Cisco e4200, D-Link DIR-855, WNDR4000, Airport Extreme..

[kimble]

Hi,

I live in Australia and I am about to get a fibre optic connection of 100mbs down and 40mbs up.

My desktop PC will be connected via ethernet cable, however there are probably about 10 other wireless capable devices in the house that will also be connecting (not all at the same time though..), so I want to get basically the "best" wireless router that I can.

The house is single story and relatively deep and thin. The router will be in the middle so I don't think wireless range is going to be a huge deal.

Price is not a concern really. I did look at some enterprise grade stuff but it seems to be way more expensive and way worse than the consumer grade devices.

Cisco e4200
D-Link DIR-855
WNDR4000
Airport Extreme 2011

These to me look to be the best available options in Australia.

I am leaning towards the e4200 at this point, as it does well in reviews on this site. However, I can't see any reviews on the DIR-855 or the new Airport Extreme, so not sure exactly how they compare.

Any advice appreciated.

 

[Dresden]

For what it's worth, I have a DIR-855 that I'm looking to replace with one of the other three options you listed above...

 

[thiggins]

Late, Expensive, Worth It?D-Link DIR-855 reviewed (three year old design)
Don't hold your breath on the Apple review. I need to buy one for review since Apple won't submit product for review.

Either the WNDR4000 or E4200 should serve you well.

 

[kimble]

Dresdan,

Thanks a lot. That rules one out!

thiggins,

Cheers. Actually, I think I might go for the Airport Extreme. Anandtech just did a review and said:

I guess the reason that I personally use an Airport Extreme (in conjunction with another device for NAT) is that it's really one of a small number of 802.11n dual-band APs I've tried that actually works without locking up, becoming unstable periodically, dropping the session from overheating when being pushed to 100% for hours, or requiring a daily reboot. There are just so many other consumer level 802.11n APs that either fall short or are incredibly frustrating and unreliable. Thus far, I've been using an Airport Extreme Gen 5 and Time Capsule Gen 4 as my primary AP with over 12 devices attached to each one for the greater part of a month without a single instability. It's that kind of stability that really sells it for me, even with 3x3:3 out of the picture.

My understanding is that the e4200 and the Airport Extreme v5 use similar hardware and while I suspect the e4200 has a bit higher throughput and range, the reliability aspect is a very good point. I have heard of people having issues with the e4200 (which is my preference over the WNDR4000).. hmm

 

[thiggins]

My understanding is that the e4200 and the Airport Extreme v5 use similar hardware and while I suspect the e4200 has a bit higher throughput and range, the reliability aspect is a very good point. I have heard of people having issues with the e4200 (which is my preference over the WNDR4000).. hmm

Every router will have people who swear it's the worst thing ever created and those who love it or at least have no problems with it.

Let us know if you're happy with your choice.

 

[kimble]

Another interesting tidbit from an anandtech article:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4590/bigfoots-killern-1102-wireless-networking-vs-the-world/10

That brings us to the final recommendation. Before buying a new laptop with the Killer Wireless-N, make sure you have a high quality router. The Linksys E4200 generally works well, but I’d be more inclined to go with Apple’s Airport Extreme. The Linksys and Airport extreme cost the same and the Airport Extreme has 3x3:3 2.4GHz support and arguably better overall performance. Then again, long-term if you’re a fan of DD-WRT you might be better off with the Cisco 4200/Linksys E4200, as the DD-WRT project has plans to add support for the 4200 but not the Airport Extreme. Once you have the router side under control, then by all means look at getting Bigfoot’s speedy Killer Wireless-N for your laptop(s).

 

[kimble]

Update:

Overall, very disappointed by the signal strength and range. It is (a little bit) worse than my old Billion 7300N which has a single antenna and was always quite poor.

At this point I think I either got a dud, or possibly there is something in the walls of my house (or something else interfering) that is really bad for wireless networks and it doesn't matter so much which device I get.

I will try taking it the genius bar and maybe I can swing a replacement.. or they can test it..

 

[vinnie97]

Another interesting tidbit from an anandtech article:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4590/bigfoots-killern-1102-wireless-networking-vs-the-world/10

Barely even mentions Netgear, much less the N750/WNDR4000, which I can't even find being given a single cursory mention on their site.

 

[eahm]

E4200 of course. Don't buy NETGEAR products for home use, they are simply the worst.

 

[vinnie97]

Do explain further. I've seen duds from every major (and minor) manufacturer.

 

[njweb]

I love my E4200.
Thankfully Tim reviews hardware with actual tests, otherwise, going purely by the subjective reviews on newegg I would have been inclined to try the Trendnet TEW-692GR which did miserably in Tim's tests but got great user reviews.

The E4200 also bested the WNDR4000 on most of Tim's wireless tests, especially the longer distances on 2.4 GHz.

There is a new Zyxel out that does 450 on both bands, but it has not been reviewed here (yet).
The SmartRange technology sounds interesting, assuming it actually provides a noticeable improvement

I did find the RE1000 range extender to work great though, even though it did not do well in Tim's speed tests, I found it to give a MUCH *stronger* wireless signal in weak areas of the house (I figured if it could add stability, even at the expense of speed, it might be worth it).
That being said, it might be overkill (have not tried using wireless for any real length of time in the typically weak signal areas of my house).

 

[RogerSC]

I'm kind of curious about the "beam forming" ralink chips I've been reading about. Like to see that specifically looked at some time, to see if that's just another marketing hook or has a real benefit. I think that the Asus rt-56u has that, but there were other problems with that router that I ran into (firmware).

Anyway, the original poster's quoted price comparison is interesting...the Airport Extreme is more expensive than what you actually have to pay for a Linksys E4200 (even though the list prices are the same), either new or refurbished. So if price is an issue (and not the number of hard-wired ports or wireless range), then the Linksys E4200 is a better buy.

On the other hand, there's a certain number of people that will buy just about anything with an Apple on it, I've found, I know a few *smile*.

 

[thiggins]

I've yet to see any significant performance advantage from beamforming in the Ralink based products I've tested.

 

[RogerSC]

Interesting, thanks. The term "beam forming" does capture the imagination. And the Asus "Ai Radar", sounds good, too. Sounds like putting more signal energy where it's needed, but apparently this implementation doesn't live up to the marketing zing of the term.

 

[thiggins]

Beam forming is a gain improvement technique. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beamforming

I suspect the reason routers with beam forming don't show improved performance is that beam forming is used on transmit only. Just like "high power" routers, higher transmit power or gain on one end only doesn't help.

 

[RogerSC]

Good point, people often don't think about the fact that wireless is a two-way street, and both ways have to be strong enough. It isn't enough to be able to see "5 bars" throughout your house on your wireless clients from your router, your router also has to be able to receive the clients. So one has to solve both sides of that one...I imagine that adding higher gain antennas to a router (if the router allows that) could help, but then with higher gain antennas you have more directionality. Multiple AP's seem like a better solution from that point of view.

 

[RogerSC]

I just noticed the comment about Zyxel "SmartRange" above, sounds like beam forming as well...looks like the next marketing "must have" after 3-stream *smile*.

 

[stevech]

Good point, people often don't think about the fact that wireless is a two-way street, and both ways have to be strong enough. It isn't enough to be able to see "5 bars" throughout your house on your wireless clients from your router, your router also has to be able to receive the clients. So one has to solve both sides of that one...I imagine that adding higher gain antennas to a router (if the router allows that) could help, but then with higher gain antennas you have more directionality. Multiple AP's seem like a better solution from that point of view.

Most consumers don't know this... they think of WiFi as a broadcast.

 

[HDClown]

Hopping in here since I'm looking for a new router to replace my Cisco AIR-AP1121G Wireless AP. This is a true Cisco product and it has served me well for years, but it's on the slow side these days.

I tried a 4th gen Airport Extreme, but it was horrible compared to the Cisco unless I was within a few feet of the base unit. This was connected to my 2nd gen MacBook Air. I thought it was the Airport Extreme so I exchange for another one, same problem. Not sure if it's my house or what. Doesn't seem likely as my AP is a clear shot down an unblocked hallway of only about 25-30ft, if that. I couldn't explain why I was having these issues.

Was leaning towards E4200 or RT-N56U, but am a little concerned about ending in the same situation I was with the 4th gen Airport Extreme.

I should also note that I really don't need the routing features. I have a Cisco ASA5505 that I use at the edge of my home network, so I'd be ultimately using the device as a wireless AP only. I have an HP 1810-G that I'd connect into.

 

[stevech]

E4200 of course. Don't buy NETGEAR products for home use, they are simply the worst.

Netgear started by making good switches. For the most part, they still do. IMO, no so in WiFi.