Linksys WRT54GL to WRT610N?

[Synomenon]

I'm currently using a Linksys WRT54GL w/ two of these antennas:
http://www.hawkingtech.com/products/productlist.php?CatID=32&FamID=58&ProdID=214

in place of its stock antennas. I'm also running it w/ the latest tomato firmware.

We recently got a new laptop that has an 802.11n card. Also, all of our desktops have gigabit ethernet and we do tend to transfer large amounts of files b/w our computers.

I can get a Linksys WRT610N for $89. Should I jump on this deal? How does the WRT610N compare to my current router in performance and range?

 

[NoQuarter]

Just my anecdotal experience, but my buddy switched from a WRT54GL to a WRT610N and it's not been a good experience, laptops can't stay on the wireless (from 10' away) and we're having to power cycle it all the time, and it runs pretty hot.. been pretty frustrating and I don't really know why he got it since noone has an 802.11n card and the WRT54GL was working great


Linksys is usually good though so may just be bad luck. Also last time I checked you can't put DD-WRT on it which is a shame, but they may have it working now idk.. dunno about tomato.

 

[Fallen Kell]

It has been the experience of many people going to n that they have issues still. I myself am just jumping into the waters with this issue to see for myself. My laptop supports N, and my WRT54GL is the bottleneck in my network connection (its WAN->LAN and LAN->WAN speed has been tested to about 25Mbps, and my local internet can handle 50+Mbps now...tested by directly connecting a system and bypassing the router).

So I ordered a Netgear WNDR3700 due to its router performance (and gigabit switch which supports jumbo frames, which will integrate nicely with my current managed gigabit switch).

Again, a lot of people are also talking about the range of many of the N routers. I also would not buy anything that isn't a draft 2.0/or full n certified router.

 

[JackMDS]

So because you happen to get a laptop with Draft_N card to are ready to sink your money into the "cesspool" that it called Draft_N?

 

[Fallen Kell]

So because you happen to get a laptop with Draft_N card to are ready to sink your money into the "cesspool" that it called Draft_N?

Personally, no, but I have a laptop that supports full n, and thus put my money into a router which supports the full n standard (which has been finalized now for a while). I wouldn't touch a router that doesn't at least list draft 2.0 n (as there were no changes made from draft 2.0 to the certified n, and thus the only thing different is that they printed the boxes and material before 2.0 became the actual standard).

My personal prime reason was to get a router with faster WAN->LAN and LAN->WAN throughput... I will probably keep my WRT54GL still in my setup and still performing DHCP, DNS, and wireless G (even though my new router has dual radios to support both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz spectrum, I might just have it only handle N devices and not degrade its performance by needing to be mixed).

 

[Synomenon]

So is the WRT610N at least draft 2.0?

Is it worth it for $89 NIB?

 

[Fallen Kell]

Yep: http://certifications.wi-fi.org/pdf_certificate.php?cid=WFA6232

As for worth $90 new in box, don't know. Look at a review: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...ltaneous-dual-n-band-wireless-router-reviewed

Personally, I bought this: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...5-start-your-buying-netgear-wndr3700-reviewed

 

[Synomenon]

Thanks for the links. That Netgear is nice, but it's almost twice as much as the 610N.

I just really wanted to know how the 610N compares to my current setup.

 

[Synomenon]

DP.

 

[JackMDS]

It might work better, or it might Not.

You have to take the risk.

Order from vendor that is good on RMA. Treat it gently and if No good back it goes.

I am really sorry that I can Not tell you something better, but the Manufacturers' of End-Users Wireless Hardware really S*** Up big time in the last few years.

It is a Combination of engineers that do not understand the USA market. Greedy Local Marketers, Bad Luck, and Plain Stupidly.

Yeah there is here and there reviews but that means nothing cause many reviewers makes their Living from their Web sites, they cannot ignore a segment of the market just because it Smells Bad. Some of them are real "Artist" in finding ways to review without Trashing the Trash.
Hopfully in few months, there would be out new chipsets that are fully compiling with the 802.11n Standard and we will start to see some decent hardware coming out.

 

[coolVariable]

So is the WRT610N at least draft 2.0?

Is it worth it for $89 NIB?

Where do you get it for $89?
Costs $100+ refurbished!

 

[Emulex]

just because its draft or 2.0 doesn't mean squat. find out what chipset you have in your wifi devices and find the best match. even with finalized 2.0 you are going to find a broadcom chipset working 100x better talking to another broadcom chipset (atheros/etc).

i have its older less memory cousin with real antennas WRT600N - pretty solid but the extra 64mb of ram on the 610n is great for torrent needs.

 

[Spicedaddy]

In my experience, the 610N is a good router. They can do 2 WiFi networks simultaneously, but I usually turn off the 5GHz part, and just use 2.4GHz for better range.

 

[Rifter]

All i can say is you are going to have to pry my WRT54GL out of my cold dead hands, im never getting rid of it. I even bought a spare and have it in storage. This is the most stable reliable router i have ever owned. I might upgrade if and when tomato goes to N band and there is a N band router as solid as the WRT54GL that has been proven for a few years, so this would be at least 5 years from now.

 

[Chainblade]

All i can say is you are going to have to pry my WRT54GL out of my cold dead hands, im never getting rid of it. I even bought a spare and have it in storage. This is the most stable reliable router i have ever owned. I might upgrade if and when tomato goes to N band and there is a N band router as solid as the WRT54GL that has been proven for a few years, so this would be at least 5 years from now.

I agree. It would be nice to have dual-band though. But I've had my WRT54GL for years and rarely had any problems. I thought about getting a new N router but I just couldn't do it, especially for the cost.

 

[JackMDS]

The problem is much more with the basic of the technology than End-User wishful thinking.

If One resides in a the middle of the desert with No signals around and in live in a big Japanese style house (i.e., the inner walls are made of Rice Pape, and No metal around), than 802.11n would work really better than 802.11g

Otherwise the improvement in 802.11n is a nice try to improve technology but Not really good enough for the realities of the environment that most of us live under.

In other words the technology improvement that 802.11n suppose to provide is "Squelched" by the environment.

It is No body's fault it is the reality right now.

5GHz is No a magic either, it can humbly help in specific environments where the "Noise" on the 2.4GHz band is so intolerable that 2.4GHz transmission is practicality useless.

Otherwise, the 5GHZ band is Not something to write home about either.

People forgot that Cable TV came about is because we could Not provide good TV service through transmission.

However, hey we should be thankful car's technology is stuck for more years than WIFI. :sneaky:


.

 

[Emulex]

yah the big pissed is i bought all 5ghz phones to clean up the 2.4; now i had to buy 1.9ghz dect phones because of 5ghz. and american 802.11n restrict most of the 5ghz band for military? use so you dont get squat on channels.

there is 4.9ghz but that is used mostly for emt services

 

[Madwand1]

We recently got a new laptop that has an 802.11n card. Also, all of our desktops have gigabit ethernet and we do tend to transfer large amounts of files b/w our computers.

I can get a Linksys WRT610N for $89. Should I jump on this deal? How does the WRT610N compare to my current router in performance and range?

That's a great price for this router, which is much faster than the ancient WRT54GL. The 610N will likely not have as good range as your 54GL with upgraded antennae, but should significantly out-perform it at closer range and especially at closer range in an area which is crowded with wireless if you can use the 5 GHz band.

Note that you can keep your existing router if you want and add the new one as an access point / switch, benefiting those which can, while keeping the range and router setup of your current device -- just try to keep them on separate channels when they overlap.

 

[Synomenon]

I've been using a WRT610N now for a couple of weeks.

I just found an external antenna kit for the WRT610N that doesn't require soldering. I'm going to try this. I wish they had an external antenna kit that would work with the 5GHz radio though.

I'm also thinking about exchanging the WRT610N with a Netgear WNDR3700 since that seems to be getting better reviews than the WRT610N.

I plan on getting a second WRT610N or two WNDR3700s (if I return my first WRT610N).

I'm going to use one as a repeater for the other using their 5GHz radios as the link between the units (since I don't have anything with a 5GHz radio). Then their 2.4GHz radios will be used for the network.

 

[alkemyst]

I am hoping you really need external antennas instead of it just being nerd bling.

I have my 54G in my office closet. I get excellent signal out to my external workshop 25'+ away through concrete.

 

[Synomenon]

I do need the external antennas. The WRT610N is in an upstairs bedroom at the back of the house and the signal isn't too great at the front of the house on the lawn and porch. Maybe the kit is a waste of money.

The WNDR3700 has eight antennas vs. the WRT610N's six though. Maybe I really should try it out.

 

[TourGuide]

The WNDR3700 has eight antennas vs. the WRT610N's six though. Maybe I really should try it out.

The 3700 is a nice router. The LAN speed is great, but up until the most recent firmware I had problems with mine. Since the most recent flash it is better, but for a while I had trouble with it dropping the Internet connection. I would have to manually reset the connection at the nic. VERY irritating when you are doing streaming content and really I was just about to put the thing in a closet and go back to my old DGL 4100 wired router which NEVER did that crap.

My current assessment is, the 3700 is on probation.

 

[Synomenon]

Yeah, not so sure now. Read a little more about the 3700 and it looks like it's running on an Atheros chip which dd-wrt doesn't work as well with (vs. routers w/ Broadcom chips).

I tried a WRT160NL w/ dd-wrt and it didn't have any options or settings to set it up as a repeater. The WRT160NL is an Atheros unit too.

The one thing about the 3700 right now is that its stock firmware will let you configure it as a repeater. That's an important feature for me.

With its stock firmware, can you schedule daily reboots at a specific time like you can w/ routers running dd-wrt firmware? I always set my routers to reboot at 5AM just to avoid any problems.

 

[TourGuide]

With its stock firmware, can you schedule daily reboots at a specific time like you can w/ routers running dd-wrt firmware? I always set my routers to reboot at 5AM just to avoid any problems.

I cannot see any option to schedule reboots in the default firmware. I have had this router running for several days without any problem. I think my Dlink 4100 ran months without issue. This recent firmware is solid for me and without a compelling reason to switch - I'm going to try and leave it that way.