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My experience with the iBall Baton WRA-150N was that net and wireless speeds were slow and erratic, and towards the end, the router would lose the net connection and fail to reconnect at random or whenever it was power cycled for any reason (for eg during extended power cuts). It would take multiple power cycles for the router to (randomly) re-detect the net connection. Plus, the first unit I got was bad out of the box and had to be replaced.

I was also only getting at best 2+ Mbps on a 4Mbps connection, not to mention that there was very high variability in speed (but I never got more than 2.4 Mbps). Also, wireless coverage was quite poor.

So when the connection loss issue started to get bad, I just used the excuse to replace it with the TP-Link, even though the iBall Baton was still under warranty and I could have gotten a replacement.

With the TP-Link, net speeds are much better (3.5+ Mbps) and more consistent, and wireless coverage is much better (albeit that may have something to do with the higher powered antennae I am using.

With Belkin's, I have never been able to get one to work at my house, even though the same router (the same piece) worked fine at a friend's place. I went through hell with that Belkin (I forget which model it was) and had it replaced thrice during a time when connectivity was critical, and I promised myself never to use one again. Not one of those units ever worked for me. However, I have no other issues with any other Belkin equipment.

As to the performance of the TP-Link 8961 with the stock antennae, I never even tried them, as I switched to the 8dBi ones before I even switched it on for the first time. I do think that the stock ones should be OK for a house of the size you mention. You can try that out if you wish, and then upgrade just one of the antennae if you need more power.

Several people have asked me to map the performance with both the stock and the 8dBi antennae. I have not had much free time, but plan to do a test over the weekend, when I will report on my findings.

I have only WiFi Analytics' app for my Note, but that should do OK.

My short experience with the TP-Link (just started using it Saturday night) tells me that it is a decent performer, not stellar, but dependable. YMMV.

BTW, here is a link to Expert Review's review of the TP-Link TD-W8961ND. Forgive me, for I have named the router wrongly in my original post. The real name is TD-W8961ND, not WD-8961ND as I have written.

I got it from US for $159 (8800/-). I evaluated all the options, but liked Asus to be better than all else.

Slightly OT.

Any comments about 3G WiFi routers. I will prefer one with a battery. I hear that Asus and TP Link have non battery models, while iBall has a battery. Also, there is a forthcoming TP Link with a battery. Any ideas / suggestions.

Cheap Chinese 3G WiFi routers (usually ones that come with battery) have very poor range.

Quite a a few routers with 2 USB ports would allow one of the ports to be used for attaching a USB dongle for 3G.

Cost starts from 3k (D-Link DWR-113 | Router | Flipkart.com).

For power backup, a 12-V DC to DC UPS (E.g. DC UPS 12 volt and 24 volt 36 watt battery backup switching power supplies ) can be used to power ADSL Router + WiFi or WiFI modem with 3G dongle.

Mine is Play N600 Wireless Dual-Band N+ Router Belkin Play N600 Wireless Dual-Band N+ Router F7D8302

3k?! The TP Link MR3020 is Rs.1819 odd on Flipkart. The Asus is (I think Rs.2300). There is a newer TP Link (MR3040) with a battery expected soon. I guess it will be about 3k, the same as the iBall.

These ones have very low transmit power and a single antenna. This would work only if you have a couple of devices and Intrenet is the only usage (E.g. copying files across laptop and desktop would be very slow).

Agreed. My main use will be share a Dongle across a couple of laptops. Also, to send the occasional file to printer and pick it up from a scanner, all in the same room. I agree these things are of no use beyond this.

Guys try dual-Band N technology gives you the fastest, most reliable speeds for video, music and gaming—with speeds up to 300 Mbps, at home i use Dual Concurrent Radio 2.4GHz and 5GHz ISM, Move your movies / songs / picture where you want them (WDLIVE (DLNA) / PS3 / Window 7 Media Server / Lumia 800 / 1 IPAD / 2 Laptop).provides the best coverage for demanding home usage. at last but not least use free wifi channel for better performance. i use something this inSSIDer – Discover The Wi-Fi Around You | MetaGeek

I use TPLink Wireless N 3220 and the performance isnt compromised by low pricing(Quashing the usual low is poor Q). I stream HD Video's and Movies over the air on my BB PB without any buffering or stutters(even with 2 signal bands).

You need to check the technology it supports, it should be Wireless N with 150 mbps or above if you want to stream videos etc.

What is the bit-rate of these videos? What speeds do you get while copying files over WiFi ?

Can one attach TATA Photon + (the CDMA, not 3G ) stick onto one of these wifi routers?

DCEite; The answer seems to be yes. I have report from a friend about the Asus. He plugged it in and then used his iPad all the way from Delhi. I hear that the TP Link is also kosher. At least the Huawei dongle as is used by both Tata and Reliance is listed in the compatible units.

This is regarding Wifi security. I faced compatibility problems with the various encryption standards as in my household each device had a problem with one or the other encryption standard, right from WEP to WPA2-PSK. Due to this, I made the network an open network with a MAC filter and enabled MAC addresses of all the devices I wanted. The range of my router is limited and also, considering there are no Pro-Hackers in its range, is it safe enough? I have tried connecting with a friend's phone and as usual, the network was shown open but connection was rejected. So, can I bank upon MAC filtering?

MAC filtering is safe but easy enough for a hacker to break in as every time data is transmitted the MAC is also sent along. So its prone to sniffing.
If you assume that no one is a hacker around and just want to prevent it for neighbours to access it then its ok. It would be better if you also disable the SSID broadcast so that only known devices connect.
But its still the lowest level of security as compared to WEP Or WPA-PSK