Best Wireless Router

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
can someone point me to the best possible wireless router out right now?



i know a lot of people enjoy the Linksys WRT54G but the place i'm trying to cover is a two story 2000 something square foot living space.





hows the high end Linksys system?





or what about that Net Gear Range Max 240?







anyone?







help would be greatly appreciated.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 25
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,310moderator
    It's hard to say. What wireless cards are you using on your Mac? I went for a Belkin and it worked ok but I had to get drivers from an unofficial site for the usb dongles and they aren't toally stable. The thing about routers is you hear so many conflicting opinions. Some will say their Linksys is the best and avoid Belkin or whatever.



    Apple's Airport base gets quite a good reputation but it's pricey as per usual. I haven't had experience with the ones you mention but I don't think I'd recommend Belkin. The reception is inconsistent and the network where I work gets congested quite easily.
  • Reply 2 of 25
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Elixir

    can someone point me to the best possible wireless router out right now?



    i know a lot of people enjoy the Linksys WRT54G but the place i'm trying to cover is a two story 2000 something square foot living space.





    hows the high end Linksys system?





    or what about that Net Gear Range Max 240?







    anyone?







    help would be greatly appreciated.




    Steps to happiness:



    1) Purchase, if you can find them, two Linksys WRT54G v4.

    2) Flash both routers with HyperWRT+ Thibor v14 Firmware. ( http://www.thibor.co.uk/ )

    3) Set up main router on one floor, crank up the transmission power.

    4) Set up the second router on the other floor as a WDS repeater.



    Do not buy a WRT54G if it's not a v4. The new ones are not linux based and as of yet there are no third party firmware solutions for them.
  • Reply 3 of 25
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    supposedly, any of the pre-n (802.11n, that is) routers with three antennas absolutely rock, putting any current, consumer a/b/g models to shame. (Yes, pre-n works also with a/b/g.)



    However, if you have real money to spend, pick up some nodes from Strix systems.
  • Reply 4 of 25
    dfilerdfiler Posts: 3,420member
    I'm running a D-Link DGL-4300 and would recommend it to anyone looking to buy a high end home wifi/gigabit router. I can't comment on the others, but this one has worked flawlessly, unlike the other 3 ones i've owned. Finally, a router/node that never needs resetting, ever.



    Only caveat, the web based configuration has to be done in firefox because it doesn't work in safari.
  • Reply 5 of 25
    r3dx0rr3dx0r Posts: 201member
    i switched from apples aiport base station (i bought one, and returned it 3 times due to connection issues) to a vigor2900g from draytek and it is really great so far. i only reboot occasionally to update the firmware.

    but as marvin said, you'll hear a different story every time you ask.
  • Reply 6 of 25
    If you're really looking for a good WAP, get a Cisco Aironet access point.



    -Justin
  • Reply 7 of 25
    elixirelixir Posts: 782member
    ok, now i'm real lost.



    haha.



    i've heard the WRT54G v. 4 issue but not the two access point/router trick (thats way expensive if you factor in the modem) but can you explain to me how i set that up?







    how much range does that d-link really have?
  • Reply 8 of 25
    mynameheremynamehere Posts: 560member
    I have a WRT54G (non-v4) and it works fine, easy to set up too. If you find the reception lacking, you can always buy an antenna.
  • Reply 9 of 25
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Elixir

    ok, now i'm real lost.



    haha.



    i've heard the WRT54G v. 4 issue but not the two access point/router trick (thats way expensive if you factor in the modem) but can you explain to me how i set that up?







    how much range does that d-link really have?




    I only suggest that you purchase two of the WRT54G v4 in order to cover your entire house.



    The reason you need to buy a v4 of the LInksys router is that it was the final version of the WRT54G that had a Linux OS and had more memory than the v1 through v3. Upgrading the firmware, to the one I suggested, provides for a much more robust and feature-laden router.



    Setting up the second router with WDS is simple! I'd suggest visiting www.linksysinfo.org and browsing the forums. There's a wealth of info there.
  • Reply 10 of 25
    Just out of curiousity...no one has mentioned the Airport Extreme Base Station...I was thinking about getting one of those...any thoughts on that ??
  • Reply 11 of 25
    mynameheremynamehere Posts: 560member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by StuffNJunk

    Just out of curiousity...no one has mentioned the Airport Extreme Base Station...I was thinking about getting one of those...any thoughts on that ??



    Quality, but rather expensive.
  • Reply 12 of 25
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    To elaborate on my last post, which I'm not sure caught your attention...



    Get this router



    It's pricey, but there's nothing better. Other companies make pre-n products, too. Check those out.
  • Reply 13 of 25
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Splinemodel

    To elaborate on my last post, which I'm not sure caught your attention...



    Get this router



    It's pricey, but there's nothing better. Other companies make pre-n products, too. Check those out.




    Considering it only provides a claimed 20% increased performance when operation with B/G networks, I don't see the point in purchasing a router that:



    a) has been released pre-ratification of the 'N' standard for wireless,

    b) has no guarantee of being upgradable to the 'N' standard,

    c) requires a pre-N wireless network card to gain the advantages of the MIMO tech, and

    d) will not increase the range of your built-in wireless card as that is a function of the network card and not the router.
  • Reply 14 of 25
    elixirelixir Posts: 782member
    ok, i'm going to see if i can find a V.4



    how can i tell if i go to the store?









    my gf has a base station, i got it for her but man its too expensive and i dont find the reception all that great.
  • Reply 15 of 25
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Elixir

    ok, i'm going to see if i can find a V.4



    how can i tell if i go to the store?




    It will say which version it is on the box near the barcode. Actually, a v3 or a v4 will do just fine.



    You may have better luck looking for a used v4, though, as they stopped production on them some time ago.
  • Reply 16 of 25
    I was also looking for a v4, but i couldnt find 1, and got a v5. it was horrible at first, but then the new firmware came out, and now its just as good as the v4. The only thing is that it can not be hacked.
  • Reply 17 of 25
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by audiopollution

    Considering it only provides a claimed 20% increased performance when operation with B/G networks, I don't see the point in purchasing a router that:



    a) has been released pre-ratification of the 'N' standard for wireless,

    b) has no guarantee of being upgradable to the 'N' standard,

    c) requires a pre-N wireless network card to gain the advantages of the MIMO tech, and

    d) will not increase the range of your built-in wireless card as that is a function of the network card and not the router.




    Well, electronic design monthly did an evaluation, and they were pretty solidly impressed. Keep in mind that these are a hard bunch to impress. Since Elixir asked a question looking for the best possible wireless router, I posted it.



    Otherwise, get an industrial system and toss on a big omni. There's a company called ValuePoint that makes relatively cheap hi-power WiFi systems.
  • Reply 18 of 25
    elixirelixir Posts: 782member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by sandilian

    I was also looking for a v4, but i couldnt find 1, and got a v5. it was horrible at first, but then the new firmware came out, and now its just as good as the v4. The only thing is that it can not be hacked.





    explain? what came out?





    the only V4 i can find are on ebay.
  • Reply 19 of 25
    Well I bought the linksys along with my powerbook back in nov. and it was the only thing that I hadnt researched, I bring it in, hook it up, and everything seems to be going well for about a week, then I check my speed, im on comcast 6 megs, I was getting maybe 3 at the most. So I updated the firmware to 1.0.05 from the linksys website, still no go. I went and returned it thinking it was my router, the new 1 i got still did the same thing. I didnt have any money, and it was after my 30 day return policy, so i had to stick with it. I checked the linksys site almost everyday for a new firmware that could fix it, it was that irritating. Finally a new 1 came out, it was ver. 1.0.06, I applied that patch, and my download went from 3 megs to 5.5 megs, which is pretty damn good on wireless, so the problem is fixed now. If you are looking for a v4 and cant find it, they still have a LINUX based router, its the WRT54GS its with SPEEDBOOSTER, but it is upgradeable with 3rd party firmware. My girlfriends dad has it, and it works wonderfully.
  • Reply 20 of 25
    lotharsnllotharsnl Posts: 113member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by audiopollution

    Considering it only provides a claimed 20% increased performance when operation with B/G networks, I don't see the point in purchasing a router that:



    a) has been released pre-ratification of the 'N' standard for wireless,

    b) has no guarantee of being upgradable to the 'N' standard,

    c) requires a pre-N wireless network card to gain the advantages of the MIMO tech, and

    d) will not increase the range of your built-in wireless card as that is a function of the network card and not the router.




    I have been keeping an eye out on this thread in hopes of discovering a new device, or tech, just around the corner that might be considered the clear best..



    When I went to purchase my first wireless router, I was hoping to buy the best one out there, though I didn't know much about the tech, or all it's uses. I was told that Belkin's Pre N router was the best, and have since purchased 4, and am very happy with them. As someone else pointed out, a lot of the impressive info on the box is only relevant when using the Pre N card with it, but I can tell you it is noticeably better then the few LinkSys, and Apple WiFi routers I've used (...even w/o the Pre N card).



    The last one I picked up was selling for $99.99 at CompUSA. BTW, they have a lifetime warranty, if that's an issue to anyone.
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