Technology wireless router

[Buckeye(OH)]

So, I need one.


Was wondering if its worthwhile to get one that functions on the new N as well as B/G even if 1) its more expensive and 2) my laptop does not function on N.

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[ClosetNerd]

So, I need one.


Was wondering if its worthwhile to get one that functions on the new N as well as B/G even if 1) its more expensive and 2) my laptop does not function on N.

I would hold off on getting the N router for a while. Even though they are crazy fast and have incredible range. They are suppose to be backwards compatable and work with items that recieve B/G but.... your going to really upset your neighbores if you live near anyone (ie appartment complex)

The N routers have been having some issues with "Jamming" other B and G router signals. You might find some terribly frusrated neigbors knocking on your door.

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

alrighty then, I guess ill go with a regular B/G.

I was considering the Linksys WRT54G. Yes/No/Maybe?

 

[southerndoc]

I was considering the Linksys WRT54G. Yes/No/Maybe?

That's what I have. No problems yet (going on like 2 years now).

 

[joseppi]

That's what I have. No problems yet (going on like 2 years now).

I have netgear, N type, no problems either

 

[southerndoc]

So I finally set up WPA encryption on my network. Previous to that I was using WEP because I didn't feel like messing with the thing. So I changed the SSID to a combination of letters and numbers, disabled SSID broadcasting (was already disabled actually), kept the MAC filter address to allow only listed MAC addresses, and then added WPA2 encryption with a 38-character password composed of numbers, letters, and even symbols with the router set to change the validation every 10 minutes.

This should keep nearly everyone in my apartment complex from stealing bandwidth or intercepting any of my wireless packets.

Of course after I set this up, I find that my TiVo isn't compatible with WPA2. WTF?!? Do I go back to WEP? NO! I'm going to hardwire it into the router with a CAT5 cable. I much prefer the security of WPA2. All in the protection of porn. Just kidding!

 

[beefballs]

I need to figure out how to set up WPA encryption any advice on sites about how to I have the lynksis wrt 54G

 

[southerndoc]

I need to figure out how to set up WPA encryption any advice on sites about how to I have the lynksis wrt 54G

There's an option under Wireless Security to enable WPA. You can choose WPA or WPA2, but make sure you choose "Personal" or you'll lock yourself out. The other options require a dedicated server.

You'll need to set up WPA in Windows or Mac, whichever you use. It's easy to do in Mac (just join a new network, choose WPA2 or WPA for encryption). I'm sure it's just as easy in Windows, but I can't tell you how to do it since I haven't set up my Windows laptop for it yet.

 

[beefballs]

thanks southern- I appreciate the help

 

[southerndoc]

thanks southern- I appreciate the help

No problem. Haven't had any issues with wireless trouble yet (2 days now with WPA2).

 

[southerndoc]

I just realized something. When I changed my Linksys router to WPA2 security using AES encryption, I lost the ability to change the Authentication Type from auto to shared.

Does WPA2/AES by default make it a shared authentication type? Or have I now lost the ability to use shared authentication? (For some reason, I'm thinking this only applies when using WEP encryption since WPA2/AES uses a pre-shared key for encryption. However, not sure if the pre-shared key of WPA2 also prevents people from accessing the router.)

 

[southerndoc]

I just stumbled upon something called tinyPEAP that allows one to set up a mini-RADIUS server using the router itself as the server.

Has anyone set this up?

 

[MrMunkily]

What's the advantage of WPA radius over WPA Personal (PSK)?


edit: nm, looked at the vulnerabilities and they are a bit troubling. But I think us normal humans should be okay with a WPA2 PSK (AES) and a comfortably huge key (256 bits?).

 

[Kahr]

So, I got to my parent's home today, and apparently they have an ancient wireless router that needs replacing. I've been out of the loop for routers for years as I've always preferred wired, but that's not an option here.

Can someone (1UP?) please give me a recommendation on a specific wireless router to upgrade to? The house is 3 floors, it's in a community where other people could possibly see our network, and there are 3 laptops and a printer that might access it in the house.

Thanks

 

[1UP]

So, I got to my parent's home today, and apparently they have an ancient wireless router that needs replacing. I've been out of the loop for routers for years as I've always preferred wired, but that's not an option here.

Can someone (1UP?) please give me a recommendation on a specific wireless router to upgrade to? The house is 3 floors, it's in a community where other people could possibly see our network, and there are 3 laptops and a printer that might access it in the house.

Thanks

Does the printer need a hard connection, or is it wireless? Does the printer act as its own printer server or does it need one?

 

[Kahr]

Does the printer need a hard connection, or is it wireless? Does the printer act as its own printer server or does it need one?

The printer can do wired or wireless. I... am not sure about the printer server question. It's an HP Photosmart C4750 if that helps

 

[movax]

The printer can do wired or wireless. I... am not sure about the printer server question. It's an HP Photosmart C4750 if that helps

It doesn't appear to have a built in print server.

Built-in print server means every PC on the network can access that printer directly provided its IP address.

Without a built-in print server, for everyone to print to it, you have to hook up the printer to a computer (or a router) that then shares it on the network for everyone to use.

That being said, how much are you willing to spend? The WRT610Nv2 (aka E3000) or the WNDR3700 are great high-end choices. Both can be flashed with DD-WRT to give you a crazy amounts of flexibility.

 

[justaregularmed]

ASUS WL-520gC

Its the newer version of what I have. It has the worlds worst software but it will work as a router and they get great signal and its super cheap.

Its just not wireless N.

The wireless printing is a bitch to setup. You configure the printer to use the router and then each computer has to be configured to print to the printer (via driver installs) or else it wont work, regardless that it may have a print server (some HP printers work this way).

 

[1UP]

...Without a built-in print server, for everyone to print to it, you have to hook up the printer to a computer (or a router) that then shares it on the network for everyone to use...

That was my next question, since it lacks a printer server will it be hooked to a computer, or do you want it so it can hook directly into the router and share the printer through it?

Are the system & printer a mix of N & G or just G?

Also, do you want/need to run on dual band A/G/N (2.4 Ghz & 5 Ghz) or just 2.4 Ghz G & the lower freq. half of N?

Tell me that and I can give you a few good choices.

 

[Stroganoff]

Kahr:

I'll add that asking what your parents' budget is can also help with the suggestions. $100 or less, $100-$200, etc. Most consumer grade Wireless N routers are like $50-80, and some of the higher end consumer models are $150-180.

I also live in a 3 floor house and am in the same boat, looking at buying a consumer grade wireless router with good range and speed. I might get the Cisco Linksys E3000 since I like the simultaneous dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz coverage and multiple antennas, but I believe the Cisco Linksys E4200 is coming out on Amazon on May 1 and am waiting for reviews.

Re: network printing, if the printer has both wired and WiFi capability, it's usually safe to believe that said printer can connect to the router, enabling network printing from any computer on that subnet. It doesn't make sense to have 3 wireless laptops and a wireless router but not use the wireless router to connect to the printer but instead demand the laptops to connect to the printer independent of the network.

 

[movax]

I might get the Cisco Linksys E3000 since I like the simultaneous dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz coverage and multiple antennas, but I believe the Cisco Linksys E4200 is coming out on Amazon on May 1 and am waiting for reviews.

E3000 and WRT610Nv2 have identical hardware, and is easily flashed to DD-WRT firmware, giving you maximum flexibility and control over the router. Haven't had any problems with mine, or the one I left at my parents' place.

 

[justaregularmed]

I just did a test for fun although I had to reset my modem because I forgot to clone the mac's anyway. So with the Asus WL-520GU I got ~10Mb/s throughput consistently w/ any number of speed tests. Modem reset pop in wrt54gs getting 14-18 MB/s.

Now for the kicker the 520 gets better signal quality (as measured in tomato of about 5-10 dB). The wrt54gs also has antennas I scrapped off a $1000 dollar "internet appliance" aka router so that makes perfect sense?!?

So I retract my suggestion. However the 52gs did retail for 3x more for a 40%-80% increase.

You be the judge.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Be careful about 5GHz N routers. They have very poor range and will disconnect. I had to return a Linksys WRT400N due to this problem. The b/g/n on the 2.4GHz is fine though. I tried it with ddwrt as well as the regular firmware and didn't have much success.

 

[1UP]

Be careful about 5GHz N routers. They have very poor range and will disconnect. I had to return a Linksys WRT400N due to this problem. The b/g/n on the 2.4GHz is fine though. I tried it with ddwrt as well as the regular firmware and didn't have much success.

I've never had this issue with my WRT610NV1

 

[Kahr]

That was my next question, since it lacks a printer server will it be hooked to a computer, or do you want it so it can hook directly into the router and share the printer through it?

Are the system & printer a mix of N & G or just G?

Also, do you want/need to run on dual band A/G/N (2.4 Ghz & 5 Ghz) or just 2.4 Ghz G & the lower freq. half of N?

Tell me that and I can give you a few good choices.

Hmm, I know all the computers have G, at least two also have N. No clue about the printer. But if I can connect the printer to the router directly, that wouldn't be a problem either way, right? I don't know what dual band A/G/N, etc is even about. What are the benefits of dual band and higher frequency?

Sorry to reply so late, I really do appreciate all the feedback guys, it's an incredible help. Otherwise I'd be in bestbuy being led by the nose.

Kahr:

I'll add that asking what your parents' budget is can also help with the suggestions. $100 or less, $100-$200, etc. Most consumer grade Wireless N routers are like $50-80, and some of the higher end consumer models are $150-180.

I also live in a 3 floor house and am in the same boat, looking at buying a consumer grade wireless router with good range and speed. I might get the Cisco Linksys E3000 since I like the simultaneous dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz coverage and multiple antennas, but I believe the Cisco Linksys E4200 is coming out on Amazon on May 1 and am waiting for reviews.

Re: network printing, if the printer has both wired and WiFi capability, it's usually safe to believe that said printer can connect to the router, enabling network printing from any computer on that subnet. It doesn't make sense to have 3 wireless laptops and a wireless router but not use the wireless router to connect to the printer but instead demand the laptops to connect to the printer independent of the network.

Hmm, well I'll be paying for it. I was hoping to find something in the 80-130 price range, though of course if it were a little more with a lot more performance/reliability, etc I'd probably go for it. But 200 sounds ludicrous to me.

 

[Stroganoff]

Hmm, I know all the computers have G, at least two also have N. No clue about the printer. But if I can connect the printer to the router directly, that wouldn't be a problem either way, right?

Right, not a problem if you use a cable.

I don't know what dual band A/G/N, etc is even about. What are the benefits of dual band and higher frequency?

B, G, and part of N: 2.4GHz
A, and part of N: ~5GHz

So N is capable of communicating on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz band. Some routers can do one or the other, and others can do both at the same time. 2.4GHz is a very busy band with all the home routers, keyboards/mice, and microwaves and other wireless devices in the same range. 5GHz -- at least on paper -- will have less penetration through one's home and thus less range, but this may not be a problem in the real world. The benefit of 5GHz is it is less crowded. A lot of people who use simultaneous dual-band routers will use 2.4GHz for their Internet usage and maybe the 5GHz to hook up to their TV for Netflix/Xbox/video streaming.

Sorry to reply so late, I really do appreciate all the feedback guys, it's an incredible help. Otherwise I'd be in bestbuy being led by the nose.

I used to like Best Buy until I knew better. It's a good store to see what's on the market and to play with everything. But when I'm done fondling, I go home and order it on Amazon.com or Newegg.com for a lot cheaper. Their salesmanship is very aggressive and deceptive.

Hmm, well I'll be paying for it. I was hoping to find something in the 80-130 price range, though of course if it were a little more with a lot more performance/reliability, etc I'd probably go for it. But 200 sounds ludicrous to me.

For the $80-130 price range you should be able to get a quality Wireless-N router. Probably won't have to worry about simultaneous dual-band, but there's routers in that range where you can change it to do either 2.4GHz or 5GHz.

I don't have any specific models to recommend (I'm still looking for one myself). My dad has a Cisco Linksys E2000 which is $79 on Amazon with free shipping. It's pretty darn fast and the range is good enough to reach the entire house. At least fast enough for regular Internet usage.

Edit: The E2500 is out which has simultaneous dual-band for $79.99. If the reviews are good, that might be cool too.

 

[1UP]

Given your specs I'd say your best bet is the Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station. It's $50 above your stated price range, but I can say, with extremely little doubt, it is the best router for what you need. You're probably not a Mac person, so you may be thinking "Why would I want an Apple router?" Wireless protocols are what we call "platform independent" (meaning they are agnostic with regard to whether you are running a Windows PC, Mac, Linux, etc...) so who actually makes the router hardware doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is who makes the best router with the features you need. For a wireless router that can act as a print server (allowing you to print from anywhere you can get a signal), has 802.11n, and is easy/simple to use as well as setup and isn't known for being problematic you would be hard pressed to find a better model. The software that runs the router isn't as tweakable as some, but I doubt that will be an issue for you. unless you really like to tinker with your router.

The only other suggestion I could make would be the ASUS Black Diamond (RT-N56U). It's less expensive than the AirPort, is significantly more tweakable/customizable, and has more features. However, it is not as simple nor as easy to use as the Airport. It is a powerful piece of hardware but it can require a significant knowledge of wireless networking and/or Windows if you run into an issue that needs to be ironed out.

Overall, if you want something that is one of the best in class, easy to use, and reliable, I'd go for the Airport. If you want something that is also best in class, powerful, flexible, and customizable, but not necessarily as easy or simple to work with, I'd go for the Asus.

 

[Stroganoff]

Interesting. The Apple Airport Extreme Base Station is $180 on Amazon. For price alone, it's crazy! The Cisco-Linksys E2500 is $100 cheaper. I don't think he needs a print server since the printer will not connect to the router via USB but either WiFi or patch cable.

The Asus Black Diamond is $130. Didn't know Asus got into the consumer networking market -- that's kinda cool since I love the company.

Ai Radar automatically detects the location of clients and pin-points the signal to the client for solid transmissions and enhanced signal coverage.

Nice! Glad to see this implemented in consumer routers.

Edit: Dude, the Asus Black Diamond RT-N56U is getting awesome reviews all around. Might pick it up. Also heard the RT-N72U is coming out soon.

 

[movax]

Nice! Glad to see this implemented in consumer routers.

If it's like 99% of other ASUS "Ai"/etc features, at best it's useless and harmless, at worst it's useless and harmful to performance.

Getting a DD-WRT supported router and flashing it is the way to go. I can spawn off guest-only networks if I want to on my WRT610Nv2 and 5GHz performance is rock-solid. Super customizable (you can even plug in a USB HDD if you want and have DD-WRT serve it up to the rest of the computers on the network).

 

[1UP]

...Getting a DD-WRT supported router and flashing it is the way to go. I can spawn off guest-only networks if I want to on my WRT610Nv2 and 5GHz performance is rock-solid. Super customizable (you can even plug in a USB HDD if you want and have DD-WRT serve it up to the rest of the computers on the network).

For the average user this is an unrealistic option. If something goes terribly wrong they end up with a nice paperweight.

DD-WRT doesn't like my WRT610Nv1, if I install it the radio turns off and stays off. DMesg indicates that for some reason it doesn't recognize the radio in my v1, it comes back with "Transceiver Unknown". I tried everything I could think of, ended up just going back to the stock firmware.

 

[Kahr]

Hmm, now you guys got me confused about what to do! Thank you for clearing up the terminology and such.

The Cisco is tempting because of cost. I do not in fact have a mac, however the other two laptops are macbooks. The airport looks and sounds like the best option, but that price is crazy (not surprising for an apple product), the Asus also seems good. Although based on your comments it sounds like the Asus is the better pick overall, with the exception of possibly requiring technical intervention.

I'm going to see what my dad thinks, he likes apple stuff, so if he's willing to put in like $50, I'll go with the airport. Also, 1UP, could I get your input at all on the Cisco one Dall pointed out?

 

[1UP]

Hmm, now you guys got me confused about what to do! Thank you for clearing up the terminology and such.

The Cisco is tempting because of cost. I do not in fact have a mac, however the other two laptops are macbooks. The airport looks and sounds like the best option, but that price is crazy (not surprising for an apple product), the Asus also seems good. Although based on your comments it sounds like the Asus is the better pick overall, with the exception of possibly requiring technical intervention.

I'm going to see what my dad thinks, he likes apple stuff, so if he's willing to put in like $50, I'll go with the airport. Also, 1UP, could I get your input at all on the Cisco one Dall pointed out?

The Cisco E2000 completely lacks a USB port, so unless you can route the printer wirelessly you will be unable to print through the router. It's impossible to say whether a given printer will like connecting wirelessly with a given router unless it has been tested before, and even then, depending on hardware revisions, etc... it still may not work. In my experience it's very hit and miss, so I always suggest a hard connection with a printer and let the print server in the router handle the rest.

 

[Stroganoff]

Turns out the E2500 replaced the E2000. At any rate, the lack of USB port is moot since his family's new printer already has both WiFi and wired networking capability, no?

 

[1UP]

...new printer already has...wired networking capability, no?

No. The C4750 only has USB & Wi-Fi.

 

[Stroganoff]

No. The C4750 only has USB & Wi-Fi.

Then WiFi would do the trick, no? It's usually more reliable than a consumer router's USB port.

 

[1UP]

...It's usually more reliable than a consumer router's USB port.

Not in my experience.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Printers with ethernet are the best bet but wireless printers are good too if you spend the time to get them set up properly. Static IPs are a step in the right direction.

I have a Photosmart Plus B210a and it works very well as a wifi printer and all in one. I have it in my family room under an end table on the other end of the apartment from my wireless router.

 

[Kahr]

Well, I'm sorry I took so long to comment here, I just didn't get around to buying the router until a few days ago. Got the Apple, it was a breeze to setup and is working very well so far.

Only problem so far was that even though the printer was showing up on the router (usb), it wasn't showing up to my ethernet, like when I tried to pick it as a printer for a word doc or something. I ended up having to connect my computer directly to the printer and run HP's software to "set it up for a wireless network", then it magically started working.

Anyway, thanks for all the input; oh and about the crazy price (180), dad ended up going 50/50 with me, so it was all good.

 

[Stroganoff]

Interesting. The Apple Airport Extreme Base Station is $180 on Amazon. For price alone, it's crazy! The Cisco-Linksys E2500 is $100 cheaper. I don't think he needs a print server since the printer will not connect to the router via USB but either WiFi or patch cable.

The Asus Black Diamond is $130. Didn't know Asus got into the consumer networking market -- that's kinda cool since I love the company.


Nice! Glad to see this implemented in consumer routers.

Edit: Dude, the Asus Black Diamond RT-N56U is getting awesome reviews all around. Might pick it up. Also heard the RT-N72U is coming out soon.

So I waited and waited for the successor to the Asus RT-N56U to come out, and the Asus RT-N66U "Dark Knight" has been out about a month or two. Sold out forever and finally in stock on Amazon last week. $179.99, holy moly. Finally turned it up today and config'd it and using it now. Hopefully it's overkill for a consumer router. Especially since all I have is my laptop and iPhone now. Hope to do more stuff soon and connect more nodes and add a file and media server on my LAN.

Edit: It's actually connected to another recent router purchase, the Asus RT-N16. Got it for like $90 after $10 rebate.