Need help selecting replacement routers

[MediaMan09]

I have a many wired and wireless devices around the house, and to address issues wtih weak wireless signals, given the house was pretty much wired anyway, I sprinkled a few cheap 802.11g routers around the house. These have served mw well both has access points and switches. The main router is a Dlink 655 in my office.

See overview

I would like to replace the older Trendnet routers now with newer ones. . I seem to get droppped signals now and then.

Given the plethora of choices out there, I thought I would limit my search to Wireless N 300mbs Gigabit routers in the under $100 range (as I need three). For those that I can find locally (or order on line in Canada), I came up with :

• NETGEAR WNR3500L-100PAS
• D-LINK DGL-4500
• D-LINK 651
• TRENDNET TEW-639GR
• TRENDNET TEW-634GRU)
• EnGenius ENG-ESR9850
• Linksys E2000-CA

Are any of these a wise/poor choices?

Also I suppose I can redeploy the DIR 655 I have, and get a new main router as well, perhaps something like:

• D-LINK Model #: DIR-665
• TRENDNET TEW-691GR

Any guidance would really be appreciated.

 

[MediaMan09]

Thinking this through further, performance of course depends on the clients.

• My G clients are : XP laptop, netbook, itouch and Wii
• My N clients are : ipad2 and macbook
• My wired clients are : apply tv, blueray, pc

So if I got this right, my two real choices are

1) look for a dual band unit ( G clients on 2.4; N clients on 5.0)

2) forget dual band, and just get good performing N routers ( and configure all clients for G). Recall distance is typically not an issue as I have dedicated routers in the weak rooms.​

 

[stevech]

...I sprinkled a few cheap 802.11g routers around the house. These have served mw well both has access points and switches. TAny guidance would really be appreciated.

Those extra 802.11 WiFi access devices are configured as Access Points rather than routers, right?

There'd be a very minor benefit in changing the router and all access points to 11n. Depends on which clients support 11n. If a client is streaming HD video via WiFi (rather than the more prudent choice of wired cat5), then 11n might help.

Otherwise, I'd not spend much money on this.

Dual band to get 5.8GHz is useful for streaming HD video. Otherwise, not much benefit, assuming you don't live in a condo/apartment too glutted up with WiFi neighbors. Unlikely that they all heavy users on all three viable channels in 2.4GHz: 1, 6 and 11.

Nice drawing!

 

[MediaMan09]

Those extra 802.11 WiFi access devices are configured as Access Points rather than routers, right?

Correct. Thaey are Trend TEW-452BR units

There'd be a very minor benefit in changing the router and all access points to 11n.

Correct. I am stuck for now with some G clients anyway.

But what I was hoping for was simply somthing better than my current Trend TEW-452BR units. I got them at the time for $20 each. So I figured why not get some btter untis now (eg good N gigabit routers), enjoy any improved reliability/peformance and then later gain more benefits once I no longer have the G clients.

Nice drawing!

Thanks! Picture is worth a thousand words

 

[keenanj]

Probily the best AP for you is the engenius ecb3500

http://www.keenansystems.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=258

one will cover just about any house i have seen but you can use up to 3 on channels 1,6 and 11.

part of the problem might have been the sprinkeling of cheap routers around the house if they are on the wrong channels you will have co channel interfierence and even worse performance.