Wireless N Network

I need help choosing a brand for my new wireless n network. Which brand is the best, I'm deciding between D-LINK DIR-625 and Belkin F5D8230 so far. What other models or brands are good? Thanks for your help.
Other information, I live in a 2-level townhouse and I sometimes game, don't know if it'll make a difference in choosing a router though.

 

Dlink DIR-655, DGL-4500 and the Linksys 350N.

Those are my recommendations.

 

The DIR-655 and DGL-4500...I am testing the 350N now, and I am not happy with the performance. The QoS on the D-link's is pretty impressive also. The Gigabit ports on the back of routers will speeds up the wired connections as well.

 

I haven't used the OE firmware on my 350N since I got it out of the box, but I hear good things about the latest update.

With DD-WRT I have it working as a NAS, Print server, VPN, and webserver. It also does ad-blocking(I can't see the ads on NBR) and great QoS.

 

I'm not happy about Linksys because the router I'm using right now is messing up all the time and techs. don't know how to fix it, so I want to switch brands.
However, what is the main difference between DIR-655 and DGL-4500?
Would these router be overkill and would they work with the real N?
Thanks for all your help.

 

I'm happy with my TRENDnet TEW-631. I have 2 wired and 1 WiFi N laptop connected and so far good speeds and no drops. The price was right as well $ 40.00 after rebates.

 

Which router do you have right now?

I used plenty of routers to know that's not the way to think. Because all of these "SOHO" router companies can get a home run with 1 router and a complete dog with another. Dlink had 5 revisions in 18 months of the DI624 & DI604 till they finally got most of the bugs out. But this new DIR-655 is really decent. Linksys has a bunch of crap but the 54GL can be considered a home run.

DGL-4500 has 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz radios while the DIR655 only has 2.4Ghz.

 

I love DD-WRT firmware, but have had problems with recent releases and performance. I imagine the buffalo routers with it preloaded are smokin. the DGL basically is the DIR-655 with the 5ghz added so you can bond channels for the full 300 mbits/sec speed on the 4986agn cards.

 

What sort of problems? I might be able to help you out.

 

I'm using the Linksys WRT54G, with two desktops using wireless. I have another desktop that needs to have wireless as well.
In total, my home network will include three wireless desktops and one wireless N laptop in the future.
I am not a hardcore gamer, but I would like to see next to no lag when I do have time to play. I also download movies, music, etc. My brother does not game much or download and my parents just use the web for email and other low bandwidth sites.
As you can see, if I go with the D-Link Xtreme N Gigabit Router DIR-655 along with three D-LINK DWA-552 Xtreme N Desktop Adapter, it would cost me almost $450-$500. I want to know if this setup will be overkill for my family and will it be future-proof i.e. Real N. Thanks.
And what is this DD-WRT firmware?

 

If you're gonna upgrade go with the DGL-4500.

You don't have to add wireless to your new desktop right away. You can hook up the computer wired then add it later when the adapter drops in price.

 

Wow, I think that's out of my budget.... That would be ideal, but not sure. Won't I need to buy three new adapters as well? Or at least two for the current desktops that I have.

 

Only if you want to use N. If you just need them connected the router is backwards compatible.

 

What's the point in buying DGL-4500 then? Are you saying to buy that first and then wait for the adpaters to be cheaper? What are the adpaters by the way?

 

The point of it is you wanted future proof and N for your new laptop. Since you sound like you're made of money then get new new networking completely. The 552 would be the matching adapter.

Or you can decide to get to the bottom of what's wrong with your network now.

 

lol, I wish I was made of money, but I was thinking that I might as well change everything while I'm at it. I asked the Linksys technicians and they can't or don't know how to fix it, so I gave up trying long time ago. So is the DIR-655 not future-proof then? Thanks for your help.

 

Because the Intel N card requires 5Ghz to get full 300mbs. This is why I suggested DGL-4500 for FULL future proof-ness. Unless you really need the N speeds on the desktops just get the router and go piece by piece.

Also there's some mention on the net that there will be an update to the N protocol when it's done to use both the 2.4 and 5Ghz band at the same time to push 600mbs-1Gbs. I thought it was a pipe dream until I started to see these new dual band router.

As for the Linksys you have now, those techs are useless. Start googling about DD-WRT and put that thing to good use.

 

Ohhhh..., okay, I sorta get it, thanks. So, will it be upgradable to the acutal N, or are all routers not 100% confirmed that they will be upgradable to N. When you say to go piece by piece, are you still talking about the D-LINK DWA-552 or is there gonna be new adapters that better match the 4500. Also, how would the 4500 differ from the 855? Seems like the same, sorta... Thanks again for your help.

 

Well, lol, the final real "N" won't be out until 2009. So all the routers/adapters out now are "draft N". Most likely they will meet the final specs with some firmware updates. I'm using the DIR-655 router and love it. Also using the D-link Adapter and getting the full 300Mbps on my laptop. When I'm working on desktops in my shop, I often just use a USB "N" adapter to make it wireless and update the system etc, as I work on them. I don't think it's overkill if you don't mind spending that much $. But no one can guarantee that the setup will be pass the Final n specs in 2009. but i bet they will.

 

Alright, thanks a lot, hopefully whatever router I buy will be able to pass the final N.
The USB N adapter for the 655, isn't as fast as the PCI adpater for the 655 right?

 

I'd have to look at the D-Link site. I'm using an DL Express Card as you can see in my sig- it gets the full 300mbps w/ the DIR-655 and doesn't have the antenna's and stuff. I don't know that D-Link has a USB Xtreme N adapter out yet.

 

Oh, okay, ic, I thought you were talking about an USB one.
It is possible or even necessary to replace the Intel N adpaters on new notebooks with the Xtreme N Notebook Adapter?
I'm assuming it would be a waste of money.

 

Yes the PCI is faster.

 

What about the difference between 4500 and the 855?
Is there going to be a specific adpater for the 4500 or is it just the Xtreme N one?

 

What's the difference between the WRT300N-BP sold at Sam's for 126 bux, and the WRT350N? Anyone know off hand?

 

The USB harddrive link.

 

I have a 500 gig usb external I've been sharing through another laptop....I wonder how this works with the intel 4965agn wireless card I have?

 

Huh?

There's a link on the 350N where you just plug in a HDD and you have an Instant NAS. You use SMB or FTP on it.

 

Thats' what I need, i.e. Network USB....I meant what connect speeds could I expect with the 4965agn wireless card. I heard I can't get 300Mbps unless I connect at 5 ghz, otherwise I'll get 144Mbps.

EDIT: Someone at newegg answered my question: "Pros: 4 Gigabit connections

Cons: 1. intel 4965agn wireless cards ( the wireless-N in most laptops sold today) is NOT NOT NOT compatible with this router. 2. USB storage is slower than death 3. Linksys will not support this router. 4. New firmware was so bad they pulled it and reverted back. 5. Cost is too high.

Other Thoughts: Make sure if you have an intel 4965agn card to get a router that is certified to "Connect with Centrino"

 

NOT OVERKILL, IMO>>>>> but thats a bunch of money however the dir 655 is great>>>> but thats all I personally can vouch for- however the reviews clearly rate it the best. U have to think about what the cap on your isp download speed is for 1 thing- your home network will be much, much faster than your total downloads speed/bandwidth.

no 1 can promise what 2009 and the "final N " will bring, but the firmware should>>>> be upgradeable to the final spec

the dir 655 only works on 2.4 ghz, same for their adapters>>>> but almost nobdody is making notebook adapters that work on the 5 ghz freq>>> which reduces interference w/ portable phone, etc. but that WILL most likely be in the final N

my BF and i are into gaming and download lots of movies and the dir 655's performance is wonderful

so there's this gals 2 cents worth

 

Tebore, do you know if the Dir-655 will allow me to plug in my USB 2.0 ext harddrive directly into it and use it over the network? i.e. no other network usb hub required. Looks like a nice router.

 

I too have the Dlink Dir655. My laptop hasnt arrived yet but my desktop is connected to it wireless with the Xtreme N desktop adapter. But i only get 54 Mbps with it. what gives? my tower is not even 1' away from the router. is this a normal speed? ive used a wired connection during setup and i get 1g connection.

 

well, i'm not tebore , but no, it won't. The usb is for sticking in a usb flash drive/network key, etc. I know the Apple/Mac Airport Extreme does allow you to plug in a hard drive, printer, usb hubs, etc. It's also operates on 2.4 and 5mhz. But after looking at their forums b4 we bought our dir 655, they're still having lots of bugs/glitches with attachments through the usb port, plus it just has 3 ethernet(gigabit) connections, vs 4 for the dir 655 and most others. Everything is all so new and all the manufacturers are trying to get ahead of each other.

I hope i've made since, we just got home from a party and ........
Then, of all things, they deleted my avatar- said it was too sexy for this forum

hahahaha

so i put up a more appropriate one.....

 

heck no that's not right!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

do you have it transmitting just on N, what type security settings are you using? Are you connecting to the internet, or just the network? It sounds like you have something set up wrong, or there's def a problem w/ your equipment.

Could you tell us a little more about the router settings, which adapter your using, are you using the d-link program to connect from the desktop or windows.......

 

Thanks for your comment.
I'm actually now considering the D-Link DGL-4500. Its almost twice my budget for buying a new router, so I'm still not sure. However I just found out that the DGL-4500 doesn't run the dual band simultaneously. Does this mean that I have to run either at 2.4 or 5.8? If one of my computer runs at wireless G, my network will slow down? I'm really confused right now. Haha.
On the other hand, the D-Link DIR-855, which isn't out yet, says it can run dual band simultaneously. Does anyone have any more information about this?
These router decisions are making a headache for me. The DGL-4500 isn't out yet in Canada, some say in Spring 2008, which is a long time, and the price can't be guaranteed to be the same as the States. I could go down and buy it, but it won't be simultaneously dual band.
The DIR-855 which isn't even out yet, even in the States, with no idea on the price range, has seemingly more to offer than the DGL-4500.
Then comes the question of adapters. The ones right now do not operate at 5.8Ghz anyways, so am I really getting a benefit, other than my future laptop which I think can operate at 5.8.
Wow, this is the longest comment I've posted... But I really hope somebody can give me/us (hopefully other people like me are in this situation) more information. Thanks!

 

im using normal security settings. im connected to the internet. i followed the quick install guide. im using the dlink dwa-552 adapter which is the recommended adapter for the dir-655. im using the windows program to connect to the internet. i tried using the dlink program but it wouldnt find any connections i have no idea if im transmitting in N or not. i just set this up today. please help!

 

Thanks....that's what I thought....I thought if I could get a network USB hub and router in the same package, it would help. My 14 year old son is tired of me using his A8js as a network hub LOL.

EDIT: I was in BlueshirtCity today (Best Buy and noticed they've marked down the Belkin Network USB Hub from 129 to 79 bux....with my 10% coupon, that's not too bad unless someone knows something about this unit that I don't. On second thought, I'll check out the linksys device that's meant for storage only. On 3rd thought, I don't like what I'm reading about any of these devices....time to turn my old Acer laptop into a linux network usb hub....lol

 

well, i figured out that im on 11g right now not N. how do i enable N. i looked everywhere and its really getting on my nerves. networking is never fun

 

good morning

ok, in your router settings

go to your browser

type in 192.168.0.1

login


go to setup tab on top>>>>

click on wireless settings on the left>>

then use the wireless wizard button>>

or choose "manual wireless setup">>

then under "802.11 mode>>>> select "802.11N only"

then i like >> Enable Auto Channel Scan"

Transmission Rate Best(Auto)

Channel Width Best(Auto)

Finish the rest of that tab and be sure to click on "save your settings" at the top of the page

here:



Not the best, but maybe you get the idea.....

 

Thanks. i did exactly as you stated. However now i get the "windows was unable to find a certificate to log you on the network" what should i do?

 

Does anyone know if using two wireless N desktop cards and one wireless G desktop card on a wireless N router cause any interference?
I'm planning to get the D-Link DIR-655 as I don't think I need the dual-band function just yet.

 

I don't think so beck. My bf and I each have a laptop w/ n cards, 1 desktop in the house is wired>>>DIR -655, our shop has a desktop w/ a "n" card and we have a few cheap ""g & "n" usb adapters/cards we stick in clients pc's when we're working on them.

we are extra careful about our portable phones as we switched those up to 5.8 freq. also, have the router as far from the desktop(we went up) as you can.

 

No, that will not matter or affect anything... I have a N router, a N wireless and a G wireless laptop. Anyway, it wont matter, N is backwards compatible to all past ones (g,b,)

Hope I could Help

 

I ended up with an Airport Extreme....I can connect with my intel 4965agn card at 300Mps and it solved my External HD problem with it's USB port.

 

great, i hear it's a really nice router. have you hooked up a printer, usb hub, etc to the usb port>> And it has 3 gig hubs right??

 

Not sure where your URL is pointed, but if it is what I think... isn't this unethical, or.....*gasp*...... illegal? If you want the best backup system available, how about supporting Acronis with a measly 30 bucks...I purchased mine and it is money well spent.

 

It really is a nice router. When I run it in 5ghz only, I connect at anywhere between 180 and 300Mbps...it fluctuates it seems. I get four to five bars signal from around 50 feet and through 3 walls with metal studs. The four other laptops in the house are G, well 3 and 1 desktop, all wireless, and I took an old ZyXEL G router out of the closet and turned off DCHP and plugged it into the Airport Extreme so they could get on the net as before because if I run in 2.4 ghz 11n mode for b/g compatibility also, I only get 130Mbps LOL....can't have that now.

Yes, it has 3 gigabit ports and a USB port. I've got my 500 gig ext HD connected to it and I can see it in the Airport utility, but can't connect to it with the PC's (all the computers here). It's NTFS. Any clues? I've read Airport users are saying a patch is needed and others are saying their is a way to connect to it but I've yet to delve into all of this. Apple says in their paper guide that it should be FAT32, but that's crazy for a drive that size....that CAN'T be right....FAT32 can't even manager over 32 gig partition can it?

EDIT: My wireless card is the Intel 4965agn. I need to upgrade to N two of the other Laptops here, both are G now, to move large video files around. One will need an adapter (express card, USB?) and one can be done internally.....any brand recommendations appreciated.

 

Thanks guys! I thought it would because I read it from somewhere, guess not.
Nobscot6, what is your speed when you connect wireless and at what distance? And what do you mean when you say to have your router as far from the desktop as you can?

A different question, is there really a need for dual-band? What's the benefits of using 5Ghz instead of 2.4Ghz?

 

beck in the house we get the full 300mbps, running g/n mode>>(g Lexmark wifi printer). We're using the xtreme n cards in our laptops(express n)and that router just knocks our socks off. Out in the shop the desktop gets 180-240mbps- it's about 25 yds. to our shop from the house. When we're in the shop, our laptops get around 220-250mbps. The adapters we plug in also do well, though some are the older "G" at 54mbps.

But hey, that's really nice when you're loading updates on a PC, etc.

ok, about the router. We searched alot of forums and a few mentioned it's best to not have them near the desktop, because of interference. But a few mentioned they got better rates having the router elevated above the desktop. So we just put it about 4 ft above the desktop and that also just seems to shot a better signal even though it's not exactly line of sight.

IMO, for what it's worth, we don't need it. We made the switch on our portable phones, but I'm sure there is other stuff thats putting out out 2.4.

the zoid can probably give us some personal information since he got the apple airport extreme(such a fine machine)

 

Great, thanks a lot for your help.
I guess the speeds are a lot better than the 54mbps that I have right now haha.