11 replies to this topic

[Maalox]

I've got BellSouth DSL which I want to convert to wired/wireless by means of a wireless router. I have been using a Westell DSL2+ router for my 10-year-old desktop PC, which I will be phasing out.

New computer is an HP Pavilion dv4 Notebook PC.
CPU is an AMD Turion II Dual-Core M500 Mobile (2.2GHz)
4G of RAM
OS is Windows 7

I will not be playing high-end games on this laptop - just word processing, photo and presentation stuff, and some video like MLB.tv. I would prefer not to spend more than $100 for a wireless router. But I will spend twice that for quality and reliability. But if I can get quality and reliability for 25 bucks then I want to spend 25 bucks.

[Blacken]

Most routers will end up being pretty much the same regardless of what you get. I personally like the Linksys WRT54G and pretty much anything by Netgear.

[sheshistory]

Most routers will end up being pretty much the same regardless of what you get. I personally like the Linksys WRT54G and pretty much anything by Netgear.

Does your new computer have 802.11a/b/g/n WIFI access?

If so, I HIGHLY recommend getting a N router, which is a bit more expensive but makes internet access even faster. I have a Linksys WRT160N router that I paid about $60 and I've had no problems at all and set up was a breeze.

If your new computer is 801.22a/b/g enabled only then the WRT54G that Blacken suggests is decent - I had it also before I got my N Router - and it wore out after 4 years or so but it did okay while it was around and was inexpensive.

[Maalox]

I don't know what kind of access it has. How do I find that out? I guess it has whatever comes with an HP dv4 laptop.

EDIT: It looks like I have an Atheros AR9285 802.11b/g adapter.

[sheshistory]

I don't know what kind of access it has. How do I find that out? I guess it has whatever comes with an HP dv4 laptop.

EDIT: It looks like I have an Atheros AR9285 802.11b/g adapter.

I looked your laptop up online but I saw that it comes with several options but if you have the G wireless adapter, the Linksys WRT54G is probably a good choice. Another good thing about that router is that with it's purchase comes pretty decent tech support. When I did have a problem with it, I called or chatted online with tech support people from Linksys a full three or four years after it's purchase with no extra cost.

[Blacken]

If so, I HIGHLY recommend getting a N router, which is a bit more expensive but makes internet access even faster. I have a Linksys WRT160N router that I paid about $60 and I've had no problems at all and set up was a breeze.

An N router won't make your internet access faster, at least not in most parts of the US. 802.11g tops out at 54Mbps. Most DSL and cable lines are at 20Mbps or less. It's only as fast as the slowest link in the chain - computer wireless radio, router wireless radio, pipe to the Internet.

It'll make doing stuff locally much much faster, though.

[ReggieSmith]

I've got BellSouth DSL which I want to convert to wired/wireless by means of a wireless router. I have been using a Westell DSL2+ router for my 10-year-old desktop PC, which I will be phasing out.

New computer is an HP Pavilion dv4 Notebook PC.
CPU is an AMD Turion II Dual-Core M500 Mobile (2.2GHz)
4G of RAM
OS is Windows 7

I will not be playing high-end games on this laptop - just word processing, photo and presentation stuff, and some video like MLB.tv. I would prefer not to spend more than $100 for a wireless router. But I will spend twice that for quality and reliability. But if I can get quality and reliability for 25 bucks then I want to spend 25 bucks.

I highly recomend the Buffalo whr-hp-g54. I own 4 of these and use them for access points and wireless bridges (I relocated my wired network printer using a wireless bridge). You can flash your router with dd-wrt or tomato from polarcloud which allows you to enable an internal amplifier and preamp that are designed into the router but disabled with the stock Buffalo software. This allows you to have increased range and faster speeds (up to 54 mb for 802.11g). I have static DHCP addresses for all my attached devices as well as a local DNS that allows me to connect to each device using simple names like "printer" or "dell-laptop". You can even set up the router to use OpenVPN which will allow you to create a secure connection to your home network. Here's a link to the dd-wrt tutorials. I have one of my routers flashed with tomato and the others with dd-wrt. Either of these 3rd party software packages will greatly improve this router. Read the positive reviews on the Amazon link above (first link) and see what others have to say about this router. Search the Amazon reviews for "tomato" or "dd-wrt" and see what these people say about the router AFTER it's been upgraded. Many of the reviews are for only the stock s/w. I bought 3 of mine on e-bay for less than $50 each (including shipping).

Edited by ReggieSmith, 06 December 2009 - 12:13 AM.

[Maalox]

An N router won't make your internet access faster, at least not in most parts of the US. 802.11g tops out at 54Mbps. Most DSL and cable lines are at 20Mbps or less. It's only as fast as the slowest link in the chain - computer wireless radio, router wireless radio, pipe to the Internet.

It'll make doing stuff locally much much faster, though.

So should I get rid of DSL at some point? (I am probably moving in the spring.) What would I want instead?

[Blacken]

So should I get rid of DSL at some point? (I am probably moving in the spring.) What would I want instead?

DSL's fine. It's just that connectivity in the USA generally sucks. Outside of a relatively few areas, it's difficult to get fast broadband.

As for Tomato and DD-WRT--you totally don't need any of that. It's nice to have for power users, but I'm almost certain you don't have anything that would leverage what it brings to the table. (Like a half-dozen computers or a need for a VPN.)

Edited by Blacken, 06 December 2009 - 10:38 AM.

[Sausage in Section 17]

I bought an Airport Express router by Apple, which has a cool feature of connecting to your stereo so that you can play music wirelessly from your computers direct to your stereo. You have to run your music through the Itunes software which is no big deal. You do not need an Apple computer to use this Apple router. Airport info from Wiki.

Though the music feature ended up being a little wonky with one of my computers, the router has worked very reliably. Apple's tech support also comes without an Indian accent, and was really helpful when I set it up.

[Orange Julia]

So should I get rid of DSL at some point? (I am probably moving in the spring.) What would I want instead?

We have been pretty happy with FIOS, although they bring their own router and we were unable to rename it Red Sox Nation like all the other routers.

[ReggieSmith]

As for Tomato and DD-WRT--you totally don't need any of that. It's nice to have for power users, but I'm almost certain you don't have anything that would leverage what it brings to the table. (Like a half-dozen computers or a need for a VPN.)

He may not need a VPN but I would expect extended range would be useful. If not for the wireless bridge, my printer would be within wired distance to my router instead of where I'd like it to be. I wouldn't have a connection to my DVD player which can stream Netflix, utube, blockbuster and music from Pandora because it's also a wired device that's not within range or my router. It's very simple to flash and if you're uncomfortable doing it, I'm sure you have a SoSHer within range that can help. Even without 3rd party s/w, look at the feedback on Amazon...it's a great router.