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tommy13v
Premium Member
join:2002-02-15
Niskayuna NY

tommy13v

Premium Member

Suggestions for a new wireless router

I am in the market for a new wireless router because my Buffalo WZR-300HP has been unreliable for months now with dns issues, admin page not working and having to ssh into it and restart httpd and wireless drop outs.

So before I go and buy a new router I figured I would see what others think. I did have one suggestion on getting an ASUS RT-N66U.

Thanks

Selenia
Gentoo Convert
Premium Member
join:2006-09-22
Fort Smith, AR

Selenia

Premium Member

My advice is always a self built unit based on Linux. Can't beat the stability under load, configuration options, and performance. For home units, I am a long time Cisco/Linksys fan. Firmware is not the best but almost all are flashable with custom firmware and I have units over 10 years old as range extension APs that show no signs of dying.

Your Buffalo is based on DD-WRT I believe. I had just the problems you have on some builds on some routers. DD-WRT can be good, though is no longer the best firmware IMHO. Sometimes a bug caused its settings to get bungled with those very symptoms. Short term fix can be a 30/30/30 reset to see if your router will function normally at its defaults. If it does, flash another build. If it doesn't it could still be corrupt software, so try a reflash even with the same build. It just sounds to me like you are having a software issue(things like httpd crashing, which I had with an old build on an old Linksys after using service settings, a newer build permanently fixed it) and I would hate to see you dispose of perfectly good hardware because of that.

tommy13v
Premium Member
join:2002-02-15
Niskayuna NY

tommy13v

Premium Member

As a linux guy myself I use to run linux routers but as I aged and the kids came along I became lazy with updating and fixing things. You are right though that I did have the best reliability when using my own home grown solution or even IPCop.

Maybe I should revisit building my own again and just grabbing an access point.

Selenia
Gentoo Convert
Premium Member
join:2006-09-22
Fort Smith, AR

Selenia

Premium Member

Let's not forget benefits like running your own DNS caching server and web cache for a house full of people. Definitely gives an edge for performance. Especially back when I was sharing 3 mb dsl, which was the best I could get in that location. Then there is content for the kids. I have them connect to their own AP and a wired port for their PC with those in place so I can be reasonably sure they won't get themselves into trouble easily on the internet and that XXX ads don't pop up in their face in the event of malware on mobile devices. Their PC is locked down nicely.
HELLFIRE
MVM
join:2009-11-25

HELLFIRE to tommy13v

MVM

to tommy13v
What's your budget?

802.11g? 802.11n? 802.11ac?

What's your required specifications / features?

Do you have a "nice to have, but not required" specs / features list?

Preference for homebuilt, or shopbought appliance?

Do you have a need or preference for alt firmwares to be loaded?

My suggested place to start -- especially if you've been out of the router game for awhile -- is smallnetbuilder.com

Regards

tommy13v
Premium Member
join:2002-02-15
Niskayuna NY

tommy13v

Premium Member

Budget is $100-$200
802.11n
Need dhcp reservations
Would like to have a guest network for wireless
Leaning towards shop bought
No need for alternative firmware

I'll check out smallnetbuilder.com in the mean time.

Thanks

morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000

morbo

Member

I'm in the same ballpark as you. I'm looking at »routerboard.com/RB951G-2HnD for a cheap solution (also no 5Ghz) or »routerboard.com/RB953GS-5HnT for more robust solution with the ability to add a 2.4Ghz card.

tommy13v
Premium Member
join:2002-02-15
Niskayuna NY

tommy13v

Premium Member

The RB951G-HnD is right up my alley and it can do POE on port 1. Do you have any more thoughts on these routers or experience with them?

Selenia
Gentoo Convert
Premium Member
join:2006-09-22
Fort Smith, AR

Selenia to tommy13v

Premium Member

to tommy13v
I would say you have a need for alternative firmware at least in that price range if this guest network is going to be open, so you can implement security measures for it and control bandwidth usage as to not impact your service, at bare minimum.

mips
@74.70.123.x

mips

Anon

Looks like the Asus has an alternative firmware that will do guest networks.

Selenia
Gentoo Convert
Premium Member
join:2006-09-22
Fort Smith, AR

Selenia

Premium Member

I am talking things like isolation of guests from main networkvia VLAN(but not for the main wireless), content control against illegal content, port and protocol filtering(curb virus activity and filesharing), bandwidth QoS control with lower priority for guest, etc. All parts of a responsible open network. He has not yet said if it will be open but even if it isn't some of these measures would still be useful. I can have my granny(viruses love her) with confidence.

morbo
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morbo to tommy13v

Member

to tommy13v
said by tommy13v:

Do you have any more thoughts on these routers or experience with them?

I have zero experience with them. I'm just researching options for my home as my current router (ASUS RT-N16) is crapping out.

tommy13v
Premium Member
join:2002-02-15
Niskayuna NY

tommy13v

Premium Member

I'm going to go ahead and order one and see how it works out. I'm also ordering some parts to build my own as Selenia mentioned with some isolation and content filtering.

morbo
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morbo

Member

Great. Post an update when you've installed and have some feedback on it. I'm curious to hear.

tommy13v
Premium Member
join:2002-02-15
Niskayuna NY

tommy13v

Premium Member

Most certainly will.

morbo
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morbo

Member

Any first impressions of the Routerboard / Microtik wireless router?

tommy13v
Premium Member
join:2002-02-15
Niskayuna NY

tommy13v

Premium Member

I was going to comment on this today.

Overall I am extremely impressed by the capabilities of the router. My network throughput has increased dramatically and the wireless coverage is way better than before.

The feature set is very impressive but does take quite a bit of understanding in networking in order to successfully program it. It really is not a router for the casual user.

Fantastic router at a great price.

Ask any questions you would like if you want specifics.

morbo
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morbo

Member

I'm most curious about the wifi coverage. I believe it has 1000mW transmit power which is definitely higher than anything I've seen for consumers.

tommy13v
Premium Member
join:2002-02-15
Niskayuna NY

tommy13v

Premium Member

I have a 3000sqft house and had issues with HD streams with my Roku in the furthest point in my house. I now get HD streams and a solid 30mbps to it. I'm going to do a heat map and compare it to what I had previously and share the results.

morbo
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morbo

Member

I look forward to seeing it.
morbo

morbo to tommy13v

Member

to tommy13v
Can you tell if its easy to use this as a AP only?

SoonerAl
MVM
join:2002-07-23
Norman, OK

SoonerAl to tommy13v

MVM

to tommy13v
Click for full size
I purchased an ASUS RT-N66R (same as the RT-N66U but from a retail source) last year from Best Buy. Could not be happier. It has guest network functionality which I use for grandkids, etc. I happen to run the stock factory firmware which was recently updated.

tommy13v
Premium Member
join:2002-02-15
Niskayuna NY

tommy13v to morbo

Premium Member

to morbo
Out of the box it was set as an AP and I had to change it to a home access point.

morbo
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morbo

Member

Based on your experience I ended up pulling the trigger on the same device. Took a bit of tinkering to find the ideal settings for my location, but wow is it powerful. So much so that I may turn down the transmit power so that the signal is more confined to my home.

tommy13v
Premium Member
join:2002-02-15
Niskayuna NY

tommy13v

Premium Member

I had to turn mine down because my neighbor who I allow use my connection while over was still maintaining a connection from across the street at her house.

It is a great router for the price.

morbo
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morbo

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I turned mine down as well. I'm still connecting at full speed in about every location that matters.
LittleBill
join:2013-05-24

LittleBill to tommy13v

Member

to tommy13v
they are amazing devices i have the 951,750,2011, and i have a MAP2n on order

crazy powerful, crazy hard to learn, crazy reliable at the right firmware!

tommy13v
Premium Member
join:2002-02-15
Niskayuna NY

tommy13v

Premium Member

I can't believe how well and how many features these routers have and the best part is the price.

Anav
Sarcastic Llama? Naw, Just Acerbic
Premium Member
join:2001-07-16
Dartmouth, NS

Anav to tommy13v

Premium Member

to tommy13v
Im confused, are these Access Points or Wifi Routers.
In response to a question, you stated it came as an AP but you changed to a home access point. To me there is no difference????

tommy13v
Premium Member
join:2002-02-15
Niskayuna NY

tommy13v

Premium Member

Their term "Home Access Point" refers to making it a router for residential purposes.