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New N router assistance

mc866

mc866

Golden Member
My old D-link DLG-4300 bricked the other day when I tried to enable WPA2 security so now I need a new router 🙁. I've been attempting to wait on transitioning to N because I really haven't had the need up until this point. Well now it doesn't seem worth it to spend and more money on g so I've decided on going forward with an N router.

I've been researching for the past day and a half trying to figure out what the best option for my situation and I'm looking for a bit of assistance. What I'm looking to do is have a primary N router and then 1 possibly two wireless N bridges that I can use to stream mostly non HD but some HD movies to other parts of my house through an original xbox. The first location that I'll need the bridge is about 10-15 feet away, the second is on a floor above and is about 25 feet away, it has a ceiling, floor and a wall or two in the way of the signal.

I've narrowed it down to the DIR-655 or the DIR-825 from Dlink, or the WRT610N or WRT310N edit: or 160N from Linksys. Is there any real benefit from simultaneous N band at this point? I understand I'll need a 5ghz receiver at the other end to take advantage of this band correct? If it doesn't make sense which do you think is a better choice the 655 or the 310N?


Next are there any N devices that are affordable and will easily work as a wireless bridge? Looking for something around $50 if possible. That or any DD-WRT devices that are N and bridgeable. And yes I've been looking through the list on the DD-WRT page to see which devices are supported. I was just hoping someone here has had some experience with this and may be able to help out, the more reading I do on things the further away I seem from a decision.
 
Guys nothing?

I think I'm going to go with the Dlink Dir-655 for the main router and then pick up a pair of refurb'd WNR834B for very cheap to run DD-WRT on and setup as bridges for streaming. Anyone have any experience with these devices?
 
I have some WNR834B v2 units, that I picked up refurb from Frys.com. Using them in WDS mode, with WPA-AES enabled, DD-WRT micro firmware.
 
Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
I have some WNR834B v2 units, that I picked up refurb from Frys.com. Using them in WDS mode, with WPA-AES enabled, DD-WRT micro firmware.
Click to expand...

How well do they work? Are you getting good throughput? What are you utilizing them for?
 
Originally posted by: mc866
Is there any real benefit from simultaneous N band at this point? I understand I'll need a 5ghz receiver at the other end to take advantage of this band correct? If it doesn't make sense which do you think is a better choice the 655 or the 310N?


Next are there any N devices that are affordable and will easily work as a wireless bridge? Looking for something around $50 if possible.
Click to expand...

Yes, there's a real advantage to simultaneous dual band -- the 2.4 GHz band is very crowded, and the 5 GHz band less so, and even when crowded has a greater number of available channels. So getting 5 GHz support gives you a greater chance of having high throughput in a crowded area. On the other hand, 5 GHz does not have as good range or freedom from obstacles. This can take away all the advantages of lack of crowding in some cases.

In your case, for the short run, 5 GHz should be a good choice. For the longer run, it'd be hit or miss, and something you'd have to try out. Having 2.4 GHz support in addition would allow you to fallback for this case and also support a greater variety of devices by including standard-g.

You wouldn't need simultaneous dual-band on the bridges, but it would be good to have on the main router. DD-WRT support is also a plus. Presumably the WRT610N will have DD-WRT support in time, but not in the short term.

The D-Link DAP-1522 is a dual-band bridge, but doesn't have the greatest range/etc. A refurb WRT600N running DD-WRT might be a better choice if you can find one and get it working. Another dual-band option is the Netgear WDNR3300. But if you're looking to spend $50 on the bridge, maybe you should forget about dual-band or even draft-n.

Finally, you might look at powerline or MoCA networking as alternatives to wireless.
 
Originally posted by: mc866
Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
I have some WNR834B v2 units, that I picked up refurb from Frys.com. Using them in WDS mode, with WPA-AES enabled, DD-WRT micro firmware.
Click to expand...

How well do they work? Are you getting good throughput? What are you utilizing them for?
Click to expand...

I'm not actually using the WDS day-to-day yet. I set it up and tested it with my desktops and a laptop to get it working, then I shelved the WDS router until I finally set up some more desktops in another location. The main router said it was operating at 130Mbps, although if I connect to the main router with my laptop's G wireless adaptor, the status screen shows that decreasing down to 54Mbps.

Hopefully, at my location, I can keep channel 1 clear for N-only devices.
 
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