Re: reliable wireless router

Fielder George Dowding wrote:
> Here is my two pence:
>
> 1. I like _Linksys_ - Their purchase by Cisco has seemed to enhance
> their consumer offerings.

Perhaps they are better, but in the past I have had more overheating,
port syncing, and hanging problems with linksys routers than any other
brand.

>
> 2. I wouldn't take a _D-Link_ anything if you gave it to me. They may
> have changed, but I don't want to waste anymore time experimenting.
> Windows users have good reports especially for an all D-Link system
> (wbr, pci, cardbus, etc.). I still have a 802.11b wbr and cardbus card
> that doesn't work with Linux. I had purchased (even after this
> experience - not the sharpest knife in the drawer) a wbr (b/g) for a
> client. I found the Ethernet jack (RJ45) was flaky, the reset did not
> work, and I could not set it up even with Windows. I took it back to
> CompUSA (it was within the return period) and traded it for a _Buffalo_
> (see number 4 below) wbr with extender.

I don't know about their wireless stuff, but I have purchased several
DI-604s for various friends and family and really like the unit. I
haven't seen one hang and you can put REAL FIREWALL RULES into it. None
of this allow everything out/nothing in crap that you get with the
others, you can actually setup port address translation then block it
from everywhere except from one static IP.

>
> 3. _Netgear_ stuff works (most of the time). Damien and I had a cute
> little wireless (thingy - I don't remember the correct terminology) that
> connected to a Linksys wireless broadband router which provided access
> to the Internet via DSL from ACS here in town. It died after a year
> (maybe). It was on all the time (24/7). A friend of mine has a Netgeer
> wireless broadband router at home. He got it second-hand, and it has
> been working for a year or so, 24/7.

I haven't played with netgear wireless stuff, but my parents have a
netgear router and it hangs every now and then. I'm not real impressed.

>
> 4. CompUSA had some stuff called _Buffalo_ which I found easy to set up
> with a Linux box. I acquired three units. The first was a single
> wireless broadband router. It has been on 24/7 for some two years now. I
> needed to extend the coverage (g needs more power because it needs about
> five times the bandwidth as b, hence reliable coverage is about one
> fifth - rule of thumb lad and lassies - as a b) so when I went back to
> CompUSA the unit included an extender (wireless bridge) for a slightly
> higher price. It took me a little longer to set up the system because of
> the complexity, but it has been in service for more than a year, 24/7.
> The problem is availability is spotty. I think they are in Austin, TX,
> but CompUSA does not always have a selection of their offerings. I have
> the extra wbr here at home. I don't need the extender. It work great. I
> turn it on when I need it (daily).
>
> 5. _Belkin_ is another one that I shy away from. YMMV.
>
> 6. _Xyzel_ seems to work with Linux. I only have had experience with a
> pci card. It needs the ndiswrapper and the Windows XP driver to work in
> Linux. They may not make an wbr.

Isn't it interesting how people can have totally different experiences
with the same brands/boxes?
---------
To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.
Received on Thu Jan 12 09:20:27 2006