All,

My Netgear Super G router is starting to fail. I have to reset it once or twice a week.

So, I am starting to look at routers. But, when I look at the reviews on CNET etc. I don't see a clear winner.

I need a router that:

Supports PPPOE (to connect to AT&T IFITL)
Can support two VPNs at a time (IPSec?)
Can do 2.4 and 5.0 simultaneously
That won't reboot for no reason under heavy load (D-Link 4500-CNET)
Ability to accomplish parental controls (kids might get an iTouch for Christmas)
QOS

Any suggestions?

Linksys has a dual-band router that should fit most if not all of your needs. WRT610N is the model.

Thanks for the response. No VPN support is a show stopper, as my wife and I both need to work from home at the same time. But just to be clear, we don't need to VPN to our house. We just need to be able to VPN to two different networks from our house.

Anybody had any experience with the D-Link 4500? That is what "a Gamer" at the local Fry's store recommended. He "loves it".

I avoid D-Link products. Linksys or Netgear is what I use in my homes. The model I gave you should fit all your needs though I don't know how good it is as I do not own that specific product. Generally speaking, it is against the rules to use a wireless router or access point on a network if you are working from home via VPN if you are doing anything relating to government work (including contracted stuff) because they are fairly easy to compromise if you know what you are doing.

Dlink has been fine for me in the past... linksys as well but netgear has always given me problems.

im actually looking at a new router myself but i want something that can run one of those hacked firmwares so i can have better control over my router (and find something that will allow me to limit the bw allowed on certain ports/ip's).

If you want features then a router that is supported by DD-WRT is the best bet unless you want to spend big bucks. You would have to find a dual-band router in order to broadcast a 2.4 signal and a 5Ghz signal at the same time.

http://dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices

Compare what devices are dual band and see if they are in the list.

Tomato doesn't support any new N routers yet as it is based on the older WRT54G routers. Tomato is a more stable reliable firmware but it only supports a limited amount of devices. It is like how Apple doesn't have driver issues since they only make the Mac OS work only on their hardware.

Question: Will geting a wireless N router help me get a faster wireles connection of MY Xbox 360. I believe the wireless adaptor is just G so I would guess I would see no added benifit (access point and 360 are in same room, close with no walls between). Am I wrong to think this?

Question: Will geting a wireless N router help me get a faster wireles connection of MY Xbox 360. I believe the wireless adaptor is just G so I would guess I would see no added benifit (access point and 360 are in same room, close with no walls between). Am I wrong to think this?

A wireless N router would do nothing for your Xbox 360 apart from giving you a slightly better G signal as there have been no significant advances in G router chipsets for some time whereas N routers incorporate the latest advances in signal enhancement along with multiple antennas for better signal strength.

I'd recommend checking out Small Net Builder's website for ideas:

[/URL]http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/ (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smallnetbuilder.com%2F&ei=VtEtSeKoCITU8wS-xdzeCg&usg=AFQjCNHplgl7yPtJKGcp-CE3uVWVQxzhGA&sig2=Ez3GpMTyWtssrZaqQMNdOg)


Recently, I bought the D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme Router (Draft N 2.0). It's a nice little router. It's not dual-band though (no 5GHz mode).

[URL]http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30087/96/

Thanks for all of the ideas and of course neither of us have government contracts.

I have a Buffalo router that I upgraded to dd-wrt and it works really well. Both my wife and me VPN to our job, different companies, with no issues. Besides that I have a PS3, Xbox 360, Wii , some PCs and a Linux server.

Per an earlier post (really to show it really does not pay to be brand loyal).

Two previous Linksys routers were duds....requiring resets weekly and locking up during large downloads.

I picked up a Dlink DIR-655 (Single Band N Router) and it has been rock solid, I am VERY happy with it.

Per an earlier post (really to show it really does not pay to be brand loyal).

Two previous Linksys routers were duds....requiring resets weekly and locking up during large downloads.

I picked up a Dlink DIR-655 (Single Band N Router) and it has been rock solid, I am VERY happy with it.

Thanks for the advice.

Dlink DIR-655 highly recommend.

Has been perfect for everything I have. PS3, 360, Ipod Touch, DirectvHD on Demand, 3 computers and 2 laptops

Dlink DIR-655 highly recommend.

Has been perfect for everything I have. PS3, 360, Ipod Touch, DirectvHD on Demand, 3 computers and 2 laptops

I have been using this router as well and am VERY pleased with its performance. Had major problems using multiple 360s on my older linky 54gs but no probs at all with the Dlink.

DIR-655 FTW...rock solid.

Buy a Linksys WRT600N dual band N router, put open source DD-WRT firmware on it. It's got everything you need. I gamed and streamed media with it for over a year, was very very happy.

http://lifehacker.com/software/router/hack-attack-turn-your-60-router-into-a-600-router-178132.php

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

A wireless N router would do nothing for your Xbox 360 apart from giving you a slightly better G signal as there have been no significant advances in G router chipsets for some time whereas N routers incorporate the latest advances in signal enhancement along with multiple antennas for better signal strength.

The 360 only has a 54Mbps wireless-G adapter. So, you'd have a wireless-N router connecting to a wireless-G adapter. Lowest common denominator is the G adapter, so that would be the connection speed. Lex is right, you may get a wider range with the N but that's due to the MIMO, which modern G routers typically have too. Connection speed, latency, etc. will be limited by the G adapter, no matter how fast and great the router is.

Even if you connect one of the new Wireless-N bridges to the ethernet port it will only do theoretically 100mbs since the xbox doesn't have a gigabit port. Just thought to point it out.

I have a Buffalo router that I upgraded to dd-wrt and it works really well. Both my wife and me VPN to our job, different companies, with no issues. Besides that I have a PS3, Xbox 360, Wii , some PCs and a Linux server.


I upgraded the firmware on my Linksys WRT54G to Tomato. After I figured out which version to use it was quick and painless. (To be fair, that's not always the case with firmware upgrades like this) I converted it to a wireless bridge as only part of my home network is wireless. The two PC's sitting behind it are wired, with the wireless connection acting as the "bridge" to my wireless repeater>>>DIR-655.

The 360 only has a 54Mbps wireless-G adapter. So, you'd have a wireless-N router connecting to a wireless-G adapter. Lowest common denominator is the G adapter, so that would be the connection speed. Lex is right, you may get a wider range with the N but that's due to the MIMO, which modern G routers typically have too. Connection speed, latency, etc. will be limited by the G adapter, no matter how fast and great the router is.


I realize it's not an easy option for every one, but I recommend using a wired connection for gaming.

I've used all the major brands and I gotta say Dlink was the only one that was headache free. Id rate them is this order:

1. Dlink

2. Linksys

3. Netgear



The Netgear I use now is G and was only $19.99 from Best Buy a couple a years ago and it shows. I have to reset it about every other week. I have upgraded the firmware a couple of weeks back, and noticed its faster and more reliable. So maybe that was the problem.

Firmwares are the backbone of the routers. Even a slightly modified version of a stock one can make it come to life. I have never had a router that wasn't flashed with a 3rd party firmware though except my Fios router. That one cannot be flashed and it has software so bad that it makes a stock Linksys firmware look like a commercial use router.

My list is a little different than yours D but only because I use 3rd party stuff.

1. Linksys
2. Buffalo
3. Netgear
4. Custom made router

Never had a D-Link.

Thanks for the advice.

I have been using a DIR-825 which is their latest simultaneous dual band N router. It is essentially the same as the 655, just adding the features I mentioned. This would also be a good choice.

The 360 wireless adapter also handles 802.11a which is at 5Ghz.

So you could run a router in A+N mode at 5Ghz if you wanted to. Although I'm not sure how that would affect the speeds of 5Ghz wireless N devices.

The 360 only has a 54Mbps wireless-G adapter. So, you'd have a wireless-N router connecting to a wireless-G adapter. Lowest common denominator is the G adapter, so that would be the connection speed. Lex is right, you may get a wider range with the N but that's due to the MIMO, which modern G routers typically have too. Connection speed, latency, etc. will be limited by the G adapter, no matter how fast and great the router is.

I realize it's not an easy option for every one, but I recommend using a wired connection for gaming.

Whether I use wired or wireless I cannot tell a difference while gaming. The only time I can tell a difference is when downloading, since with my wired connection I download from Xbox Live at between 40mbs and 50mbs while the wireless connection is slower than that.
But as far as gaming, I cannot see a difference between the two. If you do see a difference then you need to setup the wireless portion better or get better wireless equipment.

Question: Will geting a wireless N router help me get a faster wireles connection of MY Xbox 360. I believe the wireless adaptor is just G so I would guess I would see no added benifit (access point and 360 are in same room, close with no walls between). Am I wrong to think this?

A wireless N router would do nothing for your Xbox 360 apart from giving you a slightly better G signal as there have been no significant advances in G router chipsets for some time whereas N routers incorporate the latest advances in signal enhancement along with multiple antennas for better signal strength.



A friend of mine bough this thing: Linksys - Dual-Band Wireless-N Gaming Adapter (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8682366&st=linksys&lp=5&type=product&cp=1&id=1197679244403)

It essentially turns the wired connection into a wireless-N signal. It's all plug-n-play. Just plug a CAT5 from the 360 into the Linksys and you go as fast as an N signal. It can also be used with the PS3 and PC even a PS2.

Onto the OP's question:
I own the D-Link Xtreme N Wireless-N Gigabit Router. Never had any issues.

For that price you might as well get the Dlink DAP1522 AccessPoint/Wireless Bridge. As an access point it gives you three wired gigabit ports(the fourth port is connected to your network)
As a wireless bridge it gives you four gigabit ports.
It can run at 2.4Ghz(g/n) or 5Ghz(a/n).
I think it can also use 802.11b, but I've never used that with a wireless network since it is so slow.

I have three of them and they work extremely well with my gigabit network. I run them with wireless N at 5Ghz.

A friend of mine bough this thing: Linksys - Dual-Band Wireless-N Gaming Adapter (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8682366&st=linksys&lp=5&type=product&cp=1&id=1197679244403)

It essentially turns the wired connection into a wireless-N signal. It's all plug-n-play. Just plug a CAT5 from the 360 into the Linksys and you go as fast as an N signal. It can also be used with the PS3 and PC even a PS2.

Onto the OP's question:
I own the D-Link Xtreme N Wireless-N Gigabit Router. Never had any issues.

DIR-655 = awesome

I've been happy with the D-Link Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit Router (DIR-825). Regarding the 360, it is hardwired to a Netgear 5 port Gigabit switch. (GS105). I don't think the XBox has an ethernet card faster than 10/100 so there probably isn't any advantage regarding the gigabit connections.

Anybody had any experience with the D-Link 4500? That is what "a Gamer" at the local Fry's store recommended. He "loves it".

I have a D-Link DGL-4500 and it works well with my Nintendo DS, Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360. My only complaint is that while it supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, the two modes cannot be used simultaneously. (which means you have to choose between only g, b, and n @ 2.4 GHz or only a and n @ 5 GHz) Since Wii and PS3 don't support 802.11a I have to go with 802.11g (and n @ 2.4 GHz) for all devices.