You have probably been using cheap TP-Links? I use them for most clients as they are rather good value for money and easy to set up. You need to buy a decent one though.
This one is great and I have used if for a multitude of people and no one has complained about it:
http://www.dbg.co.za/product_info.php?cPath=1_55_57&products_id=383. It has a better ADSL chipset than the cheaper TP-Link models.
Or if you still don't wan't TP-Link, I have been using
this at home since January 2012 and it has always "just worked". It may be a little more complicated interface-wise, but you can configure a lot more than many cheap routers if you know what you're doing. Wireless signal is also pretty good, routers with supposedly better WiFi don't send their signal as far in my experience