fractalman93
Progressive Music Fan
Premium
join:2004-08-02
Newport News, VA
 ·Covad Communications
·EarthLink
| reply to ost3vo
Re: [Connection Sharing] Suggestions Please
OK, since you mentioned gaming traffic, I am assuming that you are referring to cable modems. From my experience, the ISP chooses the DSL modem for you. However, cable modems are available in most electronics department stores such as Best Buy and CompUSA.
I have a Linksys WRT54G V2.0 router. It seems to be pretty good in terms of ease of use, quality, etc. However, from experience, the Linksys wireless NICs can be problematic. That said, the signal strength of mine has magically increased over time. Go figure.
With Linksys being a subdivision of Cisco, it is generally a good brand. Their live chat tech support leaves a lot to be desired though. I get better tech support here at dslreports.com.
Netgear also gets good reviews, but I do not have any personal experience with that brand.
Those two brands are probably good for cable modems as well. I have DSL. So, I cannot tell you from personal experience here either.
Whatever router you choose, make sure it has WPA security built in. That will help prevent just anyone from connecting to your network and stealing bandwidth, etc.
I would strongly recommend a hardware firewall as well with a broadband connection. Since I have a few years of experience with Watchguard firewalls, I would recommend the Watchguard SOHO 6. Some people may consider this overkill and it is a bit expensive (approx $280). You get something like 6/9 months of free firmware update support and LiveSecurity service which includes a newsletter that alerts you to current threats and gives you all sorts of other cool information. You can subscribe to this service after the initial period for about $95 per year.
I am not a salesperson for any electronics retailer. So, my opinions are honest. I am not trying to put money in my pocket because I have nothing to gain; except your respect.
I hope this helps.
Fractalman93 |
