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In need of a new router

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zviro

Occasional Visitor
Hello,

This is my first post in this forum, i've read some reviews, looked at the charts, tried posting in forums and reading some reviews in my native language but i still feel like i'm clueless.

A few weeks ago i've upgraded my internet connetion from 10Mbit to 100Mbit, and moved from ADSL to "cable" (is that the right term? i'm not sure how to call it in english).

I used to connect to the internet with an Asus am604g modem+router and i was fairly content, although it had a few disconnections here and there and had to be turned off for a bit and then turned back on about once a week, it did serve its' purpose, i had reasonable wi-fi coverage at most of my flat (distance of about 7-8m with maximum 2 walls in between).
When i moved to the "cable" connection i was given a Sagemcom F@st 3184 which served as either a modem or a modem+router combo (at a price of about $2.5 per month), i asked for it to be configured as a modem+router but unfortunately, its' wireless coverage was very weak.
Now i'm looking to buy a wireless router that would have a coverage at least as good as my old asus but, obviously, at an improved speed (300N?).
It's going to be connected simultaneously to a maximum of 2 computers wired, 1 wireless and several cellphones, from the wireless connections use will be mostly surfing or streaming video, on the wired computers it's gaming and P2P sharing.

My problem is, where i'm from the selection is limited and prices are fairly high compared to overseas.

At first i've been looking mostly at D-link dir 615 and tp-link tl-wr841n (~$35 us), i've mostly turned away from the 615 because i've heard too many negative things about it and i've found almost no mention of the 841n anywhere, so i don't know what to think of it.
i've tried looking at the tp link 1043nd (although it's much more expensive at around $78 us) but on this i've also read a lot of conflicting reviews, some rave about it while others bash it for being unstable.
i think the only wireless routers i've read about that hasn't received bad reviews and are available locally were the d-link 645 and 655 but they're over my budget (at around $115 us)

so, i have no idea what to choose or what would suit my needs the best.

considering my budget i can choose a few tenda, levelone and edimax products (which i have no knowledge of and with edimax i've had bad experience before) or:
d-link dir 615, dir 651 (at $36 and $64 respectively)
tp link 841n, 941n/d, 1043nd ($31, $56 and $78)
i've also stumbled upon a linksys/cisco e900 ($64) which i thought might be a viable option.

I'm honestly at a loss, looking to spend the least but get the most out of it (or at least the one that'll fit my description if not the cheapest option).

TL;DR:
looking for a router, limited selection stated above,10/100 lan will suffice (i think), wireless maximum 7-8m radius through 1 or 2 walls, 300N, connected to a couple of computers wired and a few cellphones+laptop wireless. gaming, p2p, video streaming.

Sorry for the long post, but i wish to make the best informed decision on this as, being a student, my budget is limited.
 
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Now that you are moving to a 100bit connection what is your actual down load speed? I would cross check that against the router charts and eliminate all the routers which are slower. As you check the router charts you may find features which you like better on one router than another.
 
thank you for your response.

my actual downloading speed isn't actually very stable, but it usually is between 60-70 mbit/sec (7.5~8.75 MB/sec) but i have had cases where it got to around 90 mbit/sec as well (this is on one of my wired machines, p2p download).

unfortunately, the charts on this site don't have most of the of the routers i can buy locally, and i can't find any reliable reviews on them (except for the tp link 1043nd and d-link dir 615).

this is why i posted in the forums, to see if there's anyone with experience with these routers.
 
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If you need 90mbit/sec through put you may not be able to get by with a cheap router. I can't help with those routers but 90mbit/sec is fairly fast.
 
Which country are you from with limited routers? DIR-615 I wouldn't use. If you can get your hands and older DIR-655 would be better.
 
I'm from Israel.
The selection isn't really that limited(there are more models from linksys/cisco, d-link, tp-link and various other i mentioned before) but my budget is :)
(for example from the more popular brands there's the tp-link 4300, d-link 685/655/645, linksys e1000/1200/1500 and above, quite a few actually - but they're all very expensive for me..

the most i'm able to spend is the equivalent of $85
which will get me either the linksys e1200 or tp link 1043nd.
though again, i'd prefer to spend as less as possible, as this is really stretching my budget.
 
Can you get ASUS routers? They make some very good routers these days, and their lower-end models might fit your budget...something like the RT-N12, for example.
 
Unfortunately no, i can't.
The one i do have from asus i got from my infrastructure provider at the time.
the only models/companies whose router are imported to israel, are the ones i stated in my last post.

right now i'm sort of torn between the linksys e900 or the tp link 941n (or the e1200 vs 1043nd, however they seem to have the same hardware respectively, so i was thinking that if i install 3rd party firmware it's basically the same) as they have about the same price and it's within my budget.
 
Why not just wait and save up the money until you can get one. Borrow the money from a friend or the family.. Best to get the right router.
 
Me, I'd stay away from D-Link.
See post in this forum, similar topic.
Check the user ratings vs. price on newegg. Ignore the low/high ratings, read who seems reasonable.
 
If you had to choose between linksys e900, e1000 or e1200, which you choose?
I'm not sure lookung at newegg would do me well since i have a very limited selection in my country, as i stated above.
I will search the forum some more though, to see if i can find something relevant.
 
rather than giving you an opionion... I suggest you look at the user ratings on newegg for products you can buy from a seller of your choice.
 
ended up buying a tp-link tl-wr1043nd, although more expensive than the other router i looked at, the gigabit lan won it out for me.
i just hope i won't have stability issues with it.
thank you, everyone, for helping me decide.
 

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