Cheap vs expensive routers

[bntran02]

I've always purchased Linksys routers that are around the $40 price range. I've always suffered from poor wireless performance such as occasional disconnects, low range and high latency. Because of this my main computers have always been wired connections.

Will the overall performance significantly improve in all areas if I purchased a better wireless router?

 

[JackMDS]

Buffalo High Power - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833162031

Asus Dual band - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320062

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Higher end routers tend to have better cpu and memory which means they can sustain more connections, if you have a lot of connections going (lots of users, torrents etc) then you will need something with better cpu and memory, otherwise just find a nice low end with good power and antenna

 

[Emulex]

RAM - utorrent eats up ram - DD-WRT leaks (so does stock) firmware like a mofo.

64meg is light the wrt610n has 128meg. If you rolled you own pfsense router you'd use a 512 or 1gb (or more?) so think about that.

the airstation is very nice - super high power DD-WRT out of the box. but if you can stomach (and use it as an AP only) the trendnet has a 450 on 2.4 and 450 on 5ghz model. so you can run some folks on 2.4 and get 25MB/s and some folks on 5ghz and get 25MB/s.

reference: E4200 linksys in same range gets about 12-14MB/s
Buffalo WZR (2.4 only) gets 16.5MB/s

Power output on WZR is 840mw (!!) on 2.4 or 5ghz that a metric ton!

E4200 uses omni's built in - Buffalo uses external 2dbi directionals - which use standard plugs so you can bust the case open and hook up 25dbi yagi directionals and fire that power up to 1 watt (1000mw) and set up a ethernet over IP bridge and rock a mile link ethernet over IP bridge covers all protocols. no problems bonjour over wifi . rocks.

buffalos come with commercially licensed DD-WRT out of the box! you don't need to load unsupported firmware and risk bricking. plus i think you get something ? for commercially licensed copy i forget? kudos?

 

[Gibson486]

Actually, while debugging my network, I actually bought that Buffalo router last weekend. The router sucks balls..... It kept dropping my signal in the next room. I finally got my old moto router working (no thanks to comcast). Wireless is working flawlessly again.

I was pshyched too, the router, on paper, looked awesome. Also, i used to have an old Buffalo router. That was a good router that i eventually gave away. I was really disappointed in the WZR.

 

[JackMDS]

QA on manufacturing of electronic devices does not test all Devices before release to market.

Each manufacturer has its own statistics formulas on how to sample and test the newly made Devices.

This method let "Bad" individual devices pass by and get to market.

As you know only 5 OEM make Wireless core chipset and every one is using their product following the OEM basic design of the specific models (the core Drivers is written by the OEM too).

Many Devices of different Brand are the same under the Hood yet some users will "swear" by one Device rather than another Not knowing that the real difference might be very little.

To sell inexpensive (and we all love inexpensive) Entry Level Wireless manufacturer employ very High tolerances QA.

I.e., each Brand (some more than others) has high level of individual Bad unit getting to market.

 

[owensdj]

I've found that even "cheap" routers tend to work well if you plug them into a battery backup unit. Power problems causes issues with them.

 

[JackMDS]

Any device that has a connection to the outside world should be on a UPS/Surge protector.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yep, especially if you game. You want to be able to move your character to a safe spot to log off before your PC goes down.