Choosing between D-Link and Linksys Router

[sectoidcommander]

The Linksys BEFSR41 looks good, but I'm concerned by the large amount of complains (posted at www.practicallynetworked.com) from customers who had received bad units. The unit exterior seems to be well made (at least on photos), that's why I wonder how it could be an inferior quality product.
My other choice would be D-Link DI-604 which I think has just been released (couldn't find any reviews or forum threads about it). Its price is a big plus ($50.00!) and has built-in 4-port switch. My only concern is that it doesn't look like a quality product, but I could be wrong.

My target network will consist of 3 PCs, two of them running WinXP, and one Win98, ASDL internet connection and occasional multiplayer gaming.

Any comments? (specially about the DI-604)

 

[Abzstrak]

your deciding between a pile of crap and a turd. If you want something cheap but reliable try netgear. And remember that you get what you pay for...

btw, judging a component by the aesthetic value of its case is not very intelligent. Do you judge the qualtiy of a car by the color of its paint? maybe red cars are faster and more reliable?

 

[stash]

Do you judge the qualtiy of a car by the color of its paint? maybe red cars are faster and more reliable?

Damn....if that were true, I could make a fortune repainting chevy novas Mustang red....

 

[sectoidcommander]

Abzstrak:
Thanks for replying, could you be more specific about those claims? Have you owned both? How was your experience with them?
About judging stuff by its look, I know it can be a bad idea, that's why I ask for comments here
What Netgear model would be good? The RP114 seems nice, but why are those ports located at the front???!

 

[heartsurgeon]

i owned a 4-port linksys router - i was a little flaky until i upgraded the firmware - then it worked great - no problems. my home lan got bigger, and i ended up buying a 8-port linksys router - this router has worked flawlessly

the reviews of practicallynetworked are dated

802.11b wireless is now a mature technology
get the d-link
get the linksys
get the smc
it won't matter - they will all work fine - you pretty much can shop by price, get the cheapest
one - typically the smc barracade.
personally - i like linksys

 

[Abzstrak]

I have owned dlink, not linksys.... none the less i have to deal with new clients weekly that are growing and dont understand why their POS linksys/dlink/whatever that some employee thought would be great for the busineess doesn't work quite right. I, unfortunately, have alot of experience with this pidley crap networking components, and always have to replace them. Some linksys products are good, some dlink are good.... but you run a risk when buying one cause alot of them are crap. Netgear just ends up with a lot better crap to good stuff ratio.

I would recommend going for a soho sonicwall part or better if you want something that will work reliably, but expect to pay more. and of course 3com. cisco, and others make good parts.

 

[DrVos]

Abztrak, while I agree that most if not all Linksys, DLink, Netgear products are not appropriate for business use, I contend they are perfectly suited for sectoidcommanders purposes. I have helped many people build their homenetworks and often use Linksys routers without much of a problem. You only run into problems when you get into environements these products were not to run in IE trying to use the BEFSR41 in a 10 computer LAN for a company....

secotidcommander, A BEFSR41 should work fine for you. I have one at home and it is providing NAT and DHCP services for 6 computers in my home without a problem. A reason why you see so many complaints is partially because of the success of the product. If thousands and thousands of people buy a particular router, like this one, there is bound to be a higher. Buy it!

 

[redls1]

It seems as though my linksys dies every couple of months, latest frimware and all. Anybody know why?

 

[mboy]

I 1st had a Barricade that I did not like. Print server was great. but one of my comps would lose connection every couple of hours. Went with the Linksys 4 port and have never had 1 Problem with it.
Set one up for my fater and he has never had a problem with it either.

 

[JackMDS]

One of the major differences between the entry level Hardware and the second level is Quality Assurance. As a result, there is more Entry level ?Defective units? in the hand of the consumer, so I believe it is not a matter of Brand X or Y but a specific defective unit.

If you scan the variety of BBSs, concerning Network Hardware you will find equal complains about ALL the entry level Routers.

People have to discriminate between an issue of Upgrading firmware, and or defective unit. If one of the Router's Switch port is not performing correctly, it is probably not a firmware issue.

As a policy, I return within days, any thing that seems to be quirky. Complaining to the Guys on AT and using five letter words seem to have no effect on the actual performance of Network Hardware. People who are not inclining to take a risk should buy from a vendor with generous return policy.

When a Unit perform well their is a minimal differences between the variety of the ?Stuff? out there.

Since there is no "real" difference between the Brands the color of the plastic is important, my wife likes a coordinated house. (j/k).

 

[cavdraco]

I have a linksys befsr11 ( only 1 in 1 out ) and a 8 port switch never had a problem with either recomend both

cav

 

[Cooky]

sectoidcommander,
If the budget is a big factor to you, go to Hot Deals section and do a search on "router".
I believe DI-604 costs $30 after mail-in rebate at BestBuy till 6/29 and SMC's 7004ABR costs $50 after MIR at CompUSA starting 6/30.

I personally have never had any experience w/ any DLink or LinkSys routers so I can't comment on those but I do know that my SMC 7004ABR works like a charm for my LAN w/ 10 PCs and all the outages I had were my ISP's fault.

JackMDS, aman to your comment!!

 

[Paulson]

I've got a linksys 1 port router (already had a switch) and have found that it's very unreliable until you upgrade the firmware...

but by updating the firmware, damn, it's such a big difference

 

[kehi]

I have two of the Linksys BEFSR41 routers and they work great. I have one on dsl at my parents home and one on cable for my bro and I. Always update to the latest firmware for patches and such. Never had a prob running 4 to 5 comps on each network.

Do you judge the qualtiy of a car by the color of its paint? maybe red cars are faster and more reliable?

Damn....if that were true, I could make a fortune repainting chevy novas Mustang red

All chevy novas are not slow, this one sure isn't here


BTW: I am restoring a 66 SS deuce coupe with my dad. I will be running a nice 327 and turbo 350 tranny . Hope to have it completed by next summer

 

[stash]

All chevy novas are not slow, this one sure isn't here

LOL I was referring more to their reliability, namely their tendency to blow up.

 

[sectoidcommander]

Thanks for all your comments!
Turns out that maybe I won't need to buy a separate router because our ISP offers Cisco 677 DSL routers I'll just need a hub or switch since the 677 only has 1 ethernet port.