Anyone have any recommendations on an ADSL/802.11n 5Ghz Router?

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Anyone have any recommendations on an ADSL/802.11n 5Ghz Router?

nzskater

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#79182 14-Mar-2011 12:10

Am rather sick of my Telecom supplied Thomson router, and would like to upgrade to 5Ghz N wireless, but am unsure what to buy (or how much to spend). Ideally it would have 4 x Gig ethernet as well, but this isn't a requirement. Does anyone have any recommendations on what to buy? Help would be much appreciated.

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#448408 15-Mar-2011 03:30

Not seen 5GHz and ADSL in the same box, but unless you have the adsl connection in the same room you want to use the internet then you probably want a seperate box. 5GHz signals have trouble penetrating the good old NZ sticks and cardboard walls that 2.4GHz seems to get thru without too much problem. Its the same band that 802.11a used, and that was total crap in a house. Great in a cube farm which is where it mainly got deployed. Shame that they dont open up that nice empty 2.3 and 2.5GHz bands for wifi use. That would help so much with all the other 2.4GHz stuff around.

Richard rich.ms

JimmyH

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#448669 15-Mar-2011 19:40

They do exist - the Belkin Playmax will do it.

There is a Playmax router only version (which is common) and an ADSL modem-router version (which is slightly harder to find, costs a bit more, and which I have). I have only had mine for a couple of weeks, purchased on a deal from JB HiFi. It is dual radio so will do both frequency bands concurrently (other cheaper models will do both bands, but you have to select one or the other). So far my view is:

Pros:
- Dual mode dual radio
- Range and throughput seem good - SD video streaming is rock solid throughout house
- 2xUSB ports, usable for storage or connecting printers
- USB ports will power 2.5" drives that are attached
- easy setup

Cons:
- No indicator lights, can't tell what is happening if there is a problem (my biggest complaint!)
- Seems to run a tad on the hot side - quite warm to touch
- USB storage is slow
- Pretty darn ugly to look at
- Bundles software applets are (mostly) pointless

nzskater

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#448717 15-Mar-2011 22:34

Thanks for the input guys. Found an article that has some info on a few possible options: http://www.pcauthority.com.au/GroupTests/214805,time-for-faster-wireless-12-latest-80211n-routers-re...

I had hoped to get an all in one solution, but it looks like the best bet is to get a separate modem/router set-up...

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#449021 16-Mar-2011 20:17

Ummm, those reviews are a tad old.

Some of the routers reviewed (eg the Belkin N+, the Linksys 610N) are obsolete, have been replaced by newer models, and can't be purchased.

You should check reviews on the newer models first.

nzskater

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#449057 16-Mar-2011 22:39

Indeed, hard part is finding reviews of the newer models. Even then I'd rather have a generation older if it means stability, prime example of that being the E3000 vs E4000 from Cisco (although it seems to depend on what you connect to it). So many options!! Still haven't settled on one...

Anyone else got any suggestions? Keen to get feedback on a particular model if you're using it. Anything is helpful! :)

nzskater

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#458880 14-Apr-2011 18:06

Ended up getting hold of a Netcomm NB14 & a Linksys WRT320n. Now stuck in the madness of trying to half bridge a PPPoA connection from the NB14 to the WRT320n, which doesn't look possible (doesn't seem like the modem supports it). Anyone have any thoughts?

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shrub

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#458897 14-Apr-2011 19:07

buy a draytek 120 it does pppoa-pppoe in full bridge.

cyril7

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#458902 14-Apr-2011 19:24

Whats wrong with the NAT router of the modem/router, its only handling a 20Mb/s max connection, so with modern chipsets easy. Therefore just layer2 bridge a N Wifi router (ie dont use its NAT router) to get N class WiFi.

Cyril

richms

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#458905 14-Apr-2011 19:28

cyril7: Whats wrong with the NAT router of the modem/router, its only handling a 20Mb/s max connection, so with modern chipsets easy. Therefore just layer2 bridge a N Wifi router (ie dont use its NAT router) to get N class WiFi.

Cyril

+1 - replacing one iffy NAT implimentation with a half bridge to one that is probably just as bad seems silly, and the less CPU sapping stuff going on in the wireless accesspoint the better IMO. They are hardly high performance devices, its quite common to see the http interface of an internet router die or become unresponsive while under high load, whats to stop the wireless connection doing the same when it is having to connection track 1000's of UDP streams for torrents or whatever?

Richard rich.ms

w2krules

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#460824 20-Apr-2011 09:51

nzskater: Ended up getting hold of a Netcomm NB14 & a Linksys WRT320n. Now stuck in the madness of trying to half bridge a PPPoA connection from the NB14 to the WRT320n, which doesn't look possible (doesn't seem like the modem supports it). Anyone have any thoughts?

I'm using a TP-Link modem router in half bridge mode with a Netgear WNDR3700 which worked fine once I set the router to a different subnet. Doh.

Most stuff I've read suggests using a modem with a Broadcom chipset if you want to run in half bridge mode. The RTA1320 is the usual choice, but they tend to run hot and die. I'd suggest a TP-Link 8840 modem router as a slightly more expensive (about $50 new) but better option.

With regards to 5GHz 802.11N, it is still way faster than G, even with the older Intel chipset in my laptop. I usually get 6-7 MBps but have seen over 10! Haven't tried HD video streaming yet (not much point with a 14" screen) but opening photos on the server is almost instant now. Just make sure your router has 1 GHz ethernet ports though.

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nzskater

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#460852 20-Apr-2011 10:28

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions you guys, really appreciate it. After a bit more reading online it seems that the Draytek Vigor 120 is one of the most often recommended modem/router capable of half bridging. Anyone have any experience with them or reasons not to get one?

http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspx?ItemID=376438

Sadly my current config removes a usable LAN port on my router which I need, so it's either by another modem or by a switch, and I'd rather not add yet another device to the stack. Plus this Netcomm modem is insanely hot, almost too hot to touch after being on for a while, which is ridiculous!

In regards to wireless, it only really provides a network for my mobile devices and the occasional guest, so shouldn't be a big issue using half bridging as far as load goes.

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w2krules

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#460863 20-Apr-2011 10:47

The Draytek is not a half bridge device, it provides a full PPPoA to PPPoE bridge - see this link: http://www.draytek.co.uk/products/vigor120.html I think the only drawback is price - you can get a new RTA1320 for about $20 or a used one for a few dollars!

My understanding is that running a modem in half bridge "fakes" the PPPoE link to the router. But my setup has been solid for 5 days now and comes back on line without any intervention when I power cycle both devices together. If I have problems I will definitely buy a Draytek - am trying to save money as the Netgear cost well over $200!

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nzskater

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#460872 20-Apr-2011 11:10

$20?! Can't seem to find them that cheap. But am happy to pay the extra $30 for some slightly more robust tech if it means better stability.

Ragnor

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#460879 20-Apr-2011 11:37

When he said new he probably meant "as new" off trademe. Lots of ISP's used to give out the RTA1320 as the basic free modem when people signed up, ergo heaps of spare unopened ones about.

w2krules

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#460900 20-Apr-2011 12:49

Ragnor: When he said new he probably meant "as new" off trademe. Lots of ISP's used to give out the RTA1320 as the basic free modem when people signed up, ergo heaps of spare unopened ones about.

I got an unused 1320V6 for $20, although it took a couple of days to find one at that price. I've seen the older (cream) ones for even less.

They are a very good modem apart from the overheating problem - the connection is usually rock solid with good sync speeds. The later (black) 1320 looks as though it has more vents and should run cooler.

TP-Link have air vents in the bottom of the case with more vents in the side so that there is air flow through the case.

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