Recommend my friend a router

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#1281319 12-Apr-2015 09:25

Xeon:
TalynOne: Yeah, she might bite the cost and get the RT-N66U. It's a crime how much more computer parts cost in NZ, in the US i can get that model for $125 (with free 2 day shipping via my Amazon prime account):

http://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-Band-Wireless-N900-Gigabit-Router/dp/B006QB1RPY

You can always order it off Amazon, $123 + $18 Shipping to NZ (will take a couple of weeks to get here though, and depending on the router might need a power adapter).

I did this and went for a refurb for $80USD.

TalynOne

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#1281384 12-Apr-2015 12:18

Jase2985: why do you think your friend needs DD-WRT? they dont sound very technically minded so wouldn't a simple off the shelf, single device solution be better for them?

what functions will DD-WRT unleash for tham that other routers dont already support?

or are you just going down that line of thinking because its what you would do in your own house? which isnt always the best solution in someone elses.

Stability, stability, and stability. When you're doing things like VPN, WiFi across various devices, port forwarding for certain services it's nice to have things just "work". Let me put it this way, if you have to reboot your router for any reason even once a month I would find it unacceptable. Consumers have come to accept that modem/routers need to be rebooted to get it working again, they shouldn't.

Jase2985

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#1281390 12-Apr-2015 12:35

the last 3 modems ive had, 2 supplied by the ISP, and one ive brought my self, have never needed to be power cycled, ever, they have just worked. they use to loose power every now and then due to a blackout, but they are now on an UPS so unless the power is out for 4+ hours then it will just chug away. i had about 98 days before a power outage on my old Thompson with vdsl. im sure it would have just kept going and going. thats a cheap ISP supplied modem, if you spend a little bit more you can get a device with more/better features that will do the same thing

they have also had no issues with wifi across different devices (android, Apple, and windows) sans the current Netcomm having issues with the second access point which i didn't/couldn't find any info on prior to purchasing but thats my fault for not looking hard enough, with out the extra access point it would just work.

the way you talk you seem to think every other device just doesn't work unless it has DD-WRT on it, this is so far from the case its not funny.

i just think you are over complicating things for your non tech friend who just doesn't need the extra stuff. just because its what you would do for your home doesn't mean its suitable for someone else.

1 device = simplicity and a lot easier to fault find if something goes wrong

at the end of the day its your friends choice what they go with but i think your making things unnecessarily complicated for no reason.

if fibre is going in, in 3 years, why not get a modem that does xdsl and UFB then there is no need to change things out in the future, the device will last more than 3 years as it is.

Xeon

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#1281402 12-Apr-2015 12:42

TalynOne: Stability, stability, and stability. When you're doing things like VPN, WiFi across various devices, port forwarding for certain services it's nice to have things just "work"

Never had an issue with firmwares on router; I was using an ISP provided Huawei HG659, not the best device ever but no issues even though I pushed 6TB of traffic over it in a month it was still running smooth. Asus fimware is pretty decent, the best I've seen for a consumer aimed router.

nakedmolerat

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#1281404 12-Apr-2015 12:45

This friend of yours, is she the only person that'll be using it? I'm in the same boat with Jase2985.

With regards to stability, I use one of those cheap router/modem hg659 (loads available on trademe), more than a dozen items connected to it with amazon tv streaming full HD, Netflix full HD from the computer simultaneously, etc. Last I turn off was over 2 months ago after updating the firmware.

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#1281420 12-Apr-2015 13:22

TalynOne: ... Stability, stability, and stability. When you're doing things like VPN, WiFi across various devices, port forwarding for certain services it's nice to have things just "work"...

In my personal experience the stock software for ASUS routers is completely stable and user-friendly with an excellent GUI (I use an RT-N66U).
The only reason I installed DD-WRT on my RT-N66U is because I could - I'm a geek and I like to play with my toys

DD_WRTY has made absolutely no difference to the reliability of my router - which was perfect to start with (it's never been rebooted except for firmware upgrades).

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froob

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#1281517 12-Apr-2015 15:59

I'm with the OP on this one. ISP supplied routers tend to be a bit hit and miss in terms of reliability. I've also had bad experiences with various routers I've purchased over the years on stock firmware. I use Tomato firmware myself, and if I'm setting up a router for a friend or family member, because it's just so reliable.

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#1281521 12-Apr-2015 16:16

froob: ... ISP supplied routers tend to be a bit hit and miss in terms of reliability... .

Can't argue with that - many ISPs supply cheap and nasty entry-level routers which are ... cheap and nasty.
But most Geekzoners use something better - and the OP wants to buy something better.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

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TalynOne

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#1281563 12-Apr-2015 18:23

Sideface:
froob: ... ISP supplied routers tend to be a bit hit and miss in terms of reliability... .

Can't argue with that - many ISPs supply cheap and nasty entry-level routers which are ... cheap and nasty.
But most Geekzoners use something better - and the OP wants to buy something better.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Let me put it this way she can no longer get a modem free from her ISP because of the amount of exchanges she went through due to faulty hardware.

TalynOne

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#1281566 12-Apr-2015 18:36

Jase2985: the last 3 modems ive had, 2 supplied by the ISP, and one ive brought my self, have never needed to be power cycled, ever, they have just worked. they use to loose power every now and then due to a blackout, but they are now on an UPS so unless the power is out for 4+ hours then it will just chug away. i had about 98 days before a power outage on my old Thompson with vdsl. im sure it would have just kept going and going. thats a cheap ISP supplied modem, if you spend a little bit more you can get a device with more/better features that will do the same thing

they have also had no issues with wifi across different devices (android, Apple, and windows) sans the current Netcomm having issues with the second access point which i didn't/couldn't find any info on prior to purchasing but thats my fault for not looking hard enough, with out the extra access point it would just work.

the way you talk you seem to think every other device just doesn't work unless it has DD-WRT on it, this is so far from the case its not funny.

i just think you are over complicating things for your non tech friend who just doesn't need the extra stuff. just because its what you would do for your home doesn't mean its suitable for someone else.

1 device = simplicity and a lot easier to fault find if something goes wrong

at the end of the day its your friends choice what they go with but i think your making things unnecessarily complicated for no reason.

if fibre is going in, in 3 years, why not get a modem that does xdsl and UFB then there is no need to change things out in the future, the device will last more than 3 years as it is.

When I have to support something remotely I'd rather not roll the dice. DD-WRT is far from complex, I've set it up on dozens of routers throughout the years. Her previous ISP supplied devices were garbage. It's the little things DD-WRT does right that as a whole make it just better. When something doesn't work you get the option of tweaking the settings around or channeling the community to get things to work the way you desire. With stock firmware if there's a bug in it you're beholden to the manufacturer for a fix (which many times never appears). It's the little things like her current ISP supplied router requiring a full modem/router reboot for any port forward changes (I mean, really?!). Also her current device simply ignores ip address reservations. In my experience combination devices are jack of all trades, master of none. Meaning you get both not a very good modem or router, no thanks.

Jase2985

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#1281602 12-Apr-2015 20:13

you havent mentioned who her ISP is, nor what device she is currently using, nor what she will be doing with it, how many devices on the network etc. important factors when choosing a device

your friend is free to take your advice but TBH i think if its just her you will be spending unnecessary money and making the setup overly complex for her.

most CPE is fine for the average joe for doing what they do, but there is a step between where you want to go and the ISP CPE.

PANiCnz

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#1282423 13-Apr-2015 18:40

Surely something from TP Link would fit the budget? WDR3600 or the Archer C5?

TalynOne

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#1283004 14-Apr-2015 15:37

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

She ended up getting the Draytek Vigor 120 and the Asus RT-N66U. I configured the Vigor 120 for passthrough mode and put DD-WRT on the Asus and configured it with her port fowards, QOS, and some DHCP tweaks, and access to the modem diagnostics, everything seems to work fine so far (knock on wood).

To answer some questions here:

Vodafone is her ISP as mentioned in the original post.

This is her old router:
http://www.dlink.com/uk/en/support/product/dsl-g604t-wireless-adsl-router

Two people in her home with 3 desktops, 2 laptops, and 2 android phones.

Jase2985

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#1283009 14-Apr-2015 15:49

good to see the budget was stuck to, could have saved yourself some money and brought the DSL-N66U as that supports ADSL VDSL and fibre and is only $20 more if your lucky

for the price you spent on both devices you could have almost got a Asus DSL-AC68U and had a less complicated setup

nakedmolerat

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#1283020 14-Apr-2015 15:52

Well that was an ancient modem/router she had!

Wireless G! 10/100mbit! Any newer setup will always be much better than that!

You can't compare that to the newer router. Even hg659 will be miles better than that!

I bet most of the 'unstable issue' is actually the wireless coverage.

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