Why do you need a router?

Jock

Jock

Jock

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Kind of linked to the other thread where i'm having problems with my router, and bear in mind i know next to nothing on the whole networking/router side of computing.

Thing is ever since i got broadband i always seem to have problems with one thing or another in terms of my router. First i had Orange who kept dropping all the time and i couldnt get into games, then i got BE* and again the router seemed to be notorious for not allowing me to game, and now i've got a Linksys which i did have running great but now i'm having difficulty setting it back up. My fault i know though i thought it would be easy.

So i mean if routers are causing me so much grief why do i need one and why do they cause me so much hassle. I mean isnt there nothing on the market where i dont have to sit and meddle with ports and the likes (stuff i dont understand) just to try and fail to get games working. Isnt there a router which is built for gaming and works without having to touch it?

I've searched and searched on the net to fix the problems ive got, ive forwarded all the ports, checked they are forwarded, got upnp enabled and all the other stuff but no joy.

If there was something out there that would work i'd happily buy it just to have a hassle free gaming exerience. Also if i needed to make the comp unsecure by deactivating something i might even do that, and just watch what sites i visit.
 
millions of people game successfully every day, so i think you are just being particularly unlucky. watching what sites you visit wont help you one tiny bit if your machine is connected directly to the internet, particularly if you are running windows, and even more so if you aren't up to date with patches, etc. in short, don't do it! who is your isp? what specific router are you running? what specific os are you running? are you running a software security suite, if so what specific version? and what specific games are you trying to play? link to the other thread, because i'm too lazy to search?
 
I know which makes it all the harder to bear :|

My isp is be* and when i first got their router through the post i played Dawn of War and found that i couldnt connect to 95% of games. I read on the net on various forums that the speedtouch routers were notorious for not working with Relic games like Dawn of War and Company of heroes. I did try forwarding ports but tbh i didnt know what i was doing and may well have done it wrong.

I decided to buy a new router to solve the problem so bought an AG241 Linksys. I was a bit sceptical about getting it set up right since it wasnt all done for me like in the BE8 box. But i managed it somehow and managed to game with no problems whatsoever.

Fairly recently my isp sent me an email to say their DNS servers were changing and so i made the changes and the i got some issues with my router saying i had a Strict NAT. I forwarded the relevent ports and all was well again.

Then as mentioned before i stupidly reset the router when i thought it wasnt working and now although i managed to get it back online, i cant seem to join any games when playing Modern Warfare 2. Now it worked perfectly before so i assume it must just be a simple setting but i've no idea what. I have tried plugging in the old BE* box to maybe use that instead, but again no joy. I've forwarded the ports on both routers and MW2 changed the NAT to open in both but i stiall cant join a game.

I'm running Vista 64x

I did have Kapersky but just uninstalled as it had ran out. At the minute i dont have any protection as such other than the default windows stuff but i intend on downloading the free Microsoft Protection Suite, cant remember its exact name. I have tried turning the windows firewall off and then trying the game but no joy.

The main game i'm trying is Modern Warfare 2 but i'm keen to get to the bottom of it so i can get Alein v Predator and Bad Company 2 working when they come out.

Thats the other thread although its only really regarding the Linksys

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18106924
 
Well if you're only connecting a single machine to the internet then you don't need a router, you could use a USB modem or PCI ADSL card (they do exist, hard to find now but they do exist) and you've no need to set up port forwarding or anything.

There is a distinct trend now for people to use routers even when they have no need for one.

And long term my mission from the ISP perspective is to get rid of routers, they will be unnecessary. IPv6 means NAT can go away and die and the CPE can just become layer2 ppp to ethernet bridges.
 
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Routers in the home are used to allow more than one ip device to connect to the internet. Otherwise you would need multiple public ip address and folks that hand these out are running out of them.
 
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the other big advantage of routers; NAT aside they also function as a stand-alone hardware firewall. Much harder for baddies to get to your PC(s) when you're behind one of those babies, so long as it's configured properly (secure password, preferably SPI etc). :)
 
Rainmaker said:
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the other big advantage of routers; NAT aside they also function as a stand-alone hardware firewall. Much harder for baddies to get to your PC(s) when you're behind one of those babies, so long as it's configured properly (secure password, preferably SPI etc). :)
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Except they don't, home routers are rubbish firewalls compared to even the cheapest serious units. And NAT should be killed as soon as practically possible.
 
Stability. Who wants to resync their broadband line if they reboot their PC? DSL's designed to be always-on, after all.
 
well if you dont want a router, then why dont you just plug in directly to your cable or DSL modem? Routers are if you want to share your connection out with more than one computer.

Unless your ISP gives a router/modem all in one kind of thingy?
 
standalone DSL modems aren't that common, you get the router attached like or not.

OP. netgear routers are your friend. linksys are not.
 
Does no one else just buy a rouer and it 'works' where you havent needed to fiddle or forward ports?

I mean i've read that upnp is meant to mean just that but it doesnt sem to work in either of my two routers. All i want is a solution thats as simple as buy the router and all your games work fine.
 
I was going to Gamesranger as it bypasses the need to open ports. But no Modern Warfare 2 servers on there when I checked. Might support other games your having problems with until get instructions what to do.
 
Yeah i've tried but had no joy. Well i've ticked the box to enable it and entered the ip, as long as thats all you need to do.

Am i not right though in saying that if youve enabled dmz then it has to work?
 
Make sure the IP address your router is assigning to your computer is the same one you've set the IP of the DMZ to be, I honestly can't see your router being the problem if things aren't working when your router is acting like a straight through connection to the net.

You do have windows firewall or other third party software firewalls disabled, right?
 
Yeah i unistalled Kapersky and turned the windows one off. I was going to get hold of the Microsoft Security Suite thing but was waiting till i get this mess sorted.

I just got myself a netgear router from ebay for a fairly low price so i'll try that as well, because even if it doesnt do the trick i can soon just re-sell it back on ebay.

I really hate this whole side of computers, i wish it was as simple as plugging something in and off you go.
 
GeX said:
standalone DSL modems aren't that common, you get the router attached like or not.

OP. netgear routers are your friend. linksys are not.
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Not that common but the Vigor 100/110/120 are easy to find for around £40.

You can plug one of them straight into the Ethernet port on your PC and configure Windows to connect to the 'net through it with the username/password from the ISP. It's a handy way of testing DSL connections at times.
 
Although the DNS issues with the AG241s is a fun one
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Is there no way to pm on the forum as i'm curious what this means. Ive searched on the net and nothings jumping out at me.
 
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