Please please help me choose the right router for my new flat!!!

hughythomas · 20 Aug 2011 at 22:37

Hi guys!

I am in DESPERATE need of some help here!

I am on Be there (Pro package) in my tasty new flat with the missus (expect some pics soon on the desk gallery!) but am having awful problems trying to find the right router for us!

BeBox is alright - at least it works and doesn't drop connection like the Netgear (read on later) however it lacks gigabit ethernet and decent wireless connectivity.

I was really after a router that would be able to offer gigabit ethernet and more up to date wireless for the devices in our flat (namely 2x MacBook Pros + an iPhone). Also, gigabit was important as I have a wired connection piped from the lounge to the study in the flat.

So, I stupidly went out and bought a Belkin Play Max N600 HD for £120 (high street retailer) after reading some online reviews which were generally favorable as I needed the router quickly. Unfortunately, the range is so bad on the Belkin that even the 2.4Ghz band was failing to reach the bedroom in a medium sized flat. Otherwise, it was a good router as it had a modem (required for my Be package), was stable and most importantly fast!

Back it goes to a certain very big computer retailer in the UK.

Salesperson recommended a Netgear DGND3700 so I managed to sort an exchange for a Netgear DGND3700 (think its v2) which I had to pay £30 exta toward.

Got it home. Unpacked. Got working with Be.

D'oh....

It randomly disconnects (just like my parents' Netgear DG834T although more frequently). What a bugger!

Have looked online and found MANY people reporting same issue and Netgear do not seem to be interested in supplying a fix anytime soon. I should also mention that I have an ASUS RT-N56U at my recording studio and think its the BEST I've used however....no modem. We want a box that looks sleek, does its job reliably and has an inbuilt modem so that we don't need to run two devices (bridged).

Does the perfect Gigabit N modem/router exist yet?

It must have the following for me:

1) Looks good
2) Stable
3) Fast Gigabit ethernet for file sharing
4) Dual band 2.4/5Ghz simultaneous
5) Has a modem for Be there broadband

What is the best router for me? Would be EXTREMELY grateful if you guys could give some advice as I don't know how many times I can keep returning routers to PC 'globe'....

Cheers

Tom

bremen1874 · 21 Aug 2011 at 00:04

Personally I'd drop the requirement for a single box solution.

The RT-N56U + an external modem (Vigor 120?) positioned somewhere out of sight would work now, and would also be suitable if you ever get a FTTC connection.

DavidS14 · 21 Aug 2011 at 04:07

Have you tried something like Inssider to check what other wireless networks are active ?

I had a load of problems with a 3700 that I was setting up for a friend until I did a site survey ((Site survey info) and scanned for other networks and found that everyone in the surrounding flats were all using the same channel/freq. I just moved to an unused channel and it's been OK since.

Channels 1, 6 and 11 are the best to limit any crosstalk. Most kit seems to ship on channel 6 any people don't change it so 1 and 11 can be empty.

Have a read of
how to fix your wireless network part 1
Increasing wireless network coverage

There's a couple more articles on that site on other things to look at.

I think you'll struggle with to find a suitable single box solution as has been said. I'd leave the modem where it is and try and find a central location for a router to give the best coverage.

hughythomas · 21 Aug 2011 at 12:24

Thanks DavidS14 but unfortunately my Netgear is dropping connection over Ethernet as well. It also suffers from much more lag on League Of Legends than the Be Box or the Belkin.

My main PC is connected via RJ45 to the router as the router is sat on my desk in the living room (hence why I want something that will look good too).

As for Bremen's suggestion - I think I am gonna have to come round to the idea of two boxes like you say.

Any more thoughts guys?

roadie · 22 Aug 2011 at 13:08

I would use the Bebox in bridge mode and get the latest Apple Airport Extreme. Linksys E4200 would be a cheaper option.

hughythomas · 22 Aug 2011 at 17:41

Thanks for the replies guys - after much messing around I have literally just set my BeBox to 'Bridged' mode (effectively disabling the router part of the thing if I am correct?) and am using my ASUS RT-N56U from the recording studio for the time being.

This is not at all ideal as although I can't fault the ASUS...it's so good I kinda need need it in my studio not in my flat!

Does anyone know how much speed will be lost if I was to go for the Apple AirPort Extreme? Wired/Wireless speeds are essential to me and assuming this ASUS works fine in the flat I would be more inclined to go with the RT-N56U as it has a web based GUI (unlike the Apple).

Can you sell the Apple to me as I can't seem to find any benchmarks comparing the two?

Many thanks again for your input guys!

Terrier_Jimlad · 22 Aug 2011 at 23:06

I find the Linksys WAG320N is pretty damn stable, looks good, has 4x gigabit ports, has usb port/media server if you use that, it's dual band and does 2.4 and 5.4 however the only limiting factor is it doesnt do them both simultaneously. Theres not many ADSL routers than do and also give gigabit ports @ the same time.

roadie · 23 Aug 2011 at 20:45

The Apple, Linksys E4200 and Netgear WNDR4000 all use similar Broadcom chips, and I believe performance won't vary much between them. The ASUS is Ralink so will perform slightly differently, I would imagine. It's the cheapest of the bunch too.

I would read these two articles on Anandtech, as he says the Apple has the potential to work very well with the new Apple notebooks. It might also fit in well looks wise.

One
Two

Personally I would go for the Linksys because of the combination of price, cable management and looks.

hughythomas · 26 Aug 2011 at 13:50

Thanks for all the suggestions guys I have just ordered a Draytek Vigor 120 modem as I am experiencing disconnects even with my Asus RT-N56U plugged into my BeBox (in bridged mode).

I want to ensure I am using the best possible hardware my end before calling up BT or Be and checking line attenuation etc.

When it doesn't disconnect this setup works brilliantly! Will decide which router to buy once I get my Vigor through early next week as my Asus really needs to go back to my parents place.

hughythomas · 26 Aug 2011 at 13:51

BTW, smallnetbuilder.com have recently posted benchmarks of the new Apple AirPort Extreme (v. 5). Great site as they give you results of all the other mainstream routers to compare speeds.

Seems like the ASUS RT-N56U still rules the roost though!