Wireless Router Question

[Agent007]

So I want to get one. Someone I know has a Linksys router and she recently encountered a problem. She called Tech Support all day, literally. We had noting but bad experiences. Not to sound ignorant but every person we talked to, English was not their first language. That was very clear. The support was just terrible. I wanted a Linksys router but now, not so much. Anyone have any good recommendations? And does said company have good tech support? Thanks fo the help.

 

[Athletics Legend]

I use to have D-Link but i have just upgraded to ADSL 2+ and I recieved a Netgear router... If your looking for a cheap option, I would suggest D-Link as they work perfectly. No problems at all for me.

 

[Zook]

Yeah their tech support is terrible. None of the operators are American and trying to understand their Pakistani accent on the phone is impossible. I just hung up after the first 5 minutes. I got the Linksys WRT54G to connect my PS3 and it's been fine although it hiccups every once in awhile and I'll have to unplug and replug it, no big deal. It depends on what you want to use if for. Try doing some google searches and find reviews like this one. And of course check out PCmag.com when you see something you like.

 

[Agent007]

Thanks for the info Zook. I think I'm going to check out Best Buy or Circuit City to see what I find. I'm not that well informed on wireless routers so thats why I want to try and stay away from Linksys. I cant deal w/ their customer support. It got to the point last night where I asked the lady to transfer me to someone else like 5 times and she wouldnt. I tolder her to f-off and hung up the phone.

 

[Forever Atlas]

lol... well unfortunately, in the computer world, most tech support you will get is going to be from eastern countries... thats because its cheap to pay them. THEY TOOK OUR JOBS!

Anyway, moving along.... Linksys, a division of Cisco, does have very good routers for personal use in a home setting. For an average sized home, I'd recommend the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G

Its a very common Linksys router that gets the job done. Its quick to install and generally reliable.

I myself have one of the Netgear Rangemax routers. It's pretty good.

Depending on your connection at home, and the amount you are willing to spend, what you want to use the router for, this will determine what router may be the best for you...

However two other basic decent and budget friendly routers (Other Wireless-G routers) that I could suggest to you are:

D-Link RangeBooster G Wireless Router WBR-2310 (though I'm not too much of a fan of D-Link)

Netgear WGR614 Wireless Router


You may want to check out, places such as Tigerdirect.com compusa.com (both the same company now) and yes even best buy for other types. But thats a little bit of my take on things.

Like I said, I have the NETGEAR WPN824 RangeMax 802.11g Wireless Router and it does fine for me. Though that one is a bit more costly... however if money isnt an issue, I can offer much more on different bands etc.

 

[Petie]

Forever Atlas put it very well - I'd just like to add my own two cents.

I've worked with just about every (common) router brand there is and I have to agree that Linksys really does make a decent router. I used to like Netgear back when their hardware was made of a blue metal but I've lost a little respect for them since they started making their routers look like toys (I realize this does not speak for the performance and Netgear still makes some good stuff - I just liked their old stuff better).

Tech support for these products will always suck so let me give you the only important piece of information you need to know: Unplugging your router for five minutes and then plugging it back in will generally fix most non user-caused problems. And if all else fails, look through the instructions and find out how to do a hard reset (which always involves holding in the small button on the back for a set amount of time). While this is a last resort, it will fix your problem unless the router is physically damaged.

I guess my point really is that you shouldn't let customer service dictate your choice in brand. Going with a quality product is far more important.

 

[Agent007]

So is it safe to say that Linksys would be the best bet?

 

[Forever Atlas]

^ I would say it's a good choice that most people are quite satisfied with.

 

[Zook]

NETGEAR WPN824 RangeMax 802.11g Wireless Router

oh yeah that was the other one I took a look at but I saw more people used Linksys and the price was cheaper so I went that way.

 

[Forever Atlas]

^ lol yeah...
But I am a master of getting deals and got mine for 35 bucks lol.

Otherwise, I too would probably have a Linksys =p

 

[Doctor Manhattan]

Personally I'd suggest the Apple AirPort Extreme Wireless Base Station, as It works fine with my Wii, PS3, various MacBooks, my desktop (Vista), parent's iMac, my brother's DS, and my PSP without any problems, and Apple's support is top-notch compared to linksys and dell.

 

[Forever Atlas]

Meh..... <sigh> yeah apple is good too.... I just dont like to help promote them when there are equal or better alternatives lol....

 

[Agent007]

I think I'm gonna stick to the Linksys. Oh well. I am gonna buy it this week. It's just dor my PSP and my laptop. I'll let you guys know what I get! Thanks for all your help.

 

[Petie]

Personally I'd suggest the Apple AirPort Extreme Wireless Base Station, as It works fine with my Wii, PS3, various MacBooks, my desktop (Vista), parent's iMac, my brother's DS, and my PSP without any problems, and Apple's support is top-notch compared to linksys and dell.

Sure, it makes a decent router when properly configured but there are a couple of drawbacks. First, $180 is a little pricey for a router when all you need to do is set up a wireless network. The extra cost comes from the fact that it is a wireless n router but not many people have the hardware to support n speeds anyway.

The big problem I have with it though is the inability to configure it through a browser. I'm just of the opinion that you shouldn't need to install software to configure a router. I set one of these up recently and had to jump through hoops to get the computer to see it so I could change its network type (the computer was too far from the router and wasn't being picked up wirelessly).

I will give you the fact that Apple support is a step above most other companies though.

 

[Agent007]

Well I ended up getting a Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router. It's not bad. It's pretty fast for my laptop and it works on the PSP. No problems yet. It worked out pretty good and it was only $50.00.