Recommend a wireless router

slave1

Am looking around and really confused with whats out there with many differing customer reviews

Need a wireless router
Using BT BB+
Really need the router to work well with BitComet (300k/sec+) ie easily openable ports

Do not want to spend more than a ton inc. P+P
Web purchase preferred

Tks

CyberGhost

erm... D link 624, from elara?

Or something from NetGear.

irlrobins

Linksys WRT54G is prob the most recommended here. Netgear and Dlink not bad either. Stay away from Belkin, they're a load of crap.

Pc World have an offer on this weekend. WRT54G and a USB wireless adapter for 80e. Not a bad price.

watty

I just installed a DLINK DI634M 108Mbps MIMO wifi + nat + router + 4 port switch. This has ethernet WAN port wich suits existing dedicated "modems" such as IBB, Digiweb Metro, Satellite, FWA, NTL/Chorus digital Cable etc. Also can work with an ADSL "modem", though for ADSL there is a version without the Ethernet WAN port and an phone line connection for ADSL line filter instead.

I'm very happy with it and an existing WiFi card now goes at 54Mbps instead of the 5Mbps to 11 Mbps we got with old WiFi only base unit at same location.

I'd agree with Linksys/Netgear comment and to avoid Belkin.


The DI634 series is easy and straight forward to program inward port forwarding (Disable LAN side DHCP and use STATIC addresses in 192.168.0.x group, different address for each PC, by default the router is 192.168.0.1, put this as Default Gatway and DNS address on each network card and 255.255.255.0 as subnet. (DHCP does all that stuff automatically, but if you are setting up incoming port forwarding you want the Laptop/ PC to have the SAME IP all the time, hence STATIC IP on the LAN).

dathiultaigh

The Linksys WRT54G is a very good model I have had one over a year and its really good no problems at all.

Their are also firmware upgrades available from lots of peeps just dont pay for it as the original source code is free - some peeps then develope this and sell it on - there are other free alternative and dont believe any hype that they are compromised by security.

I also have been made aware that the Linksys WRT54G version 5 model cannot be updated as its locked doen. Cant confirm this.

Have heard the D-Link sucks balls from mates though i have never used one myself.

CyberGhost

dathiultaigh wrote:

Have heard the D-Link sucks balls from mates though i have never used one myself.

Really? I've heard the same about Linksys.

I wanted to buy one but the reviews I've red on amazon scared me away.

So I went with Dlink, I like em.

What security features does that router have? Mac filtering, SSiD broadcast, WEP(well I'm pretty sure it has that)

Snowbat

I've seen bad reviews of some Linksys models but reviews of the WRT54G have always been good. I'm very happy with my WRT54G (currently running Sveasoft Alchemy GPL'd firmware).

Watch out for the "Linux unfriendly" WRT54G hardware version 5 though:
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.linuxdevices.com%2Fnews%2FNS4729641740.html
http://www.linksysinfo.org/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=446

To reduce manufacturing costs, in hardware version 5 they've changed to VxWorks firmware which runs on smaller flash and RAM... a bit too small to squeeze a Linux-based firmware on. Linksys decided to continue production of the version 4 model while there is demand, rebranded as WRT54GL (L for Linux).

irlrobins

CyberGhost wrote:

What security features does that router have? Mac filtering, SSiD broadcast, WEP(well I'm pretty sure it has that)

Yes, yes and yes. WPA and WPA12 as well.

watty

MAC filtering and SSID broadcast muting arn't really more security.. You can sniff ARP packets and clone a MAC address. Many utilities will see WiFi bases without SSID broadcast.

WPA may not even be be more secure than WEP shared key... What is important is a very big key. 128bit isn't as big as it used to be.

Surrounding the whole area in Chicken Wire to stop RF getting in or out of a building might sound low tech, but it might be better security.

If doing really important stuff use sheilded ethernet cable