Wireless router recommendations

[Rawr]

I am currently in the market for a wireless router so an seeking recoomendations.

What I am looking for:

1. Stability -- Of course because i will be using it while playing EQ, constant resetting or dropping connections is a deal breaker

2. Speed -- I don't need anything super fast it will be connected to a 6Mbps cable modem service and my only speed concerns are that it be enough for smoothe EQ

3. Range -- Don't need anything with super range, a strong signal up to 100 feet should be more than enough.

4. Security -- Want a router with built in hardware firewall, the ability to stealth ports and wireless encryption, some customization would be a plus but don't need a super robust set of options

4. Price -- want something as inexpensive as possible(of course)

I basically want an inexpensive, reliable, and stable wireless router that i can basically set-up once and not have to constantly fiddle with it. I am willing to sacrifice some range and ultimate burst speed for rock solid operation that provides enough bandwidth for smoothe EQ and download speeds.

P.S. Also any reccomendations on wireless adapter for a PC would be appreciated.

[Jaharyss]

My recommendation would be a Linksys WRT54*whichever* series as router, it's a router, switch and access point and usually it's better to go with the same brand for adapter (Linksys 802.11g capable).

Reliable, cheap and does all fine. I heard no complaints with these series before and had some reliable recommendation from others with first hand experiences as well.

Can ask around s'more if that doesn't work out.

Peace.

[Timothian]

Rawr:

Of your questions, the one that I have not been able to get realy good information on is the security one. You will likely have to look at the manuals of the products you are considering, most are on line. Unlike comercial routers that give the ability to do lots of stuff with line comands and set up files, the stuff made for home restricts you to what menus they offer. The description of what they can and cannot do all sounds the same, but in practice the security features vary. This also is very dependent on what you want to be able to do. (as a parent, I had some specific goals of blocking certain content.)

The speed and range depends mostly on the wireless standard used, 802.11b, g, n etc..

http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/wire ... andard.htm (there are better articles out there)

In general, the higher the letter the faster the connection, but both router and PC need to be on same standard. If you go with the latest greatest standard (i.e. h, try to make sure your router and wireless card are both same brand due to compatibility issues). Pesonally, I would go with 802.11g since the bugs seem to be worked out and price is fairly good now.

As for stability, my belief is that most stability and disconnect issues are due to environment and set up. The frequency used in many of the standards 2.4 Ghz is used by lots of other wireless items, (phones, mice, etc). Not just your wireless devices, but your neighbors. I got rid of my wirless mice since it became stupid to use them since I had to have my mouse sitting next to the tranceive to work.

As for software set up, lots of tips and tricks to be aware of that depends on the OS you use. For example, in windows XP, the wirless configuration process that runs by default can actually knock your wireless network off line since it will check your wirless configuration and interupt it. Google is your friend here.

[Kilvari]

I am using an older WRT piece of hardware as well for my firewall, but I use the Tomato Firmware rather than the stock build. It provides tons more functionality. Take a look at Tomato and, if it looks interesting, you can see which devices they support and tailor your purchase accordingly. Just make sure you get something it supports and not a 'similar' device if you go that route.

There are also other freebie firmwares available for similar gateways. If you are so inclined.

[Rawr]

Thanks for the input so far. I am fairly comfortable with the standards and the workings of the networking and such, what i am really looking for is like Jah's post. An actual retail product reccomendation of something that you or people you know have used with good success or even something that is well reviewed by a source you trust.

The things i listed was to give a good idea of the type of product i am looking for instead of just saying "I need a router" with no background as to the situation i will be using it or things that i need it to do.

[Kilvari]

I am using the Tomato Firmware on a Linksys WRT-54G. I'm very happy with it. The newer versions of the WRT may or may not be tomato compatible, but I was pretty satisfied with the stock code too - I just wanted more geeky displays and tweakability.

If you use a VoIP phone provider you should probably ensure that whatever you buy will play nice with your phone service. If you are still landlocked or are purely cellular then that won't matter.

[Salnayil]

I have the LinkSys WRT-54G as well and it works well for me. I play EQ hardlined in, but Centinaul is exclusively on the wireless router and has no extra issues from it. Since installation I have only had to mess with it once to change the channel due to a wireless phone conflict.

[Rawr]

Well looks like we have a winning candidate, thanks guys.