looking to replace my ancient MS MN-500 a/b wireless router...
 

i'll probably go with G since I have no devices that support N.

So my question is.. which brand? all of them have mixed reviews but do any really stand out?

I'm looking for good value/pricepoint and consistent performance (meaning no dropped connections and of course speed).

Dlink?
Netgear?
Belkin?
Linksys?
Trendnet?

What brand are you using and what kind of results are you getting? also, this would be in a 3 story house so range would be nice... but i'm sticking with G.

think N are backword compatible.. linksys/netgear/dlink all good, stay away from trendnet..

I think the WRT54G stands out.

N *is* backward compatible, and will give you far better range, even with b/g devices. There's really no reason NOT to go N.

I've use a number of D-Link DIR-615s for customer sites and for a carry-along that I can use when I need network on-site; it's a great unit for around $65.

Who's your internet provider? If it's Telus, you might ask them about upgrading your modem to the new model with built-in wireless router.

thanks for feedback.. i'm gonna hold off on a N router till boxing day 2010.. in the meantime, a brand new Dlink G at $29.99 at bestbuy..anyone got a review on the router below?

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...relessgrout-en

So instead of spend $60 for an N router now and get the benefit of the better range, you're going to spend $30 for a G model, then seven months from now, maybe save $20 to get a $60 router for $40... so in total you'll have spent $70 instead of $60 and you'll have the old router collecting dust?

Oooooookay.

let's see what's on the 'purchase agenda' for this week ASIDE from this router:

electric lawnmower
grass trimmer
82' cord for above
oil change for the Acura and Honda
bug screens for the house
pay off my VEGAS trip from last weekend

so there you have it, my reasoning on saving a little bit on the router at THIS time so I can allocate those savings towards the more important things above .. just a few too many expenses to deal with.

linksys for sure

An N router really is a better idea, but if you wanna buy 2 routers, its up to you.

Other than that, any router in the <$29 range isn't going to be huge in terms of differences or reviews, and you only need it for a few months anyways.

My advice is to pick up a used WRT54G, and flash it with DD-WRT or some other custom firmware.

Just grab one of those Asus routers. A few of them have aftermarket firmware available and they're cheap.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...nufacture=ASUS

Soon to have ddwrt firmware support. I'd rather get something like this for similar price rather than a cheapy linksys or dlink. Both of which I've had problems with in the past. Plus this supports N already. I'm currently using a Dlink DIR-655 which is awesome but out of your budget.

yes.. i've purchased an ASUS router before for a friend and it seems to work fine... damn, my supercom contact *asus distributor* is on vacation so i'll wait and see my cost on the N.

Lol. 35 is already super cheap off it's regular price. I'd just buy it. I don't think there's much markup from Supercom at $35

If you have so many expenses this week.. why buy a router right now?

You can wait for a little while longer until you have more funds to play with and just purchase a N router instead.

Do you really need it right now is the main question?

^ Pick up a 2Wire router (Telus used to give 'em out for free to ADSL contract suscribers) for like $15 on Craigslist. You get Wireless G, and the thing is pretty robust I must say. :thumbsup: Because a lot of people upgraded on their own, these particular ones are a dime a dozen on the used market.

Wireless N may technically give you better range, but personally I find that G is more than enough for the entire house.

i've got to say wr5tg routers are good imo

using ddwrt firmware - no dropped signals, everything is consistenet. same goes for tomato firmware

i have the 2wire one, but i ditched Telus because they cant offer me 15Mbps internet. But you can crack the 2wire to work with a cable modem with a little bit of work. It was decent range too. Other than that linksys/cisco products are great too.

a quick followup to this.

I decided to "SHOVE" the whole budget thing.. and went with the
Dlink DIR825.. BUT not too sure if I am going to keep it OR go to the
DIR655. Will do some further testing...

The DIR-655 has a 3x3 MIMO-antenna array. DIR825 is only good if you need dual band connections.

Yeah, the 825 is designed for streaming media, gaming, etc. - it's essentially two routers in one, so you can segregate the two bandwidth demands (ie. so your little brother surfing porn on one doesn't cause dropouts as you stream your BluRay movies on the other).

For basic home use, the 655 is probably the better of the two, all-around.

not to mention the 655 can process 1500 connections streams at the same time, a cheap 54G router wont be able to do 1/10th of that