Router Suggestions?

[firzen771]

my old d-link DI-624 has been messing up on me and im looking for a good new wireless router, anybody have suggestions on a good router that wont slow down my internet speeds all that much, a low latency router perhaps, and has a built in firewall, something that is not too expensive, but doesnt have to be very cheap either.

suggestions?

[clambermatic]

I had use DLink, netGear, proLink & others... both wireless/cabled soHo types (PCi, dongle-BT, nic). The easiest to install and configure is Edimax (including installing instructions is straight-cut).

Check out it's details here ~ http://www.fixya.com/support/edimax/routers
It's official web is~ www.edimax.com (currently under maintenance i think)

"BR-6216mg/MIMO- wireless" is the one currently i use at home, aside from several installed in departmental offices at corporate level. It also incorporate NATs & QoS.

[firzen771]

easy to install ist my first priority, though its important, im first looking for good performance and security

[clambermatic]

EDIMAX.... got very decent performance... without the hassles of error-laden installation process!

My edimax/MIMO-wireless version can facilitate to more than 15 authenticated connections. This category alone surpassed what plain-jane DLink router can offer. MIMO (other routers got that too) process enhances rcvd/xmit signals, sometimes to even 3x its original range (depend on topography).

In one of our corporate setup... i used Edimax/MIMO as "booster/relay".

[firzen771]

well ive checked the sites of most electronic stores and cant seem to find any that actually carry edimax, so something a little more common to find in stores would probly be better for me

[clambermatic]

"firzen777", check this g-page out & look for the ending after dotCom befor e proceeding to its webpage ~
http://www.google.com.ph/search?q=ed...-US:unofficial

If you're in UK, look for the 'uk' ending after dotCom, au = australia... and so on.

... or googled~ http://www.google.com/products?q=edi...nofficial&um=1

Edimax is widely sold. A bit obscured in branding, but very decent oem.

[clambermatic]

Btw, i am not a 'reseller nor distributor' for EDIMAX. No relations corporate nor personally with any Edimax folks either.

Still, at the end-of-day... its a matter of your own choices. C?

It's was posted by me coz criterias posted asked for one that's efficient & effective & for home-used basis. I have extensively use other products as well, but it's more on enterprise operations.

[firzen771]

well i was looking at this router, http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satel...=3538145678B04

and was wondering would that SRX feature create any compatibility issues with my laptops wireless, which is wireless G? or the MIMO feature it has?

and what is better to have NAT firewall or SPI in a router, cause i noticed it only mentioned having an SPI firewall?

and if all that stuff is fine, would this router be a good choice?

[BlueZannetti]

Originally Posted by firzen771

and what is better to have NAT firewall or SPI in a router, cause i noticed it only mentioned having an SPI firewall?

There really isn't a NAT firewall. NAT - Network Address Translation - acts somewhat like a firewalling function since it blocks unsolicited inbound communications (assuming you haven't forwarded ports, etc.).

That router is fine. My own preferences tend towards ZyXel and routers similar in cost to the Linksys which are able to use 3rd party firmware, that tends to provide useful added functionality. For the most part I used DD-WRT firmware on Buffalo (WHR-G54S, WHR-HP-G54, WHR-G125, etc.) wireless routers for about everything. I'll even use these routers as bridges in place of a wireless card - they're cheaper and more reliable.

Blue

[bellgamin]

Originally Posted by BlueZannetti

My own preferences tend towards ZyXel and routers similar in cost to the Linksys which are able to use 3rd party firmware, that tends to provide useful added functionality.Blue

Hola Blue -- I didn't know such a thing existed (namely, 3rd party firmware for routers).

I researched & found...

As its name suggests, firmware is somewhere between hardware and software. Firmware is a computer program that is embedded in a hardware device, for example a microcontroller. It can also be provided on flash ROMs or as a binary image file that can be uploaded onto existing hardware by a user.

Could you please elaborate a bit as to why 3rd party firmware for routers is "good", how it works, etc?

[BlueZannetti]

Originally Posted by bellgamin

Hola Blue -- I didn't know such a thing existed (namely, 3rd party firmware for routers).

Hey Bellgamin (...and a belated Happy Birthday!)

Could you please elaborate a bit as to why 3rd party firmware for routers is "good", how it works, etc?

I think some vendors are catching up..., but third party firmware started hitting the market when Linksys and some other vendors started using GPL (GNU General Public License) covered open source code in some of their vendor provided firmware which open up development to third parties who could provide additional functionality.

For example, when I started using DD-WRT, it was to allow bridge functionality since it was a lot cheaper and easier to manage a hard wired connection from (for example) my son's XBOX360 to a wireless bridge than just about any other direct solution. At the time, the native firmware from Linksys did not allow me to turn it into a wireless bridge (I believe that's still the case). The DD-WRT Wiki provides a fairly good general overview as to the reasons one might implement a 3rd party firmware solution using DD-WRT as a specific example, but the points presented really apply across the board to the various 3rd party offerings.

Blue

[screamer]

Firzin,

Have you looked into the dlink DIR-655? It replaced my Belkin which replaced 2 netgears. It has lotsa features, and it doesn't seem to slow down my 30/10Mb cable too much. ~22-27Mb.

...screamer

[firzen771]

ive heard that i should stay away from wirless N router atm? some issues with it or something plus compatibility issues with laptops getting connection?

[BlueZannetti]

Originally Posted by firzen771

ive heard that i should stay away from wirless N router atm? some issues with it or something

I do not believe the standard has been finalized as yet, so commercial products are based on a proposed standard at the moment. In principle, it could change before being finalized.

Blue

[alien51]

WRT54GL with dd-wrt third-party firmware, hands down. IMHO of course.

[firzen771]

so it would be a bad idea to get a wireless N router now? wouldnt it just be able to update the firmware and it would be the same as getting a new one when it is finalized?

[BlueZannetti]

Originally Posted by firzen771

so it would be a bad idea to get a wireless N router now? wouldnt it just be able to update the firmware and it would be the same as getting a new one when it is finalized?

Who knows..., my best guess is that you'd be fine as long as you go with a major brand and a recently released model.

The other thing to examine - it shouldn't necessarily control your decision, but it's worthwhile to consider - is where and what type of bandwidth bottlenecks will exist. What's the bandwidth on the WAN side now and into the near future? As long as the router exceeds that by a reasonable amount, you have growth potential. Most current routers will not top out on current connections, although some may get close, and older ones will act as a bottleneck. Look at the actual routing performance of the device your contemplating - how does it shape up relative to your needs now and for a couple of years?

Any issues would likely be a firmware update - but the drive to update that firmware is dependent on where this unit is on it's release lifecycle. There's no drive to spend resources to update a remaindered or soon to be remaindered product - that may not apply with this device, it's just a detail to assess before making a purchase.

Blue

[firzen771]

well im on a cable connection and its currently a 10mbit connection, and its definetly not gonna be changing, so i think a standard router is fine, especially if im getting a newer one

[BlueZannetti]

Originally Posted by firzen771

well im on a cable connection and its currently a 10mbit connection, and its definetly not gonna be changing, so i think a standard router is fine, especially if im getting a newer one

Since it is basically a wash on initial purchase, I'd just suggest that true maximum routing performance should be in the range of ~50-80 Mbps, which most products are capable of (e.g. my Buffalo Tech routers are on the low end of this range and they can be quite inexpensive).

Blue

[Cloudcroft]

I've considered flashing my Buffalo Tech wireless router with DD-WRT firmware, but I'm afraid I'd turn it into a brick. It works pretty good with the native firmware, so I think I'll leave well enough alone.

[firzen771]

k well ive looked at a few routers and ive found this one: http://www.netgear.com/Products/Rout...ys/WPN824.aspx

it seems to have good reviews, and my local comp store is selling it for $49

one question, would this router be able to use 3rd party firmware like DD-WRT?

[BlueZannetti]

Originally Posted by firzen771

one question, would this router be able to use 3rd party firmware like DD-WRT?

As far as I know, no. OpenWRT supports some Netgear routers, this is listed as untested and the learning curve for OpenWRT is a little steeper than some others.

Blue

[firzen771]

i see, well this router seems like the best performance router that i can find around me, that actually has a good price hopefully 3rd party firmware work on it later on

[NGRhodes]

Originally Posted by BlueZannetti

There really isn't a NAT firewall. NAT - Network Address Translation - acts somewhat like a firewalling function since it blocks unsolicited inbound communications (assuming you haven't forwarded ports, etc.).

I would just like to add that NAT is perfectly secure for inbound protection. Outbound protection is very very hard to do effectively at a network level.

[firzen771]

ok, i have a router with NAT and SPI firewall in it, do i really need a software firewall? or can i just go with an AV? or maybe add something other than a firewall?