[sf-lug] Cheap router

[Grant Bowman]

On Sat, Apr 9, 2011 at 9:09 AM, Bobbie Sellers
<bliss-sf4ever at dslextreme.com> wrote:
>        At the last meeting someone was asking about this item.
>        And today geeks.com led me to one as I looked at the TV mounting
> kits...
>        <http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=WGR614NAR&cpc=RESX>
>
>        There must be others out there but this is the price I paid for
> my current router/ADSL modem/firewall device.
>
>        later
>        Bobbie Sellers

Hard to beat $18 for something that meets your needs. The 802.11g at
2.4GHz is just fine for a machine or two. The one you linked doesn't
have a DSL modem.

I have always kept my cable modem/DSL modem separate from the hubs &
access points as I tend to always need more or want to change them
later. Some of the WGR614 hardware revisions seem to support
http://openwrt.org but it varies by the hardware revision. Often you
can't tell what hardware revision is in the box until you get it open.
Changes are often made to the internals of a product without changing
the model number, just a change to the hardware revision number which
is sometimes not indicated on the outside of the box. Try to get an
WGR614L (aka. v8) if you have a choice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netgear_WGR614L  A used one is available
from Amazon for $15 + shipping right now.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002FOTH44  eBay prices are $55+ for
a new one.

My Netgear experiences have been positive overall but quality varies
widely by model and by hardware revision. Stay away from the WGT624
circa 2003 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netgear as there
was a class action lawsuit. I have not found (nor have any of my
friends) that any manufacturer is able to keep consistently high
quality for home networking equipment price points.

For a big step up in performance in the $59 range take a look at
802.11n dual radio (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz)
http://www.open-mesh.com/index.php/enterprise-mesh/mr500-mesh-router.html
 In dense housing situations 2.4 GHz can get pretty darn crowded so my
next access point will definitely include a 5GHz option.

Cheers,

Grant