I currently have a Linksys/Csco Dual Band N wireless router (WRT400N). I bought it about three years ago and it has been giving me problems as of late. Does anyone have any recommendations on a good wireless router for home use? My only requirements are that it be able to handle my work VPN (Juniper). The dual band feature is nice because I believe my work disables split tunneling. The second channel is handy if someone else in the house wants to use the internet while I work. So I probably want that feature too unless there is a good reason not to get it. 

Thanks in advance. 

I've had good luck with TrendNet.  I just replace one that was about 4 years old with a new 450 MBPS version.  I have to deal with a number of customer VPNs including Juniper and I've had no trouble with any of them.  Set up was simple.  It works well with the BluRay too.

Im subscribing to this too. I have problems connecting to wifi all the time so Im hoping its my router. 

Asus rt-n66u

 

It'll do everything you need it to do, and it does it very well. The signal is strong, the feature set is good and it works out of the box.

 

I'm an IT guy and it's what I am currently using.  

I purchased an Apple Airport approx 2yrs ago...not once have I needed to reboot it yet to this day. Very solid.

I like Engenius products. They have a new 802.11ac router.

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8512737&SRCCODE=WEBGOOPA&cm_mmc_o=mH4CjC7BBTkwCjCV1-CjCE&gclid=CID-koXe0LsCFYQ7OgodDD0Aaw

OP, I'd also recommend the Apple Airport Extreme. Solid router. I'd stay away from the ac routers because 1) they are so new, bugs aren't worked out yet 2) there aren't that many ac wifi products out yet. You should be fine with the Airport Extreme.

 

 

 

Im subscribing to this too. I have problems connecting to wifi all the time so Im hoping its my router. 

 

Is tough to say. How big is your house? Do you have any cordless phones(not cell phones, house phones)? Need more info to give you some ideas..

Asus rt-n66u

 

It'll do everything you need it to do, and it does it very well. The signal is strong, the feature set is good and it works out of the box.

 

I'm an IT guy and it's what I am currently using.

Got the same one. Works well and lot more bells and whistles than others...

 

 

Sent from my iPad 2 using T2 Pro

lunker/panteramatt,

 

May I ask what issues are you having with your router lately?

 

*Are you losing connection signal while on wireless and how far away is the router from you when this occurs? ( Are you on the same level in your residence?)

*Does the router lose it's settings?

*Do you need to constantly power cycle the router in order to get an internet connection?

*Who is your service provider? (Maybe something changed on their end that could be affecting your router.  My ISP is Verizon. A few years back when their router that they provided me went kaput, I went and bought a Linksys router the next day.  I called up Verizon CS several months later when I was constantly having issues with my connection.  Verizon CS told me that I was not using a router that was approved for their service and replaced it with one of theirs.)

*Does the router have the latest firmware update? (Flashing the firmware on the router may resolve your current issues.)

*Very possible that the router is on it's way out. (It was purchased 3 years ago.)

 

Just trying to understand your issue here.  If you really need your internet connection back up right away because of work, then by all means go out and purchase a router that some have recommended here.

lunker,

 

Another possibility . . .

*Is the issue your are having related to your VPN? (If this is the case then maybe calling your company IT helpdesk may resolve the issue. Possibly something changed on your company network.)

 

Running out and replacing your current router may not fix your issues.  If issues still persist, please update post!

A few months ago I replaced my old Linksys unit with a Netgear R6300 v2 and it works great.  Connections are reliable and fast.  I even use it to stream Amazon Prime videos over Chrome wirelessly to my Chromecast unit on the big screen TV with no issues.  I point this out because it adds a very heavy load to the system.  Unlike streaming Netflix this is downloading from the internet to my computer then sending it back to the router and then over WiFi sending it to the Chromecast so it is using 3X bandwidth and I have no latency issues as all.

Thanks for all the replies.I do believe it is my router going bad. When it is working well, I have no connectivity problems. It just seems to frequently lose its settings and I have to reboot.

I have a netgear dual band it works well. I dont use the N band because my laptop does not have N band in it but it came with a N band thumb nic so it does not work that well.

I have a Netgear R6300, AC1750 dual band gigabit. Doesn't get much better than that these days. I love mine. It was a definite upgrade from the old Linksis G band I was using. Like night and day.

 

Sent using Tapatalk 2 NOW FREE!!!

 

 

Many good choices above but here's  one more. You could always buy any $50 retail router and flash it with dd-wrt. I’m a dd-wrt fan, lots of features and excellent stability on my TP-Link router. dd-wrt actually ships from the factory installed on some Buffalo routers but works well with many different brand including Cisco\Linksys if you opted for another Cisco but check the database first to see if the device is supported. The dd-wrt web interface looks much like the old Linksys interface.  I flashed my TP-Link router with dd-wrt about 3 years ago and it has been very stable and great Wi-Fi coverage throughout the home.  

DD-WRT is great software, there is other aftermarket router software as well that I hear is good.  I used DD-WRT with my old Linksys router.  You need to check which firmware versions you have in the router as it does not work on all.  But you are never going to get a good Dual band N Band router for $50.  I'll tell you my iPhone and iPad screen on N Band.

lunker/panteramatt,

 

May I ask what issues are you having with your router lately?

 

*Are you losing connection signal while on wireless and how far away is the router from you when this occurs? ( Are you on the same level in your residence?) 

Yes. Within a few feet. 

*Does the router lose it's settings? Not Sure

*Do you need to constantly power cycle the router in order to get an internet connection? Sometimes

*Who is your service provider? (Maybe something changed on their end that could be affecting your router.  My ISP is Verizon. A few years back when their router that they provided me went kaput, I went and bought a Linksys router the next day.  I called up Verizon CS several months later when I was constantly having issues with my connection.  Verizon CS told me that I was not using a router that was approved for their service and replaced it with one of theirs.) Comcast

*Does the router have the latest firmware update? (Flashing the firmware on the router may resolve your current issues.) Have no idea

*Very possible that the router is on it's way out. (It was purchased 3 years ago.) Cant tell but it is pretty old

 

Just trying to understand your issue here.  If you really need your internet connection back up right away because of work, then by all means go out and purchase a router that some have recommended here.

 

I dont want to waste $ on another one but sometimes it takes several attemps and resets to connect my laptop or kindle. 

Definitely forget about Linksys/Netgear/DLink etc..... Asus is the way to go now.

Im no techy by any means but isnt a routers job just to give you a wireless connection? Why would one be better than the other?

I second the ASUS.    I have the ASUS RT-N66U and it has been running flawlessly.

 

http://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-Band-Wireless-N900-Gigabit-Router/dp/B006QB1RPY

Mine is a D Link DI-524 

I second the ASUS. I have the ASUS RT-N66U and it has been running flawlessly.

 

http://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-Band-Wireless-N900-Gigabit-Router/dp/B006QB1RPY

Sorry, you only 3rd it... And thats less than I paid. Good deal. But I wanted mine out of desperation and had no time to diddle with pricing. Off to Microwarehouse I went...

 

 

Sent from my iPad 2 using T2 Pro

panteramatt,

 

*Did Comcast provide you with the router or was it purchased by yourself? (If Comcast provided you with the router maybe they can replace it, since it is their equipment.  You can call up Comcast CS and they can run some tests on the router itself to see if there are any issues with it on their end.)

*When the router loses it's settings...do you need to set the wireless encryption on it? (IE - As if anyone can connect to your wireless network without a pass key.)

Mine is a D Link DI-524 

 

panteramatt,

 

That router is pretty old.

 

Im no techy by any means but isnt a routers job just to give you a wireless connection? Why would one be better than the other?

The router you currently have, a D-Link DI-524, works on a G Network that has a capable speed of 54Mps max. Newer routers that run on a N Network are capable of running at 300Mps. If you have a newer laptop that can run on N Networks but your router is only G Network capable then your speed is limited to a G Network speed of 54Mps.

DD-WRT is great software, there is other aftermarket router software as well that I hear is good.  I used DD-WRT with my old Linksys router.  You need to check which firmware versions you have in the router as it does not work on all.  But you are never going to get a good Dual band N Band router for $50.  I'll tell you my iPhone and iPad screen on N Band.

Yep you’re correct I overlooked the Dual band. Quick search says current price is $70 shipped for a TP-LINK-TL-WDR4300 which supports dd-wrt and is dual band. I don’t have any 5Ghz devices, we are running our N router in mixed mode so its backward compatible with our older G devices. BTW dd-wrt is not "aftermarket", it is Open Source which is FREE. Anyhow above is just an example for pricing and will work right out of the box and dd-wrt is just something to consider if you like to experiment. smallnetbuilder is often recommended by folks for router reviews but its a crap shoot like anything else...

panteramatt,

 

That router is pretty old.

 

The router you currently have, a D-Link DI-524, works on a G Network that has a capable speed of 54Mps max. Newer routers that run on a N Network are capable of running at 300Mps. If you have a newer laptop that can run on N Networks but your router is only G Network capable then your speed is limited to a G Network speed of 54Mps.

Well my laptop is old too. I believe it runs on b/g network so would I gain anything upgrading the router?

You can get a USB network "card" for your old computer that will let it run on G.  My routers runs at 300 / 450 mps.

Well my laptop is old too. I believe it runs on b/g network so would I gain anything upgrading the router?

 

Probably not for that laptop. Also, you'd need to make sure the router to which you upgrade is dual band (G & N).  If it's just "N" it won't work anymore.

Well my laptop is old too. I believe it runs on b/g network so would I gain anything upgrading the router?

My recommendation is to upgrade the router for future use.  At some point in time your old laptop will need to get replaced. HBecwithFn7, is correct that you need to make sure the router is dual band should you still plan on using your old laptop if that isn't going to be replaced right away along with the router.