Which Cable router

[heiowge]

I need a new router. My old Belkin one keeps dropping the wireless connections to my eeepc (ubuntu 10.10) and my wifes laptop (vista). Wired connections rarely fail.

I was probably going to get one from ebuyer since I'm going to be paying with paypal. I don't need anything fancy. I don't need to be able to connect at the bottom of my garden, but I do need a signal upstairs through a few walls.

I need it not to cost too much (sub £50) but be reliable. So I'm not looking at another belkin. Can anyone recommend a good brand, or brands to avoid or even better point me at the best one I can get for what I need?

Ta.

[Dutch_Master]

Linksys/Cisco, Draytek, Fritz (or Fritzbox). Most routers come with integrated modem these days, so check what protocol your ISP uses and if that's supported on your chosen brand/model.

[PCNetSpec]

I've always found Netgear routers to be pretty reliable, so you might want to take a look at the WGR614:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/48546
for Wireless 802.11"G" 54mbps

Or in you need Wireless 802.11"N" - the WNR1000 RangeMax 150
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166934

[heiowge]

Thanks. They both look pretty good. I am more inclined to get a G, but my one concern is not being able to match the signal I get from my belkin upstairs. Does the g level vary much? I don't mind splurging an extra £20 if it keeps my signal well, but don't want to waste it if there's no difference.

Thing is, upstairs it gets used in the bedroom a lot - I tend to stream stuff from downstairs or just surf in bed. On the meter at the top of the Gnome desktop I normally get 2 bars upstairs and 4 down. I wouldn't want to find I had a shaky connection upstairs just for the sake of £20.

[PCNetSpec]

There's a reason the WNR1000 is called a RANGEMAX

But there should be little in it between the Belkin F5D7230 and the Netgear WGR614 as far as range goes.

I take it thet your current router IS an F5D7230 ?

[heiowge]

That's the annoying piece of c***.

[heiowge]

Or in you need Wireless 802.11"N" - the WNR1000 RangeMax 150
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166934

Bought that one thanks.

[M-Saunders]

That's the annoying piece of c***.

Belkin sucks. At least, in my experience. I bought one of their combo ADSL modem + wireless router things for my parents, and its range is pitifully bad. After about five metres of space, with only a wooden door in between, the connection starts to drop. It's so bad, I don't even know why it exists.

M

[heiowge]

My belkin drops connections at a range of less than a foot.

[Rhakios]

Interesting. When I first bought some Apple gear I bought one of their Airport Extreme base stations (the flying saucer type), I kept it on a shelf next to my desktop. For my N800 to get a decent signal I had to hold it about six inches above the base station, I thought it was cr@p.
Later, I decided to move it into the sitting room and put it high up on a book shelf, now the signal reaches from one end of my flat to the other and I can even pick up the signal on my phone from the car park outside.
Odd things antennae, but no mention of this "feature" in the manual.

[Dutch_Master]

Ah yes. You know, there's more to 'wireless' then just a sender and receiver There's a whole theory on microwaves, interference, shielding and stuff...

The choice of location of your AP is of direct influence on its performance. Put it next to metal, either steel rebarb wire in the concrete or a metal box like a fridge, and the results are predictably bad. On top of a freestanding wooden frame yields much better results. And it's those results manufacturers are keen to publish and advertise. So, choose your location well and steer clear from metal.

[ollie]

The hard part of most Wi-Fi "boxes" these days is the location and direction of the antenna(s) inside the box. Wireless antennas broadcast in a "doughnut" shape (correctly called a toroid) which means there is a "cone of silence" directly above and below the antenna. Metal objects distort the doughnut, so placing the "box" on top of a fridge can extend the range outwards. You have to experiment to get the best location for your environment.

See Antenna (radio) for more info and diagrams.