[kwlug-disc] Crashing wireless routers

[Charles M]

We seem to have bad luck with wireless routers and tend to go through one
at least every six months. The only exception to this was a Linksys WRT54GL
Linux router that I flashed with the Tomato firmware which lasted a bit
more than a year.

Our wireless router does the dialing for the DSL (our DSL modem is in
bridged mode), is our DHCP server for computers on the LAN and WLAN. We
have a couple of computers connected to the wireless router, but they're
actually going through a (couple of) unmanaged 4 port gigabit switches, one
of which connects to the wireless router. We also have a small voip box
connected to the wireless router. Typically there are only 3 wireless
connections at any time to the router.

The other day I had some connection problems on one of the LAN computers.
Thought it might be one of the switches, but the problems have since
disappeared, but I'm thinking I have some major rethinking to do to get our
home network in shape.

I was thinking of building a wired router (pfsense/untangle/smoothwall) and
only using the wireless router as a wireless access point. Thinking I would
ditch the two gigabit switches (plastic dlink ones) for a single 8 port one
I saw at Canada Computers (TP-Link I think).

Suggestions?
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