A good router?????

[etexas]

We have an older Belkin, which I think is nearing the end of it's useful life. I wanted to see what the PB techies liked: not an outrageous price but decent security features, something that will run smoothly with both Mac and PC (I thought all would I looked at one and was told some Mac users found it "glitchy".) SO, any ideas for a good home router?

 

[uberkermit]

You will probably see as many opinions as PB members, so you will still have to make up your mind. My own experience is with the Linksys WRT54GL, which has been absolutely rock solid for me. It has a nice web interface to change your settings too. I had it recommended to me by a friend who is in IT - part of the business that he does is to set up wireless hotspots in coffee shops, and this router is the only one he uses.

 

[etexas]

You will probably see as many opinions as PB members, so you will still have to make up your mind. My own experience is with the Linksys WRT54GL, which has been absolutely rock solid for me. It has a nice web interface to change your settings too. I had it recommended to me by a friend who is in IT - part of the business that he does is to set up wireless hotspots in coffee shops, and this router is the only one he uses.

ACTUALLY, I have heard very good things about the Linksy routers, they are in the running.

 

[CovenantalBaptist]

I agree with Rob, go with the Linksys router. When I returned to Canada I needed a new router and I was lured by the cheapness of a D-Link extended range wireless G. Within less than 6 months however (after the warranty expired) after firmware updates and endless tinkering to avoid dropping the signal every 1/2 hour, I found myself back at the local Best Buy, buying a Linksys. I haven't had a problem since. I used to use Linksys equipment in a former career in IT. Linksys is owned by Cisco who make great hardware for corporate environments. Do yourself a favor and buy the better piece of equipment even if it is $10-15 more.

 

[larryjf]

...i'm sorry, i thought you said "rooter"

 

[puritanpilgrim]

porter cable makes a great router.

 

[OPC'n]

NetGear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[etexas]

I agree with Rob, go with the Linksys router. When I returned to Canada I needed a new router and I was lured by the cheapness of a D-Link extended range wireless G. Within less than 6 months however (after the warranty expired) after firmware updates and endless tinkering to avoid dropping the signal every 1/2 hour, I found myself back at the local Best Buy, buying a Linksys. I haven't had a problem since. I used to use Linksys equipment in a former career in IT. Linksys is owned by Cisco who make great hardware for corporate environments. Do yourself a favor and buy the better piece of equipment even if it is $10-15 more.

I am now leaning more Linksy, I need to add something I prefer, I am NOT a "techie" I use Apple Support anytime my Mac makes a funny noise! With the Linksy, are we talking, "plug and play"...I mean, I want something that after it is set up, I don't want to mess with it or think about it.................

 

[Theogenes]

I have a Linksys and it works very well. No complaints!

 

[fredtgreco]

I have a D-Link DIR-655 (which is top of the line for the D-Link series) and I love it. I have had no problems and I run one at work and one at home.

I will say, that Apple is notorious for not playing well with third parties, so make sure that the router you get works well with Apple. One brand (was it Netgear?) does not work well at all with Apple, or so said an officemate with a MacBook who could never get on his work network and so had to get onto our network!

 

[Hippo]

The only routers that I have ever been happy with are Netgear, but then again I have never been tempted by the Egyptian Mac baubles.

 

[etexas]

I have a D-Link DIR-655 (which is top of the line for the D-Link series) and I love it. I have had no problems and I run one at work and one at home.

I will say, that Apple is notorious for not playing well with third parties, so make sure that the router you get works well with Apple. One brand (was it Netgear?) does not work well at all with Apple, or so said an officemate with a MacBook who could never get on his work network and so had to get onto our network!

Thank you Fred, and you are correct some routers do not "like" Macs, from the LITTLE I have read the Linksy seems to "play nice with Mac.....

 

[gene_mingo]

d-link or linksys are good choices.

Just remember that you should never use wep encryption for a wireless network. take the time to set up wpa.

 

[asc]

i'm so-so proficient with computers. i've had 3 linksys routers over the years and they've all worked well for me.

 

[CovenantalBaptist]

In fairness, I would also say that before my bad experience with a new D-Link, I had a good experience with an older D-Link (514?) router that lasted 5+ years without a flaw. I'm a value shopper, so that is why I bought the cheapest D-Link on my return. But I had heard various feedback in my IT days about D-Link (at least the lower end models) that made me think twice about buying it again. I'm sad to say I was disappointed with my purchase (but it was the cheapest of the line and it could just have been a one-time lemon).

Another brother "former IT-turned-pastor" friend is a Mac man and he too uses Linksys and has for years. He runs a mixed PC/Mac network in his home and has had no problems with his various Linksys routers. We both worked on the seminary IT department where we deployed Linksys initially and then Mac Airports in our new facility. Both were good, but obviously not the cheapest choices.

By the way, as someone mentioned earlier, make sure that whatever brand you buy that you deploy WPA encryption but I would also recommend you use the AES not (the often default) TKIP protocol for better security.

 

[Brian Withnell]

I've got a lot of experience with a lot of routers, the best ones I've seen for home use (or small business) are Cisco, but if you get the Linksys RVS 4000, it works reliably, and isn't expensive.

If you get a netgear, you have to be careful ... some of them seem to have problems (but they do offer a lifetime warranty for the prosafe line (you might need it). The 8 port versions are not back, but the 5 port are near worthless.

HP makes good routers as well. The things that can make a lot of difference if you have a lot of items on a router is making sure it has QoS setup if you plan on using something like VOIP.

 

[jfschultz]

Are you running Mac OSX 10.5? I am using an Apple Time Capsule which includes a 500 Gig hard drive. With Time Machine set up, I have two Mac laptops that get backed up automatically every hour. Currently, the only options for Time Machine backups is a Time Capsule or a hard drive connected to the Mac.