ADSL Routers - am I doing it right ?

Rouxenator

Rouxenator

Dank meme lord
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I don't know what router I should try next but I have had a bad streak now for a few weeks. Let me explain briefly.

I got ADSL in April and used :
(1st) a TrendNet TDM-C400 one port ADSL router connected to a Linksys WRT54GS wireless router. The TrendNet complete crapped out all HTTP traffic when torrents were open. I hated it and replaced it - never again TrendNet.

(2nd) a D-Link DSL-2500U one port ADSL router connected to a Linksys WRT54GS wireless router. Pure bliss and everything was awesome. Problem was I had to get rid of the LAN cable that connected the two because they were on opposite ends of the house. I decided that D-Link seems to be the best so...

(3rd) a D-Link DSL-2740U Wireless N ADSL router. It was OK but sometimes the computers on my LAN would stop seeing each other until you rebooted the modem. The firmware was on V6.21 even though the latest on on D-Link's FTP is 3.52? I decided this router must be a rouge so I went for the best D-Link in SA...

(4th) a D-Link DSL-2760U Wireless N ADSL router with USB NAS and Print server. Updated the firmware to the latest one released in May. It sometimes becomes unresponsive but active downloads does not get interrupted. You want ping it until you reboot it then - this I do after the downloads has finished.

That brings us to today. I figured maybe cheap D-Links that are very popular (like the DSL-2500 I had) is the way to go. Thus I am getting myself a DSL-2640U Wireless G ADSL router today. I really hope this will give me joy because I am so gatvol of routers messing with me.

Anyone with advice or alternative routers they can recommend please respond.
 
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Are you sure your DSL-2740U's firmware is 6.21? I can only find 2.16.
The latest firmware for the D-Link routers are to be found on the Russian FTP server: http://ftp.dlink.ru/pub/ADSL/DSL-2740U/Firmware/DSL-2740U_V235/

I'm still running with the D-Link DSL-2500U and a separate WiFi AP connected to it.
You can always do the same, by getting like a TP-Link 1043ND (5x Gigabit, Wireless N & USB) router and hook it up with the D-Link 2500U.
You can ask them to install DD-WRT firmware on that TP-Link router, which will cost you R50 extra, but then you get to keep the warranty. The router costs R599 ex VAT at Uniterm Direct and they also ship stuff.

Toxichc has managed to run Gatecrasher's traffic splitter script on it :)
 
I did consider the dual unit (DSL router + Wireless AP) at some stage but I do not want to have too many devices. The-all-in-one makes perfect sense to me since my telephone line comes in next to the TV and my WD HD Live player is physically connected to the wireless router modem. I hate cluttered setup but if all else fails I might just do that.

I am very sure about the DSL-2740U's firmware - I'll take a pic of the sticker on the bottom since it still is on the firmware it came with.
 
Rouxenator, just read the hardware revision number from the sticker and get the firmware version from the web interface. This applied to the DSL-2500U, since it had different hardware revisions, but it doesn't look like there are multiple hardware revisions for the DSL-2740U.
 
My DSL-2740U :

Firmware Date: 2009.12.18-18:57:03
Board ID: AW4139B
Software Version: DRU_6.21
Bootloader (CFE) Version: 1.0.37-102.6
Wireless Driver Version: 5.10.85.0.cpe4.402.0
 
If I didn't have my Linksys Router setup, I have always thought I would go with the Netgear 384.
 
I went through dozens of routers and modems and finally got fed up.

So now I run the cheapest Billion ADSL modem I could find -- I buy 2 at a time so that I have a spare should one fail - just make sure it has a few ports at the back, then I link it with a more expensive Wireless Access Point -- so far running well for over a year.
 
I also prefer the dual setup, I have a cheap DSL-2500U modem connected to my positively ancient US Robotics Turbo Wireless Access Point. Works like a charm.
 
Rouxenator said:
(4th) a D-Link DSL-2760U Wireless N ADSL router with USB NAS and Print server. Updated the firmware to the latest one released in May. It sometimes becomes unresponsive but active downloads does not get interrupted. You want ping it until you reboot it then - this I do after the downloads has finished.
Click to expand...

Rouxenator, did you go back to the suppliers on any of these issues? I'm wondering if one or two were maybe just lemons, and a replacement would've worked perfectly.

The reason I ask is that I'm currently looking at the D-Link DSL-2760U or the Netgear DGN2200-100PES, but you're making me worried. Anybody else with experience or comments on these, or any of the other ones that Rouxenator has tried?
 
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I got the DSL-2640U today (HW Version C2) and it is great - no issues so far (touch wood). It does suck that it only has one antenna and it is 54mbps and not 270mbps but it works well without ticking me off.

Anyone interested in a DSL-2740U or DSL-2760U can PM me as I just want to recover some of my costs on them. I'll pay for the postage ;)

EDIT : Both are still under warranty, only got the 2760U last week Friday from Sybaritic and the 2740U is a month old.
 
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The saga continues.

The DSL-2640U was upgraded to the latest firmware and worked nicely. It has however dropped its wireless connections twice now. Let me explain the setup to give you an idea. The router is physically connected to the telkom line and a WD HD Live media player (LAN 1). Wireless it is connected to a PC that does all my downloads (HTTP and Torrent) and also has a fileshare what the WD HD Live media player access. When downloading at 440kb/s and watching stuff on the fileshare the routers will drop the wireless client after about and hour. A full power down/power up reset is required then.

Next up I think I'll try a Linksys WAG320N. I doubt that a router that costs me so much will give me troubles but hey, if you have followed this thread so far its plain to see that wireless routers with ADSL built in is a crapshoot.
 
a few ports

bin3 said:
So now I run the cheapest Billion ADSL modem I could find -- I buy 2 at a time so that I have a spare should one fail - just make sure it has a few ports at the back
Click to expand...

Why would one need a few ports on the back of an ADSL modem, surely one in and one out is all that is needed?
 
K T said:
Why would one need a few ports on the back of an ADSL modem, surely one in and one out is all that is needed?
Click to expand...
If you don't have a network switch, then you'll need a router with multiple LAN ports.
 
Get hold of DLink tech support, they have a local reps. They resolved an issue I had, took quite a while but eventually it was fixed.
 
Pada said:
If you don't have a network switch, then you'll need a router with multiple LAN ports.
Click to expand...

Thanx Pada, I realize that, but bin3 said

bin3 said:
So now I run the cheapest Billion ADSL modem I could find -- I buy 2 at a time so that I have a spare should one fail - just make sure it has a few ports at the back, then I link it with a more expensive Wireless Access Point -- so far running well for over a year.
Click to expand...

So why would you need a few ports if you are linking it to a Wireless Access Point? Do they not have a few ports? If so, then bin3 was probably talking about an ADSL router, but those aren't that cheap.
 
K T said:
So why would you need a few ports if you are linking it to a Wireless Access Point? Do they not have a few ports? If so, then bin3 was probably talking about an ADSL router, but those aren't that cheap.
Click to expand...

I can't remember but I think my 2 billions were about R250 each.
My AP doesn't have any extra ports, just a straight ethernet port, so I daisy this to the ADSL modem. Then I run all my PC's from the ADSL modem using it's 4 ports.

Well, to be honest - then I daisy that to another switch in another part of the house that feeds another few pc's, but that's just going into more details then required.

I have found you can't ever have enough ports. And there is nothing as frustrating as having this cool network device and nowhere to plug it in.
 
hey roux u still got the 2760u?
how much u looking to sell for?
 
Sold all except my 2740U which is going strong, despite being hardware version C4 with firmware 6.21 that no one seems to know about or support.
 
No wonder why some guys prefer the name D-Stink...

We're using Cisco, Zyxel and Billion routers, no issues so far.
 
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