Wireless Router from Argos?

Tar.Aldarion

Hey does anybody have experience with the routers they have available? Any ideas on good ones or ones to avoid, has to be bought in the sligo store by tomorrow! Going to look up some now but if anybody has experience with them that would be great, have had to return so many bad routers before.

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?pp=Show+all&s=Price%3A+Low+-+High&storeId=10152&catalogId=13352&langId=111&q=ROUTER&authToken=

I'm looking at

Belkin F6D4230uk4 Wireless N150 Cable Router. 925/4709
€29.99

Netgear Wireless N150 Router. 925/5090
€37.48

Belkin F6D4630uk4A Wireless N150 Modem Router. 925/4716
€47.99

Netgear Wireless N150 Modem Router. 925/5100
€49.99

Belkin N300 F5d8236uk4 Cable Router. 675/7742
€49.99

Belkin F7D1301uk SURF N150 Wireless Cable Router. 925/4730
€49.99

Netgear Wireless N300 Router. 925/5131
€64.99

Tar.Aldarion

also how do people find linksys vs belkin vs netgear?

deceit

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

also how do people find linksys vs belkin vs netgear?

Only thing I will say is avoid belkin with a ten foot barge pole.

Tar.Aldarion

In my experience all brands have bad routers! haha. Belkin have caused me the most hassle in general.

am thinking of this one unless anybody else has ideas.

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/9255100/Trail/searchtext%3ENETGEAR.htm

nesf

I have some Netgear stuff in my network here that hasn't given me any problems if that's any use to you. Any router can be a lemon though. I have had problems with Belkin in the past mind.

Tar.Aldarion

Thanks, think that netgear one will do the trick so. Can always return it! My record is 4 router returns in a week until I found one that actually did what it said :cool:

I think I have returned everything I have ever bought by Belkin apart from a usb wireless card...which is also terrible but I got it for free. :-p

deceit

Just to point out I work for a distributer of network equipment and one of my jobs is to test equipment and compare it to other competitors which is why I wont recommend one but steer you away from belkin who consistently fall well short of quality standards, service and updates. I've owned 4 belkin router/modems in the past and every one of them failed btw.

FlyingIrishMan

I have a belkin router, doesn't seem as bad as everyone else is describing but it still isn't great. Probably best to go with one of the other brands.

Paulie Walnuts

Just saw this thread and had to say my piece. Belkin are terrible, just...terrible. I would advise anyone reading never ever buy anything Belkin.

Tropheus

Got a Belkin N600 ADSL router in Argos last Friday. It as €99.99 reduced from €139.99. It was a genuine reduction as it's the higher price everywhere else in Dublin.

I'm pleased with some aspects, but the Wi-Fi range could be better. It replaces a 4 to 5 year old Netgear N router that had no range issues.

The Netgear was good, but the 10 mins to reboot when the broadband went down was a pain. I have an issue where mine drops at 11.03 p.m. each night and I'm still trying to identify the cause. The Belkin hiccups for 30 secs and comes back up where the Netgear needs to be turned off for around 10 mins before it will come back up.

Looking for suggestions to improve the n600's range. I do live in a big house, but disappointed that the older Netgear has better range.

challengemaster

ksimpson wrote: »

Got a Belkin N600 ADSL router in Argos last Friday. It as €99.99 reduced from €139.99. It was a genuine reduction as it's the higher price everywhere else in Dublin.

I'm pleased with some aspects, but the Wi-Fi range could be better. It replaces a 4 to 5 year old Netgear N router that had no range issues.

The Netgear was good, but the 10 mins to reboot when the broadband went down was a pain. I have an issue where mine drops at 11.03 p.m. each night and I'm still trying to identify the cause. The Belkin hiccups for 30 secs and comes back up where the Netgear needs to be turned off for around 10 mins before it will come back up.

Looking for suggestions to improve the n600's range. I do live in a big house, but disappointed that the older Netgear has better range.

Put the 40 quid you saved towards a range extender? Not the best solution but it's one option...

Tropheus

challengemaster wrote: »

Put the 40 quid you saved towards a range extender? Not the best solution but it's one option...

Thought of that. Shouldn't have to do it, but looks as though it's needed. In terms of ADSL, it's a decent router, but the Wi-Fi range is below par.

Can you recommend an extender?

challengemaster

ksimpson wrote: »

Thought of that. Shouldn't have to do it, but looks as though it's needed. In terms of ADSL, it's a decent router, but the Wi-Fi range is below par.

Can you recommend an extender?

I've no idea, being really honest. I've started looking at a few recently as I might need one myself and I'd be leaning towards something linksys/cisco just because it's made by cisco

PogMoThoin

See what I posted here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=79859095&postcount=7
A much better option, wireless extenders are terrible

challengemaster

PogMoThoin wrote: »

See what I posted here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=79859095&postcount=7
A much better option, wireless extenders are terrible

Do those plugs actually work though?

PogMoThoin

challengemaster wrote: »

Do those plugs actually work though?

They work very well in houses with modern cabling. Both sockets need to be on the same circuit board and you shouldn't use them on extension cables.

witnessmenow

ksimpson wrote: »

Got a Belkin N600 ADSL router in Argos last Friday. It as €99.99 reduced from €139.99. It was a genuine reduction as it's the higher price everywhere else in Dublin.

I'm pleased with some aspects, but the Wi-Fi range could be better. It replaces a 4 to 5 year old Netgear N router that had no range issues.

The Netgear was good, but the 10 mins to reboot when the broadband went down was a pain. I have an issue where mine drops at 11.03 p.m. each night and I'm still trying to identify the cause. The Belkin hiccups for 30 secs and comes back up where the Netgear needs to be turned off for around 10 mins before it will come back up.

Looking for suggestions to improve the n600's range. I do live in a big house, but disappointed that the older Netgear has better range.

You could make the netgear your wi-fi access point (probably)

I cant remember the exact steps for doing it, but basically:

• Turn off the Netgears DHCP server
• Plug the netgear into the Belkin (You will need to assign it a static IP address on the Belkins IP range)

you should then be able to connect to the netgears Wireless, Belkin will keep serving the IP address and the internet

Tropheus

witnessmenow wrote: »

You could make the netgear your wi-fi access point (probably)

I cant remember the exact steps for doing it, but basically:

• Turn off the Netgears DHCP server
• Plug the netgear into the Belkin (You will need to assign it a static IP address on the Belkins IP range)

you should then be able to connect to the netgears Wireless, Belkin will keep serving the IP address and the internet

It's ADSL so I don't think there's an input to plug the Belkin into the Netgear.

Tropheus

PogMoThoin wrote: »

They work very well in houses with modern cabling. Both sockets need to be on the same circuit board and you shouldn't use them on extension cables.

I've found them very patchy. I believe the sockets have to be on the same circuit, i.e. the same breaker on the fuse board. Some people find them great, others can't get them to work. I'm one of the latter.

It's an expensive investment if they don't work.

Sarz91

ksimpson wrote: »

I've found them very patchy. I believe the sockets have to be on the same circuit, i.e. the same breaker on the fuse board. Some people find them great, others can't get them to work. I'm one of the latter.

It's an expensive investment if they don't work.

I got a set for €40. Not really that expensive when compared to a repeater.

PogMoThoin

ksimpson wrote: »

It's an expensive investment if they don't work.

Buy them online, pay by card, keep the packaging. Unlike bricks and mortar shopping, You have the right to change your mind and get a refund with anything you buy online.

witnessmenow

ksimpson wrote: »

It's ADSL so I don't think there's an input to plug the Belkin into the Netgear.

It doesnt need a WAN port so to speak. It will basically makes the netgear a switch. The netgear will pass on any requests it receives onto the Belkin. Basically just connect it to any lan port of the back of the netgear to the Belkin

I have an eircom netopia modem working as a wireless access point at home. I'll check the settings tomorrow, but im pretty sure its just what i posted up earlier (maybe the gateway needs to be set to the Belkin's IP address aswell)

Headshot

For anyone consider getting a router, you have to consider this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Billion-BiPAC-7800N-Broadband-Wireless-N/dp/B002TOKGL8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343436225&sr=8-1

They are brilliant. I sold one there recently and 5 mins didnt past before I had 3 offers and in the end someone actually used the buy it now

They sell like hot cakes on ebay and I can understand why

ED E

For that money grab a WNDR3800 or 3700 and be done with. Enthusiast gear thats top notch and supports Tomato if you want to go down that route(I may well soon myself).

And yeah, homeplugs work really well, even on extension leads.

the_syco

ksimpson wrote: »

I've found them very patchy.

What brand/model have you used?

ksimpson wrote: »

I believe the sockets have to be on the same circuit, i.e. the same breaker on the fuse board. Some people find them great, others can't get them to work. I'm one of the latter.

By same breaker, am I to assume you mean you have more than one breaker for the plugs in your house?

Homeplugs are great. Have the router in the garage section, so the rest of the house didn't really have a stable wireless connection, but now I have a wireless homeplug in the main part of the house with another homeplug connected to the router in the garage.

Burgo

ED E wrote: »

For that money grab a WNDR3800 or 3700 and be done with. Enthusiast gear thats top notch and supports Tomato if you want to go down that route(I may well soon myself).

And yeah, homeplugs work really well, even on extension leads.

Whats tomato like? I've used DD-WRT quite a lot but wouldn't mind seeing what tomato could do at some point.

PogMoThoin

Burgo wrote: »

Whats tomato like? I've used DD-WRT quite a lot but wouldn't mind seeing what tomato could do at some point.

It's much the same but offers better QOS.

If you're looking for the ultimate router may I suggest this. This is the most powerful wireless router you'll buy for the same price as a decent Linksys or Netgear. It's an enterprise MPLS capable router with config options on a par with a Cisco router costing thousands, ISP's use them:
https://wirelessconnect.eu/product/Mikrotik-RB751G-2HnD
http://routerboard.com/RB751G-2HnD

I have one, they're only just available, I've been waiting on the gigabit version for months. It has 5 gigabit ports, a Usb port and the wireless "n" output is 1000mW (1Watt), to put that in context a standard unmodified Linksys WRT54GL you see recommended everywhere is 28mW. No messing its the most powerful router you can buy at an affordable price (they're actually having trouble getting them certified in the USA for this reason). It comes with 64MB RAM onboard, most standard routers have 16MB and struggle with torrents/streaming etc. It comes with a basic configuration, but the possibilities are endless if you're willing to get your hands dirty, although the learning curve is huge. They provide a simple web GUI for basic configuration, but there are lots more options available if you use their Winbox software. You can also run scripts on them, their forum is full of guides and a helpful community.

Tea_Bag

PogMoThoin wrote: »

It's much the same but offers better QOS.

If you're looking for the ultimate router may I suggest this. This is the most powerful wireless router you'll buy for the same price as a decent Linksys or Netgear. It's an enterprise MPLS capable router with config options on a par with a Cisco router costing thousands, ISP's use them:
https://wirelessconnect.eu/product/Mikrotik-RB751G-2HnD
http://routerboard.com/RB751G-2HnD

I have one, they're only just available, I've been waiting on the gigabit version for months. It has 5 gigabit ports, a Usb port and the wireless "n" output is 1000mW (1Watt), to put that in context a standard unmodified Linksys WRT54GL you see recommended everywhere is 28mW. No messing its the most powerful router you can buy at an affordable price (they're actually having trouble getting them certified in the USA for this reason). It comes with 64MB RAM onboard, most standard routers have 16MB and struggle with torrents/streaming etc. It comes with a basic configuration, but the possibilities are endless if you're willing to get your hands dirty, although the learning curve is huge. They provide a simple web GUI for basic configuration, but there are lots more options available if you use their Winbox software. You can also run scripts on them, their forum is full of guides and a helpful community.

I can't find a link to their forums?

what's the bandwidth monitoring like on those? going by specs alone its mighty impressive.

at the moment I'm having problems with my netgear router being a severe bottleneck on my broadband. I'm on upc's 120mbps package, and have it properly bridged via dmz to the netgear, but I'm only able to achieve around 70mbps on cable, whereas if I use the Thompson via cable I can get up to 145mbps the Thompson is rubbish for multiple XBoxs and steaming though.

ED E

That may just be the workaround bridge.

The thing to do would be to harass UPC until they provision a proper cable router for you :P

PogMoThoin

Tea_Bag wrote: »

I can't find a link to their forums?

http://forum.mikrotik.com/

Tea_Bag wrote: »

what's the bandwidth monitoring like on those? going by specs alone its mighty impressive.

It's an enterprise router. QOS works pretty good out of the box but you have any amount of options to go beyond that, layer 7 priorities, bandwidth shaping, scheduling, queueing, load balancing, routing protocols. It's up to you how deep you want to go. Expect a huge learning curve, it's nothing like any household router, more like a Cisco router.

Tea_Bag wrote: »

at the moment I'm having problems with my netgear router being a severe bottleneck on my broadband. I'm on upc's 120mbps package, and have it properly bridged via dmz to the netgear, but I'm only able to achieve around 70mbps on cable, whereas if I use the Thompson via cable I can get up to 145mbps the Thompson is rubbish for multiple XBoxs and steaming though.

There are loads of things this router can do to improve your network, you can set a dns cache to improve lookups to sites you visit regularly, static dhcp so your phone gets the same IP each time. It runs RouterOS, which is their own linux, so it can accept scripts which can be scheduled. I have a script which checks every few minutes for a change in my public IP and updates Dyndns, another that emails me the logs and config every week. Gimme a shout if you buy it. I can send you on some of my config with good secure firewall.

Tea_Bag

ED E wrote: »

That may just be the workaround bridge.

The thing to do would be to harass UPC until they provision a proper cable router for you :P

I do and have done in the past with their 25mb package.

problem is they have no docsis3 stand alone modem, yet.

when they get one I'll be the first person they contact apparently.

witnessmenow

You recommended the mikrotik as a solution for traffic shaping to me before and you were right they are the business. They are incredibly configurable.


Pretty tempted to grab this, its €90 inc VAT and shipping, which is not bad ....

witnessmenow

Headshot wrote: »

For anyone consider getting a router, you have to consider this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Billion-BiPAC-7800N-Broadband-Wireless-N/dp/B002TOKGL8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343436225&sr=8-1

They are brilliant. I sold one there recently and 5 mins didnt past before I had 3 offers and in the end someone actually used the buy it now

They sell like hot cakes on ebay and I can understand why

For traffic/bandwidth management, from my experience the billion was not in the same league as the mikrotik. Im sure it is a good router (it has a great rep) but for that specific use case it wasnt up to it.

PogMoThoin

witnessmenow wrote: »

For traffic/bandwidth management, from my experience the billion was not in the same league as the mikrotik. Im sure it is a good router (it has a great rep) but for that specific use case it wasnt up to it.

There is no comparison. The Billion is a fairly average Class C household router (overpriced), the Mikrotik is a professional class A enterprise router capable of many things like routing protocols, MPLS, Vlans, layer 3 switching, bandwidth shaping and management etc. It is definitely not for anyone without networking knowledge. It is on a par with configuring a Cisco router. The Mikrotik does come with a basic default config so it does work OK out of the box. For extra configurations, more secure firewall, portforwards etc, you're going to have to get your hands dirty.

witnessmenow

Pulled the trigger on a mikrotik from ebay

About €80 inc delivery from Latvia (in the EU)

PogMoThoin

witnessmenow wrote: »

Pulled the trigger on a mikrotik from ebay

About €80 inc delivery from Latvia (in the EU)

Start a thread in Net & Comms when you get it, I'll export some of my config. Your jaw will drop when you see how powerful it is. I'm now covering the house with a single one where I was using 2x Linksys WRT's with DDWRT as AP's. The Dns cache really makes a difference too, give it 4MB

PogMoThoin

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Start a thread in Net & Comms when you get it, I'll export some of my config. Your jaw will drop when you see how powerful it is. I'm now covering the house with a single one where I was using 2x Linksys WRT's with DDWRT as AP's. The Dns cache really makes a difference too, give it 4MB

I've made a start on the thread
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=80066213

zappb

https://wirelessconnect.eu/product/Mikrotik-RB751G-2HnD

Thanks for this link Pogmothoin, about to pull the trigger on two of these, but just wanted to know if theres anything else worth a look on this site? (looks to be some other interesting products).

Also double checked - http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1165410 the arstechnica geeks seem to worship that RB71G router, must be an incredible piece of kit and what a good price.

And look at the quickstart guide http://routerboard.com/pdf/384/rb751G-2HnD-qg.pdf - beautiful no bull**** for miles