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    #1

    Router and/or Access Point Recommendations

    Hi all,
    I will probably be looking for a small home router or at least an access point some time in the near future. I am going to be doing the home network myself. Therefore I will need to use my current router as an access point and buy another router or buy an access point.

    Currently I have a Linksys WRT54GS V1.1. It is one very nice router because it runs Linux. Due to the open source firmware, it can take many different homebrew firmware. I currently use the Tomato firmware. It runs quite well, however it is quite old now and I have heard that there can be issues with torrents. Luckily I do not do that too much myself.

    Oh and my modem is currently a SMC 7904BRA in bridging mode. I know that it is a router, however it does not have many features and I will probably find it limiting if I need to change things in the future. So I would like to avoid using it as a router (unless it's damn good). I have never used it as a router.

    Just wondering what everyone would recommend.

    I like to have a lot of flexibility. That is, I currently use maybe 20% of the features of my current router, however if the situation changes in the future and I need a particular feature, I probably have everything that I would need in the router. Being based on Linux, if something really is not available, there is the possibility of developing it.

    Of course I like stability. There is nothing worse than having a crappy router or access point that drops wireless connections or just plain does not work quite right.

    I like maximising my Internet speed. So if I get a router with an in built modem, I would obviously like the one's that can achieve better speeds.
    Tags: None
    #2
    Re: Router and/or Access Point Recommendations

    Just an update, I have been considering getting a cheap Cisco router from Ebay. Many people seem to be selling the Cisco 1721. It could be nice to dabble into the SOHO Cisco stuff without breaking the bank.
    However after thinking about it, as far as I know, Cisco routers can be a real pain in the ass to configure (from what I have heard). The 1721 is probably damn old and I have no idea what I would be getting myself into. Is this router any good?

    So far I am really liking the Asus WL-520-GU. It is very similar to my existing router and basically nearly exactly the same as the WRT54G. It is based on Linux and I can even use the same firmware as my current router. The nice extra that is included with this router in comparison to what I have now is a USB port. I may be able to exploit it as a print server or as a very slow NAS. It could have its uses. Add to that, I can get it locally very cheaply. AU$52 is not too bad for a pretty good wireless router.

    Edit: After reading my own post, it seems that I did not explain my situation very well in the first post. I am currently using a Linksys router along with a SMC modem for Internet connectivity. I will be wiring up a distributed home LAN. That is I will be dropping CAT6 cable down to various locations around the house and terminating the connections. The switch gear will live in the ceiling.

    i would like to keep my wireless LAN network. I believe it would be a waste of time using my current router as a wireless access point as well due to its new location (in the ceiling). Therefore I will either need to replace my current router with another one (not necessarily wireless enabled) and use my current router as an access point. Or just buy an access point.
    Last edited by shadow; 07-08-2009, 07:04 AM.

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      #3
      Re: Router and/or Access Point Recommendations

      For a consumer router just buy and return until you can get something that can stand up to torrents. Torrent clients use 1,000 or more sessions which really brings poorly made routers to their knees.

      I don't like Cisco. Not only are they hard to configure they lack some basic features found in low cost routers. If you want Cisco power with a humane GUI get Fortinet or Juniper Netscreen. The main buyers always want support so each time models goes EOL the main buyers dump their stock which crashes prices. Some models are as cheap as consumer routers. While no longer good enough for the big buyers they are more than fabulous for you. Get one old enough to be cheap but not so old that you'll be using an antique feature set and has more holes than a #9 sponge.

      In the Fortigate line anything but a Fortigate 50 is fine. 50A and 50B are fine. Fortigate 30 models are a bit small even for home use and they aren't available discounted since noone actually buys them.

      In the Netscreen line you do not want 5, 5xt, 5xp, 10, 100. Netscreen 5gt, 25, 50, 204, 208, or better are fine.

      All Fortigates have good caps. Lesser Netscreens have bad caps. I just replaced C17 Gloria 680uf 25v in my Netscreen 5gt to eliminate random reboots.
      sig files are for morons

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        #4
        Re: Router and/or Access Point Recommendations

        This article should shed some light, use the chart showing max simultaneous connections to see performance... Yea, it is a shame they can't measure reliably over 200...

        http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/compo...189/chart,124/
        "The one who says it cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it."

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          #5
          Re: Router and/or Access Point Recommendations

          running a wrt54g with ddwrt here.
          torrents dont hurt it at all.
          the one like it at my shop does just fine too.
          and my workstation as well as my business partners run utorrent 24/7/365.
          several of our employees run it too.
          and a voip phone on top.
          the curse of the linksys stuff is bad caps.in the router and its power supply if its the oval shaped smps.

          Comment

            #6
            Re: Router and/or Access Point Recommendations

            Hi Shadow.

            As a general rule, avoid routers that are "On Sale", "Refurbushed" or "Lotsa people selling on eBay".

            These are indicators that the router is a pain to set up or is just cruddy.

            Even some routers from major companies such as Netgear or Linksys.

            The most painful one I dealt with was a Netgear WRG614. A pain to use + constant loss of internet. Replaced it with an el-cheapo Airlink router, never a problem. So I took it home and tried using it on my cable internet.... nonstop crashes and slowdowns. Time for another Airlink!

            Later when shopping at Frys, I noticed a huge pile of "Refurbushed" WRG614s....
            Apparently my friend wasn't the only one experiencing trouble!

            And they were STILL selling this junk as recently as a few months ago!

            I lost all confidence in major brands at that point. When a cheapie upstart Chinese company makes a better product than a major player at half the the list price (and frequently on sale for much less) it's time to wonder how they got that big in the first place.
            If anything, the cheap Airlink routers are better constructed and cooled than the expensive Airlink. And the built-in software is easier to use. Odd.

            Oh well,
            Keri
            The More You Learn The Less You Know!

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              #7
              Re: Router and/or Access Point Recommendations

              Put a regular router up in the ceiling. Put the Linksys somewhere else as an AP. I paid $5 for my WRT54G and it handles torrents just fine. It doesn't have enough space for ddwrt, except mini. Works just fine with stock firmware.

              The Cisco 1721 is affordable now if you get one with a WIC-4ESW already in it. Otherwise you have an actual router with like 2 ports. At like $30-50 it wouldn't be a bad deal for a pro router. Of course its SNMP and terminal only. Fortigate and netscreen are still priced like $150+ USD.

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                #8
                Re: Router and/or Access Point Recommendations

                Thanks guys for the suggestions!

                I have been researching this lately. Unfortunately the Cisco stuff that goes cheap (relatively) on Ebay are not very good for my needs. They are far outdated, feature 10Mbit/s LAN and WAN (if an Ethernet WIC is fitted) ports or only supports ADSL1 (again through a WIC).
                According to Cisco's website, the WIC-4ESW is not supported by the 1721. ( http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/...0800920ec.html )

                The Cisco 850 series suits my needs however the price of them starts increasing very quickly on Ebay.

                With regards to the Juniper Netscreen series of products. I really could not find anything for less than $500.

                However I did find Fortigate routers. The 30 series is available at a reasonable price. However as you said severach, they are a bit limited.


                So it looks like my best option is to keep my WRT54GS as a router. I am very happy with its routing capabilities and I am fortunate that my one has 32mb of RAM. Torrents pose no problems!


                Now that means that I will need a wireless access point or router which I can put into access point mode.
                Any suggestions?

                I will be hunting around to see if I can possibly get a Fortinet router for a good price. I do not know where to start looking thou.

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                  #9
                  Re: Router and/or Access Point Recommendations

                  Cheap wired router for the ceiling. Keep your AP for the wireless.

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