StarDestroyer.Net BBS

I'm looking at updating my home router as the Belkin that I currently have keeps losing connections and in this wonderful Melbourne weather (with no A/C) gets so fucking hot that it even loses LAN and wifi connections sometimes as it crashes.

I'd just like advice on what brands/models people have had good experiences with, be it good firmware and easy port manipulation etc or really excellent wifi range/stability.

I'm also wondering if anyone has any experience with the routers with built in USB network support (ie plug in a printer/HDD and make it into a network device) and whether this functionality a) functions and b) is actually worth the premium you pay.

Does a thing with 3 aerials really work better than just 1 aerial? Is this indicative that I can run multiple channels to avoid congestion on one like I sometimes currently get on my home network.

And so it's clear what I'm after this is the current home network:
PC (almost always connected to the net) via CAT5
Laptop via wifi
360 via wifi
Wii via wifi
USB lan adaptor w/HDD and Printer attached - this has atrocious speeds, which is why I'm wondering if the built in functionality is better.

If I can get good stability we'll also be adding a skype handset and maybe a netbook/minitablet.

So - any suggestions?

I've had good experiences with the Linksys WRT610N, a simultaneous dual band n-wireless router. It runs on multiple bands - 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, my N wireless devices run on 5Ghz to avoid interference (g wireless devices are limited to 2.4ghz). When you get to the simultaneous dual band n the tier, the USB port is usually included equipment. It works for NAS, but I have a dedicated NAS now (Qnap TS219P) so I can't say anything to its speeds, it worked 'ok' when I tried it. My printer has its own wifi connection.

The Netgear WNDR3700 is also pretty good.

The A-Link WNAP is good if you can get it.

What ever you get, make sure it can support DD-WRT. Don't get anything that doesn't.

WNDR3700 runs a customized OpenWRT build out-of-the-box.

Screw those pansy ass routers and go with something more serious.

Untangle Appliance

Untangle OS

I use something like the above (mine uses an SSD + M350 case) and it is absolutely rock solid for my needs. Pair it with a nice wireless bridge and you've got yourself a network appliance that is infinitely customizable, receives constant software updates and is way more stable than anything you can buy in a consumer router. It also includes advanced features like spam filtering, heuristic attack blockers, virus scanning, web blockers, ad blocking, protocol control, Open VPN and an advanced network reporting function.

Sure it's a tad overkill but if you are interested in a serious piece of network hardware at a great value, this is a killer choice.

Netgear DG834N

The Kernel wrote:Sure it's a tad overkill but if you are interested in a serious piece of network hardware at a great value, this is a killer choice.

Yeah, but those things are often missing WiFi support on them. As a pure router they do well (I was seriously considering build a pfsense box) but are rather gross overkill.

phongn wrote: Yeah, but those things are often missing WiFi support on them. As a pure router they do well (I was seriously considering build a pfsense box) but are rather gross overkill.

Wi-fi is solved with a network bridge (better solution anyway in my opinion since it makes it easier to segment the wireless and wired connection) and Untangle goes beyond things like pfsense in providing a true network appliance level of functionality at no-cost instead of just being an advanced router. The nice part is that it is a commercial product so it has constant feature updates, but the basic (and very functional) version is free.

Sure it's a tad overkill but at roughly 2x the cost of a high end router you are getting a LOT for your money.