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Wireless Router Questions???

batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
edited March 2008 in Strut Central
Any suggestions on some Routers that are efficient. I guess ill be downloading music/checkin video.Cablevision is gonna provide me w/ their "5X" superspeed bullshit. School a newbie. The tech kid in tha store told me that NETGEAR should be fine. Its around 80+ eagles.The next one up in around $100 Eagels.Skhool Mee pleez.
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  Comments

  • drewnicedrewnice 5,465 Posts
    You should look into Apple's Airport Express (Mac and PC).

    I have the Extreme and set up is easy as hell. Express has some other benefits, too.

    I did a lot of homework on wireless routers before I got my MacBook and came right back to where I started.
  • pknypkny 549 Posts
    The Linksys WRT54G is a solid, inexpensive, and easy to find unit. Also very easy to hack, if you're technically inclined.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124010
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I use an Apple at work but will be on a Dell at home.

    and im not on some hacker stezz either.
  • chrisflyerchrisflyer 275 Posts
    The Linksys WRT54G is a solid, inexpensive, and easy to find unit. Also very easy to hack, if you're technically inclined.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124010



    $43 is a good price on that, too. Throw DD-WRT firmware on there, and you're good.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts


    Airport Express for $180.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    The Linksys WRT54G is a solid, inexpensive, and easy to find unit. Also very easy to hack, if you're technically inclined.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124010



    $43 is a good price on that, too. Throw DD-WRT firmware on there, and you're good.



    Pros: Like most Linksys products, works right out of the box. Under normal circumstances, provides a reliable network in most homes. Easy and intuitive web-based maintenance.

    Cons: Had to send a signal out to my garage, so I went to replace the antennas with a set of high gain omnidirectionals and low and behold, they AREN'T REPLACEABLE ANYMORE!!! So either Linksys got cheap (in which case, I'm done recommending their routers) or the lawyers got involved because too many people were using high gain CANTENNAS and they're avoiding a lawsuit (in which case, I'm done recommending their routers). Stay away from Version 8 and later of this product. Version 7.X and earlier are still awesome.

    Other Thoughts: If you need to expand the size of your wireless footprint a little bit because of a weak signal, stay away from Linksys. Go with a Netgear or DLink with a high gain antenna.[/b]

    Explain this.
  • DJ_ZestDJ_Zest 252 Posts
    Airport Express is nice, I use one at home and I got one for my dad and he plays his tunes from his MacBook Pro to his stereo and loves it. I got him a Griffin RF remote too so he can skip tracks even when the computer is in the other room...

    The only problem with Airport Express right now is:
    No one has them, I have had them back ordered for a couple months now!
    Probably a new version coming soon hopefully!

    The other solid bet is the Linksys, we have good luck with them...
    Not a big fan of Netgear...
    Zeb
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Not a big fan of Netgear...

    Because??

    This was the one i was lookin at.
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts


    Airport Express for $180.

    no Airport EXTREME is $180, Airport Express is $99. it's a dope little router too, I have one and like it a lot, got both macs and my girls pc on it.
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts
    also you kinda want to know if you want to run a b, g or n network. the airport express only handles b and g, the extreme does n and also has wired router capabilities with 3 ethernet ports.
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    I would say pay extra for a really nice one b/c 1. in NYC signal strength is more important, so many signals getting crossed and 2. there are so many more opportunities for people to hack because of the close proximity.
  • m_dejeanm_dejean Quadratisch. Praktisch. Gut. 2,946 Posts
    The Linksys WRT54G is a solid, inexpensive, and easy to find unit.

    Yes, yes and yes. You don't need expensive shit Batmon. I've been using the WRT54G with both my Macs with no problemos. The company I work for uses them as access points in their stores all over the country and I never hear any complaints.
  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    Check this out. http://www.fon.com/en/
  • dgriotdgriot 388 Posts
    The Linksys WRT54G is a solid, inexpensive, and easy to find unit.

    Yes, yes and yes. You don't need expensive shit Batmon. I've been using the WRT54G with both my Macs with no problemos. The company I work for uses them as access points in their stores all over the country and I never hear any complaints.


    Ditto on WRT54G.

    Unless you really care about that itunes-to-stereo option, no reason to pay the premium for the Apple one.

    N is a waste unless you're doing a lot of HD streaming between computers on your own network or something like that.

    If you need more security options than disabling broadcasting ID name + WPA-AES encryption (pretty much standard on all routers these days), then you probably shouldn't be using a wireless router to begin with.
  • SnagglepusSnagglepus 1,756 Posts
    no Airport EXTREME is $180, Airport Express is $99. it's a dope little router too, I have one and like it a lot, got both macs and my girls pc on it.

    Just so I'm clear, the Airport Express requires a separate modem, right? I just got a place with the lady and she has one that she hasn't actually used. We may just use my Linksys router, but I've had WEP encryption issues with that in the past (using OS X). We both have Macs so I'm thinking the Airport Express would just make everything run smoother.
  • UnherdUnherd 1,880 Posts
    The linksys shit everyone has been recommending is definitely what your looking for. I'd avoid the netgear stuff too, I've had bad experiences. This is basically industry standard at this point.

    Had to send a signal out to my garage, so I went to replace the antennas with a set of high gain omnidirectionals

    This isn't really a concern right??
  • m_dejeanm_dejean Quadratisch. Praktisch. Gut. 2,946 Posts


    Airport Express for $180.

    no Airport EXTREME is $180, Airport Express is $99. it's a dope little router too, I have one and like it a lot, got both macs and my girls pc on it.

    While I recommended the Linksys as a good and inexpensive solution, Airport Express/Extreme definitely gets a thumbs up too.

    I don't own one myself, but I'm in charge of the network in our building, so I help out all my neighbors with their Wi-Fi. Quite a few of them use the Express and I've found it to be very reliable and easy to set up. Apple's products are just so well thought out. And design-wise it's much prettier than units like the Linksys (which is ugly as hell), if that's a concern.

    If you were gonna spend +$80 anyway, yeah, Express might be the thing.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts


    Thanx
  • DjArcadianDjArcadian 3,632 Posts
    I usually just buy whatever gets the best reviews at newwegg.com and is within my price range. Always had good luck with that method.
  • JimBeamJimBeam Seattle. 2,012 Posts



    Ditto on WRT54G.

    it's fine for what you described as your typical use. there's also firmware available so you can increase the signal intensity, but I haven't had to with mine. It works great.
  • JustAliceJustAlice 1,308 Posts
    I don't know much about this stuff but don't a lot of newer model modems have wireless routers in them already??

    I know when my old room mate moved out and I had to get the internet transferred to my name they sent me a modem (that I had to buy- $99 bucks I think) and Void informed me that the linksy we were using wasn't even needed or plugged in anymore because the new modem had the router in it already.
  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    DD-WRT firmware

    Extreme cosine.

  • UnherdUnherd 1,880 Posts
    DD-WRT firmware

    Extreme cosine.

    Please to learn me on this.....
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    DD-WRT firmware

    Extreme cosine.

    Please to learn me on this.....
  • chrisflyerchrisflyer 275 Posts
    www.dd-wrt.com is the place.

    This is via Wikipedia:

    DD-WRT is free Linux-based firmware for several wireless routers, most notably the Linksys WRT54G (including the WRT54GL and WRT54GS). It is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2.

    Many of DD-WRT's features are not included in typical router firmware. These features include support for the Kai network, daemon-based services, IPv6, Wireless Distribution System, RADIUS, advanced quality of service, radio output power control, overclocking capability, and software support for a Secure Digital Card hardware modification.

    DD-WRT versions up to v22 were based on the Alchemy firmware from Sveasoft, which in turn is based on the original Linksys firmware. DD-WRT versions from v23 onwards, however, are almost completely rewritten. The Linux Kernel part is based on the OpenWrt Kernel, which started as a Linksys-based firmware but later changed to its own build framework. All of the firmwares are based on Linux, as are OpenWrt and Alchemy.

    Through a partnership with Buffalo Technology, Buffalo will begin shipping routers pre-installed with a customized version of DD-WRT

    ...

    Features

    These are the features available in the Standard version of DD-WRT. Other versions, such as the Micro or Mini, may lack some specific features to lower the package size.

    * 13 languages
    * 802.1x (EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) encapsulation over LANs)
    * Access Restrictions
    * Adhoc Mode
    * Afterburner
    * Client Isolation Mode
    * Client Mode (supports multiple connected clients)
    * Client Mode WPA
    * DHCP Forwarder (udhcp)
    * DHCP Server (udhcp or Dnsmasq)
    * DNS forwarder (Dnsmasq)
    * DMZ
    * Dynamic DNS (DynDNS, easyDNS, FreeDNS, No-IP, TZO, ZoneEdit, custom, and others)
    * Hotspot Portal (Sputnik Agent ,Chillispot)
    * IPv6 Support
    * JFFS2
    * MMC/SD Card Support (hardware modification required)
    * NTP client in a client-server basis
    * Ntop Remote Statistic
    * OpenVPN Client & Server (only in -vpn build of the firmware)
    * Port triggering
    * Port forwarding (max. 30 entries)
    * PPTP VPN Server & Client
    * QoS Bandwidth Management (Optimize for Gaming and Services / Netmask / MAC / Ethernet Port Priority)
    * QoS L7 Packet Classifier l7-filter)
    * RFlow/MACupd
    * Routing: Static entries and Gateway, BGP, OSPF & RIP2 via (BIRD)
    * Samba FS Automount
    * Syslog to remote server
    * Rx/Tx Antenna (Select or Auto)
    * Show Status of Wireless Clients and WDS with System Uptime/Processor Utilization
    * Site Survey
    * SNMP
    * SSH server & client (dropbear)
    * Startup, Firewall, and Shutdown scripts (startup script)
    * Static DHCP Assignment
    * Style (Changeable GUI; v.23)
    * Supports New Devices (WRT54G V3, V3.1, V4, V5 and WRT54GS V2.1, V3, V4)
    * Telnet server & client
    * Transmit Power Adjustment (0-251mW, default is 28mW, 100mW is safe)
    * UPnP
    * VLAN
    * Wake On Lan client (WOL)
    * WAN Bandwidth Counter
    * WDS Connection Watchdog
    * WDS Repeater Mode
    * Wireless MAC Addresses Cloning
    * Wireless MAC filter
    * WMM (Wi-Fi MultiMedia QoS)
    * WPA over WDS
    * WPA/TKIP with AES
    * WPA2
    * Xbox Kaid (Kai Engine)

  • SPlDEYSPlDEY Vegas 3,375 Posts
    Pros: Like most Linksys products, works right out of the box. Under normal circumstances, provides a reliable network in most homes. Easy and intuitive web-based maintenance.

    Works good, and reliably.

    Cons: Had to send a signal out to my garage, so I went to replace the antennas with a set of high gain omnidirectionals and low and behold, they AREN'T REPLACEABLE ANYMORE!!! So either Linksys got cheap (in which case, I'm done recommending their routers) or the lawyers got involved because too many people were using high gain CANTENNAS and they're avoiding a lawsuit (in which case, I'm done recommending their routers). Stay away from Version 8 and later of this product. Version 7.X and earlier are still awesome.

    Tried to mod it with third party antennas, cause he was getting a low signal in his garage, didn't work.

    Other Thoughts: If you need to expand the size of your wireless footprint a little bit because of a weak signal, stay away from Linksys. Go with a Netgear or DLink with a high gain antenna.[/b]

    If you need something for a larger area of coverage, buy something more expensive with different antennas.

    I'm constantly reccomending the wrt54g's and it's what I use.

    - spidey
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts


    copped
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    DRUNK POASTIN' STARTING TOMORROW BITCHES!!!!!!
  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,903 Posts

    Ditto on WRT54G.

    Yeah, the hackin' community has really done wonders with this router. If ur into messing around, it's the way to go.

    I have a Dlink 655 that I'm really liking. If ur ever planing into doing any major streaming in the future (HD) make sure you get something with 802.11n.

    Apple people - Apple just dropped new AirPort Express With 802.11n!

    http://gizmodo.com/368573/official-apple-updates-99-airport-express-to-wireless-n
  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    Simple way to beef up/stabilize your throughput, adjusting your QOS settings:

    QOS
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