Router problem - fixable or replacement?

I have this trusted old DI-524 that did the job for many years, but yesterday I noticed lack of internet connectivity, and I traced the problem to router log entries "Drop packet from LAN ... Out of NAT buffer". Most google entries for this are several years old, and don't seem to be relevant.

Could this be a router hardware failure, or are there any diagnostics that could help identify a cause for this? I now have Lenovo T500 with Intel 5100 networking, so it's probably time to get a router that can serve this, thinking of a Netgear WNDR3400. Still I would like to rule out any potential issues that may have affected my old router first.

 

The log entry suggests an issue that is a result of a large number of connections that took place (like P2P, Skype etc) and either are tracked by router far too long or the router just doesn't have enough RAM to store them all (in the latter case number of connections doesn't have to be that significant)
Since DI-524 has only 8MB RAM it could have caused problems even in 2005- it's not nearly enough by today’s standards.
So far the story is OK however NAT table overflow can be cured by rebooting the router. If you had done so and it didn't help- it's something wrong.

Anyway- skip WNDR3400 and go for WNDR3500L for reasons I've explained here. (I've compared it with other- mostly good- routers mentioned by OP)

 

Thanks, I had the router unplugged overnight and when I tried again this morning I was not able to renew DHCP, so I assume it is no longer usable. I doubt that I will use any wired connection, but dual band looks interesting, as I think my Intel adapter is supporting that.

 

WNDR3400 is not a simultaneous dual-band router- just a dual band router.
That means either 2.4GHz or 5GHz band but not both at the same time.
If any of your wireless devices is not capable of running 5GHz it renders it useless. Consider if all laptops and smartfones etc. can use 5GHz band.

Second thing-5GHz is not any faster than 2.4GHz- it's usually less congested but if it's even the case for you is up to you to check (use inSSIDer to scan for networks).

 

Are you sure about this? I thought that the simulatenous dual-band is its main feature compared to the WNDSR3300.
wndr3400

 

Sorry- my bad. I've checked it before posting but on top of the product page they posted only

Info on the fact that it actually is a simultaneous dual band is available at the bottom of product specs as advanced feature.

I'd still go for WNR3500L though- for optional DD-WRT/Tomato support that may come in handy.