[RESOLVED] WRT54G Replacement

[Falcon Speed]

What is a good router replacement for a Linksys WRT54G? I have been using it for over 10 years. It has been good and nothing wrong with it.

Just want to know if a new modem has newer technology and better security? I know that the current router is G Band and single rather than dual.

Most of the searches have been recommending the NetGear. It recommends that I look for a N or AC band with dual.

What should I be looking for in terms of Band and Dual? I have several laptops, tablets and desktops and how do I get them to be able to utilize the features if I do upgrade the router?

Thanks

[Falcon Speed]

Hahaha, I found this thread: http://discussions.virtualdr.com/sho...ghlight=WRT54G

It is a good source of information but since it was started 10 months ago, is AC band the recommended direction now?

Thanks

[Midknyte]

I would go with AC, but it depends on your budget. How much are you looking to spend?

What should I be looking for in terms of Band and Dual? I have several laptops, tablets and desktops and how do I get them to be able to utilize the features if I do upgrade the router?

AC routers are going to be dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz). You would need to have network adapters that support AC if you want to support the max speed. AC routers will work with N and G devices also.

This is a good site for reviews:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/

[Falcon Speed]

How much are you looking to spend?

AC routers are going to be dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz). You would need to have network adapters that support AC if you want to support the max speed.

Hi midknte

I am looking to spend about up to $200. When you said network adapters, is that hardware or drivers? If it is hardware, do they make network adapter for tablets too? My desktop will be plugged into the router by wire so would I also need an adapter too?

Btw... I have a motorola 6120 cable modem. I think that will be sufficient for the notes router right?

I will check out the site that you provided.

Thank you

[Midknyte]

$200? I'd probably get the Netgear Nighthawk.
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wirel...-asus-rt-ac68u

When you said network adapters, is that hardware or drivers?

Hardware.

If it is hardware, do they make network adapter for tablets too?

Maybe. If it's like a Win8 tablet with a USB port. If your tablet supports N, that's probably good enough.

My desktop will be plugged into the router by wire so would I also need an adapter too?

No.

Btw... I have a motorola 6120 cable modem. I think that will be sufficient for the notes router right?

notes router?

[Train]

Motorola SB6120 SURFboard is DOCSIS 3.0 so that is good to go.

Features a 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Port for incredible wired network speeds
Capable of downloading up to 2000 times faster than 56k analog phone modems; up to 4 times faster than DOCSIS 2.0 broadband

[Falcon Speed]

Thank you midknte! My android swype turned "new" into "notes". My mistake.

Thank you Train!

Off to go and get my new router.

[Falcon Speed]

MidKyte and Train,

I just got the Netgear Nighthawk R7000. They recommended this ASUS RT-AC68U and another higher ASUS model (AC2300 with tri-band).

https://www.asus.com/Networking/RTAC68U

I stuck with your recommendation and did not buy their sale pitch.

Ironically, I did not check out that website that you provided until I got home. I was about to ask a bunch of questions in regards to the Netgear R7000 vs the ASUS RT-AC68U. Decided to check out that website and voila, all the questions were answered. Thanks for that.

So, Netgear R7000 is the way to go, basing on the bench test on that site.

I still have a two questions:

First, if I was to stay with my Linksys WRT54G and mainly use the Desktop, would it make a difference with the Netgear R7000. AC Band is only when I go wireless, more for streaming and gaming right? In other words, would there be any real performance gain on a wire connection with the Netgear R7000?

Second, Motorola SB6120 SURFboard is DOCSIS 3.0. When selecting a cable modem, is DOCSIS 3.0 all it matters?

Thank You

[Train]

DOCSIS 3.0 is much faster than DOCSIS 2.0
I am using a DOCSIS 3.0 modem

Of course, a DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem with 4 channel support is theoretically capable of downstreams greater than 100 Mbps, but it is only a matter of time until faster services are deployed that will be capable of utilizing more channels effectively. Each channel offers a familiar 38 Mbps downstream and 27 Mbps upstream, but that was DOCSIS 2.0 limit.

[Midknyte]

First, if I was to stay with my Linksys WRT54G and mainly use the Desktop, would it make a difference with the Netgear R7000.

If you are transferring data between systems on your network, the gigabit switch on the Nighthawk would definitely faster than the WRT54G.

[Train]

Believe me, a slow server still slows me way down but downloaded Win 10 Pro Tech Review at 8 MB/sec . Nice as it was a 3.0 GB download. Sure beats the hours on dialup.

[Falcon Speed]

If you are transferring data between systems on your network, the gigabit switch on the Nighthawk would definitely faster than the WRT54G.

OK, from PC to PC, there will be benefits.

Sorry if my question wasn't clear. What about download from internet on wired, comparing WRT54G vs R7000?

So far, I understand the huge benefits over wifi and PC to PC, as well as security benefits.

Thank you for all your help so far.

[Train]

What about download from internet on wired, comparing WRT54G vs R7000?

Depends on your garanteed limit from your provider. Comcast had me at 60 MB for a long time, got curious and power cycled my modem, did another speedtest and got a nice surprise. If I was using your WRT54G router, then yes it would limit me to about 98 MB.

[Falcon Speed]

If I was using your WRT54G router, then yes it would limit me to about 98 MB.

Do you know the limit if it is the Netgear NightHawk R7000 on wired connection?

[Midknyte]

I think you're asking about the WAN port limit. I depends on what your ISP is providing, but the port speeds are:
WRT54G = 100Mbps
R7000 = 1000Mbps

Why wouldn't you want all your systems on the R7000?