Help picking Router capable of WDS

[theone964]

Hello everyone, this is my first post so be forgiving if its not up to par.

I am looking to buy a new router that meets certain criteria.

Clients:
1 IPad (N)
5 Laptops (G)
2 Laptops (N and 5Ghz)
1 Desktop (N)
1 XBox (N)
2 Wii's (G)
2 Dish DVR 722 ViP
5 Driod X's....these aren't important since the wifi is used only to trade songs here and there
(I Live in a Multi-Family home if anyone is wondering why I have so many Laptops)

Everything connects wirelessly expect for 1 Dish DVR and the XBOX.
Everything connects and plays fine except that i recently added a Dish DVR and HTPC to a spare bedroom. I can connect to the Internet with the HTPC but cannot WOL because it's wireless, and I cannot connect the DVR to the Internet because it doesn't have built-in wireless.
I guess i need to create a Wireless Bridge so that i can connect the DVR and HTPC to it, to get internet on the DVR and WOL on the HTPC.
Oh and i sometimes stream media from my HTPC to my Wii's (but since it gets choppy i haven't been doing that lately).

Criteria for the Router:
WDS Capable
USB port
Dual Band is a plus

Routers I'm considering:
Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH @ $70 Not dual band
TRENDnet TEW-673GRU @ $100 2 USB ports
ASUS RT-N56U @ $130 2 USB ports
Netgear WNDR3700 @ $130 same price as Asus except only 1 USB port

I am leaning towards the Asus instead of the Netgear since the Wireless Charts show it as a slightly better router and it has 2 USB ports, the only thing stopping me is that it's still a pretty new router and i dont know what the bugs with it are.
I couldn't find out any performance info on the TRENDnet but if it's not that much lower than the Asus i'd be interested in that since its $30 cheaper.
The question with the Buffalo is will i be cutting myself short if i dont buy a Dual Band router? The premium for dual-band and an extra USB port is $60 between the Buffalo and Asus.

I need help deciding between these routers or another contenders. I did also see info for the Buffalo WZR-HP-AG300H but couldn't find it for sale anywhere and it didn't have performance ratings either.

Thanks for any help and sorry for the long post.

 

[thiggins]

Dual band isn't helpful unless you have clients that can access 5 GHz. And you'll get reduced range with 5 GHz vs. 2.4 GHz.

Why not try HomePlug AV to connect in the gear in the spare bedroom. It will be more reliable than WDS and probably higher bandwidth too.

 

[theone964]

Dual band isn't helpful unless you have clients that can access 5 GHz. And you'll get reduced range with 5 GHz vs. 2.4 GHz.

Why not try HomePlug AV to connect in the gear in the spare bedroom. It will be more reliable than WDS and probably higher bandwidth too.

Thanks for the dual band info. As for the HomePlug, I'm not sure i would afford them and a new router...I have been given $150 to spend on a router to up it to Wireless N. I was going to use a Netgear WGT624 i already own as the bridge router in my bedroom...and while the HTPC is off other laptops could use the signal. (Work schedule makes it where, i get home and use my HTPC when everyone else is asleep).
The bridge modem would be on the 2nd floor of a 2 bedroom house and would only be used to spend sparse bits of data expect when its streaming media or backing up data but at that time no one else will be on the network.

So with that in mind, another other offerings or advice?

P.S. I really like this website and what it does, I didn't know how hard it could be to pick a good router. You take a LOT of the trial and error out of it.
Thank You Tim Higgins and team

 

[theone964]

UPDATE: I decided to remove the TRENDnet TEW-673GRU from my list after seeing bad reviews for its USB ports, and also the Netgear WNDR3700 because i haven't seen any negative comments that make doubt the ASUS RT-N56U yet.

So the contenders are:
Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH $70 but no dual band
ASUS RT-N56U $130 with 2 USB ports

Also open to other suggestions, if i don't get any insight i'll end up with the Asus because even though its $60 more if offers another USB port and has dual band, which will hopefully future proof this for a while.

 

[thiggins]

Forget future proofing. More money doesn't necessarily buy you higher performance. What do you want the USB port for? Built-in NAS functions are pretty slow (10 MB/s or so) so don't expect miracles.

I still suggest you at least try HomePlug AV. You're not going to be happy with a WDS / repeating link for HD streaming (or any wireless link for that matter).

You should also consider older-generation and refurb gear. Cisco / Linksys has a number of refurb deals and also offers a 90 day money-back return policy. Store link.