Which wireless-N router of these four?

[whistleclient]

I'm trying to decide on a wireless-n router for my father. I have a Dlink DGL-4300 that's been rock solid, but it's neither manufactured anymore nor is it wireless-n.

I just want stability as I, like many of you, are the defacto tech support person for my family and don't want to field lots of calls.

I'm considering:

Apple Airport Extreme
+ ease of use
- no QoS
- $$$ cost
- My father has a PC, not sure how good airport management utility is for PC

ASUS RT-N16
+ can install tomato-USB on it
+ USB ports (not sure if he'd use these)
- have never owned Asus router
- stock firmware supposedly horrible, not sure how stable tomato USB is on it.

Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH
+ comes with DD-WRT installed
+ cost
- have never owned a Buffalo router

D-Link DIR-655
+ D-Link has treated my right in the past
+ QoS
- Doesn't support DD-WRT or Tomato

Netgear WNDR3700
+ got top marks from Maximum PC
- $$$ cost
- don't think my father would use many of the extras, like the DLNA server
- not sure when v2 comes out

Any thoughts on which one?


Also, for anyone doing research for purchase too, here's Maximum PC's article "Router Roundup: We Review 7 Top-Tier Routers".

They gave the Netgear RangeMax WNDR3700 V1 top marks, but mention V2 is coming soon. No one seems to know when that is.

 

[whistleclient]

Please note I added the Netgear WNDR3700 to the OP but couldn't add it to the poll.

 

[Praetor]

Up until a few months ago, I had an Airport Extreme N, it was a rock solid router and dead simple to use. I hated the fact that I had to use their special utility to configure the thing, and missed some of the more advanced options I had with my previous Linksys routers.

When I sold the Airport, I bought the WNDR3700, flashed it with DD-WRT and have been hacking away at it happily.

These days, I'd skip any router that can't use a 3rd party firmware.

 

[kevnich2]

Adding my vote for the Asus RT-N16. I have tomato on mine, however, the stock firmware is perfectly adequate and reliable. As far as reliability - 4 months now and not a single hiccup or reboot on a 25mb cable connection. Not bad, IMO.

 

[JackMDS]

I think that this thread demonstrates the sad state of wireless Routers. - :'(

140 views 10 votes.

 

[spidey07]

I think that this thread demonstrates the sad state of wireless Routers. - :'(

140 views 10 votes.

They're all essentially the same using radios from just a few suppliers. It's a base commodity.

 

[Heinrich]

Yeah, I can't vote because I really don't know the low-end. If you all you need is the low end features, I would just buy something from Amazon and see if it works for you. Their returns are so easy and restocking-free. I've moved away from Newegg, who in policy has that restocking fee hanging over your head. That's about the best advice I can give.

 

[JackMDS]

They're all essentially the same using radios from just a few suppliers. It's a base commodity.

Yap, Atheros, Broadcom, Intel, Ralink, and Realtek. The products using one of these OEM Radios/chipsets attached to printed circuit in big variety of plastic boxes.

However, you would think that if the only serious aspect that has to be deploy by the OEM/Vendors were writing/adapting a good firmware with nice logical menu interface, it will be done correctly.

Taking into consideration that there is sort of preferred frame of reference established years ago by the Free DD-WRT. It looks like the manufacturer are deliberately sc** the final products.

There is something fundamentally wrong with industry approach to End-user Networking.

It is a commodity, but it is a bad one. It is kind of like children toys with "lead inside and outside".

 

[spidey07]

Jack,

How else can you keep your customers buying new stuff every year or two if you don't make everything purposefully crappy? That is the SOHO market in a nutshell.

 

[darkewaffle]

Voted RT-N16, I've had good experiences with my RT-N13 loaded with ddwrt and if I were to upgrade I'd take a look at the N16 first personally.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Jack,

How else can you keep your customers buying new stuff every year or two if you don't make everything purposefully crappy? That is the SOHO market in a nutshell.

Oh man, that is SOOO true!

I bought some WNR2000 refurbs off of Newegg for $20 each. Limit 3. Was hoping to get V2, which is Broadcom hardware and supported by DD-WRT, but it was V1, which is Atheros and not supported.

The good news is that the newest firmware update (which was already loaded) for the V1 units supports WDS! The bad news is, it's worthless, because it only supports WEP or NO encryption. WTF!

I know that DD-WRT does mention in their help file that WDS is not supported with WPA2 encryption (kinda stupid if you ask me), but in practice, it IS supported for WPA-PSK/AES, which is IMHO just as good as WPA2-Personal.

Which, even if that were supported by the wireless drivers on the Netgear firmware, it wouldn't be usable, because for security settings, they only allow WPA-PSK with TKIP, no way to use WPA-PSK with AES. The only way to get AES is to use WPA2-Personal, and then no WDS for you!

 

[spidey07]

All of that is a function of the radio chipset.

 

[VirtualLarry]

So WDS is a function of the hardware itself, not the firmware driving it? I thought that these were just baseband radios, and all of the protocols layered on top of it were software-driven.

 

[Destiny]

My old Linksys WRT54G from almost 7 years ago is still ticking like a workhorse... they just don't make them like they used to...

Just like the first generation Ford Mustangs in the 1960s - those things are still running in the streets... and Ford was once quoted as saying "we should never make a car that reliable again."