Which router?

[teddysnips]

Apologies if I've got the wrong forums, and for x-posting.

I want to set up a home network to allow all members of the family to
connect to the internet and other shared resources. Electricians are
preparing to install the LAN points - in total about 4. We have
currently three computers - XP Pro, Windows 2000 and Windows 98.
Currently our XP machine is connected to the internet via an ADSL
modem.

The best configuration as far as I can determine is to connect to the
internet via an ADSL router, and then connect all the PCs together via
the router.

However, I've been to the local PC World shop and have two spec.
sheets:

1. NetGear DG834 ADSL Firewall Router - £38.85
2. Cisco Small Business 107 Secure ADSL Router - £132.98

As far as I can tell from what I can understand about the installed
features of these bits of kit, they will both do what I want. So
should I go for the cheap option - if not, why? Are there any
pitfalls I need to look out for? I should mention that I work as a
software developer (I've deliberately not learnt anything about
networks as I don't want my job description to creep ;¬}).

Thanks

Edward

 

[Mike Hall - MS MVP]

The cheaper option will do all that you require.. go for it..


Apologies if I've got the wrong forums, and for x-posting.

I want to set up a home network to allow all members of the family to
connect to the internet and other shared resources. Electricians are
preparing to install the LAN points - in total about 4. We have
currently three computers - XP Pro, Windows 2000 and Windows 98.
Currently our XP machine is connected to the internet via an ADSL
modem.

The best configuration as far as I can determine is to connect to the
internet via an ADSL router, and then connect all the PCs together via
the router.

However, I've been to the local PC World shop and have two spec.
sheets:

1. NetGear DG834 ADSL Firewall Router - £38.85
2. Cisco Small Business 107 Secure ADSL Router - £132.98

As far as I can tell from what I can understand about the installed
features of these bits of kit, they will both do what I want. So
should I go for the cheap option - if not, why? Are there any
pitfalls I need to look out for? I should mention that I work as a
software developer (I've deliberately not learnt anything about
networks as I don't want my job description to creep ;¬}).

Thanks

Edward


--


Mike Hall
MS MVP Windows Shell/User
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/

 

[Chuck Davis]

teddysnips,

Netgear web site: "The Netgear DG834 is Netgear's replacement for the
venerable DG814 four port router. Visually other than the different model
number and the word firewall there is nothing to distinguish the two
devices. The DG834 provides an ADSL modem with built-in router, and a 4 port
10/100Mbps Ethernet switch for connecting up to four computers, although of
course more computers can be added by uplinking the router to an additional
Ethernet hub/switch."

Cisco web site: "Cisco Small Business Series secure broadband routers are
fixed-configuration, small-office routers that support up to five users
(Figure 1). They provide the required performance to run basic, secure
services in small offices, including firewall and support for Multiprotocol
Label Switching (MPLS)-based VPNs (Figure 2). In addition, an easy-to-use
configuration tool, Cisco Router and Security Device Manager (SDM), allows
nontechnical users to quickly set up the router and its firewall
configuration (Figure 3), while remote management capabilities in Cisco IOS
Software facilitate easy deployment and centralized management for service
providers or value-added resellers."

In my opinion, the Cisco router is a bit of overkill.
Apologies if I've got the wrong forums, and for x-posting.

I want to set up a home network to allow all members of the family to
connect to the internet and other shared resources. Electricians are
preparing to install the LAN points - in total about 4. We have
currently three computers - XP Pro, Windows 2000 and Windows 98.
Currently our XP machine is connected to the internet via an ADSL
modem.

The best configuration as far as I can determine is to connect to the
internet via an ADSL router, and then connect all the PCs together via
the router.

However, I've been to the local PC World shop and have two spec.
sheets:

1. NetGear DG834 ADSL Firewall Router - £38.85
2. Cisco Small Business 107 Secure ADSL Router - £132.98

As far as I can tell from what I can understand about the installed
features of these bits of kit, they will both do what I want. So
should I go for the cheap option - if not, why? Are there any
pitfalls I need to look out for? I should mention that I work as a
software developer (I've deliberately not learnt anything about
networks as I don't want my job description to creep ;¬}).

Thanks

Edward

 

[Jack \(MVP-Networking\).]

Hi
Since it seems that you do not have special professional needs, there is No
reason to spend on a semiprofessional Router.
Actually if you already have a DSL Modem do not buy a combo Modem/Router.
Buy a stand alone Wireless Cable/DSL Router, as a unit the stand alone
Routers are usually better than the combos.
Jack (MVP-Networking).

Apologies if I've got the wrong forums, and for x-posting.

I want to set up a home network to allow all members of the family to
connect to the internet and other shared resources. Electricians are
preparing to install the LAN points - in total about 4. We have
currently three computers - XP Pro, Windows 2000 and Windows 98.
Currently our XP machine is connected to the internet via an ADSL
modem.

The best configuration as far as I can determine is to connect to the
internet via an ADSL router, and then connect all the PCs together via
the router.

However, I've been to the local PC World shop and have two spec.
sheets:

1. NetGear DG834 ADSL Firewall Router - £38.85
2. Cisco Small Business 107 Secure ADSL Router - £132.98

As far as I can tell from what I can understand about the installed
features of these bits of kit, they will both do what I want. So
should I go for the cheap option - if not, why? Are there any
pitfalls I need to look out for? I should mention that I work as a
software developer (I've deliberately not learnt anything about
networks as I don't want my job description to creep ;¬}).

Thanks

Edward

 

[teddysnips]

Hi
Since it seems that you do not have special professional needs, there is No
reason to spend on a semiprofessional Router.
Actually if you already have a DSL Modem do not buy a combo Modem/Router.
Buy a stand alone Wireless Cable/DSL Router, as a unit the stand alone
Routers are usually better than the combos.
Jack (MVP-Networking).

Thanks to you and all others for your help. I'll probably go for a
stand-alone model as you suggest, since I already have a perfectly
serviceable DSL Modem.

Edward

 

[Lem]

Thanks to you and all others for your help. I'll probably go for a
stand-alone model as you suggest, since I already have a perfectly
serviceable DSL Modem.

Edward

One caveat: If your "perfectly serviceable DSL modem" ONLY connects to
your computer via USB, you will not easily find a stand-alone router
that will work with it. In order to use any of the usual "entry level"
routers, such as the Linksys WRT54GL mentioned by RP, your DSL modem
MUST be capable of connecting with an Ethernet cable.

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Apologies if I've got the wrong forums, and for x-posting.

I want to set up a home network to allow all members of the family to
connect to the internet and other shared resources.

Edward,

you already got excellent advice. Let me just add this:

If at least one of your family members is an online gamer, then
none of these routers will do. What will happen is that, as soon
as somebody starts an upload, the gamer will kill not his
opponents, but himself, because he'll experience so much lag
that he despairs.

The solution is one of the D-Link gaming routers, such as the
DGL-4300 (with WLAN) or DGL-4100 (without WLAN) or one of their
quite recent successors, which I don't know very well yet, but
which will solve the same problem.

In connection with gaming these routers work almost miraculously
well. Here a BitTorrent type file-sharing is running full bore
non-stop, while two are playing Internet team games like Supreme
Commander. In this gaming household, if I swapped our router for
a non-gaming one, I'd be living under a bridge soon after. -)

I assume that some of the much more expensive Cisco routers
(beyond $500) that have sophisticated QoS functions will also
solve the problem, but I don't know those.

If you want to read much more deeply into the nasty details, you
could look at http://winhlp.com/dlink_router.htm , but that
won't help you much with the buying decision. It might help you
later though, once you've bought one of these.

Hans-Georg