Which router then?

[Col]

Remember that £35 I won with Aria a while back? Well the reason I've held on to it for so long is because I had to wait for my bank balance to rise a little bit because I wanted to put it towards a more expensive order.

Now though, it seems it has to go on replacing the router as per thread:
http://forums.aria.co.uk/showthread.php?t=37323

Apparently there are numerous conflicting reasons from my brother as to why we keep having problems. The router is set up wrong, BT are crap, it's the wrong sort of router, I'm constantly downloading while my computer is off, and whatever else you can think of.

I still haven't been able to get the Netgear DG834G to work again. It simply won't communicate even when directly connected to my PC by Ethernet, and nowhere where I have asked for help resolving the problem has yielded any answers.

So, despite the fact that the problem is "the s--- I buy", I am the one expected to buy the new router even though I'm not the one who has ruined all the others.

Any suggestions that'll keep my brother happy?

Here are the rules:
1. Not from any of the manufacturers that we've used before because they're obviously bad apparently:
- Netgear
- Buffalo
- BT
- US Robotics

2. None from any brand which he hasn't heard of, because "they'll just be cheap s--- that nobody's ever heard of." This includes:
- TP-Link
- DrayTek
- Edermax
- Zyxel
- Arianet

3. We had wireless disabled for ages, so I hope it's safe to assume we don't need it, but it doesn't matter if a router has integrated wireless because we just won't use it anyway. But even though it has been disabled for months, people still apparently park outside and "leech our internet."

4. 4 Ethernet ports. I guess gigabit Ethernet wouldn't hurt, but our homeplugs only run at 200 Mbps and the Ethernet interface on them is only 100 Mbps.

5. ADSL2+ compatible. I know that if I let him go out and buy one, he'll come back with a cable router from the World of PCs and say "well we connect by cables. We don't use wireless."

Any suggestions?

[michaelkenward]

You seem to have ruled out just about every brand going.

It sounds like you will never please your brother, so get something that makes you comfortable.

I would still go for Netgear on the grounds that it is easy to set up. Edimax is not!

You won't get Gigabyte ethernet at a reasonable price.

People can't leech off your wireless if you turn off that bit of the router, which is another reason for going for something that you can control easily. My Netgear DGN2000 – an 834 variant, apparently – lets you switch off wireless physically or through the web interface. And you can see if the wireless is on by looking at the lights on the box.

By the way, how old is the existing box? You could see if Netgear would fix it.

[Lorem-Ipsum]

See if you can get a business router off the bay, ie one of those huge rackmount ones.
Then you can tell your brother that it has a firewall and is awesome etc......

Apart from that the only brand you've not ruled out that I would use is D-Link

[Toonshorty]

DreyTek routers are rock solid.

They're business standard, expensive though.

[Pepp77]

Lol @ no draytek or zyxel.

Draytek are one of the best makers of routers in the world, they literally produce business quality products. As for zyxel, also ab excellent maker of network equipment, in fact both my last two companies supplied zyxel routers to the broadband customers, and I only ever had to replace one in 3 years.

The draytek 2820 series are excellent if you can afford one, or look for a zyxel 660h or 660hw (difference is the wireless).

Or as lorem says you could look at d-link its what I use at home with no issues.

[Col]

By the way, how old is the existing box? You could see if Netgear would fix it.
I guess it's worth a try. 2 year warranty, and was purchased from Aria on 22nd May 2008.

[Col]

I'm currently eying up this router:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Networking/Routers/ADSL+%28BT%29/TP-Link+TD-W8960N+300Mbps+Wireless-N+ADSL2%2B+Modem+Router+?productId=39114

Just wondering if anyone here has used this one before and wanted to get opinions. I've had a look at the online user manual and it doesn't look as simple as the Netgear ones, but Aria don't have any Netgear routers in budget.

Cheers.

[Gav]

Can't go wrong with a Netgear really. Been using them for years and they're solid.

[michaelkenward]

Can't go wrong with a Netgear really. Been using them for years and they're solid.
I usually say that too. But a lot depends on the stuff around it.

I have spent hours trying to set up the link between a Netgear DGN2000 and an Edimax EW-7462APn V2, bought from Aria, because it was the only AP they sold at the time. (Networking kit is a big gap in Aria's catalogue.)

The two do not want to know about using WPS to shake hands.

I should have noted Aria's lack of Netgear and bought from someone else, as I did the DGN2000. (Available for around £54 from the usual suspects.) Netgear is easier to set up, partly because the manuals are not written in Chinglish.

Go on, you know you really want a Netgear. And given its importance in the system, you might regret it if you try to save a few quid on a modem.

[Col]

Can't go wrong with a Netgear really. Been using them for years and they're solid.


http://forums.aria.co.uk/showthread.php?t=37323No special settings or WPS. Just set up like a normal home router except wireless was disabled.

I'm still perfectly happy to go with a Netgear router. It's just that money is very very tight. That's why I'm eyeing up the TP-Link router - it's cheaper.

[Col]

I've just been clearing out our study with my mum and found our old Buffalo AirStation complete with power supply. If I could get it to work it'd be brilliant because it'd cut out the cost of a new router.

Anyway, the problem is thus:
All required cables connected. Ethernet communications between AirStation and computer work. Web-based setup utility is accessible.

However, when I connect the RJ45 cable from the microfilter into the WAN port on the router, all the phones in the house lose dialtone and the activity LED on the WAN port does not light up. Also, the setup utility in Internet Explorer says that the cable is not connected.

I have checked all connections, including the filter's connection to the wall and all cables coming out of it.

Thoughts?

[Pepp77]

I've just been clearing out our study with my mum and found our old Buffalo AirStation complete with power supply. If I could get it to work it'd be brilliant because it'd cut out the cost of a new router.

Anyway, the problem is thus:
All required cables connected. Ethernet communications between AirStation and computer work. Web-based setup utility is accessible.

However, when I connect the RJ45 cable from the microfilter into the WAN port on the router, all the phones in the house lose dialtone and the activity LED on the WAN port does not light up. Also, the setup utility in Internet Explorer says that the cable is not connected.

I have checked all connections, including the filter's connection to the wall and all cables coming out of it.

Thoughts?

Isnt the Buffalo Airstation a DSL router (ie it doesnt have a modem in it). The reason I say this is because ADSL routers do not usually have a WAN port and do not use RJ45 to connect to the microfilter (they use RJ11).

[Col]

Oh, of course. Forgot it needed a separate modem. Damn. We got rid of the BT Voyager years ago.