Linux box and RT314 comparison

[GT578]

My Netgear RT314 started disconnecting often and started showing stability problems recently. I have 3 computers hooked up to it and I enabled port forwarding ....nothing I think would overload or put a lot of stress on the router.


I got a Dell Optiplex(no hdd, cd-rom...taken out) Pentium100mhz, 32MB RAM....with 2 linksys NICs running linux and using the rt314 as a switch only. I was wondering if anyone knows if my linux box would be faster overall or would my RT314 or a similar router be faster at handling my DSL connection over 3 computers???? I certainly can't tell the difference but I was just curious about any speed differences and if the linux box is slower.....would a cpu upgrade help ......

any info would be appreciated thanks.

 

[n0cmonkey]

I dont think it will make a noticable difference. But, if the netgear craps out on you, Id think the Linux machine would be faster right then and there.

Run some benchmarks.

 

[Goosemaster]

Here is the jist of it..

Althoug the dell might seem better, remember that the router has been streamlined and engineered only for..ROUTING..

Therefore it should give you better preformance, albeit not by much, but still faster.

THen again, unless you are using all of the 253 or whatever number of max xlients it can handle, don't fret over using linux....a very good solution..

 

[manly]

Performance isn't an issue either way (unless the router is faulty*). I favor the dedicated router because of ease of use and energy efficiency.

You aren't the first person who has complained about the RT314 router. I'd return it if possible; otherwise get Netgear to replace it. Unfortunately if it's just a bad implementation, then the replacement may be no better. The sad part is that most of the cheap SOHO routers work just fine, so I'm not sure what the deal is w/ the RT314.

* By faulty, I mean implemented poorly. I've read that the latest firmware for the D-Link DI-704 router significantly enhances throughput, and that broadband users actually could measure/notice the difference. Linux is pretty well tested in the networking department so unless the NIC driver(s) are very poor, Linux will perform very well.

 

[GT578]

The weird thing is.....the netgear started having trouble about a month ago....I've had it for well over a year before that without any problems. I flashed it to the newest BIOS and that didn't solve any of the problems. I don't know what benchmarks to run to test the speed.....other than DSLreports which I did and it didn't show any increase nor decrease in performance. I guess I'll stick with the dedicated box.......