wireless modem routers

**r0bly0ns** · 7 August 2007, 23:15

We currently use Linksys with no problems. They are all just over a year old and have served us well. At home I have a Laptop, Desktop and a server that I use for business. My wife has a laptop we both use for personal, never had a problem with the router.

Avoid Belkin if you use VPN.
We tried a Belkin one earlier this year, I can't remember the model number but it wasn't a cheap one, about £120.

Despite the fact that it was fully VPN complient, with IPSEC pass through and all that, every time I connected to a client via the desktop, the laptop would disconnect and vice versa.
After a week with 3 different tech support guys (one on email, 2 on phone), they eventially passed it on to the 'technical department' who phoned me back to say that Belkin routers can only support 1 VPN connection at a time.

**chicane** · 8 August 2007, 06:47

I've just retired my old Linksys router after about 2 years. It would start playing up whenever the room temperature exceeded 20 degrees. The D-link before that was incredibly buggy and couldn't hold two simultaneous connections for long periods of time. The new Netgear is behaving after being plugged in for a couple of days (which is hardly a worthy accolade).

Whatever you buy, don't expect to get years of use from it. Bizarrely, for kit with no moving parts, they sure do wear out quickly.

**Methuselah** · 8 August 2007, 06:58

Originally posted by Moose423956

Hi all. I would please like some current opinions regarding wireless modem routers for home use. It will have 1 desktop wired, and 1 laptop via wireless.

Also, I need to be able to use it to connect via a VPN to work, so I'm told it needs "network address translation" and "ipsec throughput".

I currently have a Buffalo which won't allow me to connect to work, so I've been looking at Netgear particularly. Reading other comments on this board leads me to believe people don't think much of Netgear. Also, minor point I know, but Netgear don't seem to have on-off switches, so you either have to leave them on or turn them off at the wall socket, which in my case is a bit inconvenient.

Anyone got any advice they'd like to share?

I'm using Netgear and have no complaints, but I've only tried 1 VPN connection at a time, and I have no experience of another make to compare it with.

I take your point about the on/off switch: a small thing indeed but why not look for what you want? OT but a small note: I had to configure my network printer with a fixed IP address or it would often not be found after a router switch-off/on.

Finally, I have recently had to talk to BT Broadband support (shudder!) to get the line up after a removal, and noted that as soon as they found out that it was not a BT router, they'd claim the router must be the problem and I should contact Netgear support. So if you get a router from your broadband provider, at least that's one less piece of weaseling that the miserable stupid lying b'stards can do.

**Cowboy Bob** · 8 August 2007, 07:05

I've got a Netgear DG834G which has served me well for the past year.

The trick with Netgear kit is to always make sure you have the latest firmware installed from their website.

**Fishface** · 8 August 2007, 07:34

King of Routers = Draytek Vigor 2800VG

**HankWangford** · 8 August 2007, 07:46

Buffalo

I've used Buffalo wireless kit for a while, never had any issues. Unlike with netgear products

**Ardesco** · 8 August 2007, 08:21

I have had a few free rounters which have been ok, but the only one I have ever bought is a SAR130 from Solwise. This little beasty still works today and is about 7 years old now and I have never had any problems with it.

With this in mind i would reccomend trying out one of the latest SAR wireless routers available from here:

http://www.solwise.co.uk/modems.htm

Speaking from my experiance with a SAR130, it has a power button on the back and also a web based control panel that allows you to do anything you could want to do and more. I expect the new ones to be of the same high quality whilst being very reasonably priced.

**richard-af** · 8 August 2007, 10:04

Originally posted by Cowboy Bob

I've got a Netgear DG834G which has served me well for the past year.

The trick with Netgear kit is to always make sure you have the latest firmware installed from their website.

Me too. But, since switching my home PC to RH Linux, it now takes (intermittently) what seems like ages to actually find web pages. Not sure why. Was like lightning on W2K.

**chicane** · 8 August 2007, 10:07

Originally posted by richard-af

Me too. But, since switching my home PC to RH Linux, it now takes (intermittently) what seems like ages to actually find web pages. Not sure why. Was like lightning on W2K.

I've seen this happen where IPv6 is enabled on Linux. You might want to look into that.

wireless modem routers