Which wireless router do have and are you happy with it?

[Poppa_Meth]

Every Linksys WRT54 series has issues with P2P.

[TBoneit]

Hmmm... Westell DSL modem with 4 port wired Plus wireless.

Had to reset it once after a power flux other than that no problems.

At work on a Westell DSL modem plugged into Wired ethernet using the modems built in router through ethernet hubs here.

Check how many connections your router supports and see if you can set the software to use less than the maximum.

All routers have limits to how many connections they can support and when you go beyond that certain point which could be less than the max, My guess is that to many routings needed overworkds the processor and memory and thus affects throughput. I could be wrong too. Lets face it Linksys or any other brand you get what you pay for. Buy a good heavy duty router designed for business. $$$ though.

[Captain Satellite]

The more I deal with this, the less sense it makes. When I first posted this, 100% of the time when I went directly from my modem to the computer, I would get top performance. Early this morning around 3am, this thing was slower than hell going straight in. I hook everything back up through the router and go to sleep, get up and going through the router for more than three hours now, I am still at blazing speed. I'm starting to think this is a Comcast problem - I'm stumped.

[SingSing]

Microsoft stated that you get better result, using adapter and router from the same vender. I have one of each of everythings, so it does not matter to me.

DSL is straight from the modem to the Telco office. Cable is shared among few users then to the backbone. So you lost speed, and shared problems on cable.

[SingSing]

I'm starting to think this is a Comcast problem - I'm stumped.

You may want to switch to DSL. At least, you only have to deal with your own problems, and not the comcast sub-net you are dealt with. Lacywest gets much worst going from DSL to Comcast. You may able to get fixed going the other way.

Are we generally better off with DSL vs Cable ?

[lordsmurf]

That's not a true statement, no. My cable is far superior to the DSL around me. It just depends on the provider.

[TooLFooL]

it maybe line trouble. i lived in one apartment where everybody constantly pried open the boxes to steal cable, which eventually ruined the hard line coming in. TV would still come in ok, but there was enough damage to the line that it couldn't sustain broadband. after complaining 20,000 times they finally replaced them and fixed the problem.

[yoda313]

I have a dlink di-524. Works just fine. Its a G 54mbps router. No problems with it.

[SingSing]

it maybe line trouble. i lived in one apartment where everybody constantly pried open the boxes to steal cable, which eventually ruined the hard line coming in. TV would still come in ok, but there was enough damage to the line that it couldn't sustain broadband. after complaining 20,000 times they finally replaced them and fixed the problem.

But, But so many people lost their free cable !

[meupc]

turn off Wireless Zero config.

http://www.overclockers.com/tips1164/

[TooLFooL]

But, But so many people lost their free cable !

actually, their only concern was getting it to work, they didn't disconnect anyone! heh heh heh!...

[Nelson37]

Captain Satellite - this is a classic case of diagnosing the wrong problem. With many PC issues, all you can test is put in an input and check the output using different settings and/or hardware. The problem arises when the input is VARIABLE, as you have discovered.

Comcast speeds, as are all cable modem speeds, are highly variable. You are on a network with others in your neighborhood, and you all share the same bandwidth pool. Your performance depends on what others happen to be doing at that particular time.

Also, the Internet in general, is variable, depending on bandwidth load. Same goes for any particular website.

In order to get valid testing data, you must run Multiple tests, on Multiple sites, at Multiple times. Since you have gotten the lowered performance while taking the router out of the picture, that determines that the router is not the ONLY cause of the problem. It does NOT mean that the router is not ONE of the possible causes. Comcast could flake occassionally, the Internet could run slow, and/or the router could flake occassionally.

Most likely scenario is that there is nothing whatsoever wrong with your PC, router, or modem. The cable to your building may not be adequate. Note that when Comcast tests this, they will take a 5-10 second snapshot of what your line is doing AT THAT MOMENT. Obviously, this is not sufficient, unless by pure dumb luck they happen to test at a time of low performance. What you need to do is download a legitimate file of fairly significant length. Do this multiple times, and record the download time. Do this until you get at least two instances of lowered performance, and report this info to Comcast.

[Captain Satellite]

Thanks for the reply, Nelson. While I agree that there are times that Comcast is at fault, this would not explain why unplugging my modem last night for 30 seconds got me back up to speed. I agree completely with this statement - "Comcast could flake occassionally, the Internet could run slow, and/or the router could flake occassionally." I don't agree that there isn't something wrong with my modem. Last night my speed was way down and all that I did to get back up to speed was un plug the modem for 30 seconds. Lots of good information in your post, thanks for taking the time to post such a lengthy reply.

[hhhhbk]

WRT54GS v4
iv had it about a month
works fine with standard firmware even tho this version is supposedly one of the better ones for using the modified ddwrt firmware

decent range works at the end of my garden, from both neighbours houses and in my garage which is 3 cavity walls away

works fine with bit torrent too which was a criticism of a lot of the other brands when i was reading reviews and deciding which to buy

[SingSing]

"Comcast could flake occassionally, the Internet could run slow, and/or the router could flake occassionally." I don't agree that there isn't something wrong with my modem.

1. Plug the comcast modem cable straight into the PC/Laptop, that will test the comcast internet service.

2. Unplug the comcast cable, and plug a PC into the Linksys WRT54G lan port, and start another PC/Laptop with wireless adapter to log onto Linksys WRT54G. Transfer a few large files between the two computers, and that will test the wireless link between the router and the adapter.

The results will tell you whether some or all these have problems or not : comcast connection, comcast modem, Linksys WRT54G, wireless adapter, and PCs.

[TBoneit]

Around here Comcast is a slower broadband provider, Cablevision is good. DSL which I switched to is just solid at 3Mbps and less expensive. On Cable Broadband my software reported speeds under 2Mb to over 4Mb. It depended on how many were using the internet and what they were doing on my local loop. I'm waiting for Verizon to finish running the fiber in my town. They've been working on it for a while now and the I'll most likely switch to FIOS internet at the 15Mb Speed.

So to sum Cable can be fast. OTOH when Comcast had to start providing their own broadband I heard many, many complaints that the speed was signifigantly slower. I have never heard complaints about Cablevision (Optimum Online)

YMMV

[BJ_M]

i use one of these and it works fine ... ... (model 8054 802.11g Wireless Turbo)

[ofbarea]

WRT54G/GS are good, but they become excellent after the firmware has been upgraded to DD-WRT 2.3 SP1 (latest beta build) or to Thibor HyperWRT 14 (or newer). These (and several other) firmware’s will fix the bit torrent and other P2P network problems found in these units. Also with any of these firmware’s you will be able to boost transmit power from 21 to 83 miliwatts and for some models you will be able to overclock the Broadcom CPU to improve performace of protocol handling.

You will also get static DHCP, very nice QOS and some other nice features.

Avoid WRT54G/GS version 5.x because these do not use Linux and their firmware base is still new, therefore with more bugs than any other release.

IF you really want a cheap and reliable router, and do not mind using third party firmware, consider getting a Buffalo WHR-G54S and upgrade it to DD-WRT SP1 beta 09-FEB-2006 or newer. You can find this router for $50 in Amazon and it is even cheaper in other sites.

At least you should upgrade your router firmware to the latest Linksys version and try from there.

You may also would want to try configuring your router as B only, as this type of connection is more reliable than G. Also use channel 11, as most other wireless routers use channel 6 by default. In your PC side try upgrading your wireless NIC card drivers to the latest version available.

If your WRT54G is from version 1 to 4, try installing Thibor HyperWrt 14 (or newer) and increase the transmit power to 53. Do not go over 83 as this will require adding cooling devices to your router.

Other firmwares:
Thibor's HyperWRT
DD-WRT

[Dv8ted2]

I have a Airlink 101 - AR525W - MIMO Router. I love it.

[ofbarea]

When I was at my apartment ... I had DSL ... with SBC ... and used the Linksys WRT54G with a Westell modem. No problems

But ... I've moved in with my g/f and we are married now ... and DSL is not available on the edge of town.

So I am using Comcast ... lots of problems ... I keep getting cut off.

Solution ... I went to OSH and found a small electronic timer. I have it set to turn off my modem at 4 AM and at 6 AM ... two minutes each time. It has a battery inside to keep track of the correct time.

At least this way the stuff I'm downloading ... downloads a little sooner. Better than finding out ... I've been downloading nothing for the last 8 hours while at work.

If you have a WRT54G Ver. 1 to 4 update your firmware to to DD-WRT 2.3 SP1 beta and in the main setup page disable STP. This should help you with your Comcast problem.

[SingSing]

If you have a WRT54G Ver. 1 to 4 update your firmware to to DD-WRT 2.3 SP1 beta and in the main setup page disable STP. This should help you with your Comcast problem.

This is kind of sad, because it implies comcast can't work with router from the store.

[smd.smd]

I use a Cisco Aironet 1100, I can connect unbelievably fast, much faster than any other routers I've used extensively (2 different netgear and 2 different linksys), the signal strength is also better than anything else, and speed is as good as any of the others. Of course the price is a bit higher. I've never had to restart it or even lost a connection from my laptop after using it for more than a year.

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=558313

-- Smd

[Nelson37]

Well, yes, Cisco is very, very good. However, the price is not a "bit higher", it is ridiculously high even for most business use. Solid gold cable might help, also, with diamond or saphire connectors.

USRobotics has always been very solid, and THAT is what I would call a "bit higher", and sometimes worth it.

The reset issue on the modem is classic indicator of bad cable to the house. Complain, complain, and complain again till they fix it. "Get the speed up, with a consistent connection, or come pick this POS up and refund my money, while I order DSL". Mention something involving a hammer. They will blow you off unless you insist. Too many splitters and poor cable connection is very common, the installers are paid by the job completed, not by the hour and are sub-contractors. The re-connect guy is a full time Cable-co employee, on an hourly rate.

[Captain Satellite]

turn off Wireless Zero config.

http://www.overclockers.com/tips1164/

I wanted to report back. After trying everything posted and then some, it was only after I followed the steps in this link that I stopped having problems. Been fine for almost a week now. Thanks meupc! ::fingers crossed::

[Poppa_Meth]

ofbarea, I'm probably going to get that Buffalo WHR-G54S for my boss's wife. She wants something cheap but decent. Which version of the DD WRT firmware do I need for this? I've found the release you are talking about but there are several versions of it. I have generic, micro, mini, etc. to choose from. Any input is appreciated.

[ofbarea]

Hi,

I have 3 routers running DD-WRT v23 SP1 (05/05/06) standard.

* Linksys WRT54G Ver 2.0
* Linksys WRT54G Ver 4.0
* Buffalo WHR-G54S

I bought the WHR-G54S to replace one WRT54G because I needed to maximize the signal quality at some point in time. Read more about this in this post.

I flashed my WHR-G54S from WIN XP SP2 using the build in tftp utility.

There is a guide for flashing WHR-G54S routers and you can find it in here How do you install new firmware into whr-hp-g54?. Also read this other one The Right Way to Flash Your DD-WRT-capable Router

How to flash:

First make sure that the WHR-G54S is running the latest firmware from Buffalo. The last one available at the time of this writing was 1.20. Also make sure that you reset to Factory Defaults before the flash.

Then download DD-WRT SP1 dd-wrt.v23_generic.bin (2006 – 0505) file. I recommend this firmware version because it is running fine in all my routers. This firmware may still have a few bugs (still beta), but all the main features that I have tested are working.

Rename the firmware file from dd-wrt.v23_generic.bin to a simple name like code.bin

Power cycle the WHR-G54S.

Connect your PC to a switch port in the router. And renew your IP address (your PC should be running DHCP), or set your PC with a static IP address like: 192.168.11.200. Do not use a wireless connection to upgrade the firmware, especially if upgrading through tftp utility.

When you are ready to flash to DD-WRT open a couple of DOS window sessions.

In the first DOS window, ping your router continuously:

C:\> ping –t –a 192.168.11.1


In the second DOS window go to the directory were you have the generic DD-WRT firmware file and type the following command, but do not hit return:

C:\TEMP\dd> tftp -i 192.168.11.1 PUT code.bin

Then power cycle your router.

Since ping is running continuously in the first DOS windows, you will get a “Request timed out.” warning.

Watch this screen until you get a valid “Reply” from the router.

At this point hit return in the second DOS window so the tftp command executes.

If you succeed The LED on the LAN port will flash rapidly for a few seconds. You may also see the diag led going red. The command will complete with a success message.

This step is time sensitive, so if you do not success in the first attempt, try again.

Past this point your router will have an IP of 192.168.1.1. If your PC is configured using DHCP release and renew your IP address. If you have a static IP address set your PC to something like 192.168.1.50

After flashing for fisrt time a WHR-G54S (or WRT54G/GL/GS) to DD-WRT firmware, do not modify or power cycle your router at least for 5 minutes to allow initial setup to complete.

To access the web interface use “root” for the user and “admin” for the password.

Now restore to factory defaults or erase the NVRAM.

If you plan to use P2P go to “Administration”, “Management” tab and set Maximum Ports to 4096, TCP Timeout (in seconds) to 120 and UDP Timeout (in seconds) to 120.

At this point you should be a proud user of DD-WRT. Just set all the parameters to fit your needs. Future upgrades to newer version of DD-WRT should be done using the web interface. You may also flash to the mini (less functions but a bit more free memory), VOIP or VPN version of DD-WRT. Do not use the micro version because this is intended for routers with just 2 MB of flash RAM. To know more about the different DD-WRT firmware files read this: v23 File Versions

When I flashed my router I decided to erase the NVRAM to get rid of all parameters defined by the old buffalo firmware in order to free up some memory. I did this by telnet into the router and ran the following two commands:

erase nvram
reboot

I just did this in my own router so you have an idea of how this process is performed. I ran this from a DOS session in my XP machine:

C:\TEMP\dd>telnet 192.168.1.1

DD-WRT v23 SP1 std Date: 05/05/06 (c) 2006 New Media NET GmbH

login: root
Password:
---------------------------------------------------------------

DD-WRT build #23 SP1
some code portions OpenWRT and EWRT
additional thanks to Cesar Gonzales, Toxic,
Elektik, MBChris, Nbd, TheIndividual, Pierre Belanger
and all the wonderful supporters of this Project


http://www.dd-wrt.com

---------------------------------------------------------------


Now DD-WRT VeryBusyBox v1.01 (2006.05.05-18:07+0000) Built-in shell (ash)
Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.

~ #
~ # erase nvram
~ # reboot

The system is going down NOW !!
Sending SIGTERM to all processes.


Connection to host lost.

C:\TEMP\dd>

I have seen some post stating that after erasing the NVRAM, the router can only be accessed through the wireless interface. If this happens to you the default SSID will be “DD-WRT”. To fix this behavior just go to “Administration” => “Factory Defaults” tab, check Yes option and Save setting. After power cycling your router your router should be accessible. But I do not think you will see this issue (I have not!).

Erasing the NVRAM is not something common, so you should not worry too much about this.

Final comment, after flashing to DD-WRT the bridge switch at then bottom will be ignored. Also the AOSS button will not have assigned any specific function. With the help of custom scripts that could be added to the router, functions could be assigned to them (I do not have the skills to implemented this ).


May the force be with you!

*** Edit: 6-SEP-2006 ***

Now is possible to flash the Buffalo router back to the original firmware. Check the following link for details:

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=23591#23591

[Poppa_Meth]

Thanks for the input. I'll check into further.

[ofbarea]

Poppa_Meth,

The first flash of Buffalo routers is complicated because stock WHR-G54S firmware upgrade web interface is expecting the firmware file to be in an unknown encrypted format.

After the first flash installing DD-WRT maintenance releases is a very simple process. Something to remember, for configuring or flashing Linksys and buffalo routers using the web interface is better to use MS IE as there are some problem with Mozilla/firefox browsers.

[Poppa_Meth]

I'll keep that in mind. I've been using FF on the WRT54GS we have at work with no issues thus far but perhaps they exist and I just haven't encountered them yet.

[rallynavvie]

We still on this?

Cisco 2811 for the win 8)