Quality Routers

Hello Geeks,

I was wondering what kind of router to get depending on the number of device connected to that single router or if I can designate 2 seperate network on that given router to distribute bandwidth to priority devices. If anyone can let me know what type of router would be optimal for this kind of set up that would be great. Thank you.

HumbleServant1611

 

It all depends on what type of internet connection you are subscribing to - DSL/ADSL or Cable/Fibre optic. For multiple devices it does need to be WiFi but you can't configure it to serve any particular device over another as far as I know.
Your ISP will normally have a recommended list of routers appropriate for your connection.

Newer router technology (Mutli-user, multiple-input and multiple-output technology (MU-MIMO)) is currently being developed and that will use the WiFi 802.11ac protocol but this is unlikely to be widely available for another year.

 

Study a little more then.

Connection type doesn't matter, if you are going to install your own router you can put it behind any modem/router, just make that modem/router in bridge or pass-through mode, that way your router will get an external IP, causes less headaches with ports, firewalls and double NATting. You don't need WIFI to support multiple devices, most router support 4 or 5 wired connections, if you need use a switch to support more wired connections.
I find any router that you can install DD-WRT on to is good. You can look for the beefiest router, but the features mean a lot when you want to get in to 'advanced' networking.
Depending on subnetting you use will dictate the number of 'users'. Standard you get 253 "connections", taking one IP for the router & 255 is the broadcast.
You might not need two networks, you can (usually) find a setting in the router for bandwidth prioritizing.. but if you want to vlan or make separate networks you can with some routers (dd-wrt).

Some manufactures have simulators if you want to test drive their routers first.
http://www.tp-link.com/us/support/emulators
http://ui.linksys.com/
http://www.voiproblem.com/emulators/Netgear/
http://support.dlink.com/ <-Select a router & under downloads they will list an emulator (if available).

 

Yeah, Im looking for a router that can push a wide radius singnal to reach back rooms in the house that can handle around 5 wireless devices one of the computers might be a wired connection. I was looking at belkin wireless N series, but networking wasn't my strong suit.

HumbleServant1611

 

I just saw a review for a Xytel POE unit that also does wifi.
PLA5236
https://www.zyxel.com/news/Zyxel-la...ead-corners-with-Wi-Fi--20161121-695418.shtml
One drawback, you need a mobile app to manage the 2 units. If you don't have a smartphone or android or Apple tablet, you can't set it up.

 

Thank you for the kind advice.
Wired connections are fine if you want to run long cables if the multiple devices are not physically close. What's the point when WiFi is available now. Or a DLan set is another option for wired without very long cables if a power socket is close to every device.
But a good quality WiFi enabled router is cheaper.

 

In terms of Router signal, in this property I am in now, it has 4 permanently based devices (desktop, 2 smart TVs and a laptop that never moves), and 3 that are mobile, in a four bedroomed two story house, and the Router supplies WiFi to them all without problems. And the type of connection does matter - the above wouldn't work well with ADSL, it works because it is Fibre Optic.

 

I agree with foogoo. The connection type does not matter - and in many locations, you have no choice. You have to take what's available.

And of course you don't need wifi. Virtually all home routers have an integrated 4-port switch and you can easily add more switches to add more devices - often up to 254. With wired and its simple integrated 4-port Ethernet switch, you can have 4 computers connected via 4 1000Mbps connections. All your wireless devices will share a single access point connection. And the most common protocol, 802.11n has a maximum speed of 600Mbps. 802.11ac has a maximum of 1000Mbps, but again, that will be shared by all the wireless devices on your "local network". And both the wifi access point and the connected wireless device must support 11ac to take full advantage.

So the point for going wired versus wireless is simple - better security and over all better performance. It is well worth it to go wired if you can. If you have walls/floors/ceiling you cannot punch holes through, then you may be stuck going wireless.

That in no way implies your setup will work for everyone. The number of barriers (walls, floors, and ceilings), the composition and thickness of those barriers, and the contents of those barriers (metal wires and pipes) all affect propagation of the RF - as well as distance. Interference from other electronics affect propagation. Crowded wifi (such as those living in a large apartment complexes) affects propagation.

And again, wired is inherently considerably more secure. For a bad guy to physically hack your local "Ethernet" network he has to first, know it even exists, then physically connect an Ethernet cable to your network. Hopefully, you would see someone in your home doing that.

For a hacker to hack your wireless network (which he can easily see you have one with a sniffer app and home-made directional antenna), he can be hidden in an adjacent apartment, across the street, or even in parked car down the street, then hack your system.

Yes, wifi networks can be secured, but they are also more vulnerable to hacking - especially by nosy whiz-kid neighbors who might easily guess your passphrase.

 

That's not my experience, or that of about 20 (out of about 38) of the systems with WiFi to all devices that I help maintain, and so I have to disagree but your opinion is a valid one from your experience. Using a hard to crack encryption password is not that difficult, and decent security software applies.

 

I agree. But sadly, that practice is not always applied. As I noted, anybody with a notebook and a simple sniffer program like XIRRUS WiFi Inspector can see any wifi network in the neighborhood - even with SSID broadcasting disabled. And with a simple homemade directional wifi antenna locate the house or apartment its in. If the hacker is a nosy neighbor, he or she can start plugging in pet names, kid's names, etc. and guess the right one. Sadly, this happens too often.

With Ethernet, nobody can see your network and nobody knows you have a network, unless they know you personally. But even then they have to physically connect a cable to your network to hack it.

I don't know what you are saying does not go along with your experience. It is just a plain fact governed by the Laws of Physics that the number barriers, consistency of those barriers and distance between the access point and the wireless device all affect wifi performance. As do sources of interference.

 

Plenty of computers are hacked into and used as bots - irrespective of their internet connection type.
As far as the logistics of buildings, that's why there are WiFi boosters, and differently Dlan sets so you can run the connection through the wiring.

 

I used a password generator to create a twelve character password using upper & lower case letters, numbers and special characters.
I did that for the router settings access, the streaming player and anything else that uses a password, so I'm hoping all is secured.

 

Belkin owns Cisco now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linksys

I never heard of anything as silly as powering off a router every 12 hours!

I had a Linksys WRT54G router that was on from June 2004 until it finally bit the dust in March 2017! The only time it was off was if we had any power outages (8 1/2 days without power in Oct. Nov. 2011) other than that, it stays on 24 x 7 and served me very well.

When it came time to replace, I looked for another WRT model. A newer version of that same router has been in use since March.

I now have it connected to a 7 port protected UPS so it will remain on even during brief power outages.

 

I think you may have crossed a few wires plodr. Linksys was owned by Cisco from 2003-2013, whom then sold the brand off in 2013 to Belkin. Just my FFT.

On the topic of routers, I use ASUS for my wireless routers, hardly ever let me down, hardly ever go down, and are very customizable, or they let you load Tomato, DD-WRT, or some other firmware over their own. In terms of router/modem combos .... stay away from them, the wireless part of them suck. For modems, my modem of choice has been modems from Zoom Telephonics. If I ever have to change it up, I might go with an Arris Surfboard modem (don't know that I ever will though), as my Zoom modem works like clockwork for less the price of the more expensive modems out there.

 

I own Motorola Surfboard/Arris modems. Those have been rock solid for me.

 

That's the brand modem I currently have. Been using it about year with no issues. Looking to buy a new router . . . not decided what to go with yet. Have had good luck with Linksys offerings in the bast. I've also used Belkin and NetGear routers at one time or another.