Best router thread [first split]

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Adv0cate
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 14 Feb 2011
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:49    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi

I am new to this forum and new to dd-wrt altogether. I have been looking at changing my router out because I want to use a VPN service and for me installing it on my router will be the best way.

My question surrounds the routers I am looking at buying compared to my needs and what I will get when I install dd-wrt.

I have been looking at these routers : 1) Asus rt-n16 $99, 2) Netgear Wndr3700 $129 3) TP -Link TL-WR1043nd $69.(is there any others I should consider)

I have 2 desktops- PS3 - Roku music player and a freenas server which will be used for movie and music streaming, these are all hard wired. I have a laptop with a n network adapter that I use for work. Normally its on the kitchen table wireless but doesnt play music or anything its just for work.

I will also probably using a bit torrent as well on my server.

Anyways what router would be best for my needs. Is it worth spending the money on a higher one or will spending on a decent lower one do my needs.

Hope this makes sense and thanks in advance
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Pied Piper
DD-WRT User


Joined: 18 Sep 2010
Posts: 499

PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 14:02    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you don't need dual band, the asus router should do fine. However, asus does have some quality issues...some seem good and others bad. Be prepared to RMA it if yours is a bad one.

Sometimes, having more nvram space is useful, so you might also consider a e2000 or e3000.
mw1001
DD-WRT User


Joined: 12 Jul 2008
Posts: 54

PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 16:20    Post subject: Reply with quote
I did have a lot of problems with N16 from Asus. DD-WRT doesn't work fine with it. The wifi connection is terrible. I don't recommend this router to anyone...

Can anyone recommend a GOOD router, capable of route a 100mbps connection, 11N wifi and gigabit switch?

Many thanks in advance.

EDIT: forgot to say: USB and JFFS capable, if possible Wink
boelkstoff
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 20 Feb 2011
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 19:42    Post subject: Reply with quote
hello,

I am also new to dd-wrt.
I curently bought a Linksys WRT610N and the WLan is so unstable, so I will return this one.

Can anybody recommend a dd-wrt compatible router with
- 4 Gigibit lan ports
- Wlan with N

Thats all I need.
There are so many different routers on the market and I already bought one that is not working as expected.

So what would you recommend me?
Thanks
Donny
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 13 Nov 2008
Posts: 5266
Location: CENTRAL Midnowhere

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 21:24    Post subject: Reply with quote
My n16 has been reasonably stable with 14929. Not sure why you would have problems with a 610n. Are you sure you configured it properly and did proper hard resets on it?
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anterashot
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Joined: 11 Feb 2011
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:19    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi,

I'm sorry if this post is in a wrong thread but I did not want to create a new one.

At the moment I am in a middle of a dilemma. I don't know whether to buy a new gigabit ethernet dd-wrt capable router that has (only) 4 ethernet ports or to buy a gigabit ethernet switch that has 8 ethernet ports and leave the routing and wlan creating for my WRT54GL. The price range is almost the same.

If I buy the 8 port switch instead and connect some computers to it, are they capable of reaching higher transfer speeds than WRT54GL is capable of or is it limited to the speed that WRT54GL provides as all the network traffic is connected to WRT54GL and goes through WRT54GL ?
Murrkf
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 22 Sep 2008
Posts: 12675

PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 15:25    Post subject: Reply with quote
anterashot wrote:
Hi,

I'm sorry if this post is in a wrong thread but I did not want to create a new one.

At the moment I am in a middle of a dilemma. I don't know whether to buy a new gigabit ethernet dd-wrt capable router that has (only) 4 ethernet ports or to buy a gigabit ethernet switch that has 8 ethernet ports and leave the routing and wlan creating for my WRT54GL. The price range is almost the same.

If I buy the 8 port switch instead and connect some computers to it, are they capable of reaching higher transfer speeds than WRT54GL is capable of or is it limited to the speed that WRT54GL provides as all the network traffic is connected to WRT54GL and goes through WRT54GL ?


Traffic that flows through the GL will be slowed by its ports, IF the traffic would otherwise be able to go beyond the speed of the port in the GL.

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lele344
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 22 Feb 2011
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 15:45    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hello,
I live in Italy and I need to buy a new router.
Unfortunately, my ISP provides block its VOIP phone to other modem. I can only use this when I connected to its modem (Alice).
So I wanted to connect a router with WAN port. The router will allow communication between different devices and allow the transfer of data and streaming video in full-hd, so I opted for a connection N.
Besides, I need to cover a large area in the media player and TV with LAN support are far from the modem.
.
Obviously I want a hardware that supports 100% DD-WRT functions and what I want is a router that gives me speed, but above all reliability without spending a lot of figures, say no more than $ 150
Thanks to everyone who helped me in choosing my answer

Thanks

(sorry for my bad english)
Pied Piper
DD-WRT User


Joined: 18 Sep 2010
Posts: 499

PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 21:31    Post subject: Reply with quote
lele344 wrote:
Hello,
I live in Italy and I need to buy a new router.
Unfortunately, my ISP provides block its VOIP phone to other modem. I can only use this when I connected to its modem (Alice).
So I wanted to connect a router with WAN port. The router will allow communication between different devices and allow the transfer of data and streaming video in full-hd, so I opted for a connection N.
Besides, I need to cover a large area in the media player and TV with LAN support are far from the modem.
.
Obviously I want a hardware that supports 100% DD-WRT functions and what I want is a router that gives me speed, but above all reliability without spending a lot of figures, say no more than $ 150
Thanks to everyone who helped me in choosing my answer

Thanks

(sorry for my bad english)


You want a router with a fast cpu, probably more than 300mhz. If you can find one that uses a k24 build, I have found that to be much more stable than those that need a k26 build. If you can't find a router that fast that uses k24, I still think that the Asus rt-n16 is a decent choice.
Peabody
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 28 Dec 2009
Posts: 1518

PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 12:59    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you want absolute stability, use a k24 build. Routers such as the Linksys wrt300n, wrt310n, wrt350n, wrt600n and wrt610nv1 all can use k24 builds, iirc. Check the supported devices wiki. The Dlink 615 r. C1 is a k24 and runs at 400mhz. Not sure about the other supported 615 routers or other atheros based.

The problem with the Broadcom routers is they are, by todays standards, relatively slow. However the new faster routers normally use k26 builds, which are not quite as stable.

I have found the rtn16 to be fairly stable, and it can certainly run all builds types except micro, so your research is wrong on that. I haven't had to reset mine and if you keep it to a simple configuration, it seems to run well. It does sometimes seem a little slow to load pages at the start.

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lele344
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 22 Feb 2011
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 0:46    Post subject: Reply with quote
I read that the dlink damage problems, not only software but also using shoddy hardware.
I wanted to know if your advice fell on this model because you've got to test it or
why you checked the specifications and you think it's a good product.
Among other things, looking for a router "powerful" I found this:

Netgear WNDR3700-100PES

CPU: AR7161 680 MHz
RAM: 64 MB
Flash: 8 MB
Switch: Realtek RTL8366SR
Radio (2.4 GHz): AR9223
Radio (5 GHz): AR9220
Antenna Type: Internal
# Of Antennas: 8
Antenna Gain (2.4 GHz): 2.8 (3) dBi
Antenna Gain (5 GHz): 3.9 (4) dBi
Max TX Power (2.4 GHz): 26dBm w/HT40, 26dBm w/HT20, 27dBm w/HT20 + G-Only
Max TX Power (5 GHz): 24dBm
Antenna Chains (TX/RX): 1+2/1+2

On paper it looks very good, and on this forum as I understand there are problems
compatibility.
You recommend me? I find myself almost $ 100
Peabody
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 28 Dec 2009
Posts: 1518

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 0:59    Post subject: Reply with quote
lele344 wrote:
Among other things, looking for a router "powerful" I found this:

Netgear WNDR3700-100PES

CPU: AR7161 680 MHz
RAM: 64 MB
Flash: 8 MB
Switch: Realtek RTL8366SR
Radio (2.4 GHz): AR9223
Radio (5 GHz): AR9220
Antenna Type: Internal
# Of Antennas: 8
Antenna Gain (2.4 GHz): 2.8 (3) dBi
Antenna Gain (5 GHz): 3.9 (4) dBi
Max TX Power (2.4 GHz): 26dBm w/HT40, 26dBm w/HT20, 27dBm w/HT20 + G-Only
Max TX Power (5 GHz): 24dBm
Antenna Chains (TX/RX): 1+2/1+2

On paper it looks very good, and on this forum as I understand there are problems
compatibility.
You recommend me? I find myself almost $ 100


I believe that uses k26 as well. Check the supported devices wiki. Unless you need/want dual channels, you would be almost as good off with the Asus RT-n16

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FlyinLulz
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 25 Feb 2011
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 19:23    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'm completely new to the forums here, but love DD-wrt.

I'm currently using an old Linksys WRT54Gv8.
I own two netgears but don't use them based on how often they drop connections.

One of the netgears is:
NETGEAR RangeMax Next Wireless-N Gigabit Router WNR3500

DD-wrt doesn't support the version I own sadly (v1).

So I've been looking through the forums trying to figure out the best router. Everyone seems to enjoy the following three:
1) Linksys E3000
2) ASUS RT-N16
3) Netgear WNDR3700

I usually have about 2-5 computer/laptops surfing the web. Two Xbox 360s that game and stream HD Netflix (about to be three). I also have a BluRay player that streams Netflix.

Can anyone suggest which router can handle this kind of strain?
Also, the area it needs to cover it rather large. The furthest client away is a laptop at ~80ft. The Linksys WRT54G with DD-wrt handles this coverage area just fine, but can't handle the amount of strain.

Thanks for anyone willing to help me decide!
I don't know much about this stuff and have tried to understand it on my own but always seem to mess up (hints the netgears I have sitting in the closet).
Peabody
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 28 Dec 2009
Posts: 1518

PostPosted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 20:26    Post subject: Reply with quote
1. Has dual channels and the same processor as 2, but I have never been a fan of the antennas in the ashtrays..
2. Has good range and the same processor as 1, but no dual channels
3. Can't comment. Never had one or one like it.

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DigitalMocking
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 23 Oct 2007
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 9:19    Post subject: Re: "What's the Best Router..." thread. Ask/post h Reply with quote
I currently have a pair of linksys routers in my house that connect one side of the house with the other. Unfortunately wiring the house for ethernet isn't an option.

In my office at the far end of the house I have running as an AP:
Linksys WRT350N
DD-WRT v24-sp2 (08/07/10) mini - build 14896

About 55 feet away, downstairs and 2 rooms away I have running as a Client bridge (wireless is running WPA2):
Linksys WRT310N
DD-WRT v24-sp1 (07/27/08) mini - build 10011

The transfer speeds between the two of them is often bad, signal strength never goes above 30% or so, and they'll drop out randomly, but rarely. There are times we get timeouts with Netflix and large patches needed for PS3 games are painful to download. I've tried upping the signal strength in the Wireless Advanced menu and all that did was cause the connection to be MUCH less stable.

I'd really like to pick up a new pair of routers to get a much better signal between the two sides of the house, and I'd like to be able to use my main router as a VPN endpoint.

Stability and signal strength are very important, so I'd like something that I can use external antennae for if needed, or if there's a router out there that wouldn't need them, I'm good with that. Budget really isn't a concern, I'd like to get this working better than it currently is.

I was looking at a WNDR3700, but there's no external hookups to boost signal, and it seems the firmware may not be the most stable thing. The MHz on the CPU seems nice for VPN use however.
I was also looking at the Asus RT-N16, which has hookups for antennae, but slightly slower CPU.

I'm not sold on either, I'm open to suggestions. :)
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