Post #358,748
6/11/12 4:31:05 AM
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Wireless routers - recommendations?
Small house, lots of walls, lots of other visible networks (and one in particular that seems to be transmitting with immense power). Need to be 2.4GHz because although the computers are cool with 5GHz, the phones aren't.
The Virgin Media "super hub" as supplied by the ISP is, frankly, arse. It seems as though the very flapping of a butterfly's wing can disrupt its wireless capability. It's got a modem mode, though, so I can relegate it to being a somewhat oversized cable modem.
This (and its follow-up models) seems to be a good choice:
http://thewirecutter...-router-you-want/
Anyone know different?
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Post #358,751
6/11/12 7:47:44 AM
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You may as well try it
We've had horrible times with the Netgear and Linksys models used at work. Our wireless access is mostly for occasional access so we do use the SoHo models, not the high end mesh kit.
We only had one particular Netgear model and I can't quite recall what exactly its problem was, but it was bad enough that we just dumped all of them after 6 months. Our Linksys models were the older blue WRTxxx models running DD-WRT because the OEM firmware could not handle a heavy load, however occasional. They worked well for ~3 years, then we had 10 die within a 12 month span.
Our Proxim equipment has been behaving very well over the years, but it has a price tag to match the performance.
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Post #358,756
6/11/12 8:40:19 AM
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My Linksys was junk
but so far the Netgear is behaving nicely. I can get the model number tonight if you want.
"Chicago to my mind was the only place to be. ... I above all liked the city because it was filled with people all a-bustle, and the clatter of hooves and carriages, and with delivery wagons and drays and peddlers and the boom and clank of freight trains. And when those black clouds came sailing in from the west, pouring thunderstorms upon us so that you couldn't hear the cries or curses of humankind, I liked that best of all. Chicago could stand up to the worst God had to offer. I understood why it was built--a place for trade, of course, with railroads and ships and so on, but mostly to give all of us a magnitude of defiance that is not provided by one house on the plains. And the plains is where those storms come from."
-- E.L. Doctorow
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Post #358,808
6/11/12 6:24:39 PM
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Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Router
knock on wood, but so far so good...
"Chicago to my mind was the only place to be. ... I above all liked the city because it was filled with people all a-bustle, and the clatter of hooves and carriages, and with delivery wagons and drays and peddlers and the boom and clank of freight trains. And when those black clouds came sailing in from the west, pouring thunderstorms upon us so that you couldn't hear the cries or curses of humankind, I liked that best of all. Chicago could stand up to the worst God had to offer. I understood why it was built--a place for trade, of course, with railroads and ships and so on, but mostly to give all of us a magnitude of defiance that is not provided by one house on the plains. And the plains is where those storms come from."
-- E.L. Doctorow
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Post #358,762
6/11/12 9:54:16 AM
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We're using one Buffalo 300N box at home.
I don't recall the model at the moment. We're using it to connect our Panasonic TV to the network (as a bridge). It seems Ok, but I'm not sure it's terribly happy with our older 802.11g stuff. I'm also using one of the older things as a wireless bridge and the 300N seems to drop out when it's not used. Power cycling it fixes the problem quickly. It can run some open-source firmware, but I haven't tried it. Eventually I'll move everything to 802.11n - probably when gigabit wireless is old-hat...
We're using 5GHz Panasonic wireless phones, so I think our network is 2.4 GHz. I think the Buffalo uses the 2.4 GHz. The phones don't seem to have any issues.
I can get you more info later if you want it.
Lots of this stuff seems to be black-magic - still - due to various types of interference and variations in implementations in PCs. Unfortunately.
How's that for a useless answer. ;-)
Cheers,
Scott.
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Post #358,774
6/11/12 1:46:12 PM
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slight misunderstanding
When I say "phones", I mean my and my wife's WP7 handsets, rather than DECT-style cordless phones.
It seems that few smartphones can do 5GHz wifi. Which is a shame, really.
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Post #358,777
6/11/12 2:20:08 PM
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Ah. Thanks.
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Post #358,769
6/11/12 11:44:59 AM
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Re: Wireless routers - recommendations?
Netgear is just plain junk. Most I see out there is dead or causing problems.
Linksys is no better since Cisco took them over. They work well, but have a relatively short lifespan.
Buffalo - I installed one as an access point at a medical office. It kept losing DHCP bringing down the wireless net a couple times a week. I replaced it with ZyXEL - no further problems.
I'm using all ZyXEL now for low end routers. Two models: NBG416N (one antenna, very low price) and NBG4815 (two antennas, a bit more). Both are wireless n with 4-port switch. No problems so far.
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Post #358,775
6/11/12 1:50:11 PM
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Thanks all
On a related note, I've taken to using InSSIDer for wireless surveying on Windows and OS X.
There's apparently a Linux port, but I've never been able to get it to work. It just crashes on startup.
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Post #358,776
6/11/12 2:12:40 PM
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No real issues with our Cisco.
It's actually a Linksys I think, after they got bought.
Regards,
-scott
Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
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Post #358,785
6/11/12 4:02:32 PM
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Apple AirPort Extreme.
Plug and Play. Just Works.
-Mike
@MikeVitale42
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin, 1759 Historical Review of Pennsylvania
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Post #358,794
6/11/12 4:53:30 PM
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the AirPort Express might work too
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Post #360,198
7/3/12 10:43:21 PM
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Re: Apple AirPort Extreme.
Been using the Airport extreme for a couple of years now. Every new toy that the wife gets, auto connects to it and just works.
Recommended.
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Post #358,815
6/11/12 8:04:15 PM
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Netgear WN802T Access Point
If you already have a router, you might consider this. I've got two on one network (different ends of the building) and one at another location and they've been trouble free with good reception through multiple walls. They're mainly used for iPad and iPhone WiFi.
The WiFi in our Netgear N300 router/DSL modem at home was crap, which prompted the switch to this AP.
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