looking to buy new router, can't decide

[llmercll]

I've been searching for awhile for the best router for around $100, and I've basically come to a few options...and I really can't decide which one to go with.

I have a fast internet connection, cable - road runner.

I do a lot of torrenting, and a LOT of seeding, and need a lot of connections. my current router destroys my internet when i seed or dl. even with a capped upload setting.

I do a lot of networking and wireless file sharing/media streaming using lan pc's. my current routers always cuts me off, making streamign videos and sending large files between computers nearly impossible. not to mention its very slow with networks transfers.

I do a lot of gaming, though my gaming performance always seems good

I like having good security, but not to the point of performance loss

I do not have any wireless n

I am fed up with the linksys wrt54g v8 with dd-wrt

That being said, here are my routers. I've grown to hate linksys so unless you can show me otherwise, I'll be going d link

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127158

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127215

basically these 2, but I'm open to others if you recommend them. it seems you guys know what you are talking about, especially the guy who writes the reviews.


I liked the fact that the 4300 looks cool, got very good reviews, and seems to focus on a user like myself. its also been around longer and is guaranteed stable

the 655 is newer, has n, wpa2, but got mixed reviews and looks teh nast.

either way, according to some benchmarks i read on this site, the 655 performs very well, up there with what im assuming is a top of the line router. but is there a better alternative?

so which will it be for a person like me?

665, 4300, or other?

 

[thiggins]

Go for the DIR-655. The 4300 and 655 have essentially the same routing engine. The difference is the wireless radio. There is no reason to pay the higher price for the 4300.

 

[llmercll]

Go for the DIR-655. The 4300 and 655 have essentially the same routing engine. The difference is the wireless radio. There is no reason to pay the higher price for the 4300.

thanks for the info, my only concern was the fact that the 655 is newer and Ive heard it isn't as stable or reliable as the 4300.

i can get them for the same price also.

do you til recommend the 655? the charts show it as dominating the 4300 in every area, but i don't want problems with it, i want stability, something my old router didn't have.

 

[thiggins]

I can't guarantee that you won't have problems with any product. You'll need to make your own decision based on the information that I've already given.

 

[llmercll]

I can't guarantee that you won't have problems with any product. You'll need to make your own decision based on the information that I've already given.

yeah, but some things are notorious for being exceptionally buggy/unstable, do you think that's the case with the 655 or *from what you've seen* seem reliable as any other router?

 

[Chamber]

Wireless mouse fans take note.

I'm in the market for a good router. I started looking a few weeks ago. Today I googled the subject and found this thread. I'd like to share a recent experience I had:

In the last 30 days I bought two Belkin N-routers. I took one of them back to the store to get my money back and soon I'll be taking the other one back to Costco.

I like wireless hardware. I have a wireless mouse. The Belkin router freezes the cursor on an intermittant basis, which makes it a little like a virus in that you can't use your computer! If you can't move the cursor, you can't use the computer.

So if you're hard at work on the computer sailing right along on a project, and all of a sudden your cursor locks up, you'll get very frustrated and worse...you'll lose money.

The Belkin user guide offers no solution for this problem, nor do they even address the issue. Forget Belkin if you like using a wireless mouse.

 

[scotty]

I'm using a 655 as an AP, and I have a few installed for friends and family. No problems to speak of so far. My mainstay used to be WRT54's, but have had nothing but problems with the newer revisions (v5+) so I jumped to D-Link.

But honestly, I've done a lot of SMB and SOHO consulting over the years and seen lots of both brands die. It happens. For the most part, both brands are probably reasonably similar quality wise. I know tons of people who will never touch [Insert Brand Here] again.... Whatever, it happens. Belkin, well, never had terribly positive experiences with them so I don't even bother with them.

The 655 should serve you well.

 

[link01]

The higher the price, the better the router will be. I understand that you're fed up with wrt54. It has been around for ages. It's time they retire this series. Very good router though.

I suggest you try something with sufficient cpu power. Look at the charts.

 

[thiggins]

yeah, but some things are notorious for being exceptionally buggy/unstable, do you think that's the case with the 655 or *from what you've seen* seem reliable as any other router?

The DIR-655 is a pretty reliable router.

 

[Britgeezer]

Used to love Linksys but having been plagued with bad luck (or design/ manufacture) with multi Linksys WRTN310's units. I just set up my new DIR 825 - a world of difference.

I'm still trying to figure out half the features and could probably have lived well with the DIR 655 which was my other choice.

For information N 2.4GHz gets everywhere in the house, but 5 GHz has a couple of reduced signal strength areas as a result of wall thickness / angles, but since its a big house - its not bad at all.

Especially so since my systems are 80% wired

My laptop sees both SSID's and shows the same speed - just the signal strength varies a little.

 

[Osamede]

If you dont have any wireless N clients, I would recommend the Draytek 2100G or VG . I have had the 2100VG (wireless G + 4-port 10/100 + VOIP) myself, three years now. It was already good in the beginning, but with recent firmware it is unreal - I run this thing 24-7 with 10-15 torrents plus two laptops accessing internets and downloading files on http and I have not not a single dropout or downtime. Only time the reouter gets turned off is when I go on vacation.

Its not cheap, but not expensive at all for a business-class router and in this case it is worth every penny and more.

In the US, Guideband.com sells them for about $80-100. There are also new "N" + Gigabit versions either released just now or just around the corner.

 

[drvoip]

i suggest netgear wireless ( you could browse through the various models available on their site.

Note: i am not affiliated to them.

 

[smapdi]

Wanted to jump on this thread since I am in the market for a new router. I have gotten fed up with my DIR-655 A3 because of the 802.11b "trial" that DLink tried to do in 1.30 and now with random freezes of the router with 1.31 (see http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=5281.0 for details) .

Ideally it would have 802.11b/g (n is not required but would be nice for my macbook and room mates' macbook pro), gigabit ethernet (I have gotten spoiled by being able to transfer large files quickly between my main system and my HP MediaSmart EX470) and preferably not be from DLink.

Having DD-WRT or Tomato support would be gravy but I am not completely married to the possibility of it running either.

So hive mind, what say you?

 

[staticfree]

Wanted to jump on this thread since I am in the market for a new router. I have gotten fed up with my DIR-655 A3 because of the 802.11b "trial" that DLink tried to do in 1.30 and now with random freezes of the router with 1.31 (see http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=5281.0 for details) .

Ideally it would have 802.11b/g (n is not required but would be nice for my macbook and room mates' macbook pro), gigabit ethernet (I have gotten spoiled by being able to transfer large files quickly between my main system and my HP MediaSmart EX470) and preferably not be from DLink.

Having DD-WRT or Tomato support would be gravy but I am not completely married to the possibility of it running either.

So hive mind, what say you?

I have Linksys WRT610N, WRT320N, Dlink DIR-655 A4 and Netgear WNR3500 wireless-N routers. Out of all of them, the Netgear has proven most reliable and quirk free. But I rate all of them excellent routers for basic router use.
The Linksys routers seem to have problems with some client adapters such as Intel 5300agn and 4965agn, the Dlink DIR-655 A4 has been solid except sometimes has long delay displaying browser pages due to a DNS Relay quirk that folks are still complaining about. The Netgear router has been the most consistently solid performer with the only quirk I have with it is that some of my older 802.11b devices won't connect to it when i have Netgear set to handle mixed b/g/n mode. Dlink and Netgear have been solid performers not dropping or losing any wireless connections at all. Linksys really does not drop any connections either but due to the compatibility quirks with Intel and some other chipsets wireless client adapters, sometimes the laptops don't see the Linksys SSID signals and thus during this time of invisiblity (SSID disappearing act) you cannot connect to the Linksys routers. I don't know if the quirk issue lies with Linksys or with the adapter chip driver manufacturers.
For solid fast reliable 802.11G/N service, go Netgear WNR3500.