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Which WiFi Router? WiFi Newb...

post #1 of 32
3/26/05 at 12:41am
Thread Starter 
Just wondering what product I'd be best going with for a wireless router.

A/B/G I dont think really make that big of difference.
We dont use the phone much and I believe it runs on 900mhz instead of 2.4 anyway.

One computer is the normal desktop PC.
Other is my laptop.
Wont be swapping files at any time between them, so the 11mbps/54mbps doesnt really apply.
Just solely for internet.


Range doesnt make that big of a deal, I live in a small one story house.
I did read some reviews on other sites about various routers dropping connection and having to reboot the routers constantly since they stink.
I'd prefer not to have this since I like gaming and dropping conn would be a major hassle every 10 mins.

Looking for one under $40 or 50 preferably.
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post #2 of 32
3/26/05 at 1:18am
I am in the same situation. My 9300 came early, so I am probably getting one of these tomorrow at BestBuy, who has rebates on them now.

WIFI REVIEWS
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post #3 of 32
3/26/05 at 2:15am
Thread Starter 
Bought a Dlink 624 off ebay for $30
:x
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post #4 of 32
3/26/05 at 11:40am
I have the Netgear WGR614 and it has worked perfectly without any dropped connections, my setup is the same as yours and my laptop as well as my Axim pocket PC connect without any problems anywhere in the house upstairs and down and outside my connection is good for nearly a block away......

Specs 8600 1.7
128Nvidia 5650FxGo
768Mb 333DDR
1300 Wireless B/G
15.4 WSXGA+
60Gig Hd
4xDVDR+RW
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post #5 of 32
3/26/05 at 1:14pm
I recommend the Linksys wireless G router. If you have some extra dough, get the one with the SpeedBooster, it's supposed to boost speeds on regular wifi connections also.

I've always liked Netgear products in the past, but my current Netgear wifi router keeps locking up on large file transfers. Could just be I got a bad one, but Linksys is backed by Cisco, so I'm gonna switch over on my next router purchase.
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post #6 of 32
3/26/05 at 1:46pm
I'll second Netgear; NAT, SPI & really easy to configure.
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post #7 of 32
3/26/05 at 1:52pm
Duxwig, if you pplay WOW you may want to avoid Linksys for now, seems to be some issues with the WRT54GS models and maybe even the later verison WRT54G. Check out the WOW technical support forum.

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/th...&T=117416&P=24
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post #8 of 32
3/26/05 at 3:30pm
I have the Netgear WGR614 as well. No problems, only $15 after rebates from amazon.com

jon!
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post #9 of 32
3/26/05 at 3:44pm
New to wifi here also. Got the Netgear WGR614 for my new 9300 4 days ago. Set up was fairly easy. Had to call (free tech support for 90 days) to figure out how to set the WEP. Using wep 64 bit. No drops yet. Good strong signal. Staples has it right now at $30 after rebate. Some people say wep is no good and to use wpa instead. Tech said wep ok. I have read arguments for and against wep.
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post #10 of 32
3/26/05 at 7:07pm
Thread Starter 
Encryption doesnt really bother me.
Im not doing any secret agent stuff, and live in the ghetto.

To be worried about someone trying to "steal my megahertz", I'd have to first worry about them ACQUIRING a PC...
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post #11 of 32
3/29/05 at 4:28pm
the a stream is 5.4GHz not 900MHz
however the higher the Hertz, the worse it is when it tries to penetrate through walls and floors. However, nothing really in your house uses 5.4GHz so it is a cleaner connection.
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post #12 of 32
3/29/05 at 4:39pm
I've had the netgear 614 v4 for 3 months and its crap!
I have 5 pcs alltogether in which 2 are laptops, and i only get low signals. Some of my neighbors have the liksys and their signals shit on mine. Alot of times i lose connections, very annoying! I have used the 128 bit encryption and 64 bit but it reduces my working area to a mere 10 feet. I used wep but its crap as well, I live in a 2 story home with a basement so this is getting thrown out this weekend. The only thing i can rely on fullspeed is when i network files from one computer to the other.....other than that, its garbage. If you want it, it will be in my garbage can on friday night. I am replacing it with this little marvel http://www.linksys.com/splash/WRT54GX_splash.asp
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post #13 of 32
3/29/05 at 8:43pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by faibs
the a stream is 5.4GHz not 900MHz
however the higher the Hertz, the worse it is when it tries to penetrate through walls and floors. However, nothing really in your house uses 5.4GHz so it is a cleaner connection.
I was stating our cordless phone is old and still runs 900
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post #14 of 32
3/30/05 at 10:40am
I would stay away from the DLink DI624. I had problems with that one, wouldnt work 2 feet away from my 9200 with Intel 2200 B/G. I got the Linksys WRT54G and it's perfect. The range is very good and no dropped connections.
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post #15 of 32
3/30/05 at 10:56am
Stay away from Dlink. They just rebadge crap from Taiwan/Asia/idontcare - had a year of trouble with the 614, got about 20 different firmware revisions and only got it running half-decent with a hacked firmware for the same Taiwanese model by a different, much smaller manufacturer.
I'm not saying that it will always be like that, but their support just sucks. In the end they released a "revision b" of the 614 that was entirely different, yet didn't bother to fix their old version.
I have a Linksys now, and it has a slight problem with its DHCP server (couldn't be bothered to upgrade the firmware yet, as it is supposed to be fixed), but it is working like a charm.
I only hear good things about NetGear either and had it under close consideration. Go for either NetGear or Linksys, and stay clear of crap like Belkin, D-Link, Buffalo or OEM stuff. You will save yourself a LOT of time and worries.
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post #16 of 32
3/30/05 at 1:00pm
I got a Linksys WRT54G and the setup was a mere 10 mins...had it working...has WEP and WPA....my signal was full bars......and the setup was the same - one wired desktop and my wireless laptop......

went to a friend's house and he has a Netgear....could only get 2 bars from a LoS......and it was picking up a neighbour's linksys which was showing 3 bars....crappy intermittent connection......

I would say go with the basic WRT54G...it should be just fine for your needs.
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post #17 of 32
3/30/05 at 1:06pm
I recommend the Netgear WGR614. I use one in my home and one at my parent's home. It's very easy to setup, easy to customize, and generally works like a charm. The only thing I didn't like is Netgear's tech support. They operate out of India and I had a very hard time understanding their tech support agents. You can find the Netgear WGR614 for around $25-$30 after rebates, usually at Circuit City or Best Buy.
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post #18 of 32
3/30/05 at 8:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by needledik
I recommend the Netgear WGR614. I use one in my home and one at my parent's home. It's very easy to setup, easy to customize, and generally works like a charm. The only thing I didn't like is Netgear's tech support. They operate out of India and I had a very hard time understanding their tech support agents. You can find the Netgear WGR614 for around $25-$30 after rebates, usually at Circuit City or Best Buy.
my netgear worked great for about 2 anda half months......then it crapped out. Habib on the phone could give me no helpful info, i had already factory resetted it. All he mentioned was"download nu diveh". On their site it has a driver for my model but the "routerupgrade" submenu doesnt accept the driver. The siganl and service went from crap to worst. I now have to reboot at least 2 times a day, due to dropped connections or ghost networks...the hardware is just crap! Some sort of transistor or resistor must have tapped out on me after 2 and a half months of being on all the time. I m throwing it away tomorrow morning, I am heading to microcenter to pick up a new linksys srx. Netgear doesnt cut it in my home, good luck to the rest of you.
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post #19 of 32
3/30/05 at 9:07pm
I used a linksys WRT54G with my old toshiba. Overall, it had excellent range, I could still connect a block and a half away, it was located on a 3rd floor however. I did have some outages, but I am unsure if it was the router, or the laptops card.

I also have a netgear 614 now with my XPS, and it is pretty good. I might get disconnected once every 2 days for a few minutes, nothing worth complaining about really.

If I were to do it all again, I would go with the linksys WRT54G again though.
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post #20 of 32
4/1/05 at 6:21am
do not even think of getting a d-link my 1 died last week and it was only 1 month old. dont get tricked by there cheap prices. the thing it slef it shitty plastic and horrible and gave me alot of head aches
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