Replacing A Router

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  1. Posts : 1,325
    Windows7 Ultimate 64bit
       #11

    If you're comfy with Belkin, go with Belkin - you don't need assurance from others for that. I like Cisco-Linksys products, and the one you linked is one of my favorite, but that was before I use my current router... If you're going to do a lot of streaming, I suggest your use wired Gigabit LAN - it's far more reliable, and very fast too. Wifi, what ever the advertised speeds are, will almost always slower than wired, because it's using radio waves. Radio waves aren't reliable enough. By the way, rather than you buy an expensive all in one device like that, why don't you buy a stand alone router, an 8 port gigabit switch (non-blocking of course) and an Access point. It's cheaper in the long term I think.

    zzz2496
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  2. Posts : 6,618
    W7x64 Pro, SuSe 12.1/** W7 x64 Pro, XP MCE
    Thread Starter
       #12

    osholt said:
    In answer to your question about speed, you can stream full 1080p with 7.1 surround sound in less than 20Mb/s so that wouldn't be a problem. That 300Mbps tag is its theoretical maximum, you're more likely to get at most 150Mbps via WiFi and unless you live live in South Koorea I doubt you'll have an Internet speed passing 20 or 30% or that 150. In short no problem either way the only determining factor is reliability.
    So, I guess that them touting the extra bandwidth is just a matter of marketing...that wouldn't be surprising.
    In terms of routers again it's all down to personal preference or as my friend once put 'brand loyalty and shiny-ness'. The only big variables are the ones we've discussed.
    So far, I have no brand loyalty. The only router that I have had that didn't have problems was my ZyXel. The only reason that I'm replacing it, is because it has a lesser bandwidth...108Mbps on Super G, but from what you have said, that should be sufficient.

    I did tinker with it some last night, but I was having problems configuring it. When I first set it up, long ago, there was no problems, so I think that it is just something that I have forgotten, but I never did use it for WiFI, only hardwired. I couldn't get it's signal to appear on the Belkin adapter.


    Again if you're worried about your adapter not working you really shouldn't, all devices certified to work with WiFi have to under the specifications work with all other WiFi devices (on the same band). It's like saying I have a plug and play generic Sony USB 2.0 HDD which only works on computers manufactured by Sony; that just wouldn't happen and the same is true with WiFi.

    Oli
    The adapter has a button for "simple" connections, but that only seems to work with a Belkin router, so I guess that I can forget it.
    When I get my mind set for it, I will tinker with it some more.
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  3. Posts : 6,618
    W7x64 Pro, SuSe 12.1/** W7 x64 Pro, XP MCE
    Thread Starter
       #13

    zzz2496 said:
    If you're comfy with Belkin, go with Belkin - you don't need assurance from others for that.
    I never said that I was comfortable with Belkin. I couldn't because the only Belkin that I have had so far didn't work for me, and it died a premature death. That doesn't mean that all Belkins would be the same though.
    I like Cisco-Linksys products, and the one you linked is one of my favorite, but that was before I use my current router... If you're going to do a lot of streaming, I suggest your use wired Gigabit LAN - it's far more reliable, and very fast too. Wifi, what ever the advertised speeds are, will almost always slower than wired, because it's using radio waves. Radio waves aren't reliable enough.
    I have no doubt that you are right about a hardwired network being better than WiFi, but not only does that create a problem running the cables, I also have a very persnickity apt. manager that would probably give me problems about the cable, but if I continue to have problems with WiFi, I may risk that anyway.
    By the way, rather than you buy an expensive all in one device like that, why don't you buy a stand alone router, an 8 port gigabit switch (non-blocking of course) and an Access point. It's cheaper in the long term I think.

    zzz2496
    These are ideas and terms that I really don't understand at this point. Aren't the routers that I have mentioned "stand alone"? They are separate from either the PC or modem. To really understand the switch and access point that you mentioned, I would need to read more, and my head is already spinning with what I have been trying to deal with.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 1,325
    Windows7 Ultimate 64bit
       #14

    seekermeister said:
    I never said that I was comfortable with Belkin. I couldn't because the only Belkin that I have had so far didn't work for me, and it died a premature death. That doesn't mean that all Belkins would be the same though.
    Oh, my apologies... I thought that you like Belkin products... sorry for that...
    These are ideas and terms that I really don't understand at this point. Aren't the routers that I have mentioned "stand alone"? They are separate from either the PC or modem. To really understand the switch and access point that you mentioned, I would need to read more, and my head is already spinning with what I have been trying to deal with.
    See, in the enterprise class hardware - routers works just as it's intended, route. A switch does switching - very fast switching, with some redundancy features. An Access Point does just that, to become a base station bridging it's wired interface to it's wireless interface. Let me give you an example...
    In my home network, I have 4 devices:

    1. RB-450G Mikrotik router with 5 gigabit interface.
    2. Cisco Linksys SD 2008 8 port gigabit switch (non-blocking).
    3. An old Linksys WRT-54G acting as access point.
    4. A Motorola DOCSIS modem, connecting me to my ISP.

    Now, in case of network upgrades, If I need faster LAN, I just upgrade the switch to let's say 10G speeds. If I suddenly switches to DSL, all I need is replace the Motorola modem with a DSL modem. Should I need faster Wifi, I'll buy the new N Access Point, done... At the heart of all that, a Mikrotik router (680MHz Atheros CPU, 256MB DDR RAM, 512MB NAND Storage). That is overkill for a SOHO router, and it got 5 interfaces on it, should I have more than one internet connections, I can load balance every internet connection and have a large aggregate bandwidth at my disposal. That's the beauty of independent modular equipment... compared to "stand alone" consumer products... Once it's gone, you're done...

    zzz2496
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 6,618
    W7x64 Pro, SuSe 12.1/** W7 x64 Pro, XP MCE
    Thread Starter
       #15

    zzz2496 said:
    See, in the enterprise class hardware - routers works just as it's intended, route. A switch does switching - very fast switching, with some redundancy features. An Access Point does just that, to become a base station bridging it's wired interface to it's wireless interface. Let me give you an example...
    In my home network, I have 4 devices:

    1. RB-450G Mikrotik router with 5 gigabit interface.
    2. Cisco Linksys SD 2008 8 port gigabit switch (non-blocking).
    3. An old Linksys WRT-54G acting as access point.
    4. A Motorola DOCSIS modem, connecting me to my ISP.

    Now, in case of network upgrades, If I need faster LAN, I just upgrade the switch to let's say 10G speeds. If I suddenly switches to DSL, all I need is replace the Motorola modem with a DSL modem. Should I need faster Wifi, I'll buy the new N Access Point, done... At the heart of all that, a Mikrotik router (680MHz Atheros CPU, 256MB DDR RAM, 512MB NAND Storage). That is overkill for a SOHO router, and it got 5 interfaces on it, should I have more than one internet connections, I can load balance every internet connection and have a large aggregate bandwidth at my disposal. That's the beauty of independent modular equipment... compared to "stand alone" consumer products... Once it's gone, you're done...

    zzz2496
    I have a glimmering of what you said, but for me to really understand, it would take either a lot more talking or reading, and I'm really just wanting a simple method to accomplish what I want...streaming media to another computer in another room. I doubt that I would need the versatility that your system offers, and it sounds more expensive with the variety of components than what I'm trying to do now. If I can make a regular router and adapter work as they should, I would be happy.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 6,618
    W7x64 Pro, SuSe 12.1/** W7 x64 Pro, XP MCE
    Thread Starter
       #16

    I have been tinkering with trying to reconnect my old ZyXel router, but I'm running into the same problems that I did with the Belkin. I connect the cable from the modem to the WAN port on the router, and a cable from the ethernet port on the PC to LAN1, reset the modem and router, but am not able to connect to the internet. When I run the Windows troubleshooter, it says that it can't connect to the DNS server, but when I try to enter the router's wizard, it says that it can't, because there is a network problem. If I disconnect the router and go directly from the modem to the PC, it works as it should.

    This would lead one to think that there is a problem with the modem, except that this modem worked fine before trying the Belkin. The fact that it works one way and not the other, makes me believe that the cables are okay, so all that's left that I can think of is that something has gone haywire with the modem. Since the modem is the one provided by the cable company, I would have to arrange a service call with them, but if the problem weren't with the modem, that would be an expensive and wasted expense. It seems that something is playing games with me.
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  7. Posts : 6,618
    W7x64 Pro, SuSe 12.1/** W7 x64 Pro, XP MCE
    Thread Starter
       #17

    I finally got the network restored on the ZyXel, but I'm still having the same problem with getting the WiFi to work. I used the WiFi wizard to set it on the primary, flipped the WiFi switch to on, but the neither the Belkin or Windows wizard sees any signal coming from the router.

    I'm thinking hard about ordering the Cisco E3000, but I really don't want to spend that much, only to have the same problem a third time. Since the wizards do see the signals of other WiFi nearby, I'm assuming that means that the adapter is working on the secondary and with the network working, and the WiFi setup appearing so easy on the primary, I'm guessing that there is simply a defect in the router's WiFi function, or the Belkin router can't see a Super G signal, or Belkin and ZyXel don't like each other.

    One curiosity remains...that being that when I first flip the WiFi on with the switch on the back of the ZyXel, a bubble alert appears momentarily on the secondary rig, saying that a network cable is unplugged. This confuses me, because there is no WiFi cable involved.
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  8. Posts : 2,737
    Windows 7 Enterprise (x64); Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64)
       #18

    seekermeister, to chime in late, I have used the Cisco-Linksys and they work perfectly. Never had an issue worth the extra money. Cisco is the leader in routers so you should not have a problem and they have excellent support if you need it.
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  9. Posts : 6,618
    W7x64 Pro, SuSe 12.1/** W7 x64 Pro, XP MCE
    Thread Starter
       #19

    Thans, it's never too late to ad a bit of encouragement...I can use all that I can get. I'm still waiting on my Seagate RMA, so that I can install W7 on it, and try what I have again. Just prior to the HD failure, I did manage to get the old Belkin to at least see a WiFi device on the router, although neither computer was accessible to the other. I kind of want to narrow the field of possibilities, before making a final decision.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 2,737
    Windows 7 Enterprise (x64); Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64)
       #20

    All the Windows 7 machines will see each other without much effort. However if you have a mix like I do of Windows XP and Windows 7 then you will need to NOT use (disable) HomeGroup and only use Workgroups so they can all see each other correctly. Using workgroups takes a bit more work but is well worth it. If needed, I am sure there is a tutorial here on how to do it.
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