Needing a New Router

I was wondering if anyone can recommend a router? Someone on here sent me one for free a while back, but it went out, so now I'm without one again. . haha. . . I like Linksys Routers, cuz it's all i've ever used. But, i'm inclined to switch if the price is right. . . I can spend about $100

Before anyone can help we need to know what sort of router and the connection type ie adsl , adsl2+ , cable coax ,fibre

Samuria said:

Before anyone can help we need to know what sort of router and the connection type ie adsl , adsl2+ , cable coax ,fibre

Not sure what difference it makes. . I always thought a router was a router that would work on any connection. . . . Anyway, I have Cable Internet.

Or do you need the combination Modem/Router type usually provided by an ISP/Internet Service Provider. Locally those are either a single payment or $5 monthly. I use Wireless DSL with a PoE Modem. Our cable service, Spectrum, provides the Modem and if needing more connections can pick up a Router locally such as at Wal*Mart or online. If using Wi-Fi/Wireless, to get the best network speed one should have 802.11n or 802.11ac or the new 802.11ax adapters in all devices.

Berton said:

Or do you need the combination Modem/Router type usually provided by an ISP/Internet Service Provider. Locally those are either a single payment or $5 monthly. I use Wireless DSL with a PoE Modem.

I don't want a Combo. . . I hate those with a passion. . . lol

JMedlock83 said:

I don't want a Combo. . . I hate those with a passion. . . lol

I understand, mine are separate items, my Router also has a Switch attached [I have several devices].

Berton said:

I understand, mine are separate items, my Router also has a Switch attached [I have several devices].

The reason I don't like combos is because they can't really be customized with DD-WRT or OpenWRT, or anything like that. . . .

Are Asus Routers reliable?

JMedlock83 said:

I like Linksys Routers, cuz it's all i've ever used. But, i'm inclined to switch if the price is right. . . I can spend about $100

Without getting into the rocket science of things just see this PC mag article - The Best Wireless Routers for 2021

I myself have my own router in a Linksys AC3000 Smart Mesh Wi-Fi Router (more than a 100 bucks). I didn't rocket science it out, I just picked a router that handled multiple Wi-Fi devices and supported 5gig band speeds. Works for me and supports up to 4 Gigabit ethernet ports.

That said, the setup and maintenance requires an online account. You can also access the router from your Android phone via the Linksys app for Android devices.

BTW, all I've ever owned are Linksys Routers :)

Good luck.

Hi there

@JMedlock83

These are mega cheap for the spec offered -- around 40 EUR but do the job - probably unknown or branded differently in the US but I'm sure there are equivalents.

Note also for dd-wrt stuff the router must have a proper WAN port.

Technicolor TG589vac v2 Router.

The wifi is good in that both 2.4 and 5 GHZ can operate concurrently, there is a WAN connection (for fibre / genuine cable to ISP) and enough 4 Gigabit speed LAN ports. Quite customiseable with port forwarding, firewall rules etc.

While these things aren't that common they are mega cheap. If you go for something more expensive and have wifi ensure the wifi bands operate concurrently - these days wifi can get up to around 1 Gb/s and you definitely want LAN ports with faster capability than 1 Gb/s. If you have genuine fibre optic cable (not the copper ADSL / ADSL2 stuff) ensure the router has a WAN port on it compatible with your ISP operator.

Here they are rolling out the 10 Gb service so ensure the WAN capability matches your ISP connectivity speeds otherwise your hardware is just a doorstop. !!.

If you just want a bog standard one with no Wifi then also ensure there's fast LAN ports and the correct WAN port for your ISP - I think it's difficult to find a domestic router that has decent specs for these without also providing wifi. If you do find one and you want wifi - then plug in a WIFI extender to one of the LAN ports - but ensure the extender has simultaneous wifi transmission.

I used to use DD-WRT and things like that in the past - with decent mega fast internet and fast wireless / Lan connections I'm not sure why I would need to customise a router any more - but people do all sorts of things with hardware. I think there's some forum on DD-WRT which explains what routers can be customised for that. You definitely need a Router with a WAN port in it though.

DD-WRT

BTW I have 2 NAS servers running which are situated a long way from my router -- and they don't have any Wifi so I got a cheap - unmanaged switch and run lan cables from the servers to the unmanaged switch and then a single lan cable from the switch to a good wifi extender with lan input ports. The extender runs both 2.4 and 5 GHZ concurrently and the network adapters are set to manage full duplex rather than the default half duplex - vastly improves throughput. Even plugging a laptop NIC to this is far faster than the laptops built in wifi -- am getting almost 1 Gb/s done this way. If you do something like that then your router will need to have some type of wifi capability - either built in or via a device attached to one of its LAN ports. Using a switch saves on cabling and in fact performs better than connecting the devices directly to the extender.

Cheers
jimbo