Computer Consumer Question: Wireless Router Edition

[Jelenedra]

I am in the market for a wireless router. I have never used one before (never had that many things I needed connected to the internet). I plan on having a PS3, Wii, 360, and a PC in this network. Maybe the DS every once and a while. My older sister and her tech savvy husband suggest that the 360 is hard wired into the router, as opposed to being wireless. "The Wireless adapter on the 360 is a bitch, we went through three and they all just stopped working."

Suggestions? Advice? Stay the **** away from Brand X, it'll put a smile on your face.

[HomeschooledByTards]

This is the router we use (Wikipedia page). We've recommended it to several other people and they all seem to really like it too. I've always had good luck with Linksys networking products.

[jsalemi]

I have this Linksys N router.  Works great -- I get a strong signal and good connection with the laptop and DirecTV box on the first floor, and the router on the 3rd.

[Jelenedra]

What should I be looking for in a router, by the way? What would make me consider an expensive model at Best Buy over the cheap one at Walmart?

[wes_h]

If I had to replace mine, it would be with a newer LinkSys model (Cisco owns the company). My LinkSys has worked fine for several years (ancient by modern standards). Mine was plug and play 100% right from the box, although I took the time to log into it and change the admin password and setup some security... both steps highly recommended, and easily accomplished with your browser. Wireless G is pretty cheap now, and while it is only half the speed of your ethernet port, it is sufficient here, particularly because the internet connection itself is only a fraction of the speed, and thus a move to N would be a waste.

As for the game boxes, if you can't hardwire the 360 ethernet to your router because of location, LinkSys makes a game adapter which you can program from a PC (access code, networks name and such) and then carry over to any device with an ethernet port and it will look like a hardwire to the game box, but connect wirelessly with any standard wireless signal. Right now, it is being used on our Wii, although there may be a cheaper wireless adapter for it (if I already own it, it is the cheapest alternative).

[Jelenedra]

Doesn't the Wii have wi-fi built in? Why would you need that? 

[fway]

Doesn't the Wii have wi-fi built in? Why would you need that? 

Yep, I was surprised to find out that it did when I configured my internet settings. I didn't have to go and bring my router to my Wii. The wireless connection is more than decent by the way; therefore, you do not need a wireless adapter for it.

ETA: I also have the Linksys WRT54G router. The connection fails sometimes for me, just for my PCs for some reason.

[jsalemi]

As for the game boxes, if you can't hardwire the 360 ethernet to your router because of location, LinkSys makes a game adapter which you can program from a PC (access code, networks name and such) and then carry over to any device with an ethernet port and it will look like a hardwire to the game box, but connect wirelessly with any standard wireless signal.

I have that game adapter hooked to my DirecTV box for video on demand, and it works great -- never had a problem with it connecting or losing the connection.

[HomeschooledByTards]

What should I be looking for in a router, by the way? What would make me consider an expensive model at Best Buy over the cheap one at Walmart?

This isn't router specific, just my method of deciding what gadget or gizmo to buy.

First I decide what I need this device do versus what I want it to do. I wanted to get a Digital SLR camera earlier this year. My critera were that it should have at least 10 megapixals, be compatible with a large variety of lenses, be from a reputable company with a history of quality, have as many focus points as possible, and both manual and automatic settings. It would be nice if it had a live LCD screen, red-eye removal from pets, worked with my lenses I already had for 35 mm file, and recorded video, but I can live without all of these features.

Second, I found some brands that had most/all of my features. How much does each camera kit cost? How much am I willing to spend on it? Is there a camera that I like that has most of my Must Have features? Do I really need all of these features or can I live without X or Y?

Thirdly, I read a lot of reviews, I start with good in depth reviews, if I can find them. Then I check out amazon, eopinions, google, forums, etc. I read *everything*, good, bad and indifferent. When I bought my washing machine I first called a local hole-in-the-wall appliance repairman to get his recommendations. I read all of the reviews on the brand he recommended, there weren't a lot of reviews and most of them were "Eh." or "Crap".

I really like reading the negative, or just critical, reviews. I already know the features I think I'm going to like, I want to know about the stuff that I might not like.

A lot of critical reviews are written by dumb people. They didn't read the instructions, or they had bad service from the company, or just got a lemon. All of the negative reviews for the washer/dryer set I got were from people who didn't understand that the seal on the machine door (front loading washer) is both watertight and airtight. If you close the door, the drum can't dry out, mildew and mold grows, and the damn thing starts to smell. That sort of review is obviously an ID10T error and one you can safely ignore (or make fun of).

Lastly, I go with my gut. Olympus had a camera with a live LCD screen, great price, great reviews, and would have been a great camera. I really wanted the comparable Nikon, which didn't have a live LCD screen. I had always wanted a Nikon camera, and I went for what I wanted. I never regretted it, and live LCD screens drain batteries like you wouldn't believe.

This research method has yet to fail me.

[Stitches]

Doesn't the Wii have wi-fi built in? Why would you need that? 

Nintendo suggested I do such a thing. Per my whine in the Animal Crossing thread, I cannot get my Wii's built in wi-fi to connect to my wireless network because, as rohina put it, my ISP is a dildo.

So baaah. I hadn't yet found a suitable adapter, but now I can try the Linksys.

[witch]

@jesslla, I research my stuff like that too. When I bought my camera, when I built my last PC, I knew what I was getting. I spent about two months researching the PC. With all the information out on the internet, there's really no excuse not to research. Mind you, people who buy on impulse help keep the 2nd hand trading sites going. 

[Jelenedra]

I usually to the consumer review research thing too. That's what I did when I got our last camera. I just know next to nothing about wireless routers, so I don't know what features are important.

[Paperbladder]

802.11g or 802.11n - If you are buying a router today, you want to make sure it uses either of these two standards.  Wireless G is much more common than Wireless N but Wireless N routers can be run in N, G, or B modes.

WEP, WPA, or WPA2 - If you want wireless security, you want to use either WPA if your devices support it.  Most routers will come with WEP but WEP can be cracked provided that the attacker has an appropriate wireless adapter.

Custom Firmware - Some routers can have their default firmware swapped out with custom firmware like DD-WRT.  Usually, the box will not say that it supports custom firmware so you will have to research this yourself.  However, the router that most people use for such a purpose is a WRT54GL, WRT54Gv1, or WRT54Gv2(Not to be confused with a WRT54G2, get a WRT54G/GS/GL instead).

I used a WRT54Gv5 router and once it did I started using a WRT54GSv7.2.  Both of those are Wireless G, support DD-WRT micro, and can use WPA2.

[HomeschooledByTards]

Oooh, I did remember something I discovered years ago about my wireless network.

My computers were set up in the back room with a wireless access point, the DSL modem and router was set up in the front of the house with a wireless access point connecting the two rooms, and my microwave was between the two wireless access points. When I used the microwave, the wireless signal was disrupted and the network wouldn't work.

It took forever for me to figure out what was causing the periodic network disruptions. I don't know if it was just the access points we used, our microwave, the position of the Earth's rotation, PEBKAC errors, or all of the above.

[Simsample]

Jelenedra, if you want to use a DS or DS Lite on your network you would have to use WEP encryption. The DS doesn't support WPA.
Fway, if your PCs are connected wirelessly you could have some interference from neighbouring networks. Try changing the channel or setting to auto select. If they are wired connections then the problems are most likely due to firmware- you could check for updates.

[wes_h]

Well, if the Wii has WiFi in it, then I never set it up. The LinkSys Game adapter makes it look like ethernet, and I have a USB-to-Ethernet adapter.
Go figure. The LinkSys was designed to trick any of the consoles into thinking they were direct connected... I originally bought it for a non-game ethernet enabled device so I didn't have to run another cable.

While it is more expensive than a USB style WiFi adapter, considering cable, connectors and effort into the formula makes it a reasonable alternative.

And I have a WRT54G wireless router here. Wireless + four wired ports. Works good, lasts a long time, and pretty cheap now compared to the N compatible routers.

[seelindarun]

@jesslla, I research my stuff like that too. When I bought my camera, when I built my last PC, I knew what I was getting. I spent about two months researching the PC. With all the information out on the internet, there's really no excuse not to research. Mind you, people who buy on impulse help keep the 2nd hand trading sites going. 

See, that's the way I'd like to buy stuff.  It's true that I could do it myself in principle, but then I think, why should I reinvent the wheel when jesslla and witch (and various nerdly friends) have already done it?  I could just ask.

[Lum]

I'm a bad consumer. I bought the Linksys WRT54G on a whim because it was on sale at Office Max. It's wired to one computer, and wireless for my laptop, another computer and my Wii. Works like a charm, but I encrypted it with WPA, so the DS doesn't connect. I could change it, but I never saw the need. Sorry, DS.

[HomeschooledByTards]

See, that's the way I'd like to buy stuff.  It's true that I could do it myself in principle, but then I think, why should I reinvent the wheel when jesslla and witch (and various nerdly friends) have already done it?  I could just ask.

Who's to say that we'll give you accurate advice? Opinions from friends are a great way to start figuring out what you want, but it's always best to do at least some research before you buy something. You may not need to go as in depth as some of us do, but a quick perusing of amazon's reviews will give you a good idea about the product.

[Jelenedra]

Well, the good news is that it only has to cover about 700 sq ft. We can has small apartment. The bad news is that while it would be easier to have it near the TV with all the consoles hardwired and the PC connecting wirelessly; the way my internet connection works I have a modem that HAS to be connected by a phone line AND a cable jack. Phone and cable jack is near the wall with the PC, there is only a cable jack near the TV.

Stupid COX.

[HomeschooledByTards]

Get a really long phone cable. Run it over doorways, on the floor next to the walls, hanging from the ceiling, etc.

I had a 100 ft cord in my last apartment because my phone connection was in the middle of the room and I didn't want to put my DSL modem and computer there. I hung it from the ceiling so that I wouldn't walk all over it and so my cat couldn't get to it.

[Jelenedra]

If there a recommended tool for this? Obviously tape would do... and would probably be better for the walls... but... ugh. 

Yeah, right now the cord that connects the consoles to the modem is like 25? feet long. You can't sit at the PC when it's in use because the cord is so taut.

[HomeschooledByTards]

If there a recommended tool for this? Obviously tape would do... and would probably be better for the walls... but... ugh. 

Yeah, right now the cord that connects the consoles to the modem is like 25? feet long. You can't sit at the PC when it's in use because the cord is so taut.

I screwed little hooks into my ceiling and knotted loops in the cord. Very getto.

The little clips you can use for hanging Christmas lights should work.

[SpaceDoll]

Just google cable management; there are all sorts of clips and ties out there, both to nail in and adhesive.  I think 3M even makes some removable ones, although those might be the Christmas light clips jesslla mentioned.

[rosenshyne]

Pushpins work great. You don't push them through the cord, obviously, but just to the side of them so they pin the cord in place. If you get both a cord and pins that match the color of your ceiling most people won't even notice the cord.