Which of these wireless routers should I buy?

[goyal.sanchit]

Hello everyone

I am looking for a new wireless router and would be glad to get some advice on which model to buy.

A little overview-

I had a beetel 450 bx1 modem+router before which worked well. After renovating the home I needed more connectivity and thus decided to but another router and set it up as a wireless access point. After much research and after reading many reviews I bought tp-link 150mbps router hoping that its 5dbi antenna would provide better signal.

However it is barely able to transmit enough signal for about 30 feet to be catched by my phone i.e. Samsung I9000 Galaxy S.

I tried a netgear 150 mbps router and it is able to provide low but consistent signal at about the same distance.


Now I am looking for a new router. So I wanted to know-

Does a 300Mbps router also provide better RANGE ? I know it provides better speed but would I be getting good range as well?


If yes then these are the models I am looking at. Range is about 2k.

TP LINK 300Mbps TL-WR841N Wireless N Router | Router | Flipkart.com

(Not interested as disappointed with the signal of current tp link router. )


Netgear N300 WIRELESS ROUTER (JWNR2000) | Router | Flipkart.com


(Highly interested due to past good experience with netgear. But can lack of antenna be an issue? I dont want to buy a 300 mbps router which wont provide signal comparable to even 150 mbps router with antenna)


Cisco Linksys E900 Wireless-N300 Router | Router | Flipkart.com


(Looks quite cool. Cisco also has a good brand name quality wise I suppose. Is this model worth it?)


Looking for your opinions and tips. So that I can make the purchase ASAP.



Regards

 

[akrish01]

What if you buy a new router & the signal is still low? Why don't you look at a device that can repeat your existing wireless signal rather than getting a new router? I have an asus rt-n12 router set up in the 3rd floor of my apartment building (which is were the boradband connection is). I have used asus rt-n13u as a repeater in the 4th floor & i am able to get good signal all over the 4th floor.

both above devices are multi-function i.e., they can be used either as a router or a repeater or as an access point - there is a switch at the back/ bottom of the router for selecting the mode. the rt-n13u also has a usb port which allows to either setup a printer for network access or a pen drive or portable hard drive for downloading torrents on to it without the pc being switched on.

there's also a very compact device offered by tp-link which is very useful if you are looking for something portable & don't want to transmit a very long distance. this is also a multi-function device (router/ap/repeater) but there is no physical selection switch, it has to be set through the user interface software

TP-Link TL-WR700N 150Mbps Wireless-N Mini Pocket Router

on the other hand, if you are looking for a long range router, i would suggest this:
Premiertek PL-APN POWERLINK PL-APN (new version) Boost N 300Mbps 802.11b/g/n AP Router + 1W Amplifier/Booster 2in1 Combo High Power 1W, 28dBm w/High Gain Dual 5dBi Dipole Antenna Wireless Router w/4 Port Switch,PoE DC Injector Included from mwave.com

hope this helps

Arvind

 

[gobble]

Correct advice above ^^!! Buy an expensive router for its security features and speed, preferably dual band and a cheap router to act just like a repeater.

--G

 

[Rgn1]

If you are looking for a router instead of repeaters/range extenders then how about this:
TP-Link : TL-WR941ND : 300Mbps Wireless N Router - www.deltapage.com

3 antennas which are also upgradable to higher gain antennas.

Here is a review for a similar router but a higher version with the difference being that it has GigE ports.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0L1yrKkWS0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=598Oz98W47U

TP-Link TL-WR1043ND review | from TechRadar's expert reviews of Modem routers

 

[vprasad84]

300Mbps router will work the same way & you wont see any improvement. If you aren't getting proper signal..look for changing it's place until you get good signal instead of changing the router. if you have multiple wireless devices such as phone, tab, etc try disabling wifi on all & try connecting with only 1 device with the wifi router...

 

[goyal.sanchit]

Thanks everyone for the reply.


I had more or less finalised on the netgear 300 mbps router. I am not ready to invest again in tp link specially when my earlier purchase was not satisfactory.


However after reading your post asus router can also be tried. Currently I do not have any fancy requirement of the features it does possess but in future I may require the usb functionality. I would have to use it as an access point only and not as a repeater because I have a direct lan connection in the room where the router would be placed. I ocassionaly require wifi access in the other room where signal is less thus it is not feasible to place another router there as a repeater. I would use the current tp link router at another place where I need a separate router.

The netgear one can also function as a router, an access point and a repeater also (but only in wep mode so that is a security issue.) Then the only advantage of asus remains the usb port which I can later use to download from torrent while the laptop is off. Pretty good feature but spending about 1.5k for that now doesnt seem worth it.

 

[haisaikat]

remember bandwidth and range cannot be availed at the same time. You may refer to this earlier post of mine in another thread post # 37 http://www.hifivision.com/general-lounge/24983-mar-2012-wireless-n-router-bsnl-4.html#post356749

Also in my opinion if indeed you want to spend higher go for Buffalo - Nfiniti WZR-HP-G300NH router which is the best balance between price, range and throughput (over distance). Check its range test charts at Real Help For Your Small Network - SmallNetBuilder

 

[goyal.sanchit]

remember bandwidth and range cannot be availed at the same time. You may refer to this earlier post of mine in another thread post # 37 http://www.hifivision.com/general-lounge/24983-mar-2012-wireless-n-router-bsnl-4.html#post356749

Also in my opinion if indeed you want to spend higher go for Buffalo - Nfiniti WZR-HP-G300NH router which is the best balance between price, range and throughput (over distance). Check its range test charts at Real Help For Your Small Network - SmallNetBuilder

Bandwidth is not an issue as I would be using it for normal web surfing and that too on phone.

I have a beetel 450x1 router in my room which is the default router. So no signal issues. It is on the 1st floor.

Then there is a lan wire running from My room to my Brother's room where another router is placed which works as an access point. So no signal problem there too.


So at other places in the home where signal is required it is required for ocassional browsing on phone (Laptop signal is good).

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

You probably don't need this reminder, but remember that it is one thing for a router to be able to transmit at 300Mbs (801.11n if I remember the number right) and another for the destination device to be able to receive it. Only n devices can receive n transmissions: for others the router must fall back to slower standards

 

[goyal.sanchit]

Finally I have ordered Netgear jwnr2000 300mbps router.

Netgear Wireless-N Router | Router | Flipkart.com


Lets see if it solves my purpose or not once it arrives.

 

[roseboy24]

I will advice ensure for good TX power all 300 mbps N series router works on either 1x1 antenna or 2x2 mimo and can deliver good throughput when you transmit very good tx on Wireless port .
Advisable chipset Atheros /Ralink base AP dont buy RTL base Ap which ia not worldwide reputations on AP

 

[goyal.sanchit]

What is tx and how to ensure good tx as your saying?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

TX, RX, jargon for transmit and receive.

I think they go way back to radio days, maybe even before.