Wireless?

[Raw]

Wireless? I am finally considering going partial wireless in my home. I was always reluctant to try it as I use ethernet and have been more than happy until now. I use a Linksys BFSR810 8-port router now which works ok. I also use a Motorola Surf Board 6141 modem. I have added more stuff in the house since I began with Ethernet, now I need more ports . A couple more televisions and a PS3 and a Roku. All my pcs are currently wired ethernet at the moment. I do game and intend to keep gaming on Ethernet. I use 3 pcs at a time, most of the time. 2 out of the 3 are gamer pcs, 1 is just for business stuff, e-mail, Excel, Word, etc. On rare occasion I use a 4th. pc. for gaming.
Now I want to use additional devices in other parts of the house that are not hard wired for ethernet.
What wireless routers should I be looking at for speed and dependability? This is all new to me and I know there are some real experts on here regarding this wireless stuff. By the way, I have a Time Warner 30Mbps account which hardly ever gets 30Mbps, more like 15-20, 25 on good days. Suggestions, thoughts, ideas?

 

[eidairaman1]

Certain wifi channels work better than others.the more metal/ dense walls and floors you have the weaker the signal. Asoka/Netgear make eop (plug link) as a solution, a specific netgear model does produce a wifi signal.

 

[stinger608]

As Eidairaman1 pointed out, depending on the place you live in can make wireless signals weaker.
If that is the case, you can get a cheap wireless extender/booster such as this TP-Link one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704187

I have had great luck with TP-Link products thus far, however I have not had the need for a wireless booster yet.

As for wireless routers, there are literally thousands to choose from.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...H&Description=wireless+router&N=-1&isNodeId=1

That all might be overwhelming at first, however find what your needing in your set budget. You probably really don't have the need for a dual band router at this time, as they tend to be much more expensive. Just find a reasonable priced wireless "N" router. Probably find one in the $20 to $60 range that will fit your needs just fine.

Something else to consider; are you in need of wireless cards in your systems? If not, no big thing but if you are planning on making one or more of the computers wireless then you will have to consider what type of wireless card/USB you will need.

 

[newtekie1]

A really good starter wireless router is the RT-N12 from ASUS. Thanks to the decent sized external antennas it has excellent range, and it is very stable and reliable in my experience. The only draw backs are it does not have 5.0GHz, but I find in most home setups the 5GHz band is unnecessary anyway, and it only has 100M network ports. The 100M ports problem is easily fixed by connecting an inexpensive gigabit switch to the router and plugging all the computers into that. From the sounds of it you are going to need a switch anyway since almost all routers today come with only 4 ports and it sounds like you need more than that. So it looks like no matter what you end up going with you'll probably want to grab yourself one of these switches.

If you want something a little more up the price range I recommend the RT-N66R/U. Just to clarify before I go any further, the RT-N66R and RT-N66U are the exact same router, they are even both identified in the firmware as just the RT-N66U. ASUS just changes the U to an R on the refurbished model. On to the benefits of this model. Again it has nice big external antennas which provide an excellent signal range. It also does 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz at the same time. Again, in my experience this router is extremely stable and reliable. This is actually my personal router I use in my home. The router is located in my basement, and I have a 2 story home. This router easily covers the entire house with a good signal. The drawback to this router is it isn't wireless AC, which is the latest wireless standard. IMO, not really a deal breaker since there isn't a whole lot of devices out there that use wireless AC and wireless N is good enough. If you need something faster than wireless N, IMO, just bite the bullet and run the cable.

Now, if you really do want something basically top of the line, without breaking the bank, I recommend the RT-AC68R. It has all the benefits of the RT-N66U, but also offers wireless AC and is very reasonably price for what you are getting. It also has the latest dual-core ARM based processor, basically one of the fastest processors you can put in a router right now.

 

[Raw]

Thanks guys. I was looking at these and I am interested because they have good ratings for speed, security features and setup, etc.
Might be too much for my needs, but I think I want to go 802.11 ac vs a N type router.
...

1. NETGEAR Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router (R8000)
2. ASUS (RT-AC68U) Wireless-AC1900 Dual-Band Gigabit Router - (I am leaning towards this one)
3. Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (ME918LL/A)

What would/do you think about these?

 

[stinger608]

Actually @newtekie1 I would come out of the router to a gigabit switch and attach the wireless router to the switch.
I actually have a very similar setup now. It runs; modem>gigabit switch>wireless router.
I plugged my laptop into the router in order to properly set up the security and once that was done I just disconnected the nic cable and only use the router for wireless throughout the house for an HTPC, laptop, and the wife's tablet.

 

[Raw]

"ac"

A really good starter wireless router is the RT-N12 from ASUS. Thanks to the decent sized external antennas it has excellent range, and it is very stable and reliable in my experience. The only draw backs are it does not have 5.0GHz, but I find in most home setups the 5GHz band is unnecessary anyway, and it only has 100M network ports. The 100M ports problem is easily fixed by connecting an inexpensive gigabit switch to the router and plugging all the computers into that. From the sounds of it you are going to need a switch anyway since almost all routers today come with only 4 ports and it sounds like you need more than that. So it looks like no matter what you end up going with you'll probably want to grab yourself one of these switches.

If you want something a little more up the price range I recommend the RT-N66R/U. Just to clarify before I go any further, the RT-N66R and RT-N66U are the exact same router, they are even both identified in the firmware as just the RT-N66U. ASUS just changes the U to an R on the refurbished model. On to the benefits of this model. Again it has nice big external antennas which provide an excellent signal range. It also does 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz at the same time. Again, in my experience this router is extremely stable and reliable. This is actually my personal router I use in my home. The router is located in my basement, and I have a 2 story home. This router easily covers the entire house with a good signal. The drawback to this router is it isn't wireless AC, which is the latest wireless standard. IMO, not really a deal breaker since there isn't a whole lot of devices out there that use wireless AC and wireless N is good enough. If you need something faster than wireless N, IMO, just bite the bullet and run the cable.

Now, if you really do want something basically top of the line, without breaking the bank, I recommend the RT-AC68R. It has all the benefits of the RT-N66U, but also offers wireless AC and is very reasonably price for what you are getting. It also has the latest dual-core ARM based processor, basically one of the fastest processors you can put in a router right now.

Thanks newtekie, we must have been typing at the same time. As I was finished I saw your post...

I need to do a bit more reading up on this but I probably will be ordering tonight. I like the fact you actually use the RT-N66 and I may just get that instead, probably not though. Because there is not a lot of money I would be saving. Looks to be about $50.00 or so, not a lot. And I like the idea of newer technology. I just don't want issues with lag, disconnects, dropped signals, etc. But it sounds like that is not a problem for you. And security (other guest user control lock features) are important to me. I do some business work at home, good security is essential for me.

 

[Raw]

As Eidairaman1 pointed out, depending on the place you live in can make wireless signals weaker.
If that is the case, you can get a cheap wireless extender/booster such as this TP-Link one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704187

I have had great luck with TP-Link products thus far, however I have not had the need for a wireless booster yet.

As for wireless routers, there are literally thousands to choose from.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=wireless router&N=-1&isNodeId=1

That all might be overwhelming at first, however find what your needing in your set budget. You probably really don't have the need for a dual band router at this time, as they tend to be much more expensive. Just find a reasonable priced wireless "N" router. Probably find one in the $20 to $60 range that will fit your needs just fine.

Something else to consider; are you in need of wireless cards in your systems? If not, no big thing but if you are planning on making one or more of the computers wireless then you will have to consider what type of wireless card/USB you will need.

I will need wireless plug in adapters in my TV's. I was looking at the Asus Dual-Band Wireless-AC600 Wi-Fi adapter or the Asus Dual-band Wireless-AC1300 USB 3.0 Wi-Fi Adapter for the TV's...?

 

[stinger608]

Yep, them would probably work great for your needs.

 

[Raw]

Yep, them would probably work great for your needs.

Good. Thanks to all of you for the feedback. Going to pull the trigger tonight or tomorrow. So far it looks like the ASUS (RT-AC68U) Wireless-AC1900 Dual-Band Gigabit Router plus (2) of the Asus Dual-band Wireless-AC1300 USB 3.0 Wi-Fi Adapters for the TV's.
Almost positive, need more time to keep reading up on all this wireless stuff, it does seem to get somewhat complicated. I need to read through all the advertising junk and hype. That's why I ask on TPU, to get the real deal info.

 

[newtekie1]

Thanks guys. I was looking at these and I am interested because they have good ratings for speed, security features and setup, etc.
Might be too much for my needs, but I think I want to go 802.11 ac vs a N type router.
...

1. NETGEAR Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router (R8000)
2. ASUS (RT-AC68U) Wireless-AC1900 Dual-Band Gigabit Router - (I am leaning towards this one)
3. Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (ME918LL/A)

What would/do you think about these?

Definitely avoid the Apple Airport. Last I checked they didn't even have a configuration web interface. You have to do all the configuration through a bloatware filled program installed on your computer. When I set one up for a client, they use PCs but have an Apple TV and the buy at the Apple store told him he had to buy the Airport or the Apple TV wouldn't work...anyway when I was setting it up for him the program required that I install not just the setup program but Quicktime and that Bonjour crap as well. Why do you need quicktime to configure a router Apple?!? Sorry, little bit of a rant there...

Actually @newtekie1 I would come out of the router to a gigabit switch and attach the wireless router to the switch.
I actually have a very similar setup now. It runs; modem>gigabit switch>wireless router.
I plugged my laptop into the router in order to properly set up the security and once that was done I just disconnected the nic cable and only use the router for wireless throughout the house for an HTPC, laptop, and the wife's tablet.

Why would you do that?!? I'm guessing your did it to try to segregate your wireless network from your wired, in case someone breaks into the wireless(almost impossible if you use WPA2). The only problem is the segregation is backwards in that setup. Things on your wired network won't be able to access anything on the wireless network, but things on the wireless network WILL be able to access things on the wired. So if you have a wireless printer, you won't be able to print to it from any PC on your wired network. But if you have a wired file server, and I break into your wireless network, I would be able to access the files on the wired file server(assuming I had the username/password for the file server or you were sharing files without a password).

Besides, that setup won't work in the OP's situation anyway because his modem is just a modem, not a router/modem combo. So you can't just plug a switch into it and plug in multiple computers. It only supports a single device connected to it.

"ac"
Thanks newtekie, we must have been typing at the same time. As I was finished I saw your post...

I need to do a bit more reading up on this but I probably will be ordering tonight. I like the fact you actually use the RT-N66 and I may just get that instead, probably not though. Because there is not a lot of money I would be saving. Looks to be about $50.00 or so, not a lot. And I like the idea of newer technology. I just don't want issues with lag, disconnects, dropped signals, etc. But it sounds like that is not a problem for you. And security (other guest user control lock features) are important to me. I do some business work at home, good security is essential for me.

That is true, I'd probably go for the RT-AC68U as well over the RT-N66U simply because the price difference is not that big. Back when I bought my RT-N66U AC wasn't even a thing yet... Otherwise I would have gone with the RT-AC68U.

Good. Thanks to all of you for the feedback. Going to pull the trigger tonight or tomorrow. So far it looks like the ASUS (RT-AC68U) Wireless-AC1900 Dual-Band Gigabit Router plus (2) of the Asus Dual-band Wireless-AC1300 USB 3.0 Wi-Fi Adapters for the TV's.
Almost positive, need more time to keep reading up on all this wireless stuff, it does seem to get somewhat complicated. I need to read through all the advertising junk and hype. That's why I ask on TPU, to get the real deal info.

I'm not sure those adapter will work on your TVs. Unless I'm misunderstanding something and you are actually plugging in the adapters to PCs connected to the TV. With wireless adapters like those, you can't just plug them into the TV and they'll work. Generally with TVs you have to use what is already built into the TV, you can't add adapters. They don't have the ability to install new drivers for things, so you can't add new adapters.

If your TVs have ethernet ports, you can get something like this to connect them to your wireless network.

 

[Raw]

Definitely avoid the Apple Airport. Last I checked they didn't even have a configuration web interface. You have to do all the configuration through a bloatware filled program installed on your computer. When I set one up for a client, they use PCs but have an Apple TV and the buy at the Apple store told him he had to buy the Airport or the Apple TV wouldn't work...anyway when I was setting it up for him the program required that I install not just the setup program but Quicktime and that Bonjour crap as well. Why do you need quicktime to configure a router Apple?!? Sorry, little bit of a rant there...



Why would you do that?!? I'm guessing your did it to try to segregate your wireless network from your wired, in case someone breaks into the wireless(almost impossible if you use WPA2). The only problem is the segregation is backwards in that setup. Things on your wired network won't be able to access anything on the wireless network, but things on the wireless network WILL be able to access things on the wired. So if you have a wireless printer, you won't be able to print to it from any PC on your wired network. But if you have a wired file server, and I break into your wireless network, I would be able to access the files on the wired file server(assuming I had the username/password for the file server or you were sharing files without a password).

Besides, that setup won't work in the OP's situation anyway because his modem is just a modem, not a router/modem combo. So you can't just plug a switch into it and plug in multiple computers. It only supports a single device connected to it.

Good to know that, as I said, security is very important to me.

That is true, I'd probably go for the RT-AC68U as well over the RT-N66U simply because the price difference is not that big. Back when I bought my RT-N66U AC wasn't even a thing yet... Otherwise I would have gone with the RT-AC68U.



I'm not sure those adapter will work on your TVs. Unless I'm misunderstanding something and you are actually plugging in the adapters to PCs connected to the TV. With wireless adapters like those, you can't just plug them into the TV and they'll work. Generally with TVs you have to use what is already built into the TV, you can't add adapters. They don't have the ability to install new drivers for things, so you can't add new adapters.

If your TVs have ethernet ports, you can get something like this to connect them to your wireless network.

Yes, I would be plugging in the wireless adapters to 2 PC's connected to 2 tv's. Actually, one will have a PC connected via Ethernet to a Sony PlayStation 3 then to a Samsung tv via HDMI cable and one Sony Bravia 32" tv will just have a ROKU with ethernet connection.. None of my TV's have WIFI built in or Ethernet ports.
I intend to buy more wireless devices in the near future.

 

[Raw]

A really good starter wireless router is the RT-N12 from ASUS. Thanks to the decent sized external antennas it has excellent range, and it is very stable and reliable in my experience. The only draw backs are it does not have 5.0GHz, but I find in most home setups the 5GHz band is unnecessary anyway, and it only has 100M network ports. The 100M ports problem is easily fixed by connecting an inexpensive gigabit switch to the router and plugging all the computers into that. From the sounds of it you are going to need a switch anyway since almost all routers today come with only 4 ports and it sounds like you need more than that. So it looks like no matter what you end up going with you'll probably want to grab yourself one of these switches.

If you want something a little more up the price range I recommend the RT-N66R/U. Just to clarify before I go any further, the RT-N66R and RT-N66U are the exact same router, they are even both identified in the firmware as just the RT-N66U. ASUS just changes the U to an R on the refurbished model. On to the benefits of this model. Again it has nice big external antennas which provide an excellent signal range. It also does 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz at the same time. Again, in my experience this router is extremely stable and reliable. This is actually my personal router I use in my home. The router is located in my basement, and I have a 2 story home. This router easily covers the entire house with a good signal. The drawback to this router is it isn't wireless AC, which is the latest wireless standard. IMO, not really a deal breaker since there isn't a whole lot of devices out there that use wireless AC and wireless N is good enough. If you need something faster than wireless N, IMO, just bite the bullet and run the cable.

Now, if you really do want something basically top of the line, without breaking the bank, I recommend the RT-AC68R. It has all the benefits of the RT-N66U, but also offers wireless AC and is very reasonably price for what you are getting. It also has the latest dual-core ARM based processor, basically one of the fastest processors you can put in a router right now.

You saved me $65.00 by providing the link " recommend the RT-AC68R. " as I had one in my basket at Amazon, thanks. I'm good with refurbished. And for $24.00 more I got the 2 year extended warranty. So, lets say $40.00 saved. That's nice. The $40 will help pay for an adapter. Thanks so much for your time and help. Glad I asked here before jumping into this blindly.

Router just ordered at the egg.
Asus Dual-band Wireless-AC1300 USB 3.0 Wi-Fi Adapters ordered at Amazon.

 

[stinger608]

One of the main reasons I did that @newtekie1 was due to my VOIP not working correctly behind a router with the firewall enabled.

 

[newtekie1]

One of the main reasons I did that @newtekie1 was due to my VOIP not working correctly behind a router with the firewall enabled.

I had that problem when I first started to use Vonage, there are an assload of ports you have to forward to get it working properly...

 

[stinger608]

Yea I don't use Vonage any more. Hell they were about the same price as a regular land line. It was almost $40 per month.

 

[eidairaman1]

One of the main reasons I did that @newtekie1 was due to my VOIP not working correctly behind a router with the firewall enabled.

Voip vs pots. Ill take pots thx.

 

[Raw]

Wow, price jumped @ the Egg from $129.99 to $169.99 since I bought the RT-AC68R 3 days ago.
I just found out I have a friend who has the same model and he paid $300.00 for it when they came out. By the way, he absolutely recommends it, says it works flawlessly for him. We shall see tomorrow, as it's on the way via UPS.

Got it. Installed and running, seems fast enough. Now it's time to tweak it in.