If you are having a problem with signal, which is to be expected with the ashtrays you are using, get a router with external antennas. RT-N16 is a good choice.
Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 13:43 Post subject: Recommendations?
I've had to replace both of the routers I was using - An old Linksys megabit/wireless b/g plus a Netgear gigabit/wireless n. I got a new router and cable modem combined from my ISP which I have to use.
They say they are going to soon release firmware which will allow me to turn it into a modem, rather than a modem and router. Just like the other Netgear router I have, I do not like this router at all. It's a CG3101D also known as a Virgin Media SuperHub.
When I get the firmware which would allow me to use my own router I'm not going to back to the Netgear I own (WNR854T), the Linksys isn't an option either (although it's been running Tomato and I love it) as it's not N or Gigabit.
So I think that might be the correct point to buy a new router.
It will be used for the following.
3 PCs by ethernet, one is a server, two are desktops.
1 laptop by wireless
Various smartphones by wireless
Of course I'd like it to run DD-WRT
I'd like it to be stable as possible. Tomato never let me down, Netgear does.
As far as cost is concerned I don't believe that's an issue. I don't want to waste money, but I don't have any restrictions on how much I spend.
If you want an inexpensive router that works well, the asus 520gu is a good little unit and not very much money. Since it runs k24 builds, it is quite stable.
Otherwise, see the supported devices wiki and see which builds it uses, how much memory it has, and what cpu speed.
Hmm, I'm not looking for inexpensive... money isn't really an object.
The table certainly contains loads of routers... the problem is I don't know which are reliable etc.
I was hoping for a recommendation on one that's tried and tested on DD-WRT, has excellent wireless, and is beefy enough for gigabit LAN routing and 50 megabit internet routing. No need for NAS etc, the server does that.
Hmm, I'm not looking for inexpensive... money isn't really an object.
The table certainly contains loads of routers... the problem is I don't know which are reliable etc.
I was hoping for a recommendation on one that's tried and tested on DD-WRT, has excellent wireless, and is beefy enough for gigabit LAN routing and 50 megabit internet routing. No need for NAS etc, the server does that.
Any Broadcom linksys that uses k24 and has external antennas has been reliable. ASUS routers are great it you get a good one. I have been happy with my Dlink DIR615 as well. You will want a higher CPU for that speed, something in the 400+ range, and definitely want N. So that narrows the list down. You might have to get a router that uses a k26 build. Most of the time k26 is fine, but it hasn't been as rock stable as the k24 builds IMHO.
The three higher end routers generally recommended are the 3700, the E3000 and the Rt-n16 (listed them "worst" to "best" IMO). The pros and cons of each of these has been discussed already in this thread.
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 20:33 Post subject: wrt400n vs rt-n16 or others?
Hi! First post just looking for some advice. I am primarily interested in the asus rt-n16 and the linksys wrt400n. From what I've read people have been having flaky performance with their rt-n16s, overheating and slow connection speeds, but I can't find any real reviews of dd-wrt on the wrt400n. Has anyone had experience with either of these routers and care to share?
My primary concerns are performance and stability. I am poor, so something that won't overheat on me would be nice. I've got a gigabit switch laying around so that's no real loss with the wrt400n. Primarily g clients but will be upgrading soon, few GB clients including a nas running many torrents (private trackers though - few connections) and serving media to an htpc.
Seems like the Asus has the ram and memory but on smallnetbuilder and the like the wrt400n seems to outperform it.
Also considering the buffalo wzr-hp-g300nh but have seen inconsistent reviews and it's ugly... but if the shoe fits?
Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:20 Post subject: wireless n wds
I want to get a set of routers to establish several wds connections to my wired network. I have been testing the trendnet tew-638apb (factory firmware) but I'm disappointed primarily that I can't get any sort of connection statistics (signal strength, connection speed), plus it's not dd-wrt supported from what I can tell.
I've got a few other options that I can buy locally, but if someone knows the perfect router for this setup (wireless n wds with no clients) with high confidence, I'd be willing to just buy some over the internet. I'm hoping to come in around $50 or less but I'll go up to about $75 if necessary.
Wireless N routers I can find locally that are apparently dd-wrt supported:
Trendnet TEW-652BRP
Asus RT-N12
Dlink DIR-615
Other local Wireless N that appear to not be dd-wrt supported:
Actually I did try out the 615's, but I was trying to get it to work in client bridge mode (I think that's what it was) with dd-wrt. I could not get them to talk to each other in that configuration. I then exchanged them for the trendnet 638's which supported wds out of the box. That was when I discovered that wds was a better choice for me anyway.
So will the dlink 615's work in wds mode even though I couldn't get them working in client bridge mode? I'm a little gun shy due to that.
So will the dlink 615's work in wds mode even though I couldn't get them working in client bridge mode? I'm a little gun shy due to that.
Thanks!
I have my 615 in client bridge mode. But yes, WDS will also work.
@RMS. My Rt16 is running at 40 without a problem. Perhaps your "fan" killed it? (Your router might not have been a fan of your fan). I don't think that there is a more powerful generally available single channel router than the rt n16 when looking at both memory and cpu, but check the supported devices wiki. The Linksys 400n has a 680mhz processor. So does the Dlink DIR 825 and the netgear 3700. _________________ I fix "shortcuts". If you don't have time to read thoroughly, I don't have time to re-type what you missed.
IIRC, the problem I had with the 615 is I could get a client bridge to work without security but not with. I might not be remembering correctly though.
After doing some more research, I'm thinking I might give the Asus RT-N12 a try. It looks like it supports wds in the factory firmware in case I have trouble with dd-wrt (apparently people have had dropping issues but it's not clear to me if these issues are 100% gone in newer builds). Good idea? Bad idea? Any opinions on asus N12 vs. dlink 615?
@Peabody Power not speed lol. I was originally gonna buy the WHR-HPG300N but the wiki has almost no info and the forums have very few posts on it. Feed back and reviews are all mixed like anything but the main thing is the paid support buffalo is getting and the superior atheros development with ddwrt despite some of the nice stuff with broadcom. 40 dbm is way over the 1000mW limit in the us and if were doing the reverse argument there is now way its overpowering my g router at 17mW. Anyways its pretty much another RT-N16 versus like an Atheros router with a good xmiter. So if anyone has any good info on that buffalo or another router let me know thanks.
Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 14:13 Post subject: Best range 2.4 GHz
Note: originally posted as a separate subject. Re-posted in this thread at the request of our moderator.
I travel extensively in an RV and usually have access to wifi. The wifi signal quality is good 40% of the time (depending on RV site location). The remaining times the signal is extremely low to marginal. Most of the times the network is open (no-security). Approximately 2% of the networks are n capable and use WPA2-AES.
I currently am using a wrt54g V1.0 (running dd-wrt) in repeater mode (using WPA-AES security for the VLAN). Most of the time, my wrt54g suffices, but when the signal is marginal to extremely weak, I may or may not get adequate connectivity.
To keep my throughput as high as possible I am thinking of using a configuration that uses a 2.4GHz router configured as a client which in-turn will feed a good dual band router w/USB configured as an AP for my in-RV network (2 wifi printers, 2 notebooks, occasionally streaming NETFLIX to TV). I am leaning toward the Linksys E4200 for the dual band router. I am looking for recommendations for a 2.4Gh N-router with the best range to use as a client (must be capable of running dd-wrt). I have a Linksys E2000 router, but I believe that the internal antennas have too little gain to meet my needs. I have been researching the Buffalo Nfinity high powered whr-hp-g300n, but I do not see many favorable reviews.
Any feedback or additional information would be greatly welcome. _________________ WRT54G V1.0, build 14853 VINT mini_USB_FTP, USB mod, pixelserv
Buffalo WZR-HP-AG300H build 17461, pixelserve
Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH, OpenWrt (trunk build 29606), ath9k drivers, pixelserv
Ubiquiti Bullet M2, AirOS