20 replies to this topic

[Wildstreak]

I am looking to replace a router for an older couple, they were (finally) recommended to do so after a visit from their service provider technician. They have been using an older G router for some years with 2 desktops & a laptop, 2 of the computers do not have built in wireless.

Today, it seems the common standard in new routers is N with AC being new.

1 - Will a N or AC router with with wireless computers & adapters of a lower speed such as G?

2 - Belkin & Netgear were recommended as good brands for this couple. Are there any good sites for learning how easy the router brands are to use?

3 - How does someone tell the difference between models within a brand?

[Catamount]

Why is a replacement being recommended? Does their Internet bandwidth approach 54Mbps? If not, they'll gain no advantage, whatsoever, from transitioning to N, at least for home use.

If they do want N, however, and it's on a budget, skip Netgear/Belkin crap. Belkin is pure junk through and through, and Netgear only gets decent at higher pricepoints, with better routers than their high end stuff existing for less from Asus and others.

If you want something budget, the cheapest router that will provide N support and decent range and actually work reliably, get this

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16833166072 (edit: changed after reading poor reviews for reliability on my original recommendation)



If they need something more serious for some reason, then start with this

http://www.newegg.co...=9SIA1CZ1H74041

Edited by Catamount, 13 September 2014 - 09:06 AM.

[ninjitsu]

I'm a fan of TPLink. They've got a lot of features that most routers don't come with. You can sometimes find them at walmart too. If you are getting a 2.4ghz N router, the chances are very good that it will also do G. Read the info on the box or website, they will state if it does G as well.

Telling the difference between models in a brand is just reading the features. They usually have a range of prices, starting from something basic with few features working up to more expensive with extra features that you'll probably not need. Try to find a router with external antenna.

[Tarl Cabot]

I would first ask, what issues are they having with their current router? Was the technician working on an upsale? Or was there questions about using a router with its own built-in software firewall as an additional protection?

The list would go on.

[Oderint dum Metuant]

Why?

Sounds like the tech was trying to fish a sale of something he had on the van.

If the one they have had no issues; theres no need.

[Wildstreak]

Catamount, on 13 September 2014 - 09:04 AM, said:

Why is a replacement being recommended? Does their Internet bandwidth approach 54Mbps? If not, they'll gain no advantage, whatsoever, from transitioning to N, at least for home use.

No however there is signal loss between the router and computers.

Signal coming into the house is 15Mbs.

The laptop usually gets somewhere between 11-15 however recently it seems to have dropped to around 5 at times.

The worst computer getting signal usually went between 6-8, sometimes to 11 with rare moments up to 15.

After mentioning this and the physical location of devices to the tech, he said the router was old (about 11 years, the manual is dated 2003) and should be replaced. There are a lot of routers nearby, one computer shows over 10 networks in range.

Personally, I think not only the router but all the computers should be replaced. One thing at a time is how they can handle things though.

Tech was not upsaling, he flat out said not to get a router from the service provider.

[Catamount]

Not running the same channel as everyone else (nearly always 6 or 11) would help if there's that much congestion. Even if you do get a new router I'd suggest doing that, get on like 4 or 8.

If the router's just old then just the Rosewill I suggested. No sense spending a lot for basic use, not unless they have a big house.

Edited by Catamount, 13 September 2014 - 07:11 PM.

[ninjitsu]

Catamount, on 13 September 2014 - 07:11 PM, said:

Not running the same channel as everyone else (nearly always 6 or 11) would help if there's that much congestion. Even if you do get a new router I'd suggest doing that, get on like 4 or 8.

If the router's just old then just the Rosewill I suggested. No sense spending a lot for basic use, not unless they have a big house.

Only channels 1, 6 and 11 are viable. The other channels overlap and will interfere with two channels.

Edited by ninjitsu, 14 September 2014 - 12:24 AM.

[Peter2k]

I'm happy with my TP-Link as well
seems to gets patches more regular, is easy to configure through the browser
useful security features, that are easily set up, etc

that being said
I bought a good router at the time, where most reviewers had the same opinion when it comes to range with said router
meaning I just bought the one where I could be the "most" sure about the range, and interference with walls

my parents just got the cheapest one they could find and had to replace it 3 times now because the W-LAN just died for some reason( but not the LAN connection )
so maybe putting 30 bucks or so more on top might be quite worth it.

If you value you're time that is, I ended up buying my parents a quality router, because I thought my time to be more worth then going there so many times just to fix they're electronics
you know, first figuring out where the problem is, running to store, convincing a wanna be tech expert its not user error , driving back, setting everything up again, putting in all the MAC Addresses again
3 times all together, yay
you convince a sales clerk its not user error for the third time
just saying
-------------------------------------

however if its a rather big place, and its not broken hardware (thinking of antennae here), then maybe a W-LAN repeater might do the trick better alltogether
mine plugs into the wall sockets on one end(powerline adapter, where the router is) and on the opposite site of my place, creating a nice big umbrella of W-LAN goodness.

Edited by Peter2k, 14 September 2014 - 01:27 AM.

[p4r4g0n]

While it may be deterioration due to age, I'd first try switching channels as it sounds like interference may be causing the drop in bandwidth.

Try using an app that allows you to detect which wireless channels are the most heavily congested and change channels to a less congested one. I have a free one on my mobile that I downloaded from google store for android.

Incidentally, have you considered using a homeplug or is wireless a must? Just thought I'd throw it in there as I recently switched and have no complaints.

[Napoleon_Blownapart]

some routers run 2.4 ghz or 5gz.2.4 is more prone to interference, do they have the option of a higher freq on the current router?

their provider doesnt supply a router?i think cable companies do now.

[Peter2k]

Gorantir, on 14 September 2014 - 03:25 AM, said:

some routers run 2.4 ghz or 5gz.2.4 is more prone to interference, do they have the option of a higher freq on the current router?

their provider doesnt supply a router?i think cable companies do now.

well here in Germany its kinda best to inform yourself what you want and then buy it, instead of letting the provider decide what you need
also I would pay a kinda rent for my router, don't get a new one every few years, and with some company's you have to give it back if you go to a different provider
is it so different in the states? (I'm guessing of course its somewhere US)


the router is 11 years old

hell I don't know how much you could change back in the day of a lousy router given to you by the provider back in the day
I'd be surprised if it has more than one antennae

but best guess is not really all that much

why not just get http://www.amazon.co...keywords=router
its 20 bucks, got lots of reviews to read through, and I kinda trust that company

at least with something more modern you can try switching bands and channels


P.S.
just read the first review:

"Time warner was charging us $10 in wifi fees and modem rental fee every month( wifi fee???..they are nuts) they were providing a cable modem with built in wifi but range was so short, i had to invest in couple of repeaters just to get wifi on second level"


good to know providers love to be as*hats everywhere

[ninjitsu]

Catamount, on 13 September 2014 - 07:11 PM, said:

Not running the same channel as everyone else (nearly always 6 or 11) would help if there's that much congestion. Even if you do get a new router I'd suggest doing that, get on like 4 or 8.

If the router's just old then just the Rosewill I suggested. No sense spending a lot for basic use, not unless they have a big house.

This Wiki page shows why you should only use channels 1, 6, 11 in the US. http://en.wikipedia....f_WLAN_channels

[Catamount]

ninjitsu, on 14 September 2014 - 08:21 AM, said:

This Wiki page shows why you should only use channels 1, 6, 11 in the US. http://en.wikipedia....f_WLAN_channels

Yeah beat you to looking it up by a longshot. I unwisely made the blind assumption that someone put some actual thought into the 802.11 standard when creating channels. I should stop assuming basic competence so quickly

At least it doesn't matter for me. I live in the woods in the middle of nowhere.

[ninjitsu]

The 2.4ghz range is pretty much the garbage end of the wifi world. Microwaves emit interference that's on the same frequency as well as most electronics.

[Bront]

Merchant, on 13 September 2014 - 08:01 AM, said:

I am looking to replace a router for an older couple, they were (finally) recommended to do so after a visit from their service provider technician. They have been using an older G router for some years with 2 desktops & a laptop, 2 of the computers do not have built in wireless.

Today, it seems the common standard in new routers is N with AC being new.

1 - Will a N or AC router with with wireless computers & adapters of a lower speed such as G?

2 - Belkin & Netgear were recommended as good brands for this couple. Are there any good sites for learning how easy the router brands are to use?

3 - How does someone tell the difference between models within a brand?

1) 99% of all N routers support B and G as well. In theory, you get better performance if you go N only, but chances are something you have doesn't do better than G (B is pretty old at this point). I believe most AC routers support N and G and B, but AC still hasn't been adopted in too many places, so I would advise not paying too much for it.

2) I've heard numerous bad things about Netgear and had problems with them myself, but I also hear folks recommend them. Belkin is a good brand, and I used to do support work for Buffalo and found their products and support were phenomenal (I own a Buffalo router myself, dual band N600). Back when I did support, device age was not an issue (I would do phone support on products that were over 5 years old and well out of warranty). That said, that was a few years ago, things might have changed. Best thing to do is check Amazon reviews and read several reviews, keeping in mind many bad reviews are made by people expecting unrealistic things or not understanding how things work. Lynksys is also a top brand.

3) Look for the model designation, but read up on the features. Most manufactures have different model numbers, but often you can tell features by what they are (N600 in the model usually means it supposed dual band N for example). I highly recommend looking for a dual band router, as you can split your traffic on different bands as supported by your devices to avoid network congestion as well as interference, and most dual band routers tend to perform better in general anyway.

Also, make sure you get Gigabit wired in any router. Some ISPs only provide 10/100 support on their routers, but your internal network has a lot to gain from having gigabit wired on the backend. it's pretty standard now though.

Hope that helps.

Edited by Bront, 14 September 2014 - 08:54 AM.

[Spokes]

For what it's worth, we're still using an "old" G router. Its relatively low bandwidth is still much higher than our internet connection can provide, and (at least I've heard) the higher radio frequencies used on newer routers don't propagate through walls as well.

[SoggyGorilla]

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/

This site is one of the better places for a reviews on routers, he takes them apart and explains the differences with the parts and quality for each.

personally i recommend http://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/R7000.aspx Or http://www.asus.com/...orking/RTAC68U/

[Wildstreak]

p4r4g0n, on 14 September 2014 - 01:24 AM, said:

While it may be deterioration due to age, I'd first try switching channels as it sounds like interference may be causing the drop in bandwidth.

Channel: Oddly, I found 10 was the best on the current router after trying them all.

Interesting thing, tech told us he once talked to a geologist who lives in a nearby neighborhood, geologist said that a portion of our area nearby had some kind of magnetic fields that cause some problems in wifi for things like routers and cell phones.

p4r4g0n, on 14 September 2014 - 01:24 AM, said:

Incidentally, have you considered using a homeplug or is wireless a must? Just thought I'd throw it in there as I recently switched and have no complaints.

I have no idea what a homeplug is.

Gorantir, on 14 September 2014 - 03:25 AM, said:

some routers run 2.4 ghz or 5gz.2.4 is more prone to interference, do they have the option of a higher freq on the current router?

their provider doesnt supply a router?i think cable companies do now.

Current one is this, only works on 2.4 GHz and they have a wireless phone. Kinda a pain in the butt too, whenever I tried to port forward or anything else that might be needed for programs, either what I saw in the setup did not match manuals & sites with information or were simply a pain in the butt to figure out. Example, try letting a program through it, programs will say open certain ports, the D-Link will ask for Trigger & Public ports and I had to guess which was which.

Peter2k, on 14 September 2014 - 05:27 AM, said:

is it so different in the states? (I'm guessing of course its somewhere US)

In the states, you can do either, use a provider one or get your own. The tech here did not recommend his company's router. Some people have trouble understanding computer stuff, that is why a feature I am looking for is ease of use for them, I also had to find a tutorial site for recent Windows since they may be getting new computers too.

Bront, on 14 September 2014 - 08:52 AM, said:

Also, make sure you get Gigabit wired in any router. Some ISPs only provide 10/100 support on their routers, but your internal network has a lot to gain from having gigabit wired on the backend. it's pretty standard now though.

Hope that helps.

How do you tell if this in in a router?

[p4r4g0n]

Power-line communications

Homeplug

Basically, its a way to use a building's electrical wiring as part of a wired network. Arguably more stable (subject to the condition of the buildings electrical wiring) especially in an area with lots of wireless networks.

Insofar as ease of use is concerned for the non-technically inclined, once the initial set up is done by any reasonably technical savvy person, the only thing the user needs to know is which port of the computer / laptop they need to plug the end of the of the network cable into ..... assuming they need to disconnect it at all.

if they still need wireless access, some there are homeplugs that also function as wireless repeaters, etc.

Edited by p4r4g0n, 15 September 2014 - 11:23 AM.