Linksys wrt600n & D-link dir-655 experience

OK, I am no expert but I am not bad so here is my experience w/ these two routers. I had a belkin pre-n router and it actually served me well for 2+ years of heavy network use. My wife and I both have home offices. I do solid modeling and she does software delployments along w/ a lot of scrapbooking and photo editing. Our belkin started dropping often so it was time to replace. I have a new xps w/ N card and she has an E1505 w/ G card. We also have to OLD dells w/ B cards. One is her issued work computer and another I use for a media server in the garage. then of course there is one desktop. Our house was built in '45 so the walls are thick and lathe n plaster. Our office is upstairs and approx. 4 wall and a ceiling away from our living room.

I bought the Linksys first. I said screw it I am goign to just buy the best and be done w/ it. Was $199 at best buy. The setup software was a joke. It did not set up a single thing. I set it up manually and all was was good. I could connect my N laptop at 270Mbps and the wife was getting 54 in the office. In the living room I could not connect on neither the 2.4ghz or the 5.2ghz. She was able to connect very slowly. This was quite disappointing since it was way worse than our Belkin pre-n. I tried every setting option and configuration. It was blazing fast in our office but actually that is were we are the least unless I am doing heavy renderings but then I am on the desktop anyway. I returned cuz our dropping belkin was better than not connecting at all.

So I bought the DIR-655. WOW. It was $120 at best buy w/ a free $20 gift card. I found a 10% coupon on line (could have used on the linksys). I bought it and then went and got me a game w/ the gift card.

I set it up per instruction. Their software did not work either but I think it was thinking I was adding a router and not replacing one. I set it up manually. I am able to connect at 150ish will having the G connected at 54. that is fast enough for me cuz when I am in the living room it still connects. I turn on a B card and it does drop me to 54Mbps but it did increase to 70ish after a few minutes. I get a "very good" connection in the the living room.

I should have listened to the pimply faced child at best buy the first time i was in there. he told me to my the 655. He said it the one that does not come back very often.

That is my review. Not very scientific but it one guys ramblings

 

There is no question that the top N speeds only work in close range.

I am surprised that you didnt get connected further away though. Mine is on the second floor of my house and I get 270Mbps through the floor about 15 feet away underneath and to the side. If I go another 15 feet away the speed is 108Mbps. The G connects inside, outside and a good distance away from my home as well. You must have thick walls

 

I was really supprised also. I received good connections w/ my hold belkin and d-link just could not get the linksys to perform. I tried default and custom settting along w/ suggestions from here.