Posted: 5/2/2006 10:15:12 AM EDT
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I hate my POS Linksys wireless router. The signal strength and speed constantly varies. So what are some good alternatives? Thanks in advance! Bomber Edited to make the title more understandable to the impaired 
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 About six months ago, my Mom decided she wanted a wireless setup in the house, so I went and bought a wireless router, and pc cards. My Dad called while I was setting it all up and asked what I was doing........ I told him I was setting up the new router I had just bought... he said and I quote " I already have 2 of those in the garage, why the hell did you buy another one?" Took me about a minute to stop laughing and explain that this wasnt that kind of router.  |
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Wireless... The main channels to use are 1,6 & 11 due to these three are the only non-overlaping channels. 6 is the default out of the box for most systems. Use Netstumbler to view all of the access points that you are in the area of. Ted... |
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I have had 4 different linksys routers and never a problem First was a 11B then a 54G Then another 54G that didnt work right with the linksys range expander Then back to a regular 54G with powerboost and we are using it over a range of probably 800 feet (400-500) either way between 3 houses O and it has a set of High Gain antennas on it We have a neighborhood gaming LAN set up with it. |
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I have an Actiontec box that I got at Comp USA. Its 4 in 1 router, firewall, wireless gateway and DSL modem. I set it up and forgot about it. NO problems in over 8 months. I have been recommending and installing their products ever since with no complaints from my customers. |
This is the only sort of application I'd recommend a 54mb router for, when you need the speed between your wireless computer and another device on the local network. 11mb is just fine for wireless internet access, as the average cable or DSL line runs faaaaar slower than even 11mb. The extra speed won't getcha anywhere faster. |
I've had really good luck with Linksys routers and have had no problems with friends who bought them on my recommendation. OTOH, my buddy's wife decided to ignore my advice and bought a Netgear router ("it looked prettier") and Netgear WiFi cards. With the router 12 feet away across the room with clear line-of-sight they get "Low Signal" warnings and drop outs. Move the laptop to the next room and they lose signal entirely. Of course, somehow this is all my fault. You may want to try and extend the range of your Linksys if you're having problems penetrating through walls. I've found this template works well and is free - just peel a few layers of tin foil off your hat and use it on this antenna.  ETA - I've got an old v1.0 WRT54G which is very hackable, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. What firmware have you had good results with? |
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I would reccomend a D-Link. Also, get something that can do 802.11a, I have theirs and its working great, a lot less chance of interference. If i remember, its a DI-784. you'll need a card that can do A to get full advantage of that. A has a bit shorter range but is much less susceptible to interference from Microwaves, cordless phones, etc... Edit: yup..thats the one, Much cheaper nowadays....BLEH  www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=50484126&pfp=SEARCH |
| i have a general distaste for "all-in-one" solutions, i would rather have a good router and a good wireless access point. i personally use a linksys rv082 router and a linksys wap54g access point. the linksys wrt54g is the wap54g's cousin, being both a router and access point. these two pieces of hardware are nice because there is 3rd party firmware availible that allows you to hack the device and add new features, increase transmission range, etc. |
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Have you tried loading DD-WRT or sveasoft on your wireless router? They have firmware that's a helluva lot better than what comes from the manufacturer and fixes a lot of problems. Has lots of features and DD-WRT is free! goto www.sveasoft.com or get the freebee version from http://digg.com/linux_unix/Released:_DD-WRT_v23_Final_for_Linksys_WRT54G_(and_others) |