Need Router and Networking Suggestions

A

AudioCow

Gawd
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
Messages
524
I've been using a cheap Tomato router for a few years now and it died on me earlier this week. My project this weekend is to get a new router and redo my network. I'd like to keep the cost of the new equipment under $200 from MicroCenter.

Here is how I have things set up now:
Wireless
iPhone 5
iPad Mini
AppleTV 2
AppleTV 3
Black Xbox 360
Macbook Air (2011)
Windows 7 Gaming PC/File Server (sig)
Friend's Phones, and gadgets

Wired
AT&T Microcell
White Xbox 360
HP Printer

The Windows PC contains all of my back-ups, large files, and media. The AppleTVs stream the media fairly often and the Macbook has it's iTunes library stored on this PC also.

I'm fairly clueless on the networking stuff, but I'd like to keep the PC wireless if possible.

Any advice on what I should pick up and how I should set it up for some killer network performance?
 
TP-Link WDR4300
Use stock firmware or a trunk of OpenWRT with LuCI
//Danne
 
I've heard that the ASUS RT-N66U offers some amazing performance for its price. Plus the open source firmware will allow you to re-flash it to DD-WRT or TomatoUSB if you want to try something new.
 
Well, 3rd party firmwares are still limited to Asus's binary blobs so I wouldn't say its a good choice if you want good 3rd party support. You're better off with Atheros based hardware such as the TP-Link mentioned above or Netgear WNDR4300.
//Danne
 
Mikrotik is kinda overhyped, it's just a plain (in most cases) Atheros platform that's more expensive than your consumer router platform. RouterOS is the only thing that really differs which may/may not be what you're looking for. In many cases for home users I'm quite sure that OpenWRT would serve you better.
//Danne
 
Given that Asus seems to have issues with Apple devices on Ralink devices (at least the 56 devices) and the poor 3rd party support I'd stay away from that platform but oh well...
//Danne
 
true, RouterOS does have a bit of a learning curve, but now that i know how to use it, i'll never, ever go back to another shitty off-the-shelf router again.

my current RB493G was up for almost a year with no issues whatsoever, not even a hiccup (luckily it was on UPS power to survive some short power outages). my DSL connection had more issues than this router. and the only reason it had to be restarted was because i rearranged my network equipment and it had to be unplugged to do so.

i'll never go back to another consumer-grade POS with stock firmware again for damn sure; there is simply no reason that a router should have to reset itself when you make a change in the configuration as simple as something like opening a port or adding a firewall rule. even on one of the many WRT flavors, it's just too bloated for my liking.

as far as more expensive, well not really. if you don't need/want gigabit, you can get a simple 5-port wired-only RB750 for less than $40, which includes a level 4 rOS license. for only $45 or so you can get an RB951-2n, which adds wireless and the same license.

gigabit wired-only starts around $55 - $60 (RB750GL), and gigabit w/wireless, as stated already, is around $80 or so.

you're not paying for the hardware, you're paying for rOS, which is ten steps ahead of probably 95% of the commercial, consumer-grade donkey shit that's out there, and well worth the price, IMO.

if you can get past the initial learning curve, it's hard to ask for a much better router until you start getting into much, much more expensive equipment from heavy-hitters in the networking field. this comes from much personal experience from someone who deals with major networks using MikroTik/rOS products on a daily basis on huge military bases and large-scale tourist locations.
 
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