W/L router buying advice- NOT NETGEAR! (1 Viewer)

[seremify007]

Atm.. I'm using a Netgear mr614, used to own an 814. Both of these were great when we got 'em but in less than a year they both overheated to the point where nothing works and I end up sitting here net-less for ages whilst i wait for 'em to cool down. I'm on Bigpond cable and appreciate that both of these routers have inbuilt support for Bigpond Cable and the heartbeat thing (I'm not really a technical guy). The routers always seem to have problems when too much data flows through too (like when downloads hit 500kb/sec.. after a lil' while the router needs to be unplugged because it .. just stops working)

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for my next router? I'm planning to buy one from North Rocks Computer Market tomorrow (or next wk)... Definitely avoiding Netgear this time;

* 54mbps minimum
* Good range preferably (the 814 had a 5db antenna I think? That worked well... the 614 however has a 2db antenna and i get an "okay" signal from my bedroom which is upstairs...)... is that Pre-N thing any good?... Good range/signal quality is much more important than having a super fast speed
* It works with Bigpond cable
* Not prone to overheated
* Reasonable price

Any tips/suggestions? What I don't get is.. why Netgear stuff always screws up on me. I thought they're meant to be a good brand.

nB. It also needs to have LAN ports (minimum 2), plus all that encryption/ssid restriction/etc... We have 2 desktops plugged in, plus 3 w/l notebooks (1 centrino 802.11g, 2 using netgear 802.11b cards)

 

[ReaveR]

Sorry I have no suggestions but I do have the MR814, it gets hot but doesn't overheat/stop working at all.. I don't think you could get two duds of two different models though. Maybe the location is causing them to overheat?

It used to be connected to Bigpond cable but not anymore (1500 adsl now), so I can't comment on it being overloaded with data or anything.. I don't even attempt to transfer large files over the network, it won't drop out/die but it will be super slow.

 

[acmilan]

I've had a linksys one for some time now, i have never had to touch it once since I set it up.

 

[placebo101]

i have a apple airport extreme base station. works great and sooo easy 2 set up. also has a usb printer port, ethernet out. it doesnt have a modem in built cable modem tho, u gotta run it through ur modem.

 

[lcf]

We have a D-Link which works quite well - but it is an ADSL modem/router/wireless thing all in one. We also have Apple Airport - i love the flying saucer shape - so easy to set up. Next year with my new laptop i am getting an express station - wireless music!!!

 

[seremify007]

Do apple ones work well with windows? I ended up putting a desktop fan next to the router.. seems to be working so far with cooling it down.

Btw is that you brew? How'd you find IPT? =]

 

[placebo101]

yes the apple airports work with windows. i didnt even have to do any configuring when i set mine up. i plugged it in to the power and my dsl modem, then connected it to my pc with an ethernet cable - worked straight away.

then i went into my sisters room, turned on her laptop, plugged in a cheap wifi card and it connected instantly.

there are tutorials on the net at www.ifelix.co.uk on how to configure a windows machine to print through an airport extreme. it takes about 2mins.