Seeking a Good budget ADSL2+ Router for Home Use with Telecom DSL Service

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Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Seeking a Good budget ADSL2+ Router for Home Use with Telecom DSL Service

manuleka

62 posts

Master Geek

Topic # 114386 18-Feb-2013 11:39
My Budget: ~ $130 Usage: 1 Webserver (will be on 24/7) 4 PC (3 Wireless) Looking for a replacement Wireless Router as have been through a few thomson/dlink telecom supplied ones and they play up after 4 - 6 months... looking at trademe but i more inclined into getting a new one, just hard to tell how much a second hand router has been put through you know... any suggestion is greatly appreciated

RunningMan

1332 posts

Uber Geek

Reply # 764078 18-Feb-2013 11:46
Are you looking for a modem, or a router, or a combo device? If you want stability and versatility, you could go for a separate modem and router. Draytek 120 are rock solid basic modems, then get a TP-Link router to pair with it. If the budget can't stretch that far, then grab an old Dynalink RTA1320 and half bridge that to a TP-Link router.

allan

608 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

Reply # 764082 18-Feb-2013 11:48
TP Link W8960N - under $100 at Ascent

joutei

233 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 764102 18-Feb-2013 12:08
allan: TP Link W8960N - under $100 at Ascent + 1 , These modems are very reliable IMO

manuleka

62 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 764115 18-Feb-2013 12:33
RunningMan: Are you looking for a modem, or a router, or a combo device? If you want stability and versatility, you could go for a separate modem and router. Draytek 120 are rock solid basic modems, then get a TP-Link router to pair with it. If the budget can't stretch that far, then grab an old Dynalink RTA1320 and half bridge that to a TP-Link router. combo modem/router will look into the TP-Link Modem/Router

manuleka

62 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 765701 19-Feb-2013 12:23
RunningMan: Are you looking for a modem, or a router, or a combo device? If you want stability and versatility, you could go for a separate modem and router. Draytek 120 are rock solid basic modems, then get a TP-Link router to pair with it. If the budget can't stretch that far, then grab an old Dynalink RTA1320 and half bridge that to a TP-Link router. can you elaborate on the advantage of having a separate Router/Modem? would that be ideal for my setup? especially a small webserver running from home? cheers

eXDee

2846 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Reply # 765732 19-Feb-2013 12:54
manuleka: RunningMan: Are you looking for a modem, or a router, or a combo device? If you want stability and versatility, you could go for a separate modem and router. Draytek 120 are rock solid basic modems, then get a TP-Link router to pair with it. If the budget can't stretch that far, then grab an old Dynalink RTA1320 and half bridge that to a TP-Link router. can you elaborate on the advantage of having a separate Router/Modem? would that be ideal for my setup? especially a small webserver running from home? cheers Draytek acts as a transparent bridge and has a very stable DSL sync and reliability. Shared load, DSL stuff is managed by the draytek, auth, routing, everything else is done by the router. If you upgrade to VDSL2 or Fibre, you need only replace the draytek modem and everything else can stay the same with the tplink. Some tplink routers (without modem), as well as some other brands (asus, older linksys, some netcomm) can have custom firmware loaded on it such as TomatoUSB. TomatoUSB is a superior firmware to almost all stock router firmware, extremely stable and packed with loads of features such as VPN, QoS, USB disk file sharing, etc. Other firmwares such as Gargoyle (based on OpenWRT) and DD-WRT are options too.

manuleka

62 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 765743 19-Feb-2013 13:08
eXDee: manuleka: RunningMan: Are you looking for a modem, or a router, or a combo device? If you want stability and versatility, you could go for a separate modem and router. Draytek 120 are rock solid basic modems, then get a TP-Link router to pair with it. If the budget can't stretch that far, then grab an old Dynalink RTA1320 and half bridge that to a TP-Link router. can you elaborate on the advantage of having a separate Router/Modem? would that be ideal for my setup? especially a small webserver running from home? cheers Draytek acts as a transparent bridge and has a very stable DSL sync and reliability. Shared load, DSL stuff is managed by the draytek, auth, routing, everything else is done by the router. If you upgrade to VDSL2 or Fibre, you need only replace the draytek modem and everything else can stay the same with the tplink. Some tplink routers (without modem), as well as some other brands (asus, older linksys, some netcomm) can have custom firmware loaded on it such as TomatoUSB. TomatoUSB is a superior firmware to almost all stock router firmware, extremely stable and packed with loads of features such as VPN, QoS, USB disk file sharing, etc. Other firmwares such as Gargoyle (based on OpenWRT) and DD-WRT are options too. thanks... had a look at the cost and i decided to stick to a combo... how would this one compare to the TP-Link modem mentioned on previous posts http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspx?ItemID=402457 cheers

allan

608 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

Reply # 765751 19-Feb-2013 13:35
To be honest I had terrible problems with Linksys (Cisco) ADSL Modem/Router combos in the past - the WAG160N specifically. Numerous disconnection issues not fixed through multiple firmware releases, forgetting DNS settings, DHCP not being pushed out, losing Wi-Fi connectivity etc. The list just went on and on and while I persevered for a couple of years, I eventually stopped using it. However, I know people who have used Linksys/Cisco routers (router only, not combo), who have nothing but praise for them. I'd suggest you have a trawl through the Linksys/Cisco support forums for the X2000 and see what people are reporting.

manuleka

62 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 765758 19-Feb-2013 13:39
allan: To be honest I had terrible problems with Linksys (Cisco) ADSL Modem/Router combos in the past - the WAG160N specifically. Numerous disconnection issues not fixed through multiple firmware releases, forgetting DNS settings, DHCP not being pushed out, losing Wi-Fi connectivity etc. The list just went on and on and while I persevered for a couple of years, I eventually stopped using it. However, I know people who have used Linksys/Cisco routers (router only, not combo), who have nothing but praise for them. I'd suggest you have a trawl through the Linksys/Cisco support forums for the X2000 and see what people are reporting. had a look at some reviews of the TP-Link you recommended and some report a few firmware issues... others heat problem although there were also a lot of positive comments as well

allan

608 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

Reply # 765768 19-Feb-2013 13:51
manuleka: had a look at some reviews of the TP-Link you recommended and some report a few firmware issues... others heat problem although there were also a lot of positive comments as well I haven't had any issues with overheating, but I did do a firmware upgrade, although I can't remember exactly why now. I knew I originally bought it after seeing someone else's recommendation here. I just found the post: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=49&topicid=74543&page_no=1#423325 Actually, that's the thread I had a good whinge about the WAG160N as well, I just realised - haha

RunningMan

1332 posts

Uber Geek

Reply # 765769 19-Feb-2013 13:52
allan: To be honest I had terrible problems with Linksys (Cisco) ADSL Modem/Router combos in the past - the WAG160N specifically. That particular model appears to be an anomaly - it's rare to see a good word written about it!