| looking for best value for N-class router I know the forum is littered with questions about needing a new router but I looked over several of those and none seems to answer my question. I hope someone will take a moment to review this...
I currently have a wrt54g router that is working but I don't get the speeds over wired or wireless that I get when plugged directly into my cable modem. Therefore I am looking to upgrade to a new router.
My current needs are for general internet browsing but I also do video streaming from amazon, espn, etc... as well as audio/video streaming from my iTunes library.
I know I can go out and get a top of the line router for approx $175 but that is more than I can afford now. I have looked at the ~$100 range and that is more than I care to pay but could manage it if need be.
Therefore what I am looking for is something in the $30-$50 range that would get me going. If I need to spend more than $50 then I might as well go up to the $100 level.
What recommendations do you have? Do I need a dual-band router? For my usage what speed should I look for - 150, 300, 600?? |
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 AnavSarcastic Llama? Naw, Just AcerbicPremium
join:2001-07-16
Dartmouth, NS
kudos:3 | There is nothing in the price range you have cornered yourself into. The latest chipsets and such are yielding speeds in the order 80Mbps throughput certainly approaching wired speeds and probably but not consistently can exceed wired speeds of 100Mbps (not talking gigabit performance) but compared to ISP wan provided speeds which range typicallly from about 1Meg plain DSL or cable up to 70 or 100Megs down and 30 to 50 megs up.
So yes wireless speeds on your LAN are now matching top WAN speeds available. The next generation of chip (probably this spring) will be another increase (talking about 80Mhz vice the current 20 and 40 MHz) frequency. Not sure what speeds those will yield but certainly at or above 100Mbps. »Broadcom Unveils Fifth Gen 1 Gigabit Wi-Fi Chip
Check this chart out and make your own decisions.
»www.smallnetbuilder.com/index.ph···emid=200
»www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/r···al-simul
The ASUS RT 56U ($119 at futureshop) certainly is decent bang for the buck. Caveat - no guest wifi and 3rd party firmware not available. On the plus side great router for fibreOp FFTH installs (replace the gutless actiontech).
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Ain't nuthin but the blues! "Albert Collins".
Leave your troubles at the door! "Pepe Peregil" De Sevilla. Just Don't Wifi without WPA, "Yul Brenner"
LlamaWorks Equipment |
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| reply to mlcampbe
DLINK DIR-655
»www.nobetterdeal.com/StoreCatalo···oddnZxAg
You can probably find it on ebay for even less if you're ok with used hardware. I've been using mine for a year now with N radios, as well as IPv6 and it's been great. |
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 billaustinthey call me Mr. BillPremium,MVM
join:2001-10-13
North Las Vegas, NV
kudos:2 | reply to mlcampbe
Give this one a try. It's in your price range.
»www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EI···_product |
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 DrTCPYours trulyPremium,ExMod 1999-04
join:1999-11-09
Round Rock, TX | reply to mlcampbe
said by mlcampbe:I know the forum is littered with questions about needing a new router but I looked over several of those and none seems to answer my question. I hope someone will take a moment to review this... I like Apple Airport Extreme (latest generation with simultaneous dual band). Just like any other Apple product it does not come cheap though but it is a well made product.
This can be configured either as a router or AP. It does not have a web interface for configuration so it needs to be configured via Apple Airport utility (for OSX or Windows only). It does not come with with external antennas but signal strength is much higher hand most consumer wifi equipment.
If your Wifi adapter can do 5Ghz band for 802.11n, it will be better than congested 2.4Ghz band. Also, not all laptop wifi modules support 300Mbps transfer mode. They will still do 802.11n but at lower 150Mbps or less speed connections. Please note that these are raw speeds on the air. The actual throughputs are lower since there is higher overhead on wireless than on simple ethernet cable. Any interference will also cause packets to be retransmitted so effective throughput drops.
While properly implemented 802.11n wifi will get you good speeds you might never achieve the reliability of the wired networking.
Therefore what I am looking for is something in the $30-$50 range that would get me going. If I need to spend more than $50 then I might as well go up to the $100 level. |
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