[kwlug-disc] Router to be run on explorenet

[John Kerr]

Thanks for your reply, Explorenet is a satellite service for Internet.

Cheers

John


On Sun, Jan 26, 2014 at 8:42 PM, unsolicited <unsolicited at swiz.ca> wrote:

> What's an xplorenet?
>
>
> Quick Answer: 'Recent' kwlug threads seem to think kindly of (now dated?)
> $85 ASUS RT-N16 http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=27_
> 1046_365&item_id=027834
>
>
> I have recently been looking at routers too. I would appreciate any
> commentary to the below. (Assume for home, and I'm a skinflint.) All my
> words / impressions.
>
>
> Cisco - needlessly expensive
> Linksys - Cisco looking to divest / wants out of home/low margin business.
> Recent experience indicates mediocre with too much 'make it superficially
> easy for home user at expense of really making use of the hardware present'
> (my words).
> D-Link - poor support (user web forums mostly), artificial ui limitations
> to access of hardware functionality present. I've vowed never to buy again
> / corporate attitude ridiculous. 'If you want to put on a LAN static route
> you will have to buy our business class (rather more expensive) routers ...'
> Netgear - uses open source but does not readily / easily expose it,
> including some unreleased customizations.
> TP-Link - seems to be improving with better hardware than the cheapest
> possible in recent years, seems to use open source and make it available.
>
> 802.11ac - probably worth going for. Now a standard. Range not a lot
> better than just n, but apparently should support more single-antenna
> devices at their fuller speed. I expect future proofing. Look for both
> bands and as many external antenna as you can get. e.g. I am tempted by
> $130 TP-LINK AC1750 Archer C7 http://www.canadacomputers.
> com/product_info.php?cPath=27_1046_1047&item_id=063780 Recent googling
> said this one isn't so bad, avoid Belkin, and the weird D-Link shapes.
>
> Canada computer search results for in stock, Waterloo, Wireless AC and
> 4x1000 http://www.canadacomputers.com/search_result.php?brand=0&
> price=1&location=WATERLOO&checkVal0=0&subcat01=2&checkVal1=1&checkVal2=1&
> checkVal3=1&checkVal4=0&subcat41=2&checkVal5=0&subcat55=6&checkVal6=1&
> pagePos=0&keywords=&manu=0&search=1&ccid=1046&cPath=27_1046
>
> Check the openwrt site for gotchas before you buy, and do a google or two
> for reviews. A comment I saw regularly was that it's hard to buy a bad
> router these days. e.g. With the above search I'd be looking more towards
> the more expensive multi-antenna devices, $180 - 230, but that's just me /
> openwrt comments. At least with OpenWRT (or the like) you can access the
> full functionality of the hardware (by GUI, too) rather than just the
> limited GUI's the manufacturer's put on. Which comes in handy when you
> least expect it, particularly when you never expect to need it as of
> initial purchase.
>
> Go to the manufacturer's web site and take a quick glance through the
> manual. I've been bitten countless times for reasonable routing settings
> not being exposed by the GUI. Really bites to discover that after the fact.
>
> We / you can better advise if you indicate how many wi-fi devices you
> expect (and nature, e.g. Android with one antenna is never going to use
> more than 65Mbps, currently, but coming devices will use more channels - 2
> or 3?). With more and both smart phones and tablets each will get their own
> slot. Nature of premises? e.g. Go with 5GHz if you can, much less
> interfering, faster, and much less impacted by neighbours, due to decreased
> distance range. My 5GHz at home (3 floor town house) is covered end to end
> with router sitting in middle, while at OOTC, through a stud wall, can't
> turn the corner outside the gym without losing it (40'? away.)
>
> Also, what devices might you like to connect. Not that I trust the wee
> beasties to keep up external hard drive transfer speeds (like backups), if
> there's a usb port it will take a hard drive. Many appear to take usb
> printers. Some usb webcams for nanny cams - surprisingly useful. (In my
> case, sadly necessary!), but not many.
>
> Sadly, don't see many that will take an SD card - e.g. Pop camera sd card
> into router and get on with your day. (Many routers seem to expose their
> storage both as files and as upnp. With intelligent TVs etc, I believe you
> can pop the sd card into the router then view your pictures all but
> instantly on your tv.) In my case, I'd want the SD for additional openwrt
> storage without risk of breaking off / losing a usb key in transport.
>
> Some have or tried to serve up their music via their upnp routers. I
> expect performance varies, particularly if you're trying to stream full HD
> off the wee beasties. Others can comment on that, I've never tried.
>
> Note that it seems not infrequent that file sharing is only via windows
> clients / additional (free) software installed on windows machines. [vs
> UPNP, that is.]
>
> Comments welcome.
>
>
> On 14-01-26 02:58 PM, John Kerr wrote:
>
>> Hi everyonen
>>
>> My friend on explorenet needs a new wireless router.
>>
>> Are there any brands to avoid when dealing with explorenet?
>>
>> Anybody been wowed! with any of the routers below $100.00
>>
>
>
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