what router to buy for minimum fidgeting?

[Thorin]

I'm having a bad technology week.  I think my Shaw modem/wifi router is overheating and/or overloading it's internal memory due to a large amount of traffic.  I want to buy a decent wifi router to put behind the modem and then put the modem in bridged-only mode.

I really have no idea what to buy that can handle a lot of traffic (10+ wireless devices, 6+ wired devices) without major fidgeting (I'm not too keen on having to do firmware updates or installing special firmware unless it's really worth it and really reliable - I've been burned).  I would really love something that has a guest network so that I can hand out a wifi password without giving access to all the files on the local network; this is not a must-have, though.

I realize decent hardware costs money, I probably won't blink at prices up to $200ish.

So, any suggestions?

[Lazybones]

If you want to do your own research I suggest http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-charts/view

Other wise my current personal recommendation would be an ASUS router..

I have an RT-N16 and the stock firmware is great, and yes includes guest mode.. The RT-N16 is a bit old now so I would recommend looking at the ASUS RT-N66U.

The stock firmware performs all of the advanced functions that I used to use Tomato or DD-WRT for and several features I just done use.. It can be used as a Print server for USB printers and you can use it as a poor mans NAS with a USB hard-drive attached.

Signal strength and performance have been very solid with the current firmware.

[Mr. Analog]

ASUS routers also tend to get high ratings, though usability I cannot attest to.

[Thorin]

Hmm, $160 for the RT-N66U, $100 for the RT-N16.  Apparently you can turn up the power on the antennas on the RT-N66U via the web interface to get better coverage.

I think I might be sold on that one.

This might require rewiring some of my entertainment unit, though, as right now I have an Xbox, Wii U, and Roku plugged in to the cable modem / wifi router and I'm out of power plugs to put anything else in there.  This'll take some thinking, as I might be able to get rid of a device.

Has anyone else here had Shaw switch their cable modem to bridged-only mode?  If so, was it hard to get them to do it right?

[Lazybones]

I ordered mine in bridged mode so I don't know. For ether the SMC or Cisco I believe it is just a config push.

Small DLINK gigabit switches are rather affordable if you are short ports.

Also you can get the Xbox wifi dongle fairly chap now if you want to run it wireless.

[Thorin]

I wanna keep as much wired as possible, we usually have 10+ devices connected to the wireless already (iPods, phones, Kobos, laptops, tablets).  I'm actually running out of _power_ plugins, not ports.  If I want to put a router where the cable modem sits now, I think I need to remove a power-using device from my entertainment unit.  Have to check the plug count, though.

It'll be a bit before I get both the money and the will to do this, though, there's so much crap in the way

[Mags]

Asus has the best specs, but tend to get really really hot which leads to high failure rates (according to my research and the guys at memory express). Would go with netgear still myself.

[Melbosa]

I have a RT-N66U and think it can handle all you can throw at it.  I love it!  I would recommend it to anyone.  Doesn't seem to have the heat issue that Mag was talking about.  But Mine does run in my basement and it is pretty cold most of the time.

[Tom]

Don't get a Dlink what ever you do.    That said I know people who swear by them. Also its been years since I last had one, soooo, take that with a grain of salt.

I have a rather expensive setup, but I haven't had a single problem with it at all. Separate AP and Router combo. Soekris 6501-50 for the firewall/router, and a Unifi AP Pro for the AP. has 400ft range, and PoE \o/ came with a mounting kit for the ceiling/wall too.

I do not recommend you get the same setup, if only for the price of it :-x (if you were to slap pfSense on the soekris, it'd be a kick ass set and forget router).

[Mr. Analog]

I have a DIR-655, the thing with that is it's not amazing but I've never had any issues with it, it just... works

The GUI is dead simple and at least for my needs the wireless networking does the job (steaming 1080p not a good idea). I can be pulling down 1.5 mbps from Steam while streaming a presentation over Lync without too much hassle, that's pretty much the most work it ever has to do.

[Tom]

I have a DIR-655, the thing with that is it's not amazing but I've never had any issues with it, it just... works

The GUI is dead simple and at least for my needs the wireless networking does the job (steaming 1080p not a good idea). I can be pulling down 1.5 mbps from Steam while streaming a presentation over Lync without too much hassle, that's pretty much the most work it ever has to do.

Every single Dlink router I've ever had the pleasure of using for any period of time (mine, my dads, etc), has locked up under medium/heavy load, and then eventually died. ymmv I suppose.

[Mags]

Shame what cisco did to linksys. There's a study in what not to do when you buy a company.

[Lazybones]

For reliable use your router should be on a UPS and in a well ventilated cool area if possible. This goes for any brand.

[Mr. Analog]

For reliable use your router should be on a UPS and in a well ventilated cool area if possible. This goes for any brand.

Yep, I have found this to be probably the most important part.

I had 11 months uptime with my router before the last severe thunderstorm (I powered down all my gear just to be on the safe side).

I'm not saying I pull a lot of content down or push up a lot but generally I can handle up to 2 mbps down and ~1 up without feeling it at all.

I have had a lot of bad luck with routers ever since my WRT54G, I tried NETGEAR, I tried Linksys and before going to the D-Link and I had major issues with overheating (netgear) and crappy memory/locking up (Linksys).

Obviously YMMV, I don't have 5+ users all downloading stuff at home.

[Tom]

I basically just paid to make the problems go away sick and tired of @%&#ty SOHO routers.


This is what I ended up getting after a recommendation from a sysadmin at ENTS.
http://soekris.com/products/net6501/net6501-50-board-case.html