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Need a new Wireless Router!

B

blazerazor

Golden Member
My 802.11B box finally died, is now a good time to get a N rounter, or is it still too early? I want one that willl be DD-WRT friendly. Is it worth the extra cash to get N, or go G since there is so much information out for them. (talking about the blue linksys boxes, of course Dlink BAD!, seimens BAD!, Netgear.. OK) Buffalo looks nice, but expensive hard to find.

Can you recogmend one of the "N"s, and is it worth it to pay extra for the GL (linux) versions if I go that route?

Any input would be wonderful, as I am trying to expand my knowledge of networking, and the NET+ is being revised to be ALOT of wireless questions.


BTW, can I use ubuntu linux to BROADCAST dhcp internet from my cable modem? What I mean is it fairly straight forward, or is it like getting slackware wrapper code to work a prism2 card.
 
I would recommend sticking with G for now until they finally finalize the N protocol--unless you need the extra speed. I don't understand what you mean by using ubuntu linux to broadcast dhcp internet from your cable modem. You want to put a DHCP server on a computer running Ubuntu? Or, you want to share out your internet connection by connecting the cable modem to the computer running ubuntu. Then connect all of your other stuff to the computer running ubuntu--provided that you setup a DHCP server and have two NICs on the ubuntu computer. But then, if you do it this way, then you don't need a wireless router. You need a wireless access point.

Or, you want to setup a web server on a computer running ubuntu linux and server your own website? You can do this provided that you do port forwarding on the wireless router. Go here for more info: http://www.zoneedit.com/doc/dynamic.html
 
Originally posted by: blazerazor
My 802.11B box finally died, is now a good time to get a N rounter, or is it still too early? I want one that willl be DD-WRT friendly. Is it worth the extra cash to get N, or go G since there is so much information out for them.
Click to expand...

It depends on your needs. If you don't transfer files over you wireless network much, or don't have a 10+ Mb internet connection .11g will probably service you fine. I you transfer large or many files and have a very fast internet connection (15Mb +) .11n isn't a bad choice.

That said, I don't know if any are DD-WRT friendly.

(talking about the blue linksys boxes, of course Dlink BAD!, seimens BAD!, Netgear.. OK) Buffalo looks nice, but expensive hard to find.
Click to expand...
I believe buffalo isn't currently selling any routers in the US. Some sort of legal issue or something.

Believe it or not, D-Link is not bad. the DIR-655 is probably the single best .11n consumer router on the market at the moment. Go to smallnetbuilder.com and take a look at it. There are lots of reviews for other routers too. It's a good spot to reference.

Can you recogmend one of the "N"s, and is it worth it to pay extra for the GL (linux) versions if I go that route?
Click to expand...

As I mention earlier, the DIR-655 is simply great and has a very comprehensive feature set.

linux based hardware routers are only worth it if you find value in it. For most people it's not, but you might be different. I, personally, don't find any real advantage to a linux based router.

Any input would be wonderful, as I am trying to expand my knowledge of networking, and the NET+ is being revised to be ALOT of wireless questions.


BTW, can I use ubuntu linux to BROADCAST dhcp internet from my cable modem? What I mean is it fairly straight forward, or is it like getting slackware wrapper code to work a prism2 card.
Click to expand...

You can use anything to act as a DHCP server on your private network, but your router/firewall will need to get it's internet IP address from your ISP's DHCP servers. It's trivial to turn off a consumer routers DHCP service.
 
If I currently have a G network with two computers each with a G adapter and a G router, will I have any benefit in file transfer speed if I get an N router with only one of the two computers with a N adapter? I figure, the one PC gets the data into the router much faster at least even though the other PC is still limited by the G speed getting the data out. Make sense?
 
The first hurdle is price.

To benefit from Draft-N the Router and the Wireless card have to be Draft-N.

That is an expense of $100+$100 (or more) for the first computer and $100 for each additional one.

The second hurdle is the Draft, i.e. many of the current Draft-N might not be compatible with the 802.11n when it is Done.

However, the important question is why Draft-N at all. Most of Wireless users have No benefit from N so what is the point?

In sum if you Do not have a real need for the extra local bandwidth there is No point to buy it just because the brands want to sell it (and the reviewer have to review because they have to make a living).

For over 95% of users a good Wireless PCI or PCMCIA for $20 and a decent 802.11b/g Router have the Best Value.

This pair currently cost less than $70, if needed the Router can be flashed with DD-WRT, and it works very well.

Asus WL-520GU $40 after rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16833320023

Edimax $23 - PCI http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16833315041

---------------------
Disclaimer - I have no connection with any Brand that manufactures Network Devices (or any other computer hardware) of any kind, nor any connection computer's hardware vendors. My comments are as a frame of reference based on hardware that I buy with my own money.

 
The DIR-625 is ~$70 at the 'egg currently, which is the same price as the ZyXEL X-550 already recommended by Jack, and has very similar underlying hardware in the router part, and very similar firmware.

You don't have to get a draft-n adapter immediately. Odds are that new laptops for example will have them built-in, and down the road the move to draft-n would be cheaper where you already have draft-n compatible gear instead of scrapping everything and then re-buying it.

Even if draft-n is a dead end, it will still support standard-g, and it will still support draft-n when the real standard is ratified. And if you can get a good device for around the same price as a comparable standard-g device, why not? With draft-n, you have a hope of future compatibility with the final standard. With standard-g, you have an assurance of limiting your network performance to just standard-g.

In the end, the choice is yours and you have multiple options. I'm giving a counter-point to Jack's opinions, which are also valid as far as they go.
 
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