ASUS, Amped, Buffalo or Cisco for a firehouse

[warreng]

Hi - Our firestation is upgrading from an old belkin wireless g router and could use some advice on purchasing a replacement 2.4ghz N router.
The replacement must have:

1 - very good signal range; we need at least 50 feet more than we are getting with the belkin. Upgradable external antennas are preferred for this reason.

2 - multiple SSIDs so firefighters with old WEP-only b and g laptops can still connect. Most clients would be 802.11n WPA2, however.

3 - It would be nice to have the ability to VPN into the router from other locations, so that off-duty firefighters would be able to securely browse the web while travelling. (from coffee shops etc).

5ghz band is not needed, neither is 3-stream. What is needed is stability and good range. QOS traffic shaping on the multiple SSIDs would be a bonus.

Currently, the 4 routers I am considering are: ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router; Amped Wireless R10000G High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Router; and the BuffaloTech AirStation™ HighPower N450 Gigabit Wireless Router WZR-HP-G450H, and the Cisco RV220W.

I like Buffalotech but am concerned about bugginess and reliability of this model, based upon reviews elsewhere. The ASUS is chock full of features and looks cool but I have had headaches dealing with Asus's firmware and inadequate technical support in the past. Amped is a completely unknown company to me, but seemed to top the charts here for wireless range -- has anyone here used this router? The Cisco would definately handle our VPN needs, but I am not sure if the wireless range would be adequate.

Can anyone provide guidance...?

 

[thiggins]

Any of the products you name will be an improvement from your old Belkin.

If you can drop your VPN requirement, you will widen your choices.

Best way to approach your search is to hit the Router Charts, filter for 2.4 GHz products only, select a wireless benchmark and switch the benchmark from Average to Location F. That will give you throughput for our toughest test location (weakest signal). You can then switch benchmarks to look at up and downlink tests.

Looking at Location D results (borderline between medium and low signal) can
also be helpful.