Router (Non-wireless) Suggestions: Mixed Network, mostly Macs, OS X

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Jason Getrag - 06 Oct 2006 19:46 GMT

My 4-port XSense Router has two failed ports and I'm having a devil of
a time finding reviews for a replacement unit.

I'd like another 4-port model with NAT and/or some other security
features and one that is very reliable, configurable via Safari, and
one that has proven to work nicely with hubs, wireless access points
and PCs running Windose and Linux. I want one that I can just plug and
play and not worry about resetting, etc.

My Xsense was okay in that regard, but with just two working ports, and
problems dealing with my PCs (it often just seems to seize when
anything but a Mac is surfing on the network) it's time for a new and
improved unit.

Thanks for any pointers to reviews and/or suggestions.

BTW, the one wired unit (a D-Link) available via the online Apple Store
got some seriously bad reviews at apple.com.

x-posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware, comp.sys.mac.system,
comp.sys.mac.apps, comp.sys.mac.comm

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Bill - 06 Oct 2006 21:09 GMT

> My 4-port XSense Router has two failed ports and I'm having a devil of
> a time finding reviews for a replacement unit.
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> x-posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware, comp.sys.mac.system,
> comp.sys.mac.apps, comp.sys.mac.comm

Most any router will do. I have a Netgear 8-port router on my home
network. Linsys works fine too. Go to your local office supply store and
buy a router that has the features you want. it will work fine with Mac
or Windows.

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Bill Collins

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Calum - 07 Oct 2006 15:14 GMT

>> My 4-port XSense Router has two failed ports and I'm having a devil of
>> a time finding reviews for a replacement unit.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>> and PCs running Windose and Linux. I want one that I can just plug and
>> play and not worry about resetting, etc.

> Most any router will do. I have a Netgear 8-port router on my home
> network. Linsys works fine too.

Not entirely true, I've had a couple of Linksys routers (a WAG54G v2,
and the one I have now, a WAG354G) that aren't configurable via Safari.
Perfectly fine with Firefox etc. though.

(The particular issue is described at
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/365349.html)

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Jolly Roger - 07 Oct 2006 21:20 GMT

>>> My 4-port XSense Router has two failed ports and I'm having a devil of
>>> a time finding reviews for a replacement unit.
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> (The particular issue is described at
> http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/365349.html)

Not surprising to me. I've had lots of bad experiences with LinkSys in
the past - things ranging from crashing whenever I do FTP passive
transfers to random crashes and lock-ups. As a result, I stay away
from LinkSys.

In contrast, I have nothing but good (well, ok *mostly* good - none are
100% perfect) to say about Netgear's offerings, especially their
Firewall VPN routers.

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scfundogs - 06 Oct 2006 21:56 GMT

> My 4-port XSense Router has two failed ports and I'm having a devil of
> a time finding reviews for a replacement unit.
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Thanks for any pointers to reviews and/or suggestions.

I have replaced more routers with Belkin models than I care to count. I use
Belkin in my home network as well. Its just a really reliable brand with
great customer service/tech support. Their wireless routers have ports for
direct connections and can be used either way. The online tools are easy to
use & accessible with all browsers I've tried.

--
Tara

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Shawn Hirn - 06 Oct 2006 23:37 GMT

> My 4-port XSense Router has two failed ports and I'm having a devil of
> a time finding reviews for a replacement unit.
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> BTW, the one wired unit (a D-Link) available via the online Apple Store
> got some seriously bad reviews at apple.com.

Buy any router that's on sale.

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Geoffrey F. Green - 07 Oct 2006 21:42 GMT

D-Links are probably my favorite, largely from an interface usability
perspective. I've had one working for 2+ years without a problem, and
my father had one for 3 or so years that was working fine when we
replaced it (I have a couple of D-Link wireless bridges that have
worked flawlessly for 18 months as well.). Stay away from their
entry-level models, though, like the DI-524 (don't know if they still
sell it) -- I could never get a particular iBook onto the network
wirelessly. The Netgear I set up for a friend is very nice also.
Belkin works OK, but the interface isn't as friendly or flexible.

- geoff

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Jerry Kindall - 07 Oct 2006 23:32 GMT

In article
<geoff-usenet2-02BF46.16425307102006@newsgroups.comcast.net>, Geoffrey
F. Green <geoff-usenet2@stuebegreen.com> wrote:

> > My 4-port XSense Router has two failed ports and I'm having a devil of
> > a time finding reviews for a replacement unit.
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> wirelessly. The Netgear I set up for a friend is very nice also.
> Belkin works OK, but the interface isn't as friendly or flexible.

I have a D-Link DGL-4300 "GamerLounge" router that I quite like. They
also have, or had, a wired-only version (DGL-4100). Nice packet
priority features and a number of other cool functions, plus it's very
stable -- I've rebooted the router after configuration changes or
firmware upgrades, but I can't recall any time the router itself locked
up on me. I was favorably impressed, after going through Linksys,
Buffalo, and Netgear routers that disappointed me quite badly.

I bought this more than a year ago, though; I think they have new
models now.

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Jerry Kindall, Seattle, WA <http://www.jerrykindall.com/>

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Jamie Kahn Genet - 09 Oct 2006 22:36 GMT

I use ZyXEL's P660 and P334W in just such an environment and have found
them to be extremely stable and reliable. They may not be _exactly_ the
models for you (one has ADSL, the other WiFi in addition to 4 x 10/100
BaseT ethernet ports), but my experiences with ZyXEL routers have all
been good ones.

If you want a budget solution I reckon you'll do very well grabbing a
secondhand SpeedTouch 510v4 ADSL 4 port router and just using it as a
router. The SpeedTouch 510v4 is the very definition of rock solid and
they're dirt cheap nowadays. The R 4.2.7 firmware version is the best
pick. Later releases tried to squash more bloated firmware onto an old
router with limited memory, and it affected stability.

HTH,
Jamie Kahn Genet

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If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

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richard schumacher - 12 Oct 2006 15:20 GMT

One more vote for Belkin: except for one unexplained hang, mine has
worked fine for a year serving my eMac (OSX 10.3.9) and my GF's Dell
(running Windoze 98!). Setup took some manual steps but everything was
in the documentation.

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J.J. O'Shea - 14 Oct 2006 12:21 GMT

I would pick whichever router is cheapest from, in order, Belkin, Netgear,
D-Link, and Linksys. Linksys routers sometimes misbehave with Safari, though
so far as I know they always work with Firefox. D-Link routers can be, well,
flakey. Netgear routers tend to cost slightly more for the features than
Belkins. Belkin routers are (all that I've seen, anyway) marked as being
compatible with OS X on the box, work well with Safari, have a fairly good
feature set meeting or exceeding your requirements, and, while more expensive
than D-Links, are cheaper than Netgears or Linksyses. Belkins are also second
in reliability only to Linksyses.

The problems with Linksys routers are simply that they are officially
compatible with Macs, so that if you have a problem with one and call Tech
Support and say you've got a Mac they'll give you no help at all, and that
they're expensive. The problem with D-Links is that they're cheap in more
ways than one. The problem with Netgears is that they're slightly more
expensive than Belkins. If there are no Belkins available, or if you can get
a Netgear which does what you want for less than a Belkin, go with Netgear.

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Mr. Uh Clem - 29 Oct 2006 14:53 GMT

>> My 4-port XSense Router has two failed ports and I'm having a devil of
>> a time finding reviews for a replacement unit.
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
> expensive than Belkins. If there are no Belkins available, or if you can get
> a Netgear which does what you want for less than a Belkin, go with Netgear.

The problem with Belkin routers is that they have been known to drop
the current request and replace it with an ad for their parental
control service.

<http://groups.google.com/group/news.admin.net-abuse.email/browse_frm/thread/6c50
36983a38c83a/a2f1f0993da51df6>
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/11/07/help_my_belkin_router/

They did back down and it's been two years now, but some corporate
misbehavior is worth having a long memory of.

My current Linksys seems to serve me fine.

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Clem
"If you push something hard enough, it will fall over."
- Fudd's first law of opposition

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Wes Groleau - 29 Oct 2006 20:28 GMT

> My 4-port XSense Router .... often just seems to seize when
> anything but a Mac is surfing ....

You know, I used to do the same thing when
I came in contact with Windows.....

:-)

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Wes Groleau

The man who says, "I can do it!" may sometimes fail.
The man who says, "Impossible!" will never succeed.

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Mac Forum / Applications / Mac Applications / October 2006

Router (Non-wireless) Suggestions: Mixed Network, mostly Macs, OS X