Any Good N routers out there? all the reviews at NewEgg complain about bad firmware for top brands :-(

I guess the headline of my questions says it all --

Any Good N routers out there? all the reviews at NewEgg complain about bad firmware for top brands :-(

I have the classic Linksys WRT 54 GL. I only started using it a few months ago and notice my DSL going in and out. (My previous one -- a Buffalo was beyond its time.)

There were other contributers to the intermittent disconnect of the DSL that have now been fixed (problematic phone wiring -- can't wait for FIOS to get here.)

But I am pretty certain by the process of elimination that the router keeps disconnecting transmission for a few minutes at a time.

It works when a laptop is connected through the ethernet jack but the wireless at this point keeps cutting in and out -- hard to test when problem is intermittent for short bursts of time -- sometimes under 30 seconds. But I am pretty positive it is the wireless part now.

I want an N router anyway -- but I am discouraged by the reviews of the top ones -- D-link, etc.

Though the older reviews are positive the most recent ones complain about the current firmware -- that it really sucks and this seems to be across the board for the top routers.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

I have a DIR-655 revision A2, running 1.21 firmware, and it's rock solid. The newest 1.3+ firmware is absolute crap (just go to the D-Link forums to see how crappy it is). You might get lucky on eBay and find one that still uses 1.21 or earlier firmware.

If money is no object, you could always buy a gigabit wired router, then attach an 802.11n access point. It's a little more costly, but you'll probably find a rock solid wired router and a rock solid access point faster than you'll find a wireless router that's worth a crap.

 

one acronym:

DD-WRT

Research it, learn it, use it, love it.......

 

Sure, if you want to get hacked!

 

Would you elaborate on this a bit?

I have 4 rooms stretched lengthwise across the apartment that I need to get internet service to. That's an expanse of about 65 + feet long.

My current wireless (the linksys G mentioned in 1st post) when in the center of the first three rooms will expand 25 ft each way. But I need one that will expand 35 ft each way.

I would prefer wireless to avoid wiring up the apartment. But if there is a way along the lines you are suggesting, I would like to learn more.

I don't know enough about networking -- I know that I have to configure my modem as a bridge in order to attach my router and that N is more powerful than G -- but that is about it.

 

It would look like this:

Wired Router -> Wireless access point

Put them right next to each other and you've got wired and wireless networking. Of course, the best solution is to find a good wireless router - but I agree that the current pickins are slim at best. Have you looked at the Linksys 600N?

What's the model number of your modem? Do you have cable or DSL?

 

If someone loads up DD-WRT up and leaves it running in the default config (the ONLY state in which it's vulnerable to the well-known problems) they get what they deserve.

Set it up with the basic security-centric settings and you're just fine.

 

Don't mean to be a dunce ... but can you give me example of each? I don't know what a wireless access point it.

 

This review is several months (almost a year) old, but is still pretty good. Note that the WRT610N has had more than one firmware update since the problems during the IW Review. Clients I've worked with who use that Router have had pretty good results with it.

DUAL-BAND ROUTER SHOWDOWN - INFO WEEK


The following link is to a list of N Router Reviews at Tom's Hardware:

Tom's Hardware - N Router Reviews

As for your connection issue, if it's dropping out like that, there's a good chance you've got something near your Router that's causing interference, like a cordless phone base or other electronic device. If you live in an older home with older wiring, EM interference can also cause interrupts. If it's intermittent, see if you can equate it to something in the home - an appliance turning on (Microwave), incoming phone call on a cordless, incoming cell call, etc. If not, then it has to be something near either your Adapter or the Router itself causing the interference. The other possibility is that your incoming signal is low to begin with, in which case you'd need a Line Amplifier to boost the signal on your cable line. The amp attaches at the incoming point of your home, before any splitter routes the cable to the different locations in your home. Your ISP can verify the signal strength at your access point (where it comes into the home, not a hardware AP) to determine if you need an amp or not. Most will do it for free if you ask, but check first as not all do.

One way to help determine the cause is by using a monitoring program (Network Magic, etc.) that can track your activity and note where the problem occured when it occurs.

Keep in mind that System Resources can also have an effect on overall Network performance. Significant disk fragmentation, or a low amount of Available RAM can cause your CPU to start using your HDD as a virtual RAM device, slowing down your network and dropping your signal in the process. From what you've described though, it sounds more like a signal issue than a resource one. Still, never rule out anything.

Personally, and Shyster and others will verify it, I've long been an advocate of Dual-Band N Routers, in particular Linksys ones. I myself have a WRT600N Dual-Band. You cannot overstate the benefits that having a Dual-Band Router provides, especially if you have multiple systems or network connections/users in your home, or if you do a lot of media streaming from the 'net. Dual-Band allows you to have 2 separate network bands in one router, allowing you to separate and prioritize traffic as necessary should you wish, without interfering with one another. It's a must for any serious gamer also.

Check the TH Reviews -they're pretty good. The WRT610N is currently undergoing a new Firmware Beta test, and it should be released soon, further increasing its capability.

 

My experience has been that there are no truly solid consumer dual band routers out there. As can be seen in that Info Week article, virtually every one has some problems due either to componentry or firmware. The only truly problem-free wireless solutions I am aware of (to-date) are Cisco enterprise gear. (Not "Cisco Small Business" aka Linksys.)

I would love to have a simultaneous dual-band that is feature rich, stable under high throughput, and able to handle many simultaneous connections.. I have yet to see one.

Just in the last quarter I'm coming off a Linksys WRVS4000N and a DLink DGL-4500 both of which have turned out to be crap.

I agree that a solid wired router + a wireless access point is probably the safest approach in terms of balancing performance and stability.

 

hey, just noticed that u were an wikianswer supervisor. i recently found out about wikianswers from random online searchin to help a friend with her online classes. just wanted to say thanks and thanks to u guys at wikianswers, she aced the test!

+ rep for wikianswers and nice read on the N routers.

 

Belkin N+

Most Stable and overall best wireless N router I've used out there.

 

I have a D-Link DIR-655 as well on firmware 1.21 works flawlessly with great reception throughout the whole house including the basement (router is on 2nd level).

 

As my professional life does not allow me to monkey around, I would like to go the route that is most likely to succeed.

I have DSL. Can a wired router and wireless access point work with that?

And could someone explain what a wired router and wireless access point is? And what do I buy to create it.

As to interference-- it is possible -- but honestly, there is a microwave about 5 feet away but it is almost never used.

I have the base of a landline telephone about 8 feet away in the same direction as the microwave and handsets connected wirelessly to the base through out the apartment though none near the landline base. The landline base has a cordless phone. But again, my land line is rarely used. If I receive or make one call a day on it, that is a lot.

Of course I have a cell phone as does my partner but when we are working we are not on the cell phone. (We both work at home.)

The intermittent disconnects happen even when my laptop is 5 feet away from the router, sometimes as often as a dozen times within a half hour and then not at all for several hours and then again with some frequency. Or sometimes it connects and disconnects with less frequency but does so all day long.

So what kind of wired router and what wireless access point do people recommend?

 

Have you changed the channel on the router? If not, I'd try that.

 

Yes, tech support at Linksys helped me do that just the other day.

I am still getting intermittent disconnects -- but I also get them when the laptop is connected by ethernet to the linksys but much less frequently.

For now I've just given up on the wireless part. The wireless was disconnecting frequently even though the laptop was 4 feet away from it with no obstructions.

But I do have a cordless phone base about 6 feet away on the opposite side -- that may be causing the problem.

When effort my ISP tech tried was to force the laptop to go to a specific DNS server rather than to search for available ones on the theory that maybe the problem was the servers the laptop was communicating with. (I don't know if I expressed this properly.)

Since there were a lot of different possibly contributing to the increasing disconnects and one by one they have been addressed -- I was wondering if this forced communication with one server might now no longer be helpful but a bit disruptive.

Can anyone tell me how to undo that?

 

There should be a configuration screen in the router where you can specifiy the DNS servers. It's just a matter of removing the custom entries and entering the standard ISP values.

If you are having disconnects when using ethernet, your cordless phone isn't the problem. Can you borrow a friend's router to see if the symptoms persist? Bear in mind that you might have to call your ISP and let them know you are using a different router - some ISPs still lock MAC addresses into their system, which will prevent the new router from connecting to the internet.