Routers

[delta013]

Hi all.

I’m thinking about getting cable Internet access. I have three computers at my house that need to share the connection. So that should make me the perfect candidate for a router.

The thing is I have no clue what to look for. There are a few things that I’m pretty sure of:

--Ethernet.
--At lest 3 or 4 Ethernet ports.
--Each computer needs to be able to communicate with each other as well as the net through the router.

So my questions are:

What’s a good brand/model router?

I play a lot of multiplayer games. I have heard that there can be problems plaything the games on the net with routers. Is this true? What can I do about this?

I have read that some routers send packets that go to one computer to all computers, and therefore waste bandwidth. I want one that sends the packets only to the computers that needs them. How can I find out if a router does this before I buy it?

That’s all I can think of right now.

Thanks!

Delta013.

[DrZaius]

Linksys or Netgear router and firewall with a built-in switch is what you need.

• Linksys BEFSR41
• Netgear RP114

Hope that helps.

[LawyerRon]

Get youself a 4 port router of any major brand: Netgear, DLink, Linksys, etc, all work fine. You need a NIC in each machine, then cat 5 cables from each machine to the router. You can buy redi made cables or make your own. That's about it; it's quite easy.

[Familyman]

I’m a computer neophyte. I found everything I needed to know about setting up a home network by reading, “educate me” on Linksys.com. I’m very happy with the Linksys. It was easy to set up and I haven’t had any problems with it. Our house was hit by lightning (third time that happened) and it fried the cable modem but the router still works fine.

Wireless was not for me but you might want to take a look at it. I got the cat5 cable, crimping tool, plugs and wall sockets at Home Depot. Pulling the cables was not hard. It just took a little time.

You’re going to love the speed of cable. It’s addictive.

[delta013]

Thanks! That helps a lot.

Do the cat-5 cables need to be… um… what do you call it when you change the wiring so that the wires are reversed on one end compared to the other? Do I need to do that to the cables on the router?

Delta013.

[Tuf]

Crossover cables? Nope you don't need them (or want them) for use with a router. Just use regular straight through cables.

Linksys is about as user friendly as it gets, as a rule it's the only consumer stuff I really like. I do like DLink network cards though they seem to work with everything.

[Redo40]

I use the Linksys BEFSR41 and it was really easy to set up, really user friendly like Tuf said.

[LawyerRon]

Your Cat 5 cables need to be wired "straight through", often referred to as "patch cables". DO NOT GET A CROSS-OVER CABLE!

www.mwave.com has the cables you need here (up to 100 ft.) http://direct.mwave.com/mwave/ProdAC...-NETCB-MW.hmx?

[i3OSS]

heres a tip since i they already said everything: Keep the antenae parralel to each other it gets better reception.

[delta013]

Thanks guys.

I have a few more questions.

Will I be able to host online games with router?

Does Linksys make a router with a built in print sever? Does Netgear?

Delta013.

[LawyerRon]

I know DLink and Netgear have Routers with a print server for about $20 extra; not a bad idea. Most of the major brands have the same competing products.

[gladiator]

Hey Delta

I have a Linksys BEFSR41 I hooked up not long ago and it a was piece of cake. This model has no printer port.

But I play warcraft online and host games with it, I did have to open a port or the call it "port Forwarding" which wasn't to hard I got the port numbers to open off of Linksys web site and logged into the router and "opened the ports.
I just got Battlefield 1942 I need to open them ports next to play it. also I did have to disable XP's firewall.

[delta013]

Thanks LawyerRon and gladiator.

Delta013.

[delta013]

What do you all think of this Netgear model?

http://www.netgear.com/products/deta...114P.asp?view=

Have any of you used it?

Where can I get some good reviews on these routers?

Delta013.

[LawyerRon]

Yeah, that's a good one. Don't worry too much about "reviews" on routers; the major brands are all fine; shop by price among the major brands with the features you want.

[delta013]

Cool. Thanks.

Delta013.