Team-BHP - On Wi-Fi & Routers

^^^BSNL (at least here) does not provide a free modem. You either have to buy it from them or rent it. But if there are no stocks, you get neither.... or just maybe they will give you one on rent, if they have used ones in stock. But I'd say its not economical to get it on rent. Only advantage is you can get it replaced anytime, if it kicks the bucket. But if you purchase one from BSNL, you only get a 1 year warranty.

Other things you have mentioned could of course be advantageous if the buyer needs those options open.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raccoon (Post 2850503)

^^^BSNL (at least here) does not provide a free modem.

Hmm.. In that case I stand corrected. I assumed BSNL provides Modem free of charge like AirTEL does. I was an Airtel customer until last year and switched to BSNL FTTH service where they provide the ONT (in place of modem for Fiber) and I just had to connect my Router to access internet in WiFi.

There is a problem that am having with the Dlink DWR131 wi-fi router. When am trying to use the USB port to plug in the Tata Photon+ data card the USB is not recognizing or rather the USB light on the device is not glowing. Its a brand new device and am able to use the device when I connect it through the Ethernet cable.

Also when wi-fi enabled the router is detected by all my other devices,what am i doing wrong here. Is there a way that the USB needs to be configured first before use? Please Help

http://img5.flixcart.com//image/rout...gdn7kreez.jpeg

Quote:

When am trying to use the USB port to plug in the Tata Photon+ data card the USB is not recognizing or rather the USB light on the device is not glowing.

I didn't even know such a thing could be done. Thanks for drawing my attention to this device. I haven't bought a router for five years: I'm seriously out of touch!

Anyway, there is a link to a 12-page PDF list of compatible dongles on the product page. Probably worth checking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom (Post 2855333)

Yes, nowdays you can buy 3G/4G USB wifi routers, I switched to one and am happy using it with the multiple devices at home.

Just got myself the TP-Link WD-8961ND ADSL Modem-Router and set it up. Cost me INR 2399 from mark-infotech on eBay India.

The interface is a little more complicated than the BSNL/Huawei routers, but not all that difficult. There is a setup wizard that makes the job even easier. This is available both on the accompanying CD as well as via the browser interface. However, I went manual, and was able to get the connection up and running in about 10 minutes.

Now I need to study the router interface before I set up my NAT and tighten security.

I also ordered 2 TL-ANT2408CL 2.4GHz 8dBi Indoor Omni-directional Antenna for INR 699 each (plus shipping) from the same seller to replace the 5dBi ones that come with the 8961, which has significantly added to wireless performance.

First impression is that performance is pretty good, both net and WiFi. Getting a very strong signal throughout the house, where I used to get severe drop-off before with the iBall Baton WRA-150N I was using before this.

Net speeds also seem much faster and more stable than with the iBall router, but that may be subjective. I will run some tests to find out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fillmore (Post 2869166)

My router is due for a replacement, any inputs on the following are much appreciated.

Following are my requirements

Should support IEEE 802.11n
Support External USB HDD upto 2TB min
Fast transfer rates from External storage so that one can stream HD videos
Compatibility with Airport Express (My amp is remotely hooked to it)
Availability in India

Thanks
Fillmore

I'm not sure about the first point, but why not pick up an Airport Extreme?

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay1234 (Post 2869177)

I'm not sure about the first point, but why not pick up an Airport Extreme?

Airport Extreme is out of my list for the following reasons.

1. Cost is 11k+ ... (not worth)
2. I do not have any apple devices that would use all the goodies of products from the same family. Laptop(personal/work) Windows, Mobile Android, Media player Linux based.
The A.Express is the only apple device and it can connect to any 11n Wifi router.
3. A.Extreme does not support NTFS external drives, it has to be either Mac or FAT32.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fillmore (Post 2869166)

Should support IEEE 802.11n
Support External USB HDD upto 2TB min
Fast transfer rates from External storage so that one can stream HD videos

You can look at Belkin n600 DB. It costs 4.5k.

It supports NTFS and has 4 antennas. If WiFi adapter has multiple antennas, you can get speeds up to 10 -20 MBps (advertized speeds are 300 mbps or 40 MBps).

Only downside, no custom ROM.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pillainp (Post 2869063)

I am super confused. I have to get a router + modem. Going by flipkart reviews of the baton, it seemed good but it looks that you had a bad experience with it. In contrast, the reviews of most tp link devices are bad. I am ruling out belkin due to service centre issues. My options are DLINK 2750, 2730 and iball baton. Which one do you recommend? Also please elaborate on the performance of the router without the new antennae you bought. I cant buy those because its out of budget. Is the stock performance good for a 2200 sq ft house. I cant buy repeaters due to budget issues, so i need to get the best router with stock performance, both wifi and bsnl broadband.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay (Post 2869527)

You can look at Belkin n600 DB..

@NetfreakBombay,

Well the Belkin n600 DB does look like a good deal.
However there are mixed reviews - of 6.97 mbps speed on 2.4GHz & 7.07 mbps 5GHz n/w.
Dont want to rush into it and regret later.
Moreover it is not in stock in most places at the moment.

For regular browsing as a router I know its more than sufficient, however with my requirement of being able to stream to the media player I don't think it might scale up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2500cc (Post 2869587)

Got Asus RT-N66U, perfect choice for private cloud setup at home

@2500cc,
Asus RT-N66U is indeed powerful. But want to evaluate all options first cause its 14k+
Goodies are it has 2 USB slots so you can have the printer and an ext storage.
Good speeds of min 98Mbps on 5GHz n/w on Wifi and Gigabit Ethernet if its hardwired.

However for this price I might even want and get one of the new gen 802.11ac routers.
Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router EA4500 - available from 13.5k+
Or maybe the cheaper Linkysy EA3500 N750
Or Netgear WNDR4500

It's getting more confusing, I need to re-evaluate whether its better to get a high scaling router that has fast wifi transfer rates Or reconfigure my setup at home such that the HDD is hardwired into the media player :-( ..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fillmore (Post 2870542)

@NetfreakBombay,

Well the Belkin n600 DB does look like a good deal.
However there are mixed reviews - of 6.97 mbps speed on 2.4GHz & 7.07 mbps 5GHz n/w.

~7 mbps is way too low. I get around 20 MBps with proper setup*.

* Both WiFi router AND adapter must have multiple antennas and mube setup to use multiple channels simultaneously.