Which one? D-Link, Linksys or Netgear?

nahpets

I'm basically looking for advice from those of you who have a lot of experience with setting up wireless networks.

A friend of mine is wants to set up a wireless home network for her laptop. There's a D-Link starter kit at FutureShop that looks like a good deal, but the router is a DI-524. I've read the people have had a lot of problems with that model, so I'm not sure about that one. I myself have a Di-624 which works reasonably well. Can anyone confirm if that model sucks or not?

What reasonably priced wireless router would you guys recommend? Should I go with a D-Link, Linksys or Netgear? Is there a model that stands out? I really want to avoid buying a lemon. My cousin has a DI-624, and the signal strength fluctuates a lot when she's in another room 40-50 feet away. I myself can't comment on its performance as my desktop is connected directly to the DI-624.

Also, what about these USB wireless adapters? Are they any good? I remember when I first got my broadband modem which could connect via USB; It caused random hard reboots of my computer under Windows... so I want to avoid this kind of problem too.

Last but not least, how well can you mix and match brand names when it comes to routers and cards? ie. D-Link router, Linksys/Netgear wireless cards? I ask this because I may decide to troll eBay looking for deals (I saw a lot of DI-624s there for cheap).

Your comments are appreciated.
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xaos5 · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 9:34 am Post subject:

I have a linksys and it usually sets up right out of the box, or with very little configuration (WEP key). I would wait for the N to become standard then go for it. I would buy something cheap right now, the N technology is going to be a lot better then a/b/g networks. You can also get Pre-N wireless also. Just look up review and see what other people thought about them. google for like "linksys router review" only put the model number in there.

my wireless usb netgear works fine with my linksys, compatibility shouldn't be a problem, the a/b/g/pre-n is what you have to look into.
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nahpets · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 9:59 am Post subject:

I was just reading this review and it brought me up to speed on the wireless jargon. TFA concludes that the Linksys WPC54GS is tops, but that the DI-624 is pretty good also, but no mention of the DI-524, so I think that one may be a dog...

They talk about the pre-N Belkin routers also... I'm not sure that the added range/speed justifies the cost right now. I can get a DI-624 + Carbus adapter for ~$100 CDN. The Linksys combo runs at ~$160 CDN. Do you think that the extra $60 for the Linksys is worth it? I'm sorta leaning towards Linksys because of reputation...
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Let me guess, you picked out yet another colorful box with a crank that I'm expected to turn and turn until OOP! big shock, a jack pops out and you laugh and the kids laugh and the dog laughs and I die a little inside.

xaos5 · Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2005 10:51 am Post subject:

Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router Is a good router. My friend has this and is really reliable. You can find these for as cheap as 35 bucks.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007KDVI/002-4719910-6951219?v=glance&n=172282

edit: I read that review, its a pretty good one but if you don't need the range or speed then I would go with the WRT54G just because its uses the a/b/g and is really cheap. I do have dead spots on my router but its an older 802.11B linksys router and its placed in a bad spot. Also the network card can have a good play on range too.

edit #2: http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/wireless80211/a/aa80211standard.htm
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nahpets · Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 5:54 am Post subject:

Thanks for the info. I think I'll recommend the Linksys.
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Let me guess, you picked out yet another colorful box with a crank that I'm expected to turn and turn until OOP! big shock, a jack pops out and you laugh and the kids laugh and the dog laughs and I die a little inside.

omp · Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:08 am Post subject:

I had a Linksys, but when I had to get a wireless router (for the laptop), I got a D-Link... I like it much better.

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meow.

xaos5 · Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 2:19 pm Post subject:

i've also looking into d-link and considered almost buying them. I would say linksys and d-link are my top choice.
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AMD 3000+ xp-m (133@16.5 default) 190x11.5, 1024mb ram, geforce 6600GT @ 580/1090