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/product.asp?grid=33&scid=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]

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]

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/index.jsp?faq=ConnectionCable_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]

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]

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.

[ctmagnus]

I agree about the powerstrip thing - I've been doing it for three years or so and it'll correct anything the ISP can throw at me (except when they're right down, as tends to happen once or twice a year with them.)

[Tanker Bob]

I've been using a Linksys WRT54G wireless router with a Comcast Terayon cable modem for a number of months. It works great with my WinXP SP2 box and its Linksys WMP54G PCI card using g, as well as my Axim X50v using b, running the router in Both mode. The range covers my whole house and extends outside to the limits of my lot and slightly beyond.

Linksys recently released a firmware update to version 4.00.7 which improves it performance and compatibility a bit. Their support is very good.

Regards,
Tanker Bob
Tanker Bob's PDA Page (http://www.tankerbob.com/palm/)
Reviewer at MobileTechReview (http://www.MobileTechReview.com/)

[Janak Parekh]

Linksys recently released a firmware update to version 4.00.7 which improves it performance and compatibility a bit. Their support is very good.
Especially on the WRT54G, which is very popular. My concern with the integrated unit is that they move far less boxes of that type, and they may maintain it less over time.

--janak

[phs]

For its sleek look, I'll go for Linksys' new compact G router

http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=679

It's not as small as my ASUS WL330, but boy its shiny.

[Janak Parekh]

For its sleek look, I'll go for Linksys' new compact G router
Hmm. It certainly looks nice, but I can't help but think that the compact routers have a bit less range than the standard issue ones.

--janak

[phs]

Hmm. It certainly looks nice, but I can't help but think that the compact routers have a bit less range than the standard issue ones.

That's true. I used to have a Linksys WRT54G that I turned into a brick due to a bad firmware update. My replacement little ASUS WL330 sure is cute, but it's range is just a little bit more than half the range of WRT54G.

But then my WL330 does not have an antenna. I think the shiny Linksys accepts an optional antenna.

[kiwiruss]

I have the Linksys WRT54GS and love it.

I'd go for the WRT54G or 54Gs personally. Theres tons of support for it on linksysinfo.org and several different GPL software loads to improve the feature set.

I know also several other people with these and we also get the WRT54G at work for our external marketing people who need wifi at home.