Need help buying a Wireless Router

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myl0r

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I need help buying a wireless router for my home. I'm pretty clueless when it comes to this sort of thing, so I was hoping some of the in-the-know CAG community could aid me in my search. Here's what I've got so far.

I'm on a budget, so I'm trying to keep this around $50 for a decent router. It won't be used for online gaming, other than taking the Wii online to download games. Mostly for my wife/me to use our laptops around the house.

We've got Cable internet, I think 12megs, using a Motorola Surfboard modem. I've kinda picked these two out on newegg based on price/rating.

Rosewill Wireless-G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=wireless_router-_-33-166-032-_-Product

Linksys Wireless-G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=wireless_router-_-33-124-190-_-Product

What does the CAG community think? Which one would they pick, what should I stay away from?
 
I would go with the Linksys model you linked. It's easy to set-up despite what saturnotaku implied.
Also, if you have a Sam's Cllub or Costco membership, the routers they carry are usually user friendly and well priced.
 
[quote name='dskye']I recently got one of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320023&Tpk=wl 520gu

It's similar to the Linksys WRT54GL in that it can be pretty versatile through third party firmware, but the one I bought also has a usb port if you want to plug in a printer or hard drive or something.[/QUOTE]

I bought the WRT54GL for my parent's place...I love it. I installed DD-WRT firmware and set it up as a repeater so we could broadcast the internet all across the property. It's one of the most flexible routers I have ever used.
 
[quote name='msriflegirl']I bought the WRT54GL for my parent's place...I love it. I installed DD-WRT firmware and set it up as a repeater so we could broadcast the internet all across the property. It's one of the most flexible routers I have ever used.[/QUOTE]

Definitely. I've got a WRT54G (version 4, so it's pretty much identical to the WRT54GL) and an ASUS WL-520gu setup in a similar fashion, both running Tomato. It is absolutely gravy.

However, since the OP doesn't seem to be particularly confident in his/her tech ability, I'm not sure if these kinds of routers are the best. I have no experience with the factory installed firmware on these models, so I can't personally vouch for stock firmware. I mean, installing third party firmware isn't difficult (it's as simple as reading the instructions!) but for me, it's certainly scary. Luckily, there are usually ways to recover from getting your router bricked, but that could end up being quite a time sink.

I'd say that if you (as in the OP) want something that's flexible and capable of handling almost any sort of odd situation you can think of in exchange for a bit of work (ranging anywhere from 5 minutes to maybe a couple of hours), go with a router that's capable of installing dd-wrt/tomato/whatever (e.g. the Linksys WRT54GL or ASUS WL-520gu). If not, perhaps other models would be good.

Also, keep in mind that most routers that support third party firmware are NOT wireless N capable. If you don't know what that is, wireless N is the new standard that runs faster than G (but G is still pretty damn fast).
 
[quote name='dskye']However, since the OP doesn't seem to be particularly confident in his/her tech ability, I'm not sure if these kinds of routers are the best. I have no experience with the factory installed firmware on these models, so I can't personally vouch for stock firmware.[/QUOTE]

Hence why I pointed him toward the D-Link. Its stock firmware is the most user friendly for inexperienced users, IMO, and I've tried several different brands, including the others in the "big 3" (Linksys and Netgear).
 
Agree with dskye+1. I have 2 Linksys WRT54GL purchased from newegg. They really shine when using 3rd party software. Tomato firmware by far easiest to use. You can boost wireless signal strength. Improve speed torrenting (utorrent). Set up WPA,repeater mode. Setup wireless Ethernet bridging( good for a wi-fi connection for your xbox 360 , cheaper to.) I currently use one as a wi-fi adapter for my xbox 360 which is nice. You can also stream movies via
Tversity.PS3Mediaserver ,XBMC. The other router is setup for regular use wired and wireless and magic jack voip.
PS
Stock firmware is real lamesauce.
 
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