Opinions on a new wireless "G" router for my WLAN

[Ed Hansberry]

I have an old Linksys BEFW11S4 802.11b router and it is acting flakey. I used to have to press the soft reset button about 2 times a year. Now it is two times a month.

I want to upgrade to G anyway as I have a few G devices now. Most are still B. (2 802.11b TiVo's, 2 802.11b laptops, 1 802.11g TiVo, one 802.11g laptop and 2 802.11b Pocket PCs - a PDA2K that I know works with G and a SocketCom 802.11b CF card for an iPAQ 2215) (oh man I am such a geek)

I have comcast cable. I was thinking of just getting the LInksys WRT54G but I saw the Linksys WCG200, which looks to be an 802.11g router with an integrated cable modem - http://www.linksys.com/products/prod...id=35&prid=579

THis really appeals to me because when our network fails, it is guesswork as to whether to reset the cable modem or router and half the time it is because the cable modem has new IP lease info and the router just hangs instead of updating itself. I figure with an integrated unit, that would all go away.

Thoughts?

[Ed Hansberry]

I have an old Linksys BEFW11S4 802.11b router and it is acting flakey. I used to have to press the soft reset button about 2 times a year. Now it is two times a month.

I want to upgrade to G anyway as I have a few G devices now. Most are still B. (2 802.11b TiVo's, 2 802.11b laptops, 1 802.11g TiVo, one 802.11g laptop and 2 802.11b Pocket PCs - a PDA2K that I know works with G and a SocketCom 802.11b CF card for an iPAQ 2215) (oh man I am such a geek)

I have comcast cable. I was thinking of just getting the LInksys WRT54G but I saw the Linksys WCG200, which looks to be an 802.11g router with an integrated cable modem - http://www.linksys.com/products/prod...id=35&prid=579

THis really appeals to me because when our network fails, it is guesswork as to whether to reset the cable modem or router and half the time it is because the cable modem has new IP lease info and the router just hangs instead of updating itself. I figure with an integrated unit, that would all go away.

Thoughts?

[ctmagnus]

Personally, I'd go for the integrated unit. Less guesswork if something goes down as you only have one unit to reset.

[Kowalski]

i have a linksys w54g or something like that with integrated DSL modem and swithch, but since it has only one antenna, it does not transmit enough signal so that i cant surf the internet in the garden.
so i am using a US robotics USR5450. it has dual antenna and the transmission power is much more than linksys. i never use wireless G mode, because B mode is much more stable and has a better coverage area

[Janak Parekh]

Originally Posted by Ed Hansberry

THis really appeals to me because when our network fails, it is guesswork as to whether to reset the cable modem or router and half the time it is because the cable modem has new IP lease info and the router just hangs instead of updating itself. I figure with an integrated unit, that would all go away.

My problem with this is, primarily, cable provider support. I'd be afraid Cablevision would make using this a hassle. (We also have Cablevision's voice service, which uses a special voice-enabled cable modem, so it's moot anyway.) Also, I find my cable modem/router combination to be extremely stable, and when I need to reboot it, I just turn the power strip off and on, and the router tends to be smart enough to "wait" until it gets the IP. Finally, we don't pay for our cable modem, so this adds to the cost. YMMV.

As for G routers in general, the WRT54G is a pretty good choice -- it used to have worse reception in the earlier revisions but the later revisions are stable and have good coverage. The only other wildcard to consider would be the Pre-N units, if you need greater coverage; if you don't, the regular G units are certainly cheaper and more compatible with everything.

--janak

[Ed Hansberry]

Originally Posted by Janak Parekh

My problem with this is, primarily, cable provider support.

It seems Comcast officially supports this router, so while I may have an initial hassle in setting it up and registering the MAC address and serial number with them via a support call, it should work fine. It will allow me to cancel my $3/mo rental too.

http://www.comcast.net/help/faq/inde...le_Modems17905

[Janak Parekh]

Ah, good catch.

One last variable: do they regularly support this device as well as the WRT54G? The latter's popularity has helped it stay current.

--janak

[Ed Hansberry]

Originally Posted by Janak Parekh

Ah, good catch.

One last variable: do they regularly support this device as well as the WRT54G? The latter's popularity has helped it stay current.

--janak

"They" being Linksys? Pfft. Who knows? If you asked Linksys if they will continue to support it they will obviously say yes. It is really too new to have a track record. That is a gamble you take with any product and any company.

[GSmith]

For me, the WRT54G availability of third-party firmware that adds WDS (? I think that's it, the protocol that allows extending the area by retransmission). But my decision was made 6-12 months ago, so I'm not completely familiar with current offerings.

[Ed Hansberry]

Well, I might have to hold off for a few weeks or so. The my current Linksys b router needs a range extender. The g range entender from Linksys, the WRE54G only works with very specific Linksys routers and the WCG200 isn't one of them, yet. WRE54Gv2 is coming out and will work with all Linksys G routers. So, for now, I'll just wait.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Originally Posted by Janak Parekh

Also, I find my cable modem/router combination to be extremely stable, and when I need to reboot it, I just turn the power strip off and on, and the router tends to be smart enough to "wait" until it gets the IP.

Same with me (except DSL modem instead of Cable)... It seems my IP address gets reset every 6 months or so. My router (2-year-old Netgear G product) has never caused me any problems by itself, so just power-cycling the powerstrip is all I need as well.