Ok... I'm sick of all the crap that I've got around here...
- SMC Barricade. Dies at even a hint of a large download or upload.
- Hawking H2WR54G. None of the features work. I enable port forwarding, and
the ports don't forward. This has two WAN's and I tell it all traffic to my
mailserver must go out WAN1. Nope, it goes where it likes. Not to mention it
halves my download speeds.
- Netgear. Wife has it right now, so I'm not sure of the model #. She needs
to power cycle it a few times a day just to keep the connection working.
- WLan. This has been the most reliable. It also was the cheapest at about
$5 after rebates.
So, I'm going to toss these pieces of junk under a bus. What is a GOOD,
RELIABLE router these days? It needs to handle port forwarding and I'd like
to be able to associate MAC addresses to IP addresses if possible. Wireless
G is nice as is dual WAN capabilities.
Noozer wrote:
>
.... snip ...
>
> So, I'm going to toss these pieces of junk under a bus. What is a
> GOOD, RELIABLE router these days? It needs to handle port forwarding
> and I'd like to be able to associate MAC addresses to IP addresses
> if possible. Wireless G is nice as is dual WAN capabilities.
>
> Suggestions?
Linux.
--
Chuck F (cbfalconer at maineline dot net)
Available for consulting/temporary embedded and systems.
<http://cbfalconer.home.att.net>
CBFalconer wrote:
> Noozer wrote:
> ... snip ...
>> So, I'm going to toss these pieces of junk under a bus. What is a
>> GOOD, RELIABLE router these days? It needs to handle port forwarding
>> and I'd like to be able to associate MAC addresses to IP addresses
>> if possible. Wireless G is nice as is dual WAN capabilities.
>>
>> Suggestions?
>
> Linux.
>
A search on "low cost Linux router" may dig up more
articles like this. When you build it yourself, you
know what you're getting. As long as commercial routers
rely on firmware, you'll never know what to expect.
I had a Linksys for several years. The early firmware
required several reboots a day. I never bothered to
flash release after release (maybe I would have found
one to keep me happy if I had). I did eventually select
a release, thinking that enough time had gone by, for
them to get it right.
After installing the new firmware, I noticed that the
need to reboot had disappeared. But I also ended up
losing DNS on a regular basis. Which was the last
straw. I bought a cheap wired router from a different
company and am using that as a replacement for the Linksys.
The shocking part, when I was putting the Linksys back
in its box, I still had the sales receipt. The new router
I got, was 1/10th the price! I cannot believe I paid so
much for that piece of junk.
Here is a motherboard with processor for $70, that might
make a base for building a box. Only two PCI slots though.
On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 08:28:35 GMT, "Noozer"
<dont.spam@me.here> wrote:
>Ok... I'm sick of all the crap that I've got around here...
>
>- SMC Barricade. Dies at even a hint of a large download or upload.
>
>- Hawking H2WR54G. None of the features work. I enable port forwarding, and
>the ports don't forward. This has two WAN's and I tell it all traffic to my
>mailserver must go out WAN1. Nope, it goes where it likes. Not to mention it
>halves my download speeds.
>
>- Netgear. Wife has it right now, so I'm not sure of the model #. She needs
>to power cycle it a few times a day just to keep the connection working.
>
>- WLan. This has been the most reliable. It also was the cheapest at about
>$5 after rebates.
>
>So, I'm going to toss these pieces of junk under a bus. What is a GOOD,
>RELIABLE router these days? It needs to handle port forwarding and I'd like
>to be able to associate MAC addresses to IP addresses if possible. Wireless
>G is nice as is dual WAN capabilities.
>
>Suggestions?
>
Most I've ever tried worked fine, you might see if those
that are dying or needing reset, benefit from having a
heatsink put on the main chip and a bit improved case
ventilation. If they've ran hot for a long time the
capacitors might have popped and need replaced (or
similarly, a new one you get now could suffer the same fate
eventually, though now with more embedded in the chipset
they tend to use a little less power, generate a little less
heat- but that heat can instead be more concentrated making
a heatsink even more important... some dont have one and if
you put your finger on the chipset and it gets painful
quick, slap one on there.
If you want one with 11g and so many features it's crazy, I
suggest a Buffalo WHR-HP-54G, running DD-WRT (though with
this particular brand, you have to use TFTP to flash it, if
that difference is important then you might instead consider
a Linksys WRT54GL (the "L" on the end being important,
there's an inferior model without the "L"). Don't recall if
it supports 2 WAN or not though, I'd suspect not.
On the other hand, today it could be good to step forward to
a mimo or 11n router.
"Paul" <nospam@needed.com> wrote in message news:erphi9$g53$1@aioe.org...
> CBFalconer wrote:
>> Noozer wrote:
>> ... snip ...
>>> So, I'm going to toss these pieces of junk under a bus. What is a
>>> GOOD, RELIABLE router these days? It needs to handle port forwarding
>>> and I'd like to be able to associate MAC addresses to IP addresses
>>> if possible. Wireless G is nice as is dual WAN capabilities.
>>>
>>> Suggestions?
>>
>> Linux.
>>
>
> A search on "low cost Linux router" may dig up more
> articles like this. When you build it yourself, you
> know what you're getting. As long as commercial routers
> rely on firmware, you'll never know what to expect.
>
> http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/5826
>
> I had a Linksys for several years. The early firmware
> required several reboots a day. I never bothered to
> flash release after release (maybe I would have found
> one to keep me happy if I had). I did eventually select
> a release, thinking that enough time had gone by, for
> them to get it right.
>
> After installing the new firmware, I noticed that the
> need to reboot had disappeared. But I also ended up
> losing DNS on a regular basis. Which was the last
> straw. I bought a cheap wired router from a different
> company and am using that as a replacement for the Linksys.
> The shocking part, when I was putting the Linksys back
> in its box, I still had the sales receipt. The new router
> I got, was 1/10th the price! I cannot believe I paid so
> much for that piece of junk.
>
> Here is a motherboard with processor for $70, that might
> make a base for building a box. Only two PCI slots though.
>
> PC CHIPS V21G V1.0C VIA C7 VIA CN700 Flex ATX
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813185094
>
> Examples of four port Ethernet cards:
> http://www.techexcess.net/adaptec-qu...ana-62044.aspx
>
> If you run out of expansion, there is always the USB ports
> for stuff like the wireless.
>
> There were bundles like this around, but I think these
> stopped shipping a while ago, and there really isn't
> any stock left.
>
> Biostar M7VIG 400 A&V&L/M-ATX Motherboard + AMD Geode NX1750 CPU Combo
> http://www.electroseller.com/page/el...ds/MB-7VIGC29/
>
> Paul
You Penguins are shameless, trashing Linksys, to promote
your view of the world. Linux is hardly the answer to everyone's
networking problems.
The BEFSR41 has been in use and accepted as a great home/gaming
router, for a long time now. It is pretty much the defacto home router.
Equipment, expected to work in a home LAN, will often be tested for
it's ability to function with this router.
I have no numbers to work with, but it wouldn't surprise me, at all,
to find that there are many more home users of that router than there
are home users of Linux. And I am positive there are several orders
of magnitude fewer problems reported with the use of that router, than
to the use of Linux. Most users forget the router is there, altogether.
Another brand to avoid is D-Link. The one I had would lock up randomly, and most often when connecting or disconnecting PCs to the network. The replacement they sent me did the same thing. I replace it with a Buffalo WHR-G54S that is about 15% faster with wireless and work flawlessly. It can assign IP addresses by MAC addresses, but does not have port forwarding.
Noozer wrote:
>
> Ok... I'm sick of all the crap that I've got around here...
>
> - SMC Barricade. Dies at even a hint of a large download or upload.
>
> - Hawking H2WR54G. None of the features work. I enable port forwarding, and
> the ports don't forward. This has two WAN's and I tell it all traffic to my
> mailserver must go out WAN1. Nope, it goes where it likes. Not to mention it
> halves my download speeds.
>
> - Netgear. Wife has it right now, so I'm not sure of the model #. She needs
> to power cycle it a few times a day just to keep the connection working.
>
> - WLan. This has been the most reliable. It also was the cheapest at about
> $5 after rebates.
>
> So, I'm going to toss these pieces of junk under a bus. What is a GOOD,
> RELIABLE router these days? It needs to handle port forwarding and I'd like
> to be able to associate MAC addresses to IP addresses if possible. Wireless
> G is nice as is dual WAN capabilities.
>
> Suggestions?
Noozer wrote:
> So, I'm going to toss these pieces of junk under a bus. What is a GOOD,
> RELIABLE router these days? It needs to handle port forwarding and I'd like
> to be able to associate MAC addresses to IP addresses if possible. Wireless
> G is nice as is dual WAN capabilities.
>
> Suggestions?
Cisco 837 here. Can't fault it. I've never reset it in three years of
ownership. Yes it was a pain to set up, and it was expensive, but it was
worth it.
We have four SOHO 800's at work too which we run ~500PCs through all day
long without issue.
The 837 has a firewall built in, and depending on version has separate
DMZ port, full h/w accelerated VPN etc. but you do need a grasp of IOS
to use it.
I then have a Netgear ProSafe Wireless Access Point - and again, yes it
was expensive, but it has VLAN support, support for multiple SSIDs and
encryption standards simultaneously, and guess what, it runs Linux under
the hood...
On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 10:13:12 -0500, Mike Walsh wrote:
> Another brand to avoid is D-Link. The one I had would lock up randomly,
> and most often when connecting or disconnecting PCs to the network. The
> replacement they sent me did the same thing. I replace it with a Buffalo
> WHR-G54S that is about 15% faster with wireless and work flawlessly. It
> can assign IP addresses by MAC addresses, but does not have port
> forwarding.
I have been using a D-Link DI-614+ for a couple of years now. Had to reset
it maybe three times. No problems staying connected at all. Using mainly
Win98se and Linux.
SteveSch wrote:
>
> On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 10:13:12 -0500, Mike Walsh wrote:
>
> > Another brand to avoid is D-Link. The one I had would lock up randomly,
> > and most often when connecting or disconnecting PCs to the network. The
> > replacement they sent me did the same thing. I replace it with a Buffalo
> > WHR-G54S that is about 15% faster with wireless and work flawlessly. It
> > can assign IP addresses by MAC addresses, but does not have port
> > forwarding.
>
> I have been using a D-Link DI-614+ for a couple of years now. Had to reset
> it maybe three times. No problems staying connected at all. Using mainly
> Win98se and Linux.
>
> Steve
On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 08:54:33 -0600, "Ken Maltby"
<kmaltby@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
> You Penguins are shameless, trashing Linksys, to promote
>your view of the world. Linux is hardly the answer to everyone's
>networking problems.
>
> The BEFSR41 has been in use and accepted as a great home/gaming
>router, for a long time now. It is pretty much the defacto home router.
>Equipment, expected to work in a home LAN, will often be tested for
>it's ability to function with this router.
>
> I have no numbers to work with, but it wouldn't surprise me, at all,
>to find that there are many more home users of that router than there
>are home users of Linux. And I am positive there are several orders
>of magnitude fewer problems reported with the use of that router, than
>to the use of Linux. Most users forget the router is there, altogether.
>
You seem to be focusing on the wrong factor. Linksys has
routers that run Linux, as do some other companies. In
fact, the Linksys WRT54G used to run Linux, then they
switched it to (I forget what OS at the moment), at which
point everyone said it "sucked", even Tom's Hardware did a
review concluding that, and eventually Linksys came back
with the Linux version which remains the most preferred
model of 802.11g router made by Linksys.
Moral of the story? Linksys has some good and back units
just like everybody else. Probably a lot more good than
average, but even they demonstrated that Linux does a good
job, and even better if you take one of those WRT54G and put
OpenWRT or DD-WRT on it.
A standalone PC system running Linux isn't a bad option from
the perspective of a potentially solid router, and that it
is more configurable and might also be set to run a DNS
server, caching proxy, mail server, etc... a lot more
functionality possible than a closed source, limited
standalone consumer router.
On the other hand, there is a beauty in having a low-power,
low-heat (but still heat density is a concern, all run a tad
on the warm side w/o a fan), small footprint router like
Linksys et al. make, but they do seem more subject to
instability from overheating, as some people will try
standalone router after router and continually have problems
while others can get good results with the same model(s).
I used to like routers in metal cases, reducing EMI and
addt'l ruggedness seemed to be benefits. Eventually I
changed my mind that it was easier to add ventilation to the
plastic cased ones, particularly those with very soft
plastic as they can be put onto a drill press and a couple
dozen holes added to the top without the result looking
mangled if a nice pattern is marked out ahead of time.
On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:06:29 -0500, Mike Walsh
<spamscks@netrox.net> wrote:
>SteveSch wrote:
>>
>> On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 10:13:12 -0500, Mike Walsh wrote:
>>
>> > Another brand to avoid is D-Link. The one I had would lock up randomly,
>> > and most often when connecting or disconnecting PCs to the network. The
>> > replacement they sent me did the same thing. I replace it with a Buffalo
>> > WHR-G54S that is about 15% faster with wireless and work flawlessly. It
>> > can assign IP addresses by MAC addresses, but does not have port
>> > forwarding.
>>
>> I have been using a D-Link DI-614+ for a couple of years now. Had to reset
>> it maybe three times. No problems staying connected at all. Using mainly
>> Win98se and Linux.
>>
>> Steve
>
>Mine was a DI-524
>
This is how it usually goes, one model is fine but another
has problems, or it can depend on the location, how prone
one is to heat buildup in certain situations.
FWIW, I used a D-Link DI-704 for a few years and it worked
great, but being several generations ago it lacked some
advanced features (did have IP:MAC assignment and port
forwarding, IIRC) and especially no wifi... IMO it only
makes sense to get one with wifi as that can be disabled
(for security reasons if applicable) until needed.
On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 10:13:12 -0500, Mike Walsh
<spamscks@netrox.net> wrote:
> I replace it with a Buffalo WHR-G54S that is about 15% faster with wireless
> and work flawlessly. It can assign IP addresses by MAC addresses, but does
>not have port forwarding.
>
You can add quite a few features to your WHR-G54S with
DD-WRT.
I agree, Linux isn't the answer to every computing problem.
Regards,
Christopher Koeber
"Ken Maltby" <kmaltby@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:BKSdndrT1M4wzH3YnZ2dnUVZ_qOpnZ2d@giganews.com ...
>
> "Paul" <nospam@needed.com> wrote in message news:erphi9$g53$1@aioe.org...
>> CBFalconer wrote:
>>> Noozer wrote:
>>> ... snip ...
>>>> So, I'm going to toss these pieces of junk under a bus. What is a
>>>> GOOD, RELIABLE router these days? It needs to handle port forwarding
>>>> and I'd like to be able to associate MAC addresses to IP addresses
>>>> if possible. Wireless G is nice as is dual WAN capabilities.
>>>>
>>>> Suggestions?
>>>
>>> Linux.
>>>
>>
>> A search on "low cost Linux router" may dig up more
>> articles like this. When you build it yourself, you
>> know what you're getting. As long as commercial routers
>> rely on firmware, you'll never know what to expect.
>>
>> http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/5826
>>
>> I had a Linksys for several years. The early firmware
>> required several reboots a day. I never bothered to
>> flash release after release (maybe I would have found
>> one to keep me happy if I had). I did eventually select
>> a release, thinking that enough time had gone by, for
>> them to get it right.
>>
>> After installing the new firmware, I noticed that the
>> need to reboot had disappeared. But I also ended up
>> losing DNS on a regular basis. Which was the last
>> straw. I bought a cheap wired router from a different
>> company and am using that as a replacement for the Linksys.
>> The shocking part, when I was putting the Linksys back
>> in its box, I still had the sales receipt. The new router
>> I got, was 1/10th the price! I cannot believe I paid so
>> much for that piece of junk.
>>
>> Here is a motherboard with processor for $70, that might
>> make a base for building a box. Only two PCI slots though.
>>
>> PC CHIPS V21G V1.0C VIA C7 VIA CN700 Flex ATX
>> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813185094
>>
>> Examples of four port Ethernet cards:
>> http://www.techexcess.net/adaptec-qu...ana-62044.aspx
>>
>> If you run out of expansion, there is always the USB ports
>> for stuff like the wireless.
>>
>> There were bundles like this around, but I think these
>> stopped shipping a while ago, and there really isn't
>> any stock left.
>>
>> Biostar M7VIG 400 A&V&L/M-ATX Motherboard + AMD Geode NX1750 CPU Combo
>> http://www.electroseller.com/page/el...ds/MB-7VIGC29/
>>
>> Paul
>
> You Penguins are shameless, trashing Linksys, to promote
> your view of the world. Linux is hardly the answer to everyone's
> networking problems.
>
> The BEFSR41 has been in use and accepted as a great home/gaming
> router, for a long time now. It is pretty much the defacto home router.
> Equipment, expected to work in a home LAN, will often be tested for
> it's ability to function with this router.
>
> I have no numbers to work with, but it wouldn't surprise me, at all,
> to find that there are many more home users of that router than there
> are home users of Linux. And I am positive there are several orders
> of magnitude fewer problems reported with the use of that router, than
> to the use of Linux. Most users forget the router is there, altogether.
>
> Luck;
> Ken
>
>
>
Ken Maltby wrote:
>
> You Penguins are shameless, trashing Linksys, to promote
> your view of the world. Linux is hardly the answer to everyone's
> networking problems.
>
> The BEFSR41 has been in use and accepted as a great home/gaming
> router, for a long time now. It is pretty much the defacto home router.
> Equipment, expected to work in a home LAN, will often be tested for
> it's ability to function with this router.
>
> I have no numbers to work with, but it wouldn't surprise me, at all,
> to find that there are many more home users of that router than there
> are home users of Linux. And I am positive there are several orders
> of magnitude fewer problems reported with the use of that router, than
> to the use of Linux. Most users forget the router is there, altogether.
>
> Luck;
> Ken
>
It is not "your view of the world". I'm a very pragmatic guy.
Where can I get an OS to run on a piece of hardware for
free ? Will Microsoft give me an OS for nothing ? Linux
is as good a place to start as any. Maybe I could even do
it with Solaris, or FreeBSD. There are lots of options, but
at least with Linux, it is easy to find a download and
get started. And there might even already be people who have
implemented what I'm looking for (the "low cost router").
Just for the record, everything I've ever tried to do in
Linux, wasted the whole day. So it is very much a matter of
trading loads of your "free" time, in exchange for an OS
you got for nothing.
"kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
news:9u41u2dtrh2fo9be9hljj4v53pvlqegcsc@4ax.com...
>
> You seem to be focusing on the wrong factor. Linksys has
> routers that run Linux, as do some other companies. In
> fact, the Linksys WRT54G used to run Linux, then they
> switched it to (I forget what OS at the moment), at which
> point everyone said it "sucked", even Tom's Hardware did a
> review concluding that, and eventually Linksys came back
> with the Linux version which remains the most preferred
> model of 802.11g router made by Linksys.
>
> Moral of the story? Linksys has some good and back units
> just like everybody else. Probably a lot more good than
> average, but even they demonstrated that Linux does a good
> job, and even better if you take one of those WRT54G and put
> OpenWRT or DD-WRT on it.
>
Talk about "focusing on the wrong factor", the embedded os used
in the router was never the issue. My DirecTiVo runs under a
version of Linux, but it is not an issue for the user.
> A standalone PC system running Linux isn't a bad option from
> the perspective of a potentially solid router, and that it
> is more configurable and might also be set to run a DNS
> server, caching proxy, mail server, etc... a lot more
> functionality possible than a closed source, limited
> standalone consumer router.
>
You realize you are talking about replacing a 6"x5"x1.5" box
with a whole computer? I should hope it would be more
versatile.
> On the other hand, there is a beauty in having a low-power,
> low-heat (but still heat density is a concern, all run a tad
> on the warm side w/o a fan), small footprint router like
> Linksys et al. make, but they do seem more subject to
> instability from overheating, as some people will try
> standalone router after router and continually have problems
> while others can get good results with the same model(s).
>
> I used to like routers in metal cases, reducing EMI and
> addt'l ruggedness seemed to be benefits. Eventually I
> changed my mind that it was easier to add ventilation to the
> plastic cased ones, particularly those with very soft
> plastic as they can be put onto a drill press and a couple
> dozen holes added to the top without the result looking
> mangled if a nice pattern is marked out ahead of time.
>
You seem fixated on heat issues, I have never seen such a
problem with these routers or switches most all of which run
off low voltage "wall warts". The rack mounted ones don't
suffer from heat problems either. Do you live in a tropical
clime? You might want to invest in some air conditioning.
"Paul" <nospam@needed.com> wrote in message news:erq700$25v$1@aioe.org...
> Ken Maltby wrote:
>>
>> You Penguins are shameless, trashing Linksys, to promote
>> your view of the world. Linux is hardly the answer to everyone's
>> networking problems.
>>
>> The BEFSR41 has been in use and accepted as a great home/gaming
>> router, for a long time now. It is pretty much the defacto home router.
>> Equipment, expected to work in a home LAN, will often be tested for
>> it's ability to function with this router.
>>
>> I have no numbers to work with, but it wouldn't surprise me, at all,
>> to find that there are many more home users of that router than there
>> are home users of Linux. And I am positive there are several orders
>> of magnitude fewer problems reported with the use of that router, than
>> to the use of Linux. Most users forget the router is there, altogether.
>>
>> Luck;
>> Ken
>>
>
> It is not "your view of the world". I'm a very pragmatic guy.
> Where can I get an OS to run on a piece of hardware for
> free ? Will Microsoft give me an OS for nothing ? Linux
> is as good a place to start as any. Maybe I could even do
> it with Solaris, or FreeBSD. There are lots of options, but
> at least with Linux, it is easy to find a download and
> get started. And there might even already be people who have
> implemented what I'm looking for (the "low cost router").
>
> Just for the record, everything I've ever tried to do in
> Linux, wasted the whole day. So it is very much a matter of
> trading loads of your "free" time, in exchange for an OS
> you got for nothing.
>
> Paul
My point being that getting a good stable router, as a network
appliance, is a more practical approach, for most users in the OP's
situation, than setting up a Linux box to function as a router.
The current crop of routers from such as Linksys should be
expected to function well, and have all the features the OP was
asking for. I haven't researched the marketplace for routers, but
there are good companies with extensive lines of networking gear.
"Paul" <nospam@needed.com> wrote in message news:erphi9$g53$1@aioe.org...
> CBFalconer wrote:
>> Noozer wrote:
>> ... snip ...
>>> So, I'm going to toss these pieces of junk under a bus. What is a
>>> GOOD, RELIABLE router these days? It needs to handle port forwarding
>>> and I'd like to be able to associate MAC addresses to IP addresses
>>> if possible. Wireless G is nice as is dual WAN capabilities.
>>>
>>> Suggestions?
>>
>> Linux.
>>
>
> A search on "low cost Linux router" may dig up more
> articles like this. When you build it yourself, you
> know what you're getting. As long as commercial routers
> rely on firmware, you'll never know what to expect.
I've already got an NSLU2 NAS running Linix, but it's only got one ethernet
port.
I want a dedicated hardware solution that I can count on working. With a
Linux box I'd always wonder if I forgot to configure something. Either that,
or I'll wonder if I can get a bit better performance from it and screw it up
whilst tinkering.
"CBFalconer" <cbfalconer@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:45E005F6.F76F0890@yahoo.com...
> Noozer wrote:
>>
> ... snip ...
>>
>> So, I'm going to toss these pieces of junk under a bus. What is a
>> GOOD, RELIABLE router these days? It needs to handle port forwarding
>> and I'd like to be able to associate MAC addresses to IP addresses
>> if possible. Wireless G is nice as is dual WAN capabilities.
>>
>> Suggestions?
>
> Linux.
Where am I going to find a Linux box that uses less than 5 watts of power?
On 24 Feb, 08:28, "Noozer" <dont.s...@me.here> wrote:
> Ok... I'm sick of all the crap that I've got around here...
>
> - SMC Barricade. Dies at even a hint of a large download or upload.
>
> - Hawking H2WR54G. None of the features work. I enable port forwarding, and
> the ports don't forward. This has two WAN's and I tell it all traffic to my
> mailserver must go out WAN1. Nope, it goes where it likes. Not to mention it
> halves my download speeds.
>
> - Netgear. Wife has it right now, so I'm not sure of the model #. She needs
> to power cycle it a few times a day just to keep the connection working.
>
> - WLan. This has been the most reliable. It also was the cheapest at about
> $5 after rebates.
>
> So, I'm going to toss these pieces of junk under a bus. What is a GOOD,
> RELIABLE router these days? It needs to handle port forwarding and I'd like
> to be able to associate MAC addresses to IP addresses if possible. Wireless
> G is nice as is dual WAN capabilities.
>
> Suggestions?
I can't really match the features you're looking for, but a reliable
router..
Most people on the internet and those i've spoken to in companies seem
to have had good experiences with Linksys. But myself and my friends -
all techies - have all had bad experiences with them.
Netgear is supposed to be more reliable.
I contacted my ISP 'cos they'd get lots of feedback of routers messing
up. Needing to be turned on and off. They recommended Speedtouch.
I find my one works fine. I've barely had to turn it on and off. But
the interface is child like, it's not really for a techie.
A friend mentioned 3com as reliable. I believe him. I think they have
a good name too.
But maybe contact your ISP and get a router from them under warranty.
I spoke to the technicians and they seemed familiar with routers going
down and recommended speedtough as having no problems like that. I
bought 2 routers from them, same model , incase one went down. Turned
out none have gone down. Which is excellent Eventually one will, and
i've got the other one.
I haven't really tried out lots of different routers. I've just had
bad experiences in the past with new Linksys, new DLink, and a second
hand netgear. Since the netgear I got a new speedtough and it works..
Though as I said, not a geek friendly GUI!
On 24 Feb, 20:39, "Ken Maltby" <kmal...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> "kony" <s...@spam.com> wrote in message
>
> news:9u41u2dtrh2fo9be9hljj4v53pvlqegcsc@4ax.com...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > You seem to be focusing on the wrong factor. Linksys has
> > routers that run Linux, as do some other companies. In
> > fact, the Linksys WRT54G used to run Linux, then they
> > switched it to (I forget what OS at the moment), at which
> > point everyone said it "sucked", even Tom's Hardware did a
> > review concluding that, and eventually Linksys came back
> > with the Linux version which remains the most preferred
> > model of 802.11g router made by Linksys.
>
> > Moral of the story? Linksys has some good and back units
> > just like everybody else. Probably a lot more good than
> > average, but even they demonstrated that Linux does a good
> > job, and even better if you take one of those WRT54G and put
> > OpenWRT or DD-WRT on it.
>
> Talk about "focusing on the wrong factor", the embedded os used
> in the router was never the issue. My DirecTiVo runs under a
> version of Linux, but it is not an issue for the user.
>
> > A standalone PC system running Linux isn't a bad option from
> > the perspective of a potentially solid router, and that it
> > is more configurable and might also be set to run a DNS
> > server, caching proxy, mail server, etc... a lot more
> > functionality possible than a closed source, limited
> > standalone consumer router.
>
> You realize you are talking about replacing a 6"x5"x1.5" box
> with a whole computer? I should hope it would be more
> versatile.
>
>
>
>
>
> > On the other hand, there is a beauty in having a low-power,
> > low-heat (but still heat density is a concern, all run a tad
> > on the warm side w/o a fan), small footprint router like
> > Linksys et al. make, but they do seem more subject to
> > instability from overheating, as some people will try
> > standalone router after router and continually have problems
> > while others can get good results with the same model(s).
>
> > I used to like routers in metal cases, reducing EMI and
> > addt'l ruggedness seemed to be benefits. Eventually I
> > changed my mind that it was easier to add ventilation to the
> > plastic cased ones, particularly those with very soft
> > plastic as they can be put onto a drill press and a couple
> > dozen holes added to the top without the result looking
> > mangled if a nice pattern is marked out ahead of time.
>
> You seem fixated on heat issues, I have never seen such a
> problem with these routers or switches most all of which run
> off low voltage "wall warts". The rack mounted ones don't
> suffer from heat problems either. Do you live in a tropical
> clime? You might want to invest in some air conditioning.
>
> Luck;
> Ken-
I had a linksys BEFSR41, it had overheating problems. How did I know?
The thing needed to be restarted very often, and it did get a bit
warm. It behaved a bit like I think a computer does when it gets too
hot..
It stops working you turn if off and on, then it works for a very
brief period, and stops. You leave it off for longer, turn it on, and
it works for longer.
Before I got my speedtouch router I had to rely quite a bit on a PCI
DSL Modem thing.
But I'm not advocating linux as an alternative for everybody or even
for myself at the moment.
On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:39:59 -0600, "Ken Maltby"
<kmaltby@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> You seem fixated on heat issues, I have never seen such a
>problem with these routers or switches most all of which run
>off low voltage "wall warts". The rack mounted ones don't
>suffer from heat problems either. Do you live in a tropical
>clime? You might want to invest in some air conditioning.
What did you feel running off low voltage wall warts had to
do with anything?
They're like EZ Bake ovens inside. I've replaced popped
capacitors on quite a few routers. Belkin might be the
worst, but then it's hard to say for sure as many people
haven't had theirs running very long.
Is your current router 10 years old? If not, you don't
actually know if the heat will ultimately effect it. Some
things like a PC might get a great bit of benefit from an
upgrade, but a properly working full featured router may
easily be viable for 10 years if not for other things not
necessarily requiring the "router" portion of gear be
replaced like adding wifi, or upgrading to wifi version
nnn.nnn
Many people do have heat issues that not only shorten the
lifespan but cause perpetual lockups. Since I am mindful of
the situation I tend to allow enough ventilation and don't
have the problem, but it is common to see others go through
several routers trying to find one that will not crash
during P2P activity or whatever, a more strenuous use than
just sitting idle.
"kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
news:7092u21gn7q9i362hvm03msd79ukgb557i@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:39:59 -0600, "Ken Maltby"
> <kmaltby@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>
>> You seem fixated on heat issues, I have never seen such a
>>problem with these routers or switches most all of which run
>>off low voltage "wall warts". The rack mounted ones don't
>>suffer from heat problems either. Do you live in a tropical
>>clime? You might want to invest in some air conditioning.
>
>
> What did you feel running off low voltage wall warts had to
> do with anything?
>
> They're like EZ Bake ovens inside. I've replaced popped
> capacitors on quite a few routers. Belkin might be the
> worst, but then it's hard to say for sure as many people
> haven't had theirs running very long.
>
> Is your current router 10 years old? If not, you don't
> actually know if the heat will ultimately effect it. Some
> things like a PC might get a great bit of benefit from an
> upgrade, but a properly working full featured router may
> easily be viable for 10 years if not for other things not
> necessarily requiring the "router" portion of gear be
> replaced like adding wifi, or upgrading to wifi version
> nnn.nnn
>
> Many people do have heat issues that not only shorten the
> lifespan but cause perpetual lockups. Since I am mindful of
> the situation I tend to allow enough ventilation and don't
> have the problem, but it is common to see others go through
> several routers trying to find one that will not crash
> during P2P activity or whatever, a more strenuous use than
> just sitting idle.
OK, here we go again, I don't find your statements credible,
do you have a source for your claim the "many people have
heat issues" with networking gear? Is there someone other than
yourself who has compiled such data? Is this "problem" mentioned
in some article or review? Are you claiming that you have personal
contact with these many people? How is it that you commonly "see
others go through several routers"? If you don't have these "people"
reporting their replacements to you, how do you know about it? If
many people report to you every time they change a part on their
systems, Why are they doing so?
I have had a BEFSR41 running continuously for at least eight years,
here in south central Texas. It has had no problems what so ever.
I can't speak for all the other users, I, unlike you, would need to hear
from them or find some survey that has noted such a problem.
Your odd idea that there must be 10 years of faultless operation
before you can find your equipment to be working reliably, is
plain stupid. To use that concept to say people shouldn't buy a
piece of equipment, or that it is inherently unreliable is also very
stupid, and somewhat malicious.
Your EZ-Bake statement is total BS. The BEFSR41 is supplied
9v AC at 1000mA (in the low range of most telco equipment)
and draws much less current than it is supplied. You can only
find a small area of the case that you can detect a little warmth,
holding it to your cheek. Remember mine has never been off,
except for storm related temp. power outages, for at least eight
years.
I have plenty of other equipment operating under similar
conditions; Gigabit switches, Cable and DSL modems,
wireless phone base stations, phone answering machines,
carbon monoxide detectors, ect... None of them are
noticeably hot, all operate at low voltages and draw less
than two amps.
On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 04:11:05 -0600, "Ken Maltby"
<kmaltby@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>OK, here we go again, I don't find your statements credible,
>do you have a source for your claim the "many people have
>heat issues" with networking gear?
I suppose you'd have to stop pretending you know something
and actually get out on the internet a bit more... because,
for example, many of the bargain hunting 'sites about router
deals have tons of people complaining about the problem with
their present gear.
You don't bother to look for evidence then claim you dont
see a problem. How odd? I don't write these things to be a
fiction, if I hadn't seen it mentioned time and time again I
wouldn't have mentioned it either.
On 25 Feb, 05:57, kony <s...@spam.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:39:59 -0600, "Ken Maltby"
>
> <kmal...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> > You seem fixated on heat issues, I have never seen such a
> >problem with these routers or switches most all of which run
> >off low voltage "wall warts". The rack mounted ones don't
> >suffer from heat problems either. Do you live in a tropical
> >clime? You might want to invest in some air conditioning.
>
> What did you feel running off low voltage wall warts had to
> do with anything?
>
> They're like EZ Bake ovens inside. I've replaced popped
> capacitors on quite a few routers. Belkin might be the
> worst, but then it's hard to say for sure as many people
> haven't had theirs running very long.
>
> Is your current router 10 years old? If not, you don't
> actually know if the heat will ultimately effect it. Some
> things like a PC might get a great bit of benefit from an
> upgrade, but a properly working full featured router may
> easily be viable for 10 years if not for other things not
> necessarily requiring the "router" portion of gear be
> replaced like adding wifi, or upgrading to wifi version
> nnn.nnn
>
> Many people do have heat issues that not only shorten the
> lifespan but cause perpetual lockups. Since I am mindful of
> the situation I tend to allow enough ventilation and don't
> have the problem, but it is common to see others go through
> several routers trying to find one that will not crash
> during P2P activity or whatever, a more strenuous use than
> just sitting idle.
I always allow ventilation and i've still had the problem with many
routers . I realised I can rip the rop off my linksys but I only tried
that after it was broken.
It's not always poor ventilation that causes the heat problem. What
routers/models have you found to not have the problem?
My speedtouch router runs fine. I've noticed it has holes on the
bottom, so I run it upside down.
My linksys had little legs, and holes (top or bottom i can't remember)
but it didn't save it!
"kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
news:iki3u2p7pr1egejb6j6hmooan3sr8sldue@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 04:11:05 -0600, "Ken Maltby"
> <kmaltby@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>
>>OK, here we go again, I don't find your statements credible,
>>do you have a source for your claim the "many people have
>>heat issues" with networking gear?
>
> I suppose you'd have to stop pretending you know something
> and actually get out on the internet a bit more... because,
> for example, many of the bargain hunting 'sites about router
> deals have tons of people complaining about the problem with
> their present gear.
>
> You don't bother to look for evidence then claim you dont
> see a problem. How odd? I don't write these things to be a
> fiction, if I hadn't seen it mentioned time and time again I
> wouldn't have mentioned it either.
I just did a Google on "BEFSR41 heat problem" and could find
no problems that were found to be heat related, all the problems
were found to be firmware related later in the thread. That is only
for the returns I looked at of course, I'm sure if I spent all day I
would find someone who actually had a heat related problem with
the BEFSR41. There appears to be more such problems with
routers using the AR7 chipset, including the Linksys WAG routers.
Doing a Google on "router heat problem" there are of course
plenty posts about routers that the poster thinks might be having
heat related problems. Almost all the times I see the BEFSR41
mentioned it is as an example of a cooler running router.
Now my characterization of what's being said on Google, can
be easily checked by anyone. Where as, your claim of these
"many people" who have these problems comes from what?
You can find, if you search hard enough, a few "Linksys haters"
like you can for any well known product line. One of them who
calls himself "RouterRanger", argues that Linksys's designs do
a bad job at heat management, but he appears to use a lot of
exaggerated statements in his posts, at least in those I saw.
Now if you could supply some reference to the many "bargain
hunting sites" that you have visited to gain the impression you
trumpet. If you have been there, you should know how to direct
someone else to at least some of the "many" sites.
On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 14:47:17 -0600, "Ken Maltby"
<kmaltby@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>"kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
>news:iki3u2p7pr1egejb6j6hmooan3sr8sldue@4ax.com.. .
>> On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 04:11:05 -0600, "Ken Maltby"
>> <kmaltby@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>OK, here we go again, I don't find your statements credible,
>>>do you have a source for your claim the "many people have
>>>heat issues" with networking gear?
>>
>> I suppose you'd have to stop pretending you know something
>> and actually get out on the internet a bit more... because,
>> for example, many of the bargain hunting 'sites about router
>> deals have tons of people complaining about the problem with
>> their present gear.
>>
>> You don't bother to look for evidence then claim you dont
>> see a problem. How odd? I don't write these things to be a
>> fiction, if I hadn't seen it mentioned time and time again I
>> wouldn't have mentioned it either.
>
> I just did a Google on "BEFSR41 heat problem"
How about "router", "lockup" or "reset", "reboot", etc?
Did you REALLY think you'd find someone who wrote the exact
phrase "BEFSR41 heat problem"? When I sought BEFSR41
lockup, I did find related hits.
However, if you look back at my post, I did not specify this
model in particular being any more subject to overheating,
actually it's probably a little better in that regard than
some but not built to be immune either... depends a bit on
the environment. Certainly some people will have different
ambient temp, different placement of theirs, some will run
cooler than others.
In some cases it may not be heat related, if there's a
firmware bug or some other problem, but this goes back to a
suggest I'd made, to check whether it responds to attempts
to lower the temp.
>and could find
>no problems that were found to be heat related, all the problems
>were found to be firmware related later in the thread.
Your post is reading a lot like you have one and therefore,
if yours works fine then nobody could have a problem you
don't. Unfortunately 1 case of a product working fine is
not proof that others do too.
Let's consider the firmware though, is it any consolation if
it's locking up from that instead of overheating?
Perhaps a better question is, why the focus on the BEFSR41,
given that it is only a slight bit cheaper than wifi
routers, and wifi was one feature the OP expressly wanted?
> That is only
>for the returns I looked at of course, I'm sure if I spent all day I
>would find someone who actually had a heat related problem with
>the BEFSR41. There appears to be more such problems with
>routers using the AR7 chipset, including the Linksys WAG routers.
>
> Doing a Google on "router heat problem" there are of course
>plenty posts about routers that the poster thinks might be having
>heat related problems. Almost all the times I see the BEFSR41
>mentioned it is as an example of a cooler running router.
Linksys products are built better than average, I had not
meant to suggest avoiding BEFSR41, except that it has fewer
features than needed.
>
> Now my characterization of what's being said on Google, can
>be easily checked by anyone. Where as, your claim of these
>"many people" who have these problems comes from what?
>You can find, if you search hard enough, a few "Linksys haters"
>like you can for any well known product line.
Certainly there are people who will just swear off an entire
manufacturer's product line, but usually such a decision IS
made in retrospect of having a problematic product. The key
detail is then which product, and most applicable to this
thread would be those having problems with particular
routers most suited to the OP's requirements. Since one
model coming close to that is Linksys' WRT54G, I'd mentioned
that some of those have been shown problematic - but not
necessarily heat related, and not all versions... but the
present version without "L" at the end does seem to still
have firmware problems.
> One of them who
>calls himself "RouterRanger", argues that Linksys's designs do
>a bad job at heat management, but he appears to use a lot of
>exaggerated statements in his posts, at least in those I saw.
I'd say they use average reference designs, that their cases
could have a few more vent holes, and that they'd be cooler
if sitting vertically as some of their newer models do...
but the primary problem isn't that Linksys had deviated from
what anyone else was doing with their designs, it's just a
matter of the typical heat any similar design produces
within a small passive case.
>
> I just did a Google on "BEFSR41 heat problem" and could find
> no problems that were found to be heat related, all the problems
> were found to be firmware related later in the thread. That is only
> for the returns I looked at of course, I'm sure if I spent all day I
> would find someone who actually had a heat related problem with
> the BEFSR41. There appears to be more such problems with
> routers using the AR7 chipset, including the Linksys WAG routers.
>
> Doing a Google on "router heat problem" there are of course
> plenty posts about routers that the poster thinks might be having
> heat related problems. Almost all the times I see the BEFSR41
> mentioned it is as an example of a cooler running router.
>
> Now my characterization of what's being said on Google, can
> be easily checked by anyone. Where as, your claim of these
> "many people" who have these problems comes from what?
> You can find, if you search hard enough, a few "Linksys haters"
> like you can for any well known product line. One of them who
> calls himself "RouterRanger", argues that Linksys's designs do
> a bad job at heat management, but he appears to use a lot of
> exaggerated statements in his posts, at least in those I saw.
>
> Now if you could supply some reference to the many "bargain
> hunting sites" that you have visited to gain the impression you
> trumpet. If you have been there, you should know how to direct
> someone else to at least some of the "many" sites.
Anyone can buy a router. Anyone, after reading a little, should be able to
configure one. Many folks miss this important step.
"Comments: this router is descent, u get what u pay for. the reason i am
giving it a 4 and not a 5 is because of the fact that noobies like me at
routers don't get very much help in the "pamphlet" userguide, otherwise ive
been running with it for the last 3 hours and no problems so far, also good
idea to <font>u</font>pdate the firmware from linksys websight"
On most North American cable ISPs the entire Linksys line will allow wired
PCs online, without configuration.
One weakness of most common routers in the inability to deal with Bit
Torrent traffic. The router and modem will need to be power cycled every few
days. I've also seen the tracert command cause Linksys units to restart, but
only when using Windows. Linux and *BSD, no problems. This problem was
corrected with May 2006 firmware.
Several Linksys WRT54xx products have excellent 3rd party firmware available
to deal with this and other quirks.
On Feb 25, 7:08 pm, "Al Pilarcik" <plspos...@thenewsgro.up> wrote:
> On most North American cable ISPs the entire Linksys line will allow wired
> PCs online, without configuration.
>
> http://portforward.com/
>
> One weakness of most common routers in the inability to deal with Bit
> Torrent traffic. The router and modem will need to be power cycled every few
> days. I've also seen the tracert command cause Linksys units to restart, but
> only when using Windows. Linux and *BSD, no problems. This problem was
> corrected with May 2006 firmware.
>
> Several Linksys WRT54xx products have excellent 3rd party firmware available
> to deal with this and other quirks.
>
> http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/index.php
> http://www.sveasoft.com/
Installing Sveasoft firmware is like playing Russian roulette with
your router. The features you have to pay for and wait a year to be
bug-free are already in the available DD-WRT builds for free.
FAST reliable router? 
Linear Mode
