Decent Router at reasonable price? NOT TP-Link

[CarvedDuck]

Hi,

I need to replace a TP-Link N600 router that is constantly dropping G-wifi. The N seems stable enough but TP-Link customer disservice is working at it's peak. Totally hopeless. I have been trying to get them to to take it back for warranty-repairs and all they keep telling me to do is update the firmware.

I had done that before I even contacted them the first time. I am now using some of their Beta firmware and still no change. I have had it with TP-Link.

So, looking for 4 x Gigabit LAN, G and N wifi at 450 to 600 Gb. An AC-wifi might be nice, but when N is working right, it does all I need. I still need G for my windows phone. {sigh}

I have just tried Zyxel, Edimax and Netgear. Returned them all as the TP-Link when running right had much better power output on both G and N ate distances. Linksys, not even slightly interested in, so what's left? If a Buffalo, I'd want a non-DD-Wrt version. DD-Wrt is great but too time consuming to configure.

Anyone with personal experience of a router they love that doesn't cost a $100+, care to chime in here.

Thanks

 

[Berton]

I got a little-known Router from Western Digital [yeah, the hard drive company] over a year and a half ago, cost $60. When I first got it I'd have to turn the Wi-Fi off [switch on the front] about once a week to re-establish it. After about a month I got a firmware update for it and haven't had a problem since. It's been running 24/7 since 9/11 but we had a transformer blow down the road that day and were without power 6AM until about 7PM that day. Didn't help to also have 10" of snow.

I've set up D-Link and Netgear Routers and haven't had call-backs on them yet.

 

[CarvedDuck]

Thanks, but the problem with the WD routers is that they are linked to their own cloud server. I do not like anyone snooping on my surfing-data and making money selling my demographics. I am not that paranoid, but annoyed that I have to PAY for THEIR router to gather MY stuff and sell it for profit for THEM. It doesn't specifically identify me, (or so their EULA states) but it is still my data.

I know google tracks, but if I don't sign into a google account they have no way of knowing that my surfing data is specifically from me each time. It just goes into the great data-cloud which is not a lot of use to google's advertisers. By doing it directly through the router WD always knows which account to add subsequent data to, to form a surfing pattern. That IS useful to advertisers.

 

[Berton]

My WD Router isn't doing 'Cloud', setup doesn't even mention it. Now their NAS/Network Attached Storage is a different matter, I got mine before that change.