Wireless Router - Need Recommendation

[scheddj]

My net gear router just gave up after a three year run. I'd like to buy a new one but have no idea what brand or speed I need. In the household there are three laptops, a WII and 4 iPods/iPhones.

 

[momof3ds]

Get a list of compatible routers from your Internet provider.

 

[Halbleib1]

We just bought a new router a few months ago and went with a Netgear N600 Dual band router. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Netgear-N600-Wireless-Dual-Band-Router/15539745 Check the black friday ads for a better deal. I saw it in one of the ads for around 70.00. It also comes with a lifetime warranty.

We live in a townhome and there are a lot of wireless routers in the area. The dual band has helped alot with avoiding interference. We have three laptops, a wii, an xbox 360, my husbands smartphone, and my tablet as well as two bluray players and a printer hooked up to it. We have not had any issues with it. We stream a good bit of video as well as xbox live with no issues. You can get a Belkin cheaper but we have found that they tend to not want to connect to certain devices. We live in a 3 story townhome and have wireless in every part of the house as well as the backyard. The router is located on the 2nd floor where our main living area is.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

Apple Airport Extreme

 

[scheddj]

Thanks all! I'm leaning toward the netgear since we didn't have any problems with the previous one - well, at least until it died.

 

[jgraney106]

Don't buy a Belkin router! Our experience with them has been that they are junk! Stick with the Netgear brand.

 

[kimblebee]

Wiis can be fussy with routers. Netgear would be a great choice.

 

[bridget]

Another Apple Airport Extreme fan here

 

[Stitch_lover_Sith]

I would say you are going to need a Dual band 802.11n router. Now the best on the market is the Apple airport express $99 or extreme $179.

 

[Straycat]

After lots of research, we purchased the ASUS Black Diamond Dual-Band Wireless-N 600 Router (RT-N56U) from Amazon. It works great and was easy to set up.

http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Dual-Band-Wireless-N-Router-RT-N56U/dp/B0049YQVHE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1353502261&sr=1-1&keywords=RT-N56U

 

[arthuruscg]

I fine that Linksys routers tend to last longer and have minimal maintenance requirements.

 

[jensen]

I'm subbing here because I'm also in the market for a new router. I often have trouble logging into my Belkin two rooms away.

 

[savage1]

I fine that Linksys routers tend to last longer and have minimal maintenance requirements.

I would have to disagree here. Our latest Linksys router has given us no end of trouble. Probably going to get a Netgear to replace itandIhave only had it 6 months.

 

[RitaE]

My experience is that when you find a router that works well in your house with your devices and lasts for a decent time period without dying on you ..... then you don't move away from that brand and that model line until they no longer make them anymore. Three years for a router is a great success.

Go with what you had or if there is a "newer model" of what you had you might try it.

 

[arthuruscg]

I would have to disagree here. Our latest Linksys router has given us no end of trouble. Probably going to get a Netgear to replace itandIhave only had it 6 months.

I guess I should modify my suggestion to the Higher end Linksys routers. the low end stuff is garbage, just like all the other companies.

savage1,
What model Linksys do you have and who is your ISP? I ask because Comcrap gave me a 3 defective modems and kept insisting it was my router causing the issue. (My phone would go out even when the router was unplug from the modem.)
At the time I had the old stand by WRT45 (I think) and alot of other cable companies use the same modems.

 

[jensen]

So, I'll go ahead and show my total ignorance. I had a Belkin N150 that never my laptop always told me was running at 72 Mbps or less. So, I went out and bought a Belkin N300 and even when I'm sitting right next to the router with only one computer logged into it, it's running at 144 Mbps.

Shouldn't it be running at 300 Mbps? Or does the N300 have more to do with distance than speed?

And will logging more devises into my router make it run slower?

 

[arthuruscg]

Having more devices should make the router run slower.....most of the perceived "speed" comes from the speed of your internet connection. So, having more devices connected using up your available bandwidth from your ISP will make your speed seem slower.

jensen,
How do you know if you only have 1 device connected to the router? Are you using the encryption/ security settings?

Also, your computer might not be able to handle 300mbs, the built in wifi card might max out at 174mbs. Do you do the Microsoft updates? There could be a software update for the wifi that will allow it to take advantage of the router abilities.

 

[jensen]

Having more devices should make the router run slower.....most of the perceived "speed" comes from the speed of your internet connection. So, having more devices connected using up your available bandwidth from your ISP will make your speed seem slower.

jensen,
How do you know if you only have 1 device connected to the router? Are you using the encryption/ security settings?

Also, your computer might not be able to handle 300mbs, the built in wifi card might max out at 174mbs. Do you do the Microsoft updates? There could be a software update for the wifi that will allow it to take advantage of the router abilities.

Thanks for your response. Yes, I have my router password protected and I'd just set-up the one laptop, so that was all that was connected. When I say "speed", I'm referring to the transmission speed that my computer tells me the router is running at - that little box that pops up in the lower right corner that tells me what network I'm connected to, etc.

I think my laptop is set to do automatic updates, but I'll check that.

Thanks!

 

[katty1166]

Thanks all! I'm leaning toward the netgear since we didn't have any problems with the previous one - well, at least until it died.

As you are into the brand netgear, you can consider NETGEAR R6300. It adopt the latest 802.11ac Standards, which offers the ultimate mobility for WiFi devices with speeds up to 3x faster than 802.11n. The R6300 with simultaneous dual band WiFi technology offers speeds up to 450+1300‡ Mbps† and avoids interference, ensuring top WiFi speeds and reliable connections. This makes it ideal for larger homes with multiple devices. This will make your three laptops, a WII and 4 iPods/iPhones works well.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I agree with the apple AirPort Extreme. Worth every penny!