In article <2013041223412161962-nothingtoseehere@movealongnet>,
Skylamar <
nothingt...@movealong.net> wrote:
> > Based on your description (with reference to later posts for
> > clarification), you are talking about one of the 802.11b/g models of the
> > Airport Extreme. This is the "flying saucer" shaped model, with two
> > Ethernet ports, a USB port and an external antenna port. (Some models
> > also have a dial-up modem and associated socket for a telephone line.)
>
> Yeah, that's the model I have. It has an internal modem port.
wow, that's old.
> As I mentioned previously, my internet connection never had trouble
> when the ethernet cable was connected directly from my cable modem to
> my Mac's ethernet port. Should a good router be that stable?
absolutely. they can easily run 24/7 for years.
> Could you, or anyone else reading this, recommend a non-Apple router?
> My internet speeds, as I stated before, are only 15Mbps maximum. And
> the devices I'm using (IMac, IPod Touch and Android phone) that connect
> to my wifi network are only, at maximum, about 12 feet from the router.
> Also, I bought my current Airport Extreme on ebay, and I'm thinking
> that using ebay again to buy a used router might make the most sense
> because when I was looking to buy a new router, they were all more
> powerful than I need and were not cheap.
802.11g will be dirt cheap if you go used (i don't think they make
g-only anymore), but i would get something with 802.11n in it for
several reasons. first, 802.11n is more reliable over greater
distances. second, although your isp might only be 15mbps, the speed
between devices on your lan will benefit from the additional speed.
wireless syncing will be faster, copying files between machines
(although you did only list one computer) will be faster, etc.
a gigabit apple airport extreme is a good choice (the square ones, not
the older saucers), as is the previous generation 802.11n airport
express. later versions of the extreme support 450 mbps, versus 300
mbps for earlier ones (but you need the same support in the client
device to get 450), and they have a guest mode which can be convenient
if you have visitors. they are very reliable and will be supported for
a while, so although one day support might end, it won't be all that
soon. the express is $69 in the refurb section of the apple store.
for non-apple routers, it doesn't really matter what you get. the
differences are not really significant unless you are looking for a
specific feature. they're $20-30 and up for new ones, less if you catch
a sale.
some routers support third party firmware, such as dd-wrt, which if
installed, gives you all sorts of features that would otherwise cost a
lot of money to get. check the dd-wrt website for features and which
routers they support.
if you travel, a small travel router can be very useful. some are
extremely small (see pic below), while others can run on batteries and
some even support usb cellular modems or tethering to a cellphone for
instant hotspot, anywhere.
this one is probably the smallest wifi router, including 2 ethernet
ports on the back and a flip out ac plug as well as usb power:
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http://www.edimax.com/tw/Image/promotion/enews/pic/BR-6258n_04.JPG>