Wireless Router Lifetime

[Baasha]

I bought a D-Link wireless Dual-Band N Router about a year ago and it was working perfectly all this time. I have the Comcast 'Blast' internet which is about 20-25Mbps and the wired connection(s) are still very good.

However, lately, my wireless connection has been somewhat faulty. Many of my devices connected to the wireless network, like iPad, iPhone, 3 other computers including 2 laptops, have been struggling to stay online continuously.

Of course, I've been through the resetting procedures for the router/modem but that doesn't seem to fix the issue.

Do wireless routers usually fail after a certain period of time? What is the lifetime of a wireless router? I used to have a LinkSys before the D-link and the same thing happened. The wireless connections just deteriorated so much that I threw away the router and got this one.

On that note, can someone suggest a really good wireless router for home and home-office? What brand and model do you guys recommend?

 

[pete1229]

You could try flashing the D-Link with DD-WRT firmware and seeing if performance improves before you replace it. I use two Cisco/Lynksys routers both flashed with dd-wrt, one as the primary router (wireless) and one as a repeater bridge. Been using them like this since last August with no deterioration of service. It's worth a shot before buying a new one.

 

[a123456]

I think it just depends on the build quality so there's no fixed time. I had an old netgear that needed reboots all the time after about a year.

Then, I read that the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 was good for no reboots and it's been working nonstop for about 4-5 years but it only goes to wireless G. I decided that the uptime was worth it over the extra speed. Unfortunately, that model is discontinued and the newer ones don't seem as good. I was still able to pick up a couple of spares from a local Fry's though so it may be possible to find.

 

[Baasha]

You could try flashing the D-Link with DD-WRT firmware and seeing if performance improves before you replace it. I use two Cisco/Lynksys routers both flashed with dd-wrt, one as the primary router (wireless) and one as a repeater bridge. Been using them like this since last August with no deterioration of service. It's worth a shot before buying a new one.

Hmm.. that's very interesting.. Can you tell me a little bit more about the DD-WRT flashing and how to go about doing it?

Thanks.