Best wireless router
Discussion
I've got one and they seem to suffer from intermittent drop-outs.
Reading on this thread this seems to be a common problem. Oddly enough the reason I opened this thread was to see if anything else came up as the current best, while the old girl isn't actually playing up.
Maybe if you only use it for an hour in the evening it's fine, but if you work from home like I do, and cannot do with the downtime / lost connections it's a royal pain in the pooper.
Reading on this thread this seems to be a common problem. Oddly enough the reason I opened this thread was to see if anything else came up as the current best, while the old girl isn't actually playing up.
Maybe if you only use it for an hour in the evening it's fine, but if you work from home like I do, and cannot do with the downtime / lost connections it's a royal pain in the pooper.
Fetchez la vache said:
I've got one and they seem to suffer from intermittent drop-outs.
Reading on this thread this seems to be a common problem. Oddly enough the reason I opened this thread was to see if anything else came up as the current best, while the old girl isn't actually playing up.
Maybe if you only use it for an hour in the evening it's fine, but if you work from home like I do, and cannot do with the downtime / lost connections it's a royal pain in the pooper.
Is that more to do with your service provider, rather than the wireless set?Reading on this thread this seems to be a common problem. Oddly enough the reason I opened this thread was to see if anything else came up as the current best, while the old girl isn't actually playing up.
Maybe if you only use it for an hour in the evening it's fine, but if you work from home like I do, and cannot do with the downtime / lost connections it's a royal pain in the pooper.
A note for Virgin Media customers, there is a compatibility issue with some Belkin G wireless routers and the older 120 cable modems from NTL. I had someone who bought one and I couldn't get it working with either their 120 or my own until I called Virgin and had them change my modem to the 250. It then connected to the net fine.
I had the same problem with a Belkin router that I'd borrowed when I first moved in, random dropouts even after I'd changed the channel a few times to account for hidden SSID's and other interference. They sell that many though that they must work fine for some people
In terms of whats the best, a lot of features seem to get packed into routers, depends what you want to use. Do you already have a broadband modem/router? If so, you might just need an access point you can plug into the existing modem, or you can go for all in one.
Most should have a basic security set, such as stateful firewall, WPA encryption etc. Make sure whatever you go for is customisable, especially if you're into torrenting. Ability to use or pass through VPN is also handy if you work from home.
Your PC spec mentioned isnt too important as long as it's half decent, I'm presuming with that sort of spec it's already got onboard wireless though? If not, have a think about extended range wireless card. I have an 802.1n PCMCIA card in the cheap laptop which works well with my Netgear router, although I have been thinking about putting a 5db boost aerial on it for working in the garden when the weather gets better.
Edit - reread the first post and I'd presumed it was a laptop. If it's a desktop I'd be tempted to get a wireless PCi card and any wireless Netgear (long range one) or think about getting a phone point installed in the room where the desktop is, and move it up there.
In terms of whats the best, a lot of features seem to get packed into routers, depends what you want to use. Do you already have a broadband modem/router? If so, you might just need an access point you can plug into the existing modem, or you can go for all in one.
Most should have a basic security set, such as stateful firewall, WPA encryption etc. Make sure whatever you go for is customisable, especially if you're into torrenting. Ability to use or pass through VPN is also handy if you work from home.
Your PC spec mentioned isnt too important as long as it's half decent, I'm presuming with that sort of spec it's already got onboard wireless though? If not, have a think about extended range wireless card. I have an 802.1n PCMCIA card in the cheap laptop which works well with my Netgear router, although I have been thinking about putting a 5db boost aerial on it for working in the garden when the weather gets better.
Edit - reread the first post and I'd presumed it was a laptop. If it's a desktop I'd be tempted to get a wireless PCi card and any wireless Netgear (long range one) or think about getting a phone point installed in the room where the desktop is, and move it up there.
Edited by andy_quantum on Wednesday 26th December 22:10
Blue Meanie said:
Belkin
I wouldn't warm my hands over a fire of Belkin rubbish, much less consider actually *using* it. The media card reader I got from them was junk, and if you look round you'll see a steady stream of tales of woe about the shoddy rubbish they sell. Buy anything else but Belkin!Zumbruk said:
Blue Meanie said:
Belkin
I wouldn't warm my hands over a fire of Belkin rubbish, much less consider actually *using* it. The media card reader I got from them was junk, and if you look round you'll see a steady stream of tales of woe about the shoddy rubbish they sell. Buy anything else but Belkin!Netgear customer service is in India. I have nothing against Indians, but was surprised to be asked if anyone in my street had any electrical equipment! I was even more surprised when they told me to get them to turn off their electrical equipment!!!
If you buy Netgear, buy froma local shop with some tech support.
If you buy Netgear, buy froma local shop with some tech support.
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