Netgear WNDR3700 vs Buffalo G300NH

[dabench]

I am looking at two different routers that have buillt in media servers that stream to xbox 360. The Netgear is dual band and costs about $70 more than the Buffalo whichi is only single band. I'm not convinced that I need to spend the extra $70 because the xbox is only 15 feet away from the router and I won't be using the internet or gaming while I'm streaming media. Is the Netgear worth the extra $70? Any experiences with either of these routers?

 

[Hadsus]

I just bought the WNDR3700. The 5k has been useless so far. My bd390 bluray (LG) doesn't even see it because it doesn't see 5k. And if you're running the 360 with a g antenna then it's a moot point. I dont' think you need it.

 

[beginner99]

I have the wndr3700 and use the 5ghz network for streaming only. 5 ghz usually has less other networks which can impact performance pretty badly.
Note that with g-network you won't be able to stream any hd-content. It works with n-network (typical mkv's), but there isn't much headroom and n will not be enough for full blu-ray streaming.

So depends what your needs are. Note that with 1 network only, if you have a g client connected it will run in g mode.

So depends what you are planing on doing. for low-res stuff and music g network will probably be fine.

Note that wndr3700 media server is pretty basic. The worst thing is the extremly low write speed to the attched disk. it's about 2.5 MB/s. So takes forever to copy a hd movie onto the disk.
It's annyong i always connect the hdd to my pc directly when I copy new files. much faster...

 

[Hadsus]

I have several wireless devices that interface with my wndr3700...Droid, iTouch, iPad, BluRay player that streams (LG390), Directv networked via WGA600N, Xbox 360 (old style "G" antenna), PS3. Of all those devices, only the iPad sees the 5K signal and its performace is below that of 2.4K.

 

[beginner99]

I have several wireless devices that interface with my wndr3700...Droid, iTouch, iPad, BluRay player that streams (LG390), Directv networked via WGA600N, Xbox 360 (old style "G" antenna), PS3. Of all those devices, only the iPad sees the 5K signal and its performace is below that of 2.4K.

of course your device must work too with 5 ghz signal. it is not very standard. Most laptops, netbooks and so on do not have 5 ghz support.

And yes, 5 ghz has much lower range and degrades rather quickly especially through walls.

If 1 g client is on an n-network, everything will only work in g-mode.
Plus with the 5 ghz you get additional bandwith. You could download a movie on 2.4 ghz network with our laptop and stream media on the 5 ghz network at the same time. Would not be possible IMHO wth just 1 network.

 

[VirtualLarry]

You could download a movie on 2.4 ghz network with our laptop and stream media on the 5 ghz network at the same time. Would not be possible IMHO wth just 1 network.

Only possible if you have a router with dual radios, not just dual-band.

 

[alyarb]

the netgear WNDR3300 and 3700 give you an SSID for each radio, so there are two networks. the 2.4 ghz can do either G or N but not both and the 5 GHz can do A or N, but the idea is that you have a video network and a data network.

 

[Krazy4Real]

Streaming HD media over the dedicated 5ghz band works amazingly well for me. I use the WNDR3700.

 

[Hadsus]

of course your device must work too with 5 ghz signal. it is not very standard. Most laptops, netbooks and so on do not have 5 ghz support.

And yes, 5 ghz has much lower range and degrades rather quickly especially through walls.

If 1 g client is on an n-network, everything will only work in g-mode.
Plus with the 5 ghz you get additional bandwith. You could download a movie on 2.4 ghz network with our laptop and stream media on the 5 ghz network at the same time. Would not be possible IMHO wth just 1 network.

True, and i was aware that my stuff was generally g. But disappointed I couldn't get benefit out of 5K at all. Still, I'll be keeping it as perhaps more devices will use 5K in the future. And I no longer get any internet drops. I was previously using a lower end Belkin N router and whenever my Droid used WiFi, my cable connection became unstable, particularly when I was gaming.

 

[beginner99]

True, and i was aware that my stuff was generally g. But disappointed I couldn't get benefit out of 5K at all. Still, I'll be keeping it as perhaps more devices will use 5K in the future. And I no longer get any internet drops. I was previously using a lower end Belkin N router and whenever my Droid used WiFi, my cable connection became unstable, particularly when I was gaming.

yeah wndr3700 seems to be very stable. Can't remember when I last time did a restart. runs easly for weeks without issues.
We used to have an Apple AirPort Express thing before (No, it didnt belogn to me...) Was crap. needed to reboot all the time and then it just died. Got to love apple...

 

[JackMDS]

This post is Not intended toward any specific poster here.

It is very common that every time there is a discussion about Wireless Routers there are posts praising the hardware in question, and others condemning the same hardware.

Unless One knows in person the poster and can unequivocally count on his/her knowledge and accurate description of whet they are doing with the hardware there is No real way to Judge.

Some people who complain about their hardware do not really know how to configure it, and use it, and thus would blame the hardware.

Many others using it out of its technical boundaries, and then are surprised that it does not work.

Among the praising crowd there are those who have simple straightforward system/network in a clean environment and almost any Router would do OK.

Some people have a strong psychological need to protect their investment so that they will Not feel like they are Not clever in their purchases.

Last but Not least, those who praise (or diss) and have undisclosed Commercial interest in the topic.

Combine the above with the tendency Not to provide real technical data pertaining to the issue, makes it very hard to count on the Stories.

 

[alyarb]

so what's with capitalizing common nouns and adverbs? is that a copy/paste from an indonesian website or something

 

[JackMDS]

so what's with capitalizing common nouns and adverbs? is that a copy/paste from an indonesian website or something

That is actually a style used by Thomas Jefferson.