Posted on 03/12/2013 8:22:38 AM PDT by tayper
I need help choosing a Router. I don’t know that much about them. I now have a wired router and want to replace it with wireless but boy is it confusing. All help appreciated.
I found that Linksys EA3500 works well for me. Good luck
There are as many opinions about routers as there are routers.
For home use, figure on one about $90 to be decent. I have found Linksys to be pretty good as well.
There 3 “bands” that really represent speed (they all use a standard called 802.11). Older wireless receivers use what is called 802.11 “G” — really older ones use “B.” Newer ones use “N” When you see G/N or B/G/N that means it can handled older and newer wireless receivers.
If your desktop doesn’t already have a wireless receiver, get one that matches the manufacturer of your new wireless router. They are around $30.
If your router is also acting as the link to your Internet provider you may have to plug the new one into it. No problem, just plug it into any available port except the one that goes to the wall.
I hope this takes a little fear out. Wireless routers have gotten so commonplace that you really can’t go wrong — but there is no reason to pay more than you need.
I have an old $15 D-link from ebay. It does "g" speed, and works fine for me.
How old is your notebook? You don't need a fast router if your notebook has a slow wireless NIC.
Try the Asus RIT-N66U router. I have had good luck with mine and set up was easy.
ASUS N66u or AC66u.
Linksys are good routers. They are basically Cisco products. Look for a model that has four wired ports in the back also. Comes in handy for printers.
From a security standpoint, change the configuration admin password immediately, configure it to only allow a wired connection to make changes to the router configuration. This will add some time to the “Time To Defeat” interval.
Use the most stringent security you can sell the family on , such as WPA2-PSK, MAC filtering (if you don’t mind having to poke in Mac Addys for all your wireless devices), and limit the number of connected devices to 1 or 2 more than you can reasonably expect to be connected
Linksys/Cisco routers are pretty easy to set up.
Just follow the instructions that comes with it.
WPA and WPA2 security are supposed to be better then WEP, when you get to that point in the set-up and if it gives you an option. FYI.
“...If they build it, we will buy ... :)”
Not to mention every family laptop, tablet, wireless enabled smartphone, book reader, smart-blu-ray, and TV... The mac-address filter page gets half full in short order.
That max connected devices gets bumped every time a new device needs to connect. It is really just a way to keep the pirates from having too easy a time of it.
Plus, in the classic “out run a grizzly bear defense,” there are plenty of ‘slower’ folk in the neighborhood who run bare-naked-default routers....
used to run a netgear 614 for years, now run a Belden , simple, cheap, good luck on de-cabling, wireless is the way to go..
I have a Cisco Linksys router. It’s worked well for me. It’s turned our house into an internet cafe.
Belkin. N or newer.
Plug it in and call the 800#.
They will walk you thru.
Piece o’ cake, that way.
An industrial-strength router for a consumer-grade price.
Wireless is not secure. Stay with the wired network. Of course, as soon as you go on the internet then “secure” goes down the tubes but wired is still more secure than wireless.
If you insist upon wireless then make sure that the router has a built-in, hardware firewall.
>>More ‘stuff’ is coming available that uses wireless<<
Hey don’t scare the guy! I didn’t want to tell him my fridge AND my microwave were flashing they will perform “maintenance quiescence” should I not equip them IMMEDIATELY with both 802.11Q AND Bluetooth.
Q?
They also darkly hinted about USB 5.0 — what the heck does that look like? Bus-n-Tag???
“Christine” and “Killdozer weren’t SF movies — they were coming attractions!
If you're not doing anything interesting, any of your current routers with built in access point will support wpa2 encryption, and b g or n wireless. Pick one.
Linksys are good routers. They are basically Cisco products.
They're Cisco products by virtue of Cisco having bought one of the low end consumer grade networking companies. Dlink? I'm not all that thrilled with them.
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