelming, but you can do it all in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

It rocks! Plus it gives better control and more options than most other off the shelf routers.

It was suggested to me that I dump the dd-wrt and install open-wrt instead. I have not done so, but may in the future.

I have a whr hp g300n

Matt Meiser
12-12-2012, 10:21 AM
Andrew, that's the same one I've got. I did find there is a newer firmware. I'd been checking the dd-wrt site which lists the one I've got as current, but Buffalo's own site has a much newer build.

Brian Elfert
12-12-2012, 10:27 AM
Its not terribly expensive compared to most other top of the line ones. Does it have any provisions for wall mounting? Anything stupid like a light-up Apple logo (one Netgear that gets good reviews has a GIANT blue light on top.) And most importantly is it configurable enough to work only as an access point, not a router?

Just a single green LED that switches to yellow if there is an issue like it can't connect to my cable modem. No wall mount. I have no idea on the access point versus router.

Matt Meiser
12-12-2012, 11:20 AM
Brian might be the winner here.

Airport Extreme can be used as an access point. In fact, Apple shows it being used this way when the Time Capsule is used as your main router. Can be wired or wireless using WDS this way.

And there's a third party bracket which Apple endorses (at least I assume so since they sell it in the Apple Store online) for wall mounting. http://www.amazon.com/H-Squared-AIRMOUNT-S-Mount-Airport-Extreme/dp/B000R9PXE2. A little pricy but it would make for a clean, secure install.

Patrick McCarthy
12-12-2012, 11:32 AM
another vote for the Apple. I screwed around for years with my old linksys and another i don't care to recall, but two years ago got the Apple . . . . and it just does what it is supposed to do all day long, without complaint. Other than that and the iphone, i am a pc guy.

Chuck Stewart
12-12-2012, 11:46 AM
My wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told her a new router. "Well that's boring she says" but i explained to her when we get the computer room finished remodeling I want to replace the older Linksys G model with a dual band wireless and try streaming some movies wirelessly to the bedroom. After a little research decided on the Asus RT-N66U, a little pricey but has usb support for printer and external hardrive to share. Come home the other day and she says neither computer is getting internet. After calling cable company determined their modem was working since I could bypass the router and get internet hooking directly to modem. Yeah, the old g took a dive. Guess what she already had stashed in the closet? Yep, running on the duel band N router. Haven't had time to try out the wireless other than Wifii the printer and my Kindle which was easy. Will try out the fancier stuff when I get the chance but hookup was a matter of a cd and follow the promps

Brian Elfert
12-12-2012, 12:03 PM
I had strongly considered one of the high end ASUS routers before I got the Apple. I read just enough bad stuff to make me buy the Apple instead for a few more dollars. I suspect that most folks would get along just fine with the ASUS too.

Lee Schierer
12-12-2012, 2:43 PM
Matt, we used to have router issues and I couldn't get WiFi reception on my blackberry anywhere except right next to the router. A lightning strike killed our router and I replaced it with a Cisco Linksys E1200 Wireless N router (http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-E1200-Linksys-Wireless-N-Router/dp/B004T9RR6I) and it was the easiest installation I could imagine. Now I get reception anywhere in the house and out in my yard as well. I can take my lap top out in the yard and sit under the trees to read SMC.

Andrew Pitonyak
12-12-2012, 3:24 PM
Andrew, that's the same one I've got. I did find there is a newer firmware. I'd been checking the dd-wrt site which lists the one I've got as current, but Buffalo's own site has a much newer build.

A friend of mind said that the open-wrt is more "dumb friendly" but omits a few features in the dd-wrt such as running an open WIFI with a login screen.... things I am not likely to choose to do.

Matt Meiser
12-12-2012, 4:13 PM
I'm doing exactly that, but my pfsense does it with a dedicated G access point. I'm able to restrict the guest total bandwidth and re-login interval. Not much different than being at Panera.

Larry Frank
12-12-2012, 7:38 PM
I recently had to replace one of my wireless routers. I have wired Ethernet to the far ends of the house and then a wireless router. I bought a Netgear WNDR3400V2 from Bestbuy. I paid $79 for it and of course it was on sale the next week and so they gave me $22 back. :)

The router has worked well and has an extra to it. It has a USB port that you can hook an external hard drive and have a networked hard drive. This has also worked very well and is accessible from anywhere on my home network.