I have a pc with Widows 7 Pro. Also have a printer that needs wireless in order to get full benefits from manufacturers site. Will be adding a new laptop shortly after the holidays. I hope. I have cable supplied by Cablevision/Optimum Online and use their modem. I need a router with wireless for the desktop pc, laptop and printer. It needs to be easy to setup, including the security end of it, because I get easily lost with stuff like this. Hope you can help. Thanks. Hugger
I'm not an expert in this are and just started using recently wireless routers. In my experience you can't go wrong with Linksys offerings (The ones that are around 100$ are pretty good and comes with ton of features) The only problem that i've experienced is that sometimes it loses internet (I don't know if its my cheap-@$$ version (bought for 50$ retail) but when it happens just reset BOTH routers with the reset buttons and its DONE!!!)
I would agree that Linksys is in general a good brand. I have used quite a few and have yet to have issues. I prefer Dlink routers myself. Certain firmware versions can be quirky at times. 5 minutes of research reveals the firmware that most users like (same for any router), so using the right one can go a long way towards "stability" For me, Dlink offers more options that I want. Not necessarily more complex, just more. I had a gamer lounge gigabit model which worked absolutely picture-perfect. I needed a wireless one, so I opted for the DIR-655N. It provides me a great signal and has posed no problems in over a year of use now. I recently purchased a newer one for work, and it had a firmware that was not as grand as my older one, so I flashed it back, and all is good. I have heard that Buffalo makes a good router, and also heard Netgear routers tend to be Ok. I did hear from numerous sources that Belkin routers suck. I have not owned one, but know a few who used to Sul.
Well you sure didn't skimp on the budget. I note many folks buy a dual-band router then complain that wireless performance for their 802.11n devices is bad. This is typically because with standard dual-band routers, the routers actually toggle down bandwidth when there are mixed protocol devices (11g and 11n) on the network - they are not true dual-band. But with "simultaneous" dual-band, you don't have that problem because in effect, the device has two WAPs (wireless access ports), one for 11b/11g devices and another for 11n. So, you made a wise choice there! Now just to ensure clarity, there really is no such thing as a "wireless router". That is a marketing term only. These devices are really 3 network devices in one that share a common case, power supply and user interface; the router, the WAP, and a 4-port Ethernet switch. And internally, the WAP and the Switch connect to the router in the same manner, and then the router connects your network out to your modem. In your case, the E3000 also has USB port for NAS devices. I do note however, that you said you want to network your printer. According to this CNET review, This means if you want to network your printer, your printer must already be network ready by supporting a Ethernet connection, or integrated wireless, or you will have to buy a separate print server. This is confirmed in the E3000 Manual.
Well, for one, you can't compare one model to a whole line. This model apparently is set to replace the WRT610N and in the reviews I am seeing, the major difference appears to be ease of setup. Other than that, 802.11n is an industry "standard" and therefore, in theory, should perform as well as any other 802.11n device with the same features. In practice, well... unlike wired (Ethernet) connections, there are too many variables that affect wireless throughput. These include the number and composition of the walls, floors and ceilings between the WAP's antennas and the networked device; pipes and wires in the walls; distance; orientation and location of WAP's antennas; EMI from nearby electronic devices like microwave ovens, communication towers, and other wireless networks; orientation and location of the networked device's antenna, and the capabilities of the network adapter on the networked device - to name a few. This router may be perfect for some folks, but less so for others. To optimize your wireless network, the router should be centrally located and preferably up high, and away from other electronic devices. And while in theory, any 11n adapter should work fine, in practice, you tend to have fewer problems if all devices use the same brand - although this does seem to be less of a problem today than it was a few years ago with 11b and 11g networks. And of course, wireless signals go everywhere therefore, there is no way you can prevent a badguy from seeing your network. For this reason, wireless networks will always be inherently less secure than Ethernet and therefore require due and constant diligence.
