New Router Needed- Decision Time!

[ross549]

Hi folks,My Linksys WRT45GS router is getting long in the tooth, and I am looking to replace it. It is dropping speeds, ports die randomly, etc. I think I have finally managed to wear it out over the last 7 years or so (has it been that long??).I am looking at this model from Dlink-http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=767My network is mostly wireless, But I have several devices vying for the four wired ports on the router. I have an HP LaserJet 2200, a Drobo FS, a streaming server, and several devices in my loft the necessitate a mobile drop upstairs. In short, I am full, and need to have the room for expansion, should the inevitable happen. :)By far the nicest feature I like in the Dlink is the 8 wired ports. However, they are only 100mbit, not gigabit. The wireless is b/g/n, and the firewall looks like the normal one you would expect from a consumer router.I am wondering if anyone knows of an 8-port gigabit router that also has b/g/n wireless for a reasonable price. I'll look at unreasonable prices too, to get ideas. I expect to have this device for some time, so i am willing to shell out a bit more for this router if needed.Anyone know of any other routers like this one? Has anyone used this Dlink router?Thanks,Adam

[Tushman]

Adam, if you got a regular 4 port wireless router, couldn't you just reserve one of the ports for a switch?

Edited December 19, 2010 by Tushman

[Urmas]

Um... TP-Link?http://www.tp-link.com/products/productLis...class=router#s2For example... a quick Google Google Google suggests that this one costs $160 or so:http://www.tp-link.com/products/productDet...model=TL-R4199GA few years ago, I bought a TP-Link "prices from" four port wired router. No complaints.

[goretsky]

[Edited to correct typo. AG]Hello,That looks like a pretty decent residential broadband gateway router. I noticed it does not support the 5GHz band used by the earlier 802.11a wireless specification and by some 802.11n devices, also, it does not seem to support DD-WRT (at least, not yet). I am not sure if these are issues for you.Have you considered going with a residential broadband gateway router that has four Gigabit Ethernet ports, and then adding an eight-port Gigabit Ethernet switch? If you are doing anything bandwidth-intensive like backups over the wired network going to gigabit speeds should make a noticeable difference.Regards,Aryeh Goretsky

[mac]

Adam,I have a set-up similar to what Ayreh is suggesting using an 8 port Netgear GS108T gigabit switch (connected to the gateway router) to connect my network printer, 3 wired PCs and my WHS PC. Backups and file moves happen quickly!

[ross549]

Hmm,I was really trying to keep everything in one box, if possible. The wired speeds are not super important to me...the printer is used occasionally, and the stream server is only using out 16kbps. The only constant use item I have that would be sitting on the wired side of things is the drobo. I am using it primarily for media storage and such, so I am not sure that the jump to gigabit is going to make a huge difference to me in the long run.Like I said, most of my computers are on the wireless side of the network, so it makes a bit more sense to make sure that it has everything.Urmas, I have never heard of TP-link before. Have they been around for a while? Can I reasonably expect them to be providing firmware updates, etc for the next few years at a minimum?Here is another one I am looking at- http://www.netgear.com/home/products/wirel...e/WNDR3700.aspxNo eight ports, but has wifi a/b/g/n on both 2.4 and 5GHz.Adam

[V.T. Eric Layton]

If I used one brand of router for that many years, without any issues, I think I'd stick with that brand.

[ross549]

Well,I have been looking extensively for the last few days, and I have found nothing that matches my requirements. I can find everything I want with the exception of 8 gigabit wired ports. I am really surprised that no one makes a router that does this... it would not be that much more.For the most part, it seems that routers are a dime a dozen, with little differentiation between models, except for the USB port for file/printer sharing. That feature is not important to me, since I have the Drobo.I really like the Netgear one. Has anyone played with Netgear routers recently? I've not owned one of their routers- only D-link and Linksys.Thanks for the feedback thus far. :)Adam

[goretsky]

Hello,TP-Link has been around for several years; they are a Chinese company and I think they have been concentrating mainly on European sales and slowly expanding into the Americas. Their equipment is at the "value end" of the pricing spectrum; I have not using anything from them that I can recall, nor have I heard anything bad about them.I am on a Netgear WNDR3700 now, which I purchased several months ago to replace a BuffaloTech unit that failed after several years of use. No problems or complaints so far.Regards,Aryeh Goretsky