My nephew needs a router.

old Bill · Feb 17, 2007, 16:28:17

My Nephew needs a very good wireless router as he has just started a new job with computers. He has been given £200.00 to buy one. It needs to be very reliable with with a decent firewall. Above all else it must give a great connection as he will be working from homeand downloading very large files. He was thinking of a Netgear or a Draytek. I said I would ask here before he spashed out. Thanks for any advice.

maxping · Feb 17, 2007, 16:32:04

Ive got a spare Trust modem/router like the one you looked at on ebay , send me £20 + postage and its his

Great speeds & rock steady, he can spend the other £170 thats left on himself

Inactive · Feb 17, 2007, 16:34:56

Wireless ?

old Bill · Feb 17, 2007, 16:42:08

Yes wireless. The company has given him the money and what does not spend goes back to them.

Inactive · Feb 17, 2007, 16:56:58

Quote from: old Bill on Feb 17, 2007, 16:42:08
Yes wireless. The company has given him the money and what does not spend goes back to them.

Sorry Bill, my question was targeted at Max.

I read " Wireless " in your first post, hence the question to Max.

Rik · Feb 17, 2007, 17:13:18

Bill

Do you have line stats for your nephew. Will he be needing to use VPN to connect to his employer?

old Bill · Feb 17, 2007, 17:19:18

I do not have his line stats, I think his quite a way from the exchange as he lives in a small village. Yes he will be using VOIP.

Rik · Feb 17, 2007, 17:24:29

Not VOIP, Bill, VPN - virtual private network, often used to connect to an employer's network from a remote site, eg home. There's a Wki article here if you're interested in the technology.

From what you say, though, I'd be think of the Draytek range, though they can be a bit iffy on Max on poor lines. Can be found here or here for £125.

old Bill · Feb 17, 2007, 17:34:42

Sorry my mistake. Not sure on the VPN. I will have to ask him , I will also find out his line stats. If they are poor what else would you recomend ? I had heard that Draytek were the best around.

Rik · Feb 17, 2007, 17:40:57

Draytek are one of the best routers around, Bill, except on poor or exceptionally long lines. They do have special firmware for that, but it doesn't seem to have been a total success since Max came in. Before that, the answer would have been very simple.

Other recommendations really depend on the answer to VPN. If you want to get a broader spectrum of advice, I'd suggest posting over in TB's DSL Hardware forum. There's only a few hundred of us here, and most not regular posters. There's thousands over there, many with a professional IT background.

old Bill · Feb 17, 2007, 17:54:22

Thanks for the advice. I will let him know.

Rik · Feb 17, 2007, 18:07:43

Let us know if we can help any further Bill.

old Bill · Feb 17, 2007, 20:33:01

My Nephew has just emailed this to me. Not cheap not expensive but is it any good ?
http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/MFR/Specifications.asp?ProductID=2380

maxping · Feb 17, 2007, 20:44:43

Quote from: Inactive on Feb 17, 2007, 16:34:56
Wireless ?

Oooops i must start to read the op not assume

Rik · Feb 18, 2007, 01:03:04

Quote from: old Bill on Feb 17, 2007, 20:33:01
My Nephew has just emailed this to me. Not cheap not expensive but is it any good ?

The spec looks about right, Bill, and I've heard of people having good results with Billion products, but I've got no direct experience. If I had to choose, and someone else was paying, I'd probably spring the extra £40 or so for the Draytek equivalent.

http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/MFR/?SupplierID=9

Top of page.

old Bill · Feb 18, 2007, 12:50:22

Thanks for all the help. My nephew is going to try both the Draytek and the Billion and see which works well on his line. Then he can return the one he does not want.

Rik · Feb 18, 2007, 12:53:45

That's the best way I know to buy a router, Bill.

Let us know which one he goes with, it's all useful information for the database.

maxping · Feb 18, 2007, 13:42:46

Quote from: old Bill on Feb 18, 2007, 12:50:22
Thanks for all the help. My nephew is going to try both the Draytek and the Billion and see which works well on his line. Then he can return the one he does not want.

Bill i use a Billion wireless m/r and i can highly recommend them.

Rik · Feb 18, 2007, 16:22:09

Who are Billion, Max? It's a relatively new name to me, rather as Belkin burst onto the scene from being known, to me, as a cable manufacturer...

DorsetBoy · Feb 18, 2007, 16:35:51

Quote from: rikbean on Feb 18, 2007, 16:22:09
Who are Billion, Max? It's a relatively new name to me, rather as Belkin burst onto the scene from being known, to me, as a cable manufacturer...

Try this Rik...........BILLION

Rik · Feb 18, 2007, 16:44:36

So, basically, they're the company who have been making the routers for everyone else then.

Thanks, Dorset.

DorsetBoy · Feb 18, 2007, 16:56:23

The fact that they hold their own at shows like Cebit says a lot for them,the rest of the players in the security field are there and anything not up to par gets picked up very quickly.

Rik · Feb 18, 2007, 17:22:52

It's quite interesting to see how Taiwan has moved from being a manufacturer for other peoples' badges, to a producer in their own right. It's the old 'Made in Hong Kong' syndrome, moved over a bit. In the same way, Korea manufactured for Japanese companies for ages, now they are a force in their own right.

I wonder when it will be our turn again?

maxping · Feb 18, 2007, 18:08:46

This is the Billion i use , well worth the price. click me

For the people here who like their toys its got green light bars behind all the words & numbers on the front and lights up like a dancing xmas tree when you turn it on,totally useless but great to watch.

Downstream Upstream
SNR Margin : 12.0 14.0 db
Line Attenuation : 18.5 8.5 db
Data Rate : 8128 832 kbps

What is "SOHO Firewall Security with DoS Prevention and Packet Filtering" apparently i have it and never knew

Rik · Feb 18, 2007, 18:20:57

Sounds like what everyone else calls NAT/SPI, Max.