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New router needed?

I

ingeborgdot

Golden Member
My friend has a router that is a Linksys Cisco E1500. I don't know how good of a router it is but I have found out it is only a 10/100 and not a Gig. That may be fine for the internet but it is not good enough for a network of 4 or more computers plus a NAS all working at the same time unless I am mistaken. I am looking for a new router for him that will be a gig. Unless I can just get the internet in and then run it into a gig switch. Will that bypass the router? I need a refresher on that. Thanks.
 
You could get a wired router with gigabit, then just turn the Linksys into a switch, or just buy a replacement wireless router, as wired routers are getting hard to find at the consumer space.
 
You don't happen to know if the NETGEAR WNDR3700-100NAS Wireless Gigabit Open Source Router/ USB port Rangemax??? has better wireless than the Linksys Cisco E1500 do you ? That would be the deal breaker.
 
What is your budget and what are you looking to do with it? The Netgear router is ok and it can be flashed with a third--party firmware (DD-WRT) if you desired. TP-Link has begun blocking third-party firmware, though that model may still be flashable, so if you intend to use DD-WRT then you should take that into consideration. This router chooser may help.
 
Elixer said:
Yes, you could use a switch and devices on the switch will communicate at gigabit speeds assuming the NICs are also gigabit.
I say go for a metal box, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Unmanaged-Gigabit-GREENnet-TEG-S80g/dp/B001QUA6RA Those go on sale all the time as well. For reference, I got this unit for $13 not too long ago.
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I have this switch (TEG-S80Dg). Solid. And no I did not pay $167. I paid $51 for it back in 2013. My favorite feature (besides the metal housing) is the internal power supply and the external power switch (not shown in the back panel pic). I can't tell you how much better I like that instead of having the wall wart and having to yank out the power cable to reset the device. I wish all my consumer networking equipment (including cable modem) were built this good.

I purchased that when my first gigabit switch (a Linksys) bit the dust. I'm not using it currently. I have a relatively new 5-port gigabit router that suffices as I only "need" access for four wired devices. If I need to expand I can just slap on the switch.
 
If their Internet speed is less than 100mps then yes you can just buy a gigabit switch and plug all those computers that regularly access the NAS to it. Then plug one cable from it to the current Internet router. I recently just bought an 8 port router for $20 after MIR. Last that I checked even Best Buy during the Memorial Day weekend had one for $20.

Of course, if you are diligent Walmart is closing out the Asus RT-AC56 wireless AC 4 port gigabit for $25 if you can find it in stock.
 
Yep all you need is a cheap unmanaged gigabit switch for the lan and if you plan to add more pc's or any other Ethernet devices in the future you should take that into account when buying so you get enough ports for them all.
 
Can the E1500 even keep up anymore though with the internet needs? He will have 4 desktops, 1 NAS, numerous iPads and even guest computers all on the same network.
 
ingeborgdot said:
Can the E1500 even keep up anymore though with the internet needs? He will have 4 desktops, 1 NAS, numerous iPads and even guest computers all on the same network.
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In order to answer that, we'd have to know how fast the internet is at the location in question. If it's > 100mb, then yes, this router would slow it down a bit.

My suggestion, assuming that's not a factor, is to simply buy a cheap gigabit switch, plugging everything into that, with an uplink to your present router. That way you'll get faster local transfers and your internet speed will not be impacted.
 
Which I've done. I put in a gig switch and that is fine, but when they are working on internet stuff it just gets so slow. They have 6megs down which by today's standards is kind of slow but I still think that it should not be that slow.
 
ingeborgdot said:
Which I've done. I put in a gig switch and that is fine, but when they are working on internet stuff it just gets so slow. They have 6megs down which by today's standards is kind of slow but I still think that it should not be that slow.
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If you're using a wired connection the router shouldn't be a part of the problem. Figure out why the ISP's connection is so slow.
 
ingeborgdot said:
I think it's the wireless connection that is causing him the most problems. When he uses his iPad????
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You should find out, then get back to us. We need to know specific data of what's wrong. Is it bad when the iPad is close to the N150? Far away? What if you take another wireless device and use it in the same general area - good speed or bad?

That's the investigation he, or you, must do.
 
I would make a list of pro's and con's for each unit and see which one comes out on top. Have you read up on them at all? The Linksys and the asus would be the one's I'd chose between dropping the netgear from consideration. If I'm not mistaken the Linksys has active cooling and I don't know anything about the asus other than they've been a good pc company for me. Netgear has been slacking lately and after my r8000 fiasco I'm not inclined to recommend anything from them.
 
I actually went with the Linksys EA6900 that I got for under $100. If it doesn't help out we didn't spend too much money to try and fix our problem. After reading a bunch of reviews and looking at the router rater or whatever you call it this one was near the top in many reviews.
 
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