fonzbear2000
Premium
join:2005-08-09
Saint Paul, MN
| reply to fonzbear2000
Re: Are there any HIGHLY rated wireless N routers for under $50?
Well, I just got the N+ hooked up and it gave me a MAJOR speed increase! Not on speedtest.net though. But on dl.tv. when downloading a file on G, I would NEVER see speeds above 300 KB/sec. Now I see a CONSTANT speed of around 1.3-1.5 MB/sec!!! WOW!!! Now, hopefully the router will stay connected.
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stevech0
join:2006-09-17
San Diego, CA | KB meaning kilobits, not kiloBytes?
300kbps is like DSL speeds.
Any ole wrouter should do. |
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fonzbear2000
Premium
join:2005-08-09
Saint Paul, MN
3 edits | said by stevech0  :KB meaning kilobits, not kiloBytes? 300kbps is like DSL speeds. Any ole wrouter should do. Huh? You sure you got it right? Whenever I see people talking about the speed tier their ISP has, they always put "mbps" as in megabits/sec. MB=megabytes and mb=megabits. The speed I am seeing from dl.tv is 1.3-1.5MB/sec as in megaBYTES per sec.
 
Another with better upload:
Even better on my wired computer:
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Anav
Sarcastic Llama? Naw, Just Acerbic
Premium
join:2001-07-16
Dartmouth, NS | reply to fonzbear2000
kewl, thanks for the speedtest link.
seeing as my speeds are 15 down and 1 up, it seems accurate. |
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PeteC2
Got Mouse?
Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-20
Bristol, CT
clubs:
 ·AT&T Yahoo
| reply to fonzbear2000
said by fonzbear2000 :Well, I decided I'm going to pick up the Belkin N+ at Target for $80. They have a pretty good 90 day return policy so that will give me plenty of time to test it. Thanks again!  That should be a decent enough performer.
Although I do understand the general knock on 11n routers, they do have some advantages over 11g, particularly within the network (file transfer speed, for example), and as ISPs offer higher connect speeds, 11n will become a mainstay. I have not seen 11n show any real improvement in connectivity or range however.
Also, though area network saturation may be a problem for some, my direct area is just loaded with 11g/11n networks...and I have zero interference isues.
At any rate, I stayed out of your initial post becasue frankly, no, I do not know of any really good 11n router that is selling retail under $50...there are good 11n routers out there, but not at that price point, in fact, right about $79.95 is the starting point (currently).
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Deeds, not words |
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Poser
join:2002-07-28 | reply to fonzbear2000
Wow how much do you pay for that service? |
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tipstir
join:2004-11-14
Enfield, CT
 ·Cox HSI
1 edit | reply to fonzbear2000
said by fonzbear2000 :said by stevech0 :KB meaning kilobits, not kiloBytes? 300kbps is like DSL speeds. Any ole wrouter should do. Huh? You sure you got it right? Whenever I see people talking about the speed tier their ISP has, they always put "mbps" as in megabits/sec. MB=megabytes and mb=megabits. The speed I am seeing from dl.tv is 1.3-1.5MB/sec as in megaBYTES per sec. Another with better upload: Even better on my wired computer: The wired PC is that 10/100 or Gig? If you buy a Gig card for your wired PC it will better for larger files transfers and HD media streaming.
I got this with the Belkin N+ using Gig wired adapters
Best so far! Exceeded my Modem was rated at 43mbps max.
Not bad
Higher Uploads..
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tipstir
join:2004-11-14
Enfield, CT
·Cox HSI
4 edits | reply to fonzbear2000
said by fonzbear2000 :Well, I just got the N+ hooked up and it gave me a MAJOR speed increase! Not on speedtest.net though. But on dl.tv. when downloading a file on G, I would NEVER see speeds above 300 KB/sec. Now I see a CONSTANT speed of around 1.3-1.5 MB/sec!!! WOW!!! Now, hopefully the router will stay connected. Hey that's great good job!
TCP.SYS can be tweaked on the wired. Wireless too..
100 instead of 10 by Microsoft default. Below are for Gig and wireless
RWIN, TTL (64) Max ACKs 3 TCP Timestamp on, LAN Buffer Request 16384 instead of 8KB an etc.. |
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stevech0
join:2006-09-17
San Diego, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
 ·VoicePulse
3 edits | reply to Poser
said by Poser :Wow how much do you pay for that service? Mine, Road Runner (Time Warner) cable is now providing like 20Mbps down for short time, don't know maybe 1-2 minutes, then it slows down to 9Mbps or so. This speed bursting is to help customers download big files quickly, but it stops them from hogging bandwidth for streaming data.
good idea I say. Someday I'll arrange a test other than SpeedTest.net to see how long they permit the 20Mbps.
Of course, there are few Internet host computers that will deliver 20Mbps to me. Of course, 802.11g provides 20Mbps.
My 10-20Mbps down, 1Mbps up costs $45/mo bundled with cable TV. |
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tipstir
join:2004-11-14
Enfield, CT
·Cox HSI
| Yes the power boost for download and upload, right now I only pay $18 for 20mbps down and 5 up.. This is because I got everything from COX plus 8 outlets + 1 for internet and one for digital phone so 10 in all. So over all price for everything going to be greater. 50, 100, 150mbps down will be very expensive for now. |
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fonzbear2000
Premium
join:2005-08-09
Saint Paul, MN
| reply to tipstir
said by tipstir :said by fonzbear2000 :Well, I just got the N+ hooked up and it gave me a MAJOR speed increase! Not on speedtest.net though. But on dl.tv. when downloading a file on G, I would NEVER see speeds above 300 KB/sec. Now I see a CONSTANT speed of around 1.3-1.5 MB/sec!!! WOW!!! Now, hopefully the router will stay connected. Hey that's great good job! TCP.SYS can be tweaked on the wired. Wireless too.. 100 instead of 10 by Microsoft default. Below are for Gig and wireless RWIN, TTL (64) Max ACKs 3 TCP Timestamp on, LAN Buffer Request 16384 instead of 8KB an etc.. I'm VERY happy with my speeds so no tweaking needed.
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fonzbear2000
Premium
join:2005-08-09
Saint Paul, MN | reply to tipstir
The wired computer is 10/100, but I VERY rarely use it so it's fine as is.
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tipstir
join:2004-11-14
Enfield, CT
·Cox HSI
| said by fonzbear2000 :The wired computer is 10/100, but I VERY rarely use it so it's fine as is. I like my gear running at peak performance. Everyone not going to be like me but hey if you're happy that's good enough for me.. |
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Selenia
I'm a PC running Linux, so sue me
join:2006-09-22
Pittsfield, MA
·Verizon Online DSL
·RoadRunner Cable
2 edits | reply to fonzbear2000
said by fonzbear2000 :Would getting just an N be much of an improvement over my current 54mbps wireless G? The main reasons I want to upgrade are 1., sometimes I lose my connection and have to turn off my wireless on my computer and reset the router and I'm hoping the better connection that N gives will fix that and 2., I have Comcast's 12mbps tier with powerboost and only see powerboost speeds when I'm wired directly to the cable modem and I'm hoping an N router will give me better speeds. Wasting your money unless you actually want/need N speed. In that case, I would still wait for the finalized N standard, instead of the current draft N. Interoperability and stability should improve when all employ the same unified and final spec.
Personally, before complicating things with a non-final spec and higher-speed wireless, I would see why you are having such stability/throughput problems with 802.11g.
There are many settings for 802.11g that can improve stability in the presence of interference, as well as throughput. Read about such things as fragmentation threshold, RTS threshold, protected mode, parabolic antennas, and the like. Some routers let you change antennas, as well. Seems that some routers work better(including mine) in interference ridden environments when set to use g mode only.
See? You still have plenty to try with g. One of these things, or a few in conjunction, is likely to solve your issue. Spending the $$$ on N likely will not,
I own a cheap G router and this pc(the one I'm posting from) is about 50 ft away in interference hell(at least @2.4ghz). It would hardly work with default setup on this pc, if at all. Worked great at lower distance. With some tweaks, I can see my Powerboost speeds over wireless and then some(over the LAN being faster, even) and it's 100% stable 24/7, at the same distance and location of both the AP and pc.
I can advise you on how to set some of these, if interested. I don't want to make a mile long post on the subject for nothing. What kind of signal do you have anyways?
Edit: Saw your latter post. Glad it did help you(probably because of operation in 5.8 ghz-land). The issue with g probably could have been helped to a very large extent. I am going to leave this post for future readers, though, who may benefit from what I said here. |
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stevech0
join:2006-09-17
San Diego, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
·VoicePulse
2 edits | But, you see, they saturated the market with 11g. Revenue declining. 11n is still languishing in committee, not a final standard.
Solution?
Stop saying Draft-N.
Market the crap out of 11n at 300% of 11g prices.
Ah, all better now.
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After 11n market saturation, what will we be force-fed?
LTE for mobile broadband (WiMax a distant runner-up if Clearwire doesn't chicken out).
Home wireless LAN, hmm, what will it be? UWB is a goner. I dunno. Maybe ObamaLan |
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ispgeek
Premium
join:2006-02-16
Saint Petersburg, FL
1 edit | reply to fonzbear2000
Honestly there are no REALLY good routers under $100. Most have problems or fail to live up to mfr promises in some way. Your best bet is to search the higher end routers and then pick which one has the least complaints in the areas you need covered. Watch for firmware update complaints especially (this is always a bad sign) and rather than get a router that does everything under the sun pick one that does only what it needs to do to fit your application. Also make sure that you pick a router that sports the latest processor technology because speed is king...
In the end I picked a dlink gamerlounge dgl4500 for my application and for the most part it's worked flawlessly. One exception is the latest firmware update however and once you update to it you can't go back . It also came with a pretty hefty pricetag compared to the routers you have talked about.
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My favorite
Broadband Speed Test is at ISPgeeks.com. Can't find me here? Find me there! |
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tipstir
join:2004-11-14
Enfield, CT
·Cox HSI
| said by ispgeek :Honestly there are no REALLY good routers under $100. Most have problems or fail to live up to mfr promises in some way. Your best bet is to search the higher end routers and then pick which one has the least complaints in the areas you need covered. Watch for firmware update complaints especially (this is always a bad sign) and rather than get a router that does everything under the sun pick one that does only what it needs to do to fit your application. Also make sure that you pick a router that sports the latest processor technology because speed is king... In the end I picked a netgear gamerlounge dgl4500 for my application and for the most part it's worked flawlessly. One exception is the latest firmware update however and once you update to it you can't go back . It also came with a pretty hefty pricetag compared to the routers you have talked about. That's DLINK not Netgear DGL4500 with OLED feature. Not needed if the router will end up in a network closet just to have a fancy display where LED panel will do the trick or you the Web Admin to access logs. Save that extra funds to go over $100. Under $100 is just has good. |
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ispgeek
Premium
join:2006-02-16
Saint Petersburg, FL
2 edits | You are correct. I had Netgear on the brain for some insane reason. I didn't buy the Dlink for the display (which is useless). I bought it because in the tests of 10 or so routers that I looked at (and actually bought and returned) it was the only one that could handle the number of simultaneous tcp sessions that I push through a router without bogging down. I rarely even use the wireless portion (but it works well) but I cram a ton of data down that routers throat in about 100 simulatenous tcp sessions (it goes higher at times) and it doesn't miss a beat. The logs are nice for those who are paranoid but I see no purpose in them for the average user (besides making you paranoid). And one last huge thing! It can handle and pass through data at the higher ISP datarates without a problem. I have a 20/2 connection and there is no loss of performance. All of the other routers I tested failed this one test and never even came close to my advertised caps. In some cases the most I could obtain was about 12mbps and that was with minimal tcp sessions running on several boxes.
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My favorite
Broadband Speed Test is at ISPgeeks.com. Can't find me here? Find me there! |
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stevech0
join:2006-09-17
San Diego, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
·VoicePulse
1 edit | 100 simultaneous TCP sessions is a bit much for a consumer home router.
But if most of those are from/to local PCs and servers then the packets go through the switch and not the router so the routing performance doesn't matter. That is, local packets are done by the chips in the switch built into the w-router; the w-router's CPU and firmware aren't involved.
I can't imagine a 100 TCP connection use case for a home router. I can, for a small business purpose, or serving an RV park or some such. I suppose 100 connections can happen if you are a fanatic in peer to peer file sharing - risky biz.
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ispgeek
Premium
join:2006-02-16
Saint Petersburg, FL
1 edit | said by stevech0 :100 simultaneous TCP sessions is a bit much for a consumer home router. But if most of those are from/to local PCs and servers then the packets go through the switch and not the router so the routing performance doesn't matter. That is, local packets are done by the chips in the switch built into the w-router; the w-router's CPU and firmware aren't involved. I can't imagine a 100 TCP connection use case for a home router. I can, for a small business purpose, or serving an RV park or some such. I suppose 100 connections can happen if you are a fanatic in peer to peer file sharing - risky biz. LOL!!
At any given moment you may have multiple tcp sessions on a single pc depending on what applications you are running. It's not uncommon for an average user connected to the internet to have 5 to 12 active sessions without even working at it too hard (remember: each browser window you have open will count as 1 tcp session and depending on what you're doing in that window it might count as more "like video within web page). In my case I operate several dynamic websites which require information to be updated every couple of minutes. To reduce load on the web server I have several boxes at home obtaining the content and then sending it up to the servers as needed which ends up being pretty much a constant stream of data from many applications. Additionally they provide streamed audio and video. Hell my home pc has between 20 and 30 active tcp sessions by itself at any given moment.
As far as peer to peer...nope not my game thank you. It's purely hobby/business related and all legit. Not into the darker side of things, havin too much fun doing it the right way thanks
Bottom line is the DGL4500 handles a ton of tcp sessions without crapping out and also passes data wan to lan at a phenomonal rate of speed unlike all the others I tested and I tested a ton of em (at one point I was afraid they wouldnt take em back but I explained what I was doing and they backed down). Forget the fancy bells and whistles and displays...I just need it to perform as advertised and it does... |
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