Best router thread [first split]

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buddee
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Joined: 06 Feb 2010
Posts: 7401
Location: Little Rock

PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 17:31    Post subject: Reply with quote
fingerslip wrote:


Edit: have found one chart : http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/router-charts/view

E3000 handles 200mbps and N16 140mbps


Those tests were conducted using stock firmware, not dd-wrt. If you read my post more closely, i made sure to point that out.

buddee wrote:
IMHO, you need atleast a 500Mhz CPU or better with dd-wrt to route 100mbps WAN. The E3000 and RT-N16 comes close @ 480, so it may be sufficient, but on my 80mbps line i use a 680Mhz CPU to route it and have no problems with it.


DD-WRT takes a performance hit because of its advanced features and the way it routes. Thus why i say you need the added CPU power to push it, and no less than 64MB ram on board to run smoothly. I personally use a wzr-hp-ag300h as my main AP, but there are other units as well that run with a fast cpu.

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rsvljoe
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Joined: 03 Mar 2012
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 18:59    Post subject: Reply with quote
buddee wrote:
I personally use a wzr-hp-ag300h as my main AP, but there are other units as well that run with a fast cpu.


Are you having radio issues with that WZR-HP-AG300H? I recently got one, but it seems slower and less powerful than my old Linksys. Less signal bars and lower power when looking at it thru inSSIDer. And it's supposed to be a "High Power" device?!?!?

I spoke with Buffalo tech support and they basically told me to drop DD-WRT and go to their "user friendly" firmware. They refused to provide any assistance on adjusting power settings, etc. with DD-WRT.
madman999
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Joined: 11 Jun 2012
Posts: 1042

PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 20:39    Post subject: Reply with quote
just a suggestions but would be cool if the website admins could create a grid of the top 10 most popular routers by install with all the features like CPU speed, Memory, Flash Capacity, USB Ports, Dual Band capability, ect....maybe even a poll that users could vote to show what they are using and what firmware they;ve successfully used. I wonder if DD-WRT collects that info on successful installs like cyanogenmod does when their OS gets flashed onto tablets and phones.

Sort like on Distrowatch, they keep a running tab on what Linux distribution web pages are accessed the most which atleast gives you an instantaneous look at what's got the most activity.
eXceed
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Joined: 28 Dec 2009
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:43    Post subject: Need some opinions :) Reply with quote
I'm looking to get a router that I will be using mainly for my web server and a small volume of web hosting, what would you all recommend for this kind of setup?

I'm not too interested in wireless and think some of the more enterprise solutions are too much for my requirements (right now!).

I was looking at something with a fast CPU and plenty of memory (RT-N56U looks nice but I'm wondering if it's right for what I need/am looking for.

Opinions greatly appreciated
buddee
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Joined: 06 Feb 2010
Posts: 7401
Location: Little Rock

PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 13:18    Post subject: Re: Need some opinions :) Reply with quote
eXceed wrote:
I'm looking to get a router that I will be using mainly for my web server and a small volume of web hosting, what would you all recommend for this kind of setup?

I'm not too interested in wireless and think some of the more enterprise solutions are too much for my requirements (right now!).

I was looking at something with a fast CPU and plenty of memory (RT-N56U looks nice but I'm wondering if it's right for what I need/am looking for.

Opinions greatly appreciated


You'd probably do good with some kinda broadcom based router (probably E3000, RT-N16, WNR3500L) that has a USB port, which you can use a usb flash drive and run optware, the right way on, otrw already has a lighthttpd as part of its suite and is pretty easy to setup. Of the router i listed, the E3000 or WNR3500L go for about $40 a piece refurb, and are pretty kick ass units, the RT-N16 is more expensive (around $90), but has more RAM and USB ports.

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dm22
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Joined: 28 Nov 2008
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 3:42    Post subject: Reply with quote
i'm considering to buy a RT-N16 router at the moment to replace my current Linksys Wrt54G (30% signal strength)

In order of most important to me:
0. DD-WRT compatible(obviously)
1. Wireless Range (50 ft + 4 walls)
2. Broadcom cpu (repeater mode)
3. Able connect 5-10 devices and stream movie to ps3 without lag.
4.a USB (not significant)
4.b Dual Band (i use 2.4ghz only)
4.c Other DD-wrt features (not significant)

Because wireless range is most important to me, I bought a Buffalo WZR-HP-G450H. However i couldn't get it's client/bridge mode to work. So i'm going to return that and go with a broadcom cpu. I can get 45% signal strength with the buffalo and would like to buy a router with similar signal strength at this range.

That's why i considering RT-N16 for its 3x External antennas.

Now i have 2 questions:

1. for a router such as RT-N16 with external antennas, will it give better signal strength than a more expensive/powerful router with only internal antennas? (eg. E4200 / wndr4500 / WZR-D1800H )

2. Can anyone suggest a better router than the RT-N16 for my needs? I'm open to suggestions under $150 Smile
buddee
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Joined: 06 Feb 2010
Posts: 7401
Location: Little Rock

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 5:57    Post subject: Reply with quote
dm22 wrote:
i'm considering to buy a RT-N16 router at the moment to replace my current Linksys Wrt54G (30% signal strength)

In order of most important to me:
0. DD-WRT compatible(obviously)
1. Wireless Range (50 ft + 4 walls)
2. Broadcom cpu (repeater mode)
3. Able connect 5-10 devices and stream movie to ps3 without lag.
4.a USB (not significant)
4.b Dual Band (i use 2.4ghz only)
4.c Other DD-wrt features (not significant)

Because wireless range is most important to me, I bought a Buffalo WZR-HP-G450H. However i couldn't get it's client/bridge mode to work. So i'm going to return that and go with a broadcom cpu. I can get 45% signal strength with the buffalo and would like to buy a router with similar signal strength at this range.

That's why i considering RT-N16 for its 3x External antennas.

Now i have 2 questions:

1. for a router such as RT-N16 with external antennas, will it give better signal strength than a more expensive/powerful router with only internal antennas? (eg. E4200 / wndr4500 / WZR-D1800H )

2. Can anyone suggest a better router than the RT-N16 for my needs? I'm open to suggestions under $150 Smile


Hrm, an RT-N16 is a little overkill just to be used as a repeater, IMHO. Not that it wouldn't make a great repeater, just much cheaper solutions out there than an RT-N16.

Also, do you still have the buffalo unit? To me, they honestly make better repeaters, and i'm talking about repeaters, not repeater bridges. And yes, there is a difference. Broadcom makes better repeater bridges, Atheros makes better repeaters, atleast that is what i have come to find in my testing.

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dm22
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Joined: 28 Nov 2008
Posts: 29

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 6:30    Post subject: Reply with quote
buddee wrote:
dm22 wrote:
i'm considering to buy a RT-N16 router at the moment to replace my current Linksys Wrt54G (30% signal strength)

In order of most important to me:
0. DD-WRT compatible(obviously)
1. Wireless Range (50 ft + 4 walls)
2. Broadcom cpu (repeater mode)
3. Able connect 5-10 devices and stream movie to ps3 without lag.
4.a USB (not significant)
4.b Dual Band (i use 2.4ghz only)
4.c Other DD-wrt features (not significant)

Because wireless range is most important to me, I bought a Buffalo WZR-HP-G450H. However i couldn't get it's client/bridge mode to work. So i'm going to return that and go with a broadcom cpu. I can get 45% signal strength with the buffalo and would like to buy a router with similar signal strength at this range.

That's why i considering RT-N16 for its 3x External antennas.

Now i have 2 questions:

1. for a router such as RT-N16 with external antennas, will it give better signal strength than a more expensive/powerful router with only internal antennas? (eg. E4200 / wndr4500 / WZR-D1800H )

2. Can anyone suggest a better router than the RT-N16 for my needs? I'm open to suggestions under $150 Smile


Hrm, an RT-N16 is a little overkill just to be used as a repeater, IMHO. Not that it wouldn't make a great repeater, just much cheaper solutions out there than an RT-N16.

Also, do you still have the buffalo unit? To me, they honestly make better repeaters, and i'm talking about repeaters, not repeater bridges. And yes, there is a difference. Broadcom makes better repeater bridges, Atheros makes better repeaters, atleast that is what i have come to find in my testing.


I dont mind the overkill, in fact i dont mind getting another router that's even more of an overkill than the RT-N16, provided that it gives better wireless signals. It's been a living hell to play game with choppy internet connections since my Wrt54Gv2 started to show it's age last year. Sad

Yea i still have the buffalo, i would very like to setup the unit in Client Bridge or Client mode because it provides a decent 50% signal strength.

but it doesn't seem to work, here's my post on what i tried to do with the router.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=694792&highlight=#694792

after much tinkering i am able to get client bridge mode to work, but requires MAC Address cloning for my 2Wire modem to give it a WAN ip. The Mac Address Clone function for the WZR-HP-G450H is currently non-operational. =(
joecop67
DD-WRT User


Joined: 09 Feb 2012
Posts: 425
Location: Columbus, Ohio

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 10:59    Post subject: Reply with quote
deleted

Last edited by joecop67 on Wed Aug 29, 2012 19:58; edited 1 time in total
buddee
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Joined: 06 Feb 2010
Posts: 7401
Location: Little Rock

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 17:07    Post subject: Reply with quote
joecop67 wrote:
I have tried almost every supposedly well rated router, even a few that didn't get good reviews. I found the Asus rt-n66u had by far the best wifi signal, even on the 5ghz band.
Better than the e4200, wndr4000, wndr3800, wndr3700, rt-n16. You name it I've probably tried it.
The only one that came close was the wndr3700 but it was better on stock fw than dd-wrt.


Curious question - Why do you not ever post pic results of what you have tried? Since you have tested so many units, pics wouldn't hurt to post. I did, and alot of users use them as reference. Otherwise, it shows nothing that you have tested...

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=84084

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=88310

And thats just a few tests, i have done other tests and posted the results for VLANs as well.

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joecop67
DD-WRT User


Joined: 09 Feb 2012
Posts: 425
Location: Columbus, Ohio

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 17:41    Post subject: Reply with quote
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Last edited by joecop67 on Wed Aug 29, 2012 19:58; edited 2 times in total
buddee
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Joined: 06 Feb 2010
Posts: 7401
Location: Little Rock

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 17:57    Post subject: Reply with quote
You shouldn't take it so offensively, there is nothing wrong with taking pics of your testing of many units, and posting the pics for dd-wrt users to benefit from seeing.
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joecop67
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Joined: 09 Feb 2012
Posts: 425
Location: Columbus, Ohio

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 17:59    Post subject: Reply with quote
deleted

Last edited by joecop67 on Wed Aug 29, 2012 19:57; edited 2 times in total
buddee
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 06 Feb 2010
Posts: 7401
Location: Little Rock

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 18:07    Post subject: Reply with quote
joecop67 wrote:
Also let's be honest buddee, you don't lke me, so you are not going to believe me even if I post pics.


That's just the thing though, pics don't lie. And you seem to be taking this to a personal lvl, which isn't what this is for.

All i asked is why not post pic results for the many units that you have tested, it would benefit the thread and users who may have questions about it. But it would appear that is far to big of something to ask, so my apologies for that.

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kk5000
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Joined: 25 Jun 2012
Posts: 20

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:07    Post subject: WNDR3700 still best bet?? Reply with quote
I need to install 2 DD-WRTs for 2 separate purposes.

Router #1 - Home setup - WNDR3700??

The only purpose of installing DD-WRT in this case is VPN. I need some of my connections to have a different IP address so I intend to have a 2 router setup with one of them running the VPN. All these VPN connections will run via WIFI so nice range & dual band are kinda critical.

Having said that and having done quite a bit of reading here this Sunday evening it does appear that my best & most reasonable choice is still the router I currently have - the WNDR3700! This router was released 8 years ago but the 3800 & 4500 are not supported and 4000 support appears to have issues. Similar problems exist with most newer routers except a couple from the Cisco/Linksys E series but they have no external antennas and I am generally skeptical about range in those cases (was pleasantly surprised with the WNDR series in this case!).

So, should I just buy another WNDR3700?? Is that truly my best bet or is there a better router out there for my purposes?

I was also looking at an ASUS RT-N66U but it seems to have some 64k nvram issue and kernel panics as per the last posts in its thread.

Router #2 - For private mostly SIP subnet in corporate network - Asus_RT-N16??

I am also looking to purchase a second one to replace an old D-link running in our corporate network which is for explicitly running the private network just for SIP phones and some guest WIFI connections (the D-link appeared to crash for no reason last week and we really just need absolute stability in there as this router is placed in the data center and getting to it for a physical reboot is quite a chore). For that I was thinking the Asus_RT-N16 since it seems to come so highly recommended by many here if you don't need dual band WIFI (don't need it there).

Any and all opinions are very welcome!
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