New wireless router with guest access

[MustISO]

Need a new router (Wifi) that has separate networks for guests. I'd prefer something that completely limits access to our home wired network when users are connected to the guest wireless (if this is even how it works). Dual band would be fine. Price range $80 - $150.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I use a linksys E3200 I think. I know it has guest access that you can setup. Got for about $75 on a daily deal on NE. It's dual band as well.

 

[wirednuts]

ill second the e3200. you cant go wrong there

 

[zon2020]

I sent back my Linksys E4200V2 and got a factory refurbished Netgear WNDR 4000 from Amazon for $75. It's great. Has guest access. Is simultaneous dual band, 450mbs, and the easiest to set up I've seen in a long time. Has been ticking along perfectly for about 6 weeks without a hiccup and without ever rebooting. Highly recommended.

I've been a Cisco/Linksys fan for a long time, but that E4200V2 was a piece of junk in my view. The Netgear has been perfect.

 

[kbp]

Asus rt-n56u

 

[JackMDS]

Money is Not an issue. Asus RT-N66U -RT-N66U

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320091

Best value for the price. Cisco E4200 refurb.

http://homestore.cisco.com/en-us/Rou...VVviewprod.htm

I want sub $100 and new (I am allergic to refurb.) Buffalo WZR-HP-AG300H

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833162047

All the above are Dual Radio, Giga Switch, and has USB port for NAS.

They are very good with their stock firmware but also can be flashed with DD-WRT in case that special additional features are needed.

---------------

I want less expensive good Wireless and do not care about Dual Radio and NAS.

Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH, currently $47 after Rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833162031

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I want to spend less and do not care about Giga, and NAS, but need good Wireless.

This is decent Wireless Router with Dual radio.

Cisco E2500 refurb. $35.

http://homestore.cisco.com/en-us/Ro...-Router_stcVVproductId138177695VVviewprod.htm

-----------------

 

[zon2020]

Best value for the price. Cisco E4200 refurb.

http://homestore.cisco.com/en-us/Rou...VVviewprod.htm

I want sub $100 and new (I am allergic to refurb.) Buffalo WZR-HP-AG300H

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833162047

All the above are Dual Radio, Giga Switch, and has USB port for NAS.

I was looking for something better to replace that very Buffalo model because it was very eratic in its connectivity to various devices.

I got both a refurb E4200V2 from the Cisco homestore and a factory refurb Netgear WNDR4000 from Amazon on the same day and tried them both (intending fully to keep both with one as a spare). The E4200 was a piece of junk and promptly got sent back to Cisco. The Netgear was far far superior to either the Buffalo or the Cisco and has been working flawlessly. Everything - PCs, laptops, tablets, phones, IP Camera, clock radio, TV, blu ray player, and every other wireless device in the home -- connected immediately and has stayed perfectly connected.

It's dual band, Giga switch, has USB port for a hard disk, guest access, triple 2.4Ghz antenna and dual 5Ghz antenna.

Not only is it the best of the bunch, it's a steal at only $75 on Amazon.

The refurb WNDR3700 gives up the third 2.4Ghz antenna and is $65.

 

[MustISO]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I'll take a look at these.

 

[wirednuts]

i had the wndr3700 v3. i will agree, it was the best router ive ever used. totally kick ass and that was with stock rom

 

[donfm]

I purchased an E3000 refurbished for about $50 and haven't looked back. Has good range and has been a reliable workhorse for me. Others have had issues with it getting hot but I just slipped something under the edge so it gets better ventilation on the bottom and no problems for me. Cheap..reliable...gigabit...a no brainer for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Linksys...Router/dp/B003VY83HO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

[donfm]

I was looking for something better to replace that very Buffalo model because it was very eratic in its connectivity to various devices.

I got both a refurb E4200V2 from the Cisco homestore and a factory refurb Netgear WNDR4000 from Amazon on the same day and tried them both (intending fully to keep both with one as a spare). The E4200 was a piece of junk and promptly got sent back to Cisco. The Netgear was far far superior to either the Buffalo or the Cisco and has been working flawlessly. Everything - PCs, laptops, tablets, phones, IP Camera, clock radio, TV, blu ray player, and every other wireless device in the home -- connected immediately and has stayed perfectly connected.

It's dual band, Giga switch, has USB port for a hard disk, guest access, triple 2.4Ghz antenna and dual 5Ghz antenna.

Not only is it the best of the bunch, it's a steal at only $75 on Amazon.

The refurb WNDR3700 gives up the third 2.4Ghz antenna and is $65.

I would ask you to elaborate about what issues you had with the Cisco E4200V2? It's not really fair to slam an entire model series of a rather highly regarded router based on your experience with one unit without an explanation of why? You may have gotten a faulty unit. Many times people who claim a router is a piece of junk simply don't know how to set it up properly I've found. I do not know if this is true in your case however. The other issue is if you read reviews you can find as many people that had a bad experience as think it's the greatest router ever. This leads me to believe that that quality control in these mass produced routers is not very good. I know of no other explanation other than people are buying these new technologically advanced routers without a clue as how to set them up for their particular needs. Human error is as prevalent a problem as a bad router.

 

[JackMDS]

It's not really fair to slam an entire model series of a rather highly regarded router based on your experience with one unit without an explanation of why? You may have gotten a faulty unit. Many times people who claim a router is a piece of junk simply don't know how to set it up properly I've found. I do not know if this is true in your case however. The other issue is if you read reviews you can find as many people that had a bad experience as think it's the greatest router ever. This leads me to believe that that quality control in these mass produced routers is not very good. I know of no other explanation other than people are buying these new technologically advanced routers without a clue as how to set them up for their particular needs. Human error is as prevalent a problem as a bad router.

QFT - :thumbsup:

I took the liberty to Bold part of your Quote.
-------------

Marketing of all brands is outright Manipulative at Best, and many time just creative verbal nonsense that has Nothing to do with the technology.

I think that after so many years on this forum I simple learned which people Judgment is fair and reliable and can be taken into considerations.

But the Most important thing to Understand is that there is No Good brand or Bad brand.

Each brand has some Good stuff and a lot of Junk.

If one notice my recommendation in 2012 are actually including specific models from Asus Buffalo and Linksys/Cisco.

Disclaimer - I never had any direct deal with any of the Brands, I never received any network device for free (or for eval). I buy my stuff.

 

[donfm]

QFT - :thumbsup:

I took the liberty to Bold part of your Quote.
-------------

Marketing of all brands is outright Manipulative at Best, and many time just creative verbal nonsense that has Nothing to do with the technology.

I think that after so many years on this forum I simple learned which people Judgment is fair and reliable and can be taken into considerations.

But the Most important thing to Understand is that there is No Good brand or Bad brand.

Each brand has some Good stuff and a lot of Junk.

If one notice my recommendation in 2012 are actually including specific models from Asus Buffalo and Linksys/Cisco.

Disclaimer - I never had any direct deal with any of the Brands, I never received any network device for free (or for eval). I buy my stuff.

Well said! People seem to either love or hate a particular router. You can find numerous reviews taking both views of the same router. There is no middle ground. I always discard the views of people who make blanket statements encompassing a complete line of routers as being "junk". As you said there is no perfect router they all have good and bad points. The consumer needs to be aware that all routers may not serve their particular needs and thus they won't be happy with it. As I said a lot of complaints simply a function of a consumer's lack of knowledge rather than a bad router.

 

[zon2020]

I would ask you to elaborate about what issues you had with the Cisco E4200V2? It's not really fair to slam an entire model series of a rather highly regarded router based on your experience with one unit without an explanation of why? You may have gotten a faulty unit. Many times people who claim a router is a piece of junk simply don't know how to set it up properly I've found. I do not know if this is true in your case however. The other issue is if you read reviews you can find as many people that had a bad experience as think it's the greatest router ever. This leads me to believe that that quality control in these mass produced routers is not very good. I know of no other explanation other than people are buying these new technologically advanced routers without a clue as how to set them up for their particular needs. Human error is as prevalent a problem as a bad router.

No one is slamming a whole line. I've used quite a few Cisco/Linksys routers, waps and switches for a long time. Most recently I really liked my RSV4000. My success with Cisco/Linksys over the years was a large part of the reason why I bought the E4200V2.

But I was really disappointed with this one. For one thing, I do know how to set up a router and network. That's not the problem here. And my comments aren't based on reviews. They are based on actually having in my hands and trying the three routers I identified that had been discussed in this thread. The Buffalo I had used for over a year. It had good range and throughput, but its connectivity was inconsistent. Devices would simply lose their connection for no good reason. So I ordered both the E4200V2 and the WNDR4000. The interface on the Cisco was not great, and while I could create a wired and wireless LAN, I could not get it to connect to my Verizon modem (set in bridge mode). Yes, I cloned the MAC address, and I reset it multiple times, and everything else. It just didn't work. After wasting about 3 hours of my time (including 30 totally useless minutes with Cisco tech support) I boxed it up to send back to Cisco. The Netgear WNDR4000 on the other hand, took about 15 minutes to configure, it was really easy to set up, it connected to every diverse device in the house right away (pcs, laptops, tablets, phones, IP camera, clock radio, TV, BD player, etc.) and it has not lost a single connection in six weeks. It has good range, good throughput, was a tremendous bargain, and was, from my own personal experience, by FAR the best product of the Cisco, Buffalo and Netgear wireless routers that I tried this time around.

I had originally intended to use the E4200V2 and had bought the Netgear because it was a bargain just to use as a spare or perhaps to add as a second WAP in a separate part of the house. Instead, I sent the E4200V2 back to Cisco and ordered second WNDR4000. But the range and throughput is good enough on the Netgear I have had no need to set up a second WAP.

Thus, when the OP asked for a recommendation on a wireless router with guest access, I recommended the Netgear WNDR4000, and I would not recommend the Linksys E4200V2.

Is that enough "elaboration" for you? Just because you don't like the answer, you don't have to be so dismissive with all the "obviously you don't know what you're doing" nonsense.

 

[donfm]

No one is slamming a whole line. I've used quite a few Cisco/Linksys routers, waps and switches for a long time. Most recently I really liked my RSV4000. My success with Cisco/Linksys over the years was a large part of the reason why I bought the E4200V2.

But I was really disappointed with this one. For one thing, I do know how to set up a router and network. That's not the problem here. And my comments aren't based on reviews. They are based on actually having in my hands and trying the three routers I identified that had been discussed in this thread. The Buffalo I had used for over a year. It had good range and throughput, but its connectivity was inconsistent. Devices would simply lose their connection for no good reason. So I ordered both the E4200V2 and the WNDR4000. The interface on the Cisco was not great, and while I could create a wired and wireless LAN, I could not get it to connect to my Verizon modem (set in bridge mode). Yes, I cloned the MAC address, and I reset it multiple times, and everything else. It just didn't work. After wasting about 3 hours of my time (including 30 totally useless minutes with Cisco tech support) I boxed it up to send back to Cisco. The Netgear WNDR4000 on the other hand, took about 15 minutes to configure, it was really easy to set up, it connected to every diverse device in the house right away (pcs, laptops, tablets, phones, IP camera, clock radio, TV, BD player, etc.) and it has not lost a single connection in six weeks. It has good range, good throughput, was a tremendous bargain, and was, from my own personal experience, by FAR the best product of the Cisco, Buffalo and Netgear wireless routers that I tried this time around.

I had originally intended to use the E4200V2 and had bought the Netgear because it was a bargain just to use as a spare or perhaps to add as a second WAP in a separate part of the house. Instead, I sent the E4200V2 back to Cisco and ordered second WNDR4000. But the range and throughput is good enough on the Netgear I have had no need to set up a second WAP.

Thus, when the OP asked for a recommendation on a wireless router with guest access, I recommended the Netgear WNDR4000, and I would not recommend the Linksys E4200V2.

Is that enough "elaboration" for you? Just because you don't like the answer, you don't have to be so dismissive with all the "obviously you don't know what you're doing" nonsense.

You now sugar coat your original comments a bit. You did not simply say you did not recommend the E4200. You made the statement that the "E4200 was a piece of junk" without any explanation whatsoever. That's slamming the entire E4200V2 line based on a single router which may or may not have been faulty. That is not a fair technical evaluation of the product. All brands of routers have defective units right out of the box without exception.

You now explain that you had trouble setting it up that is why you called it a piece of junk. I can understand your frustration with not knowing how to configure your router. However you bought Cisco's most sophisticated flagship router from the E Series and because you didn't know how to set it up for your needs you gave it a thumbs down. It seems more like that "you don't know what you are doing nonsense" as you called it, is not so much nonsense at this point.

If you gave it a bad review on the basis that it was difficult to configure that is a valid complaint for those looking for ease of setup. To totally disregard it as "junk" was simply biased and unfair based on your reason for doing so.

By the way on the basis of owner reviews alone the WNDR4000 you tout so highly is not generally regarded as a good router at all.....so should we call it a piece of junk as well?

 

[zon2020]

You now sugar coat your original comments a bit. You did not simply say you did not recommend the E4200. You made the statement that the "E4200 was a piece of junk" without any explanation whatsoever. That's slamming the entire E4200V2 line based on a single router which may or may not have been faulty. That is not a fair technical evaluation of the product. All brands of routers have defective units right out of the box without exception.

You now explain that you had trouble setting it up that is why you called it a piece of junk. I can understand your frustration with not knowing how to configure your router. However you bought Cisco's most sophisticated flagship router from the E Series and because you didn't know how to set it up for your needs you gave it a thumbs down. It seems more like that "you don't know what you are doing nonsense" as you called it, is not so much nonsense at this point.

If you gave it a bad review on the basis that it was difficult to configure that is a valid complaint for those looking for ease of setup. To totally disregard it as "junk" was simply biased and unfair based on your reason for doing so.

By the way on the basis of owner reviews alone the WNDR4000 you tout so highly is not generally regarded as a good router at all.....so should we call it a piece of junk as well?

Nice try. But reading is fundamental.

I didn't sugar coat anything. It was a piece of junk. That's why it went back.

And no, I didn't have trouble configuring it. I know how to configure it. It simply didn't work. It was, I repeat, a PIECE OF JUNK. Don't know how much more clear I can be. Let me try it again. The E4200V2 was a piece of junk. Pure and simple. Now do you understand? Oh, and by the way, the Cisco tech support people couldn't get it to work either. But plug the Netgear into the same modem, without a single change, take 15 minutes to set it up, and perfect. See the difference?

And actually, the Netgear WNDR3700 and 4000 are very popular routers and get very good reviews from people who actually have used them and know how to use them.

I don't know if you work for Cisco or what, but someone who has actually used the piece of equipment comes on here and describes their actual hands-on real world experience with it and you whine and twist things like someone insulted your sister. Really don't care if you don't like my criticism of the E4200V2. It was, in my personal experience, a piece of junk. So get over it.

By the way, have you ever actually used one, or are you just regurgitating what you've read elsewhere? I don't see anything in your posts indicating that you have ever used or have any basis on which to comment on any of these routers.

 

[infringer]

a

Nice try. But reading is fundamental.

I didn't sugar coat anything. It was a piece of junk. That's why it went back.

And no, I didn't have trouble configuring it. I know how to configure it. It simply didn't work. It was, I repeat, a PIECE OF JUNK. Don't know how much more clear I can be. Let me try it again. The E4200V2 was a piece of junk. Pure and simple. Now do you understand? Oh, and by the way, the Cisco tech support people couldn't get it to work either. But plug the Netgear into the same modem, without a single change, take 15 minutes to set it up, and perfect. See the difference?

And actually, the Netgear WNDR3700 and 4000 are very popular routers and get very good reviews from people who actually have used them and know how to use them.

I don't know if you work for Cisco or what, but someone who has actually used the piece of equipment comes on here and describes their actual hands-on real world experience with it and you whine and twist things like someone insulted your sister. Really don't care if you don't like my criticism of the E4200V2. It was, in my personal experience, a piece of junk. So get over it.

By the way, have you ever actually used one, or are you just regurgitating what you've read elsewhere? I don't see anything in your posts indicating that you have ever used or have any basis on which to comment on any of these routers.

I have owned the routers you speak of as well and what made me sign on to these forums is the fact that the only ones that remain with me are the E4200 V1 with DDWRT and the 2 E4200v2 with standard firmware... I live in a large 5 bedroom home and at one time I had up to 3-5 people streaming video at a single point and time which is the reason for having so many but the amazing thing about it is the one could handle it with minimal lag unlike the netgear I also owned 2 belkin routers both equally pricey when they came out claiming to be the best thing since sliced bread both of them had died within a year and a friend of mine had his die within a matter of months and they replaced his router with a wireless g model that was refurbished what a deal ... If anyone here deserves a good bashing it is not Cisco as nothing I have owned of theirs has been garbage netgear has set some new trends blazing the path of Wireless AC and the WDNR wirless routers were not all that bad either but if we want to talk superiority of wireless signal I believe the last time any of my routers were reset is when the power went out lol how is that for buggy or klunky or whatever. Now I am not employed to say this I do hold some computing certifications none of them are cisco based but I guess I urge you to try out another one of these routers and do some solid testing with it and post your results with anything else once in a while you just get a lemon and while it is unfortunate I refuse to get over anything when I have 3 examples sitting here of what I like to call wireless perfection.

EDIT BELOW:

I take that back it was a password change that I setup before the holidays so when people came to use the wireless it wasn't so difficult to connect to the wireless. And I reset it just for the heck of it after messing with a few other settings cannot remember exactly what but anyways you can easily see 46 days up is nothing to complain about.

 

[JackMDS]

@infringer, you necroed a thread from 1 1/2 years ago.

The Wireless Router world vastly changed since then.

While the E4200 was a decent Wireless Router it was overpriced. It was a good deal when Cisco sold the Refrub. version for $80.

Linksys is Not Cisco any more it was sold to Belkin.

To say that None of the Linksys models sold through year was "Garbage" is a long Stretch of the word "Garbage". Some of the Linksys models did not "deserved" to be called Wireless Routers.

Currently the New Asus models are better deal than the Belkin/Linksys boxes.

 

[infringer]

JackMDS well whatever the thread brought me here as I was looking for another refurb and I got my refurbs for cheaper about 2 years ago or better they are still kicking I think I payed 70 bux each through ebay Cisco store believe it or not they came in a cisco box they bought out linksys this is correct which is also fairly old news.

To be honest the AC stuff is pretty cool but it will be a while before it is a real player there is a fairly slow adoption rate really to be honest if it were up to me I'd say replace everything but not even any mobile phones I have seen were equipped with wireless AC chipsets yet while I did see talk of the addition about 8 months ago...

It is obvious AC is the next step but until the rest of the hardware is godspeed I'm going to stick with whats worth it and what works to be honest it makes absolutely no since for majority of the population to be an early adopter on this while I have wanted to purchase them myself I still hold my reserve just as I do with 10GBE but in honesty I do secretly want both if I had a ton of money they would be mine but for now I will settle with Cat 7 wire on my 1GBE and my E4200. I had many bad personal issues with belkin products from routers to powerstrips to other devices. The e4200 is not garbage though I find this a bad conclusion for something I had no problems with since owning it. I never have to reboot the router it is rock solid with rock solid signaling this is the only thing that gets me I guess it is all a matter of the eye of the beholder but dang I actually want to find one cheap for work to provide wireless to a certain portion of the plant to save on data overages when people want to use their phone at break or lunch time and for me to make free VOIP calls on it.

So what brought me here was actually looking for yet another e4200 ... They seem to be fairly cheap on ebay but hey I'm an even cheaper than ebay type if possible.

I seen the post and though had to share my thoughts with a credible picture to back up my claim if a netgear WDNR4000 and a e4200 were side by side and each costed 10bux my experience would tell me to pick up the e4200 that's all now while this is not my first time at this forum reading as I have read several things from this forum over the last few years it is the first time something struck me as worthy of sharing for what its worth.

I realize I don't have to explain myself but out of kindness I have made the choice to.

I'm aware of a many things you had mentioned though but thanks for attempting to further what I know unfortunately I am fairly aware of the tech that is out and the tech around the corner I have been paid to write a few articles on some of it and also am very much involved in many different learning ventures as well as my own forum as well not as heavy of traffic but I suppose it is not the aim http://www.mopowah.com and you can remove this if you feel it is advertisement as well I suppose while it is not the point of sharing I understand.

But thanks for your comment and letting me know I bumped an oldie alas the beauty of google got to love it. Sometimes when something strikes you as incorrect you feel like sharing a set of theory and supporting facts to level the playing field a bit.

There has been a lot of companies absorbing other companies though lately it is a bad economic trend and sources tell me that the trend is going to continue in many different areas sprint is going to be absorbing uscellular here as well which wouldn't hurt my feelings this summer but the only problem with this is that is is not healthy for jobs and economics normally every buyout there are layoffs that follow and the pay usually is less as well if you do manage to make the grade.

Somethings gotta give somewhere we need more innovators who can maintain their small business and give a level of sound business and security for the working class. Those were the days!