What is a good WIFI router?

THEFERMANATOR · #1 01-20-2015, 11:21 AM

I have been having nothing but problems with my wireless router from our cable company, and am looking for a good router that won't break the bank. We have 35MB internet service at home now, and if I set there modem to default settings I get brief spikes to 38MB or so, and then nothing, back up, and then nothing again. If I disable the WMM in it, I got 35MB of speed from it for the 1st hour, and have been getting no higher than 22MB from it since. The speed coming from the modem drops the longer I try to connect to it, and will eventually drop down to 1-3MB if I'm lucky. So it looks like the modem is kicking me off because I can watch the speed of it drop from 54MB in the status window down to 11 when I am having issues. What is wierd it only does this on my 2 windows based laptops, and our VIZIO TV. My phone and my wifes apple based products maintain roughly a 35MB connection speed. I had this problem with the last modem we had from them on our 15MB service, and found some settings in it that fixxed it, but those settings don't work on this new router. SO I'm throwing in the towel, and going to get my own wireless router to use so hopefully I can hopefully get the speeds I'm paying for.

Destroyer · #2 01-20-2015, 03:07 PM

Ferm, I can't speak for all the various modems/routers on the market, but I can speak with some authority on the Netgear N600 wireless dual band router. My cable company (Optonline) uses them, I have one that I personally use and I've never had any problems with them. They are fast, simple and they work great.

Now it just so happens that I have a spare one. One of my customers was moving to an assisted living community, and he gave me all his equipment since where he was going to had everything he would need. So I have this nice unit sitting on a shelf gathering dust. PM me your shipping address and it's yours. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than going out and buying one, and if nothing else, it's a great way to check your internet providers signal. I know that this one is working properly.

And to put things in context, my router connects 3 desktop computers, one tablet, 2 phones, 1 notebook, 1 laptop and 3 tv's. And I've not had a single speed issue with any of them.

THEFERMANATOR · #3 01-20-2015, 08:17 PM

PM sent. I was actually just looking at that one at STAPLES a few hours ago. The cable company is supposed to be sending an actual tech guy out tommorrow with a supervisor to get to the bottom of it. I have it working so so on my laptop, works great on my desktop via ethernet, but now my wife can't use it for crap with either of her MAC based products. This is getting old as I have been having internet problems since October of last year. If it wasn't for my wife having to have it for work, I would tell them where they could shove it.

Destroyer · #4 02-10-2015, 10:22 AM

Hey Ferm. I was getting a little worried since I had not heard anything from you so I checked the post office tracking number and it said that the router I gave you was delivered to you that Saturday. Did you get it? Did you install it and is it working out ok for you? Just curious since I haven't heard anything since I sent it to you.

THEFERMANATOR · #5 02-10-2015, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Destroyer

Hey Ferm. I was getting a little worried since I had not heard anything from you so I checked the post office tracking number and it said that the router I gave you was delivered to you that Saturday. Did you get it? Did you install it and is it working out ok for you? Just curious since I haven't heard anything since I sent it to you.

Been real busy, but I did get a chance to try it out last week. It wouldn't work out for me as it limited my wireless down to 8MB on the 5GHZ, and 4 on the 2.4GHZ. Also it dropped my ethernet speeds down from 40MB to 25MB on the wired side. Something in my house messes with the router when the 5GHZ is turned on I guess, or at least that is what teh cable company said. They did finally get me a basic 2.4GHZ router that works at 35-40MB through most of the house, but it can only support 10 devices at a time logged onto it. Right now that isn't an issue, but as more and more goes wireless it may become one.

phatdaddy · #6 02-10-2015, 02:11 PM

ferm, i have simiar issues with my house, block house built in the 50's with poured stem walls.
router on one end, only get coverage for about 40 ft.outside of room.

Destroyer · #7 02-10-2015, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THEFERMANATOR

Been real busy, but I did get a chance to try it out last week. It wouldn't work out for me as it limited my wireless down to 8MB on the 5GHZ, and 4 on the 2.4GHZ. Also it dropped my ethernet speeds down from 40MB to 25MB on the wired side. Something in my house messes with the router when the 5GHZ is turned on I guess, or at least that is what teh cable company said. They did finally get me a basic 2.4GHZ router that works at 35-40MB through most of the house, but it can only support 10 devices at a time logged onto it. Right now that isn't an issue, but as more and more goes wireless it may become one.

Man, that's strange. I tested it several times in my house and wired was getting around 72MB with no packet losses. Spikes were up to 80MB and the lowest I saw was one 68MB reading. Never tested the wireless side since I don't run wireless, but you should have gotten much better results. I'm beginning to wonder if your cable company's system might have something to do with your problems?