Network Upgrade Time, Need Help Deciding On What To Buy.

Ok, round two of trying to upgrade my network. Round 1 was supposed to happen some time ago but the funds fell through at the last minute.

So, The plan is to replace my current gateway(2Wire POS) with (unfortunately) a motorola 3360 DSL modem from ATT, and a third party wifi router. And depending on the thoughts and opinions of the good people of NBR perhaps a switch as well.

I have 3 desktops, 4 laptops, a network printer, a NAS, 2 PS3s, and a Wii that all will be connected to this network.

I have ATTs 1.5mbps service so my bandwidth and speed are pretty limited.

My biggest issue is getting my wifi connections to be more than a snails pace for the computers on the opposite side of the house. Another limitation is that I have to connect the router on one end of the house and still supply the rest of the house with internet.

The two primary computers are both desktops, one will be wired the other wifi (wired if I get a switch).

The printer and the NAS will be connected to the router via Ethernet.

Im looking for simple but secure. Something that I can connect all my devices without dropping connection constantly or low/inconsistent signal quality. Above all Im looking for signal strength and speed, however I don't want to buy more performance than I will actually be able to use.

My house is approximately 100 feet long with various walls and signal interfering items between the two points of communication.

I was looking to spend somewhere in the $100-200 range.

I thought about powerline networking but the only options I found that were seemingly decent were significantly above my price range. That and from what I've read about them, (and correct me if Im wrong) they send data in replicated chunks which would not be ideal for streaming content. True all data sent over the internet is sent in packets, but If I read correctly, the packets(chunks) that the powerline adapters use are of a different(larger) size, which would cause trouble (I think) since I have such a low bandwidth in the first place. Plus, that still leaves me with the POS 2wire gateway that I have right now.

Preliminary research yielded the following routers as potential candidates:
E4200
EA4500
ASUS RT-N56U
ASUS RT-N66U
BUFFALO WZR-HP-G450H
BUFFALO WZR-HP-G300NH
NETGEAR WNDR4500 N900
NETGEAR WNDR4000 N750
NETGEAR WNDR3800
NETGEAR WNDR3700
NETGEAR R6300

Please feel free to post any other models as recommendations.

Thanks in advance to all who reply.

Fry

UPDATE:
I think I've narrowed the list down a bit to these models:
NETGEAR WNDR4000 N750
NETGEAR WNDR3800
NETGEAR WNDR3700
E4200

 

E4200v1 is basically identical to WNDR4000 in terms of hardware but offers better wireless range so I'd go for E4200v1 (although it might be hard to come by).

WNDR3800 is essentially WNDR3700 with twice the RAM and new interface- it's not much more expensive so you can choose either. No real difference unless you count printer-sharing which I think was added to WNDR3800.

I would also give an Asus RT-N66U a second glance. It's a very good router with a silly price-tag but E4200 isn't cheap either.

Personally I'd go for a refurbished E4200 v1. If I was to pay full retail price than RT-N66U would be a top contender.
WNDR3700 and 3800 are basically the same so it doesn't make difference and WNDR4000 doesn't make too much sense for me- although the price is right.

 

Since, Ive got such a low bandwidth coming in from my ISP, would the extra RAM in the WNDR3800 provide significant help with traffic amongst all the different computers on my network? Im leaning toward the E4200v1(If I can find it) or the 3700/3800. It really depends on how fast the rest of the people on my network simply "MUST HAVE" better internet. I'd have to order the E4200v1(or the RT-66U for that matter) if it ends up being the winner.

thanks for your help so far.

 

RAM doesn't make much difference in this case. 3800 does have a new user interface which probably needs more RAM in the first place. You'd end up with more free RAM on 3800 than on 3700 in the end but there's no good reason to pay for it. Personally I'd find print-server more interesting than the RAM- if anything was to swing my vote towards 3800.

 

Check how many 2.4ghz wireless is around you. You may want to upgrade to 5Ghz on device that streams.

If you mange to slip in a bridge(a reliable $20-30 router or a actual bridge), your life will be mush easier.

 

Are you referring to other 2.4GHz wifi signals or devices that use 2.4GHz?
Either way the answer is 2-3 signals and 4 devices.

Seeing as my knowledge of networking is on the very basic side would you care to elaborate on this?

Currently the prospective configuration will be modem>wifi router>4 wired devices on ethernet(printer, NAS, 2 DTs), 4 G-band wifi devices(2 laptops, two phones), 3-4 N-band wifi devices(2-3notebooks and 1 Desktop) and occasionally 2 PS3s and a Wii.

I was considering putting a switch in between the modem and the router if funding permits.

Fry

 

So, after the E4200, if price were the selling point, would the 3700 be a better deal?

 

I know that all are within your budget so the price shouldn't matter but if you were to pay twice the amount for a router that is say 30% better that's not a deal I'd make.
There are refurbished WNDR3700 for $50-60- that's a great deal for a router that used yo be the best and is still very good.

E4200 v1 that costs some $110 is a great deal too.

These two are the best when it comes to performance for the price.
Asus RT-N66U may be the best one overall if you ignore the price but it's not worth the premium that you pay over E4200v1.

EDIT: To make it perfectly straightforward- I'd buy E4200v1 for $110 or if you want to save some money WNDR3700 refurb. I wouldn't pay full price for a WNDR3700 seeing what E4200 costs these days.

 

EDIT: OK, Thank you very much, I'm going to go with the E4200v1 then. Should have it in about a week or so.

 

Personally I'd go for E4200 v1. It offers very good 2.4GHz range (better than WNDR3700) and three stream throughput on 5GHz (again better compared to two stream on WNDR3700).
I have no doubt that E4200 v1 is the better router but when WNDR3700 costs around $50-60 it's really a hard decision.

You can't go wrong either way but E4200 is the better one while WNDR3700 refurb is better priced.

 

A hard decision indeed, but since the E4200v1 will have better range, it has become the winner. I have 5 walls, 2 mirrors(not sure if that effects anything), a TV(definitely affects signal) and about 70-75 feet between my current router and my laptop. For a few extra dollars I'll take the extra assurance the E4200v1 will provide.

 

Agreed- if you're looking for the best range E4200 is a go-to machine especially for the price.