75ZT Community

Can anyone recommend a router that would enable me to set bandwidth rates for each user on the network? I've read mixed reports about doing it, some say yes with QoS and some say no you need a static IP from the ISP for each machine?! Is there a simple solution?

Thanks

Yes, you can do this with QoS.

No, you don't need a static IP from your broadband supplier. You will need to configure your PCs (the ones you want to filter anyway) to have static IPs though, but this is a setting in the router and nothing to do with your broadband connection.

I can't recommend a router - I haven't bought one for a while. Linksys ones have always been OK for me in the past though.

Al

I've been trying to find what brand of router to buy after I found the latest netgears were pants. Linksys too had used to be good, but I found so many bad reviews I decided to avoid.

I got another netgear, different model, off Paul. Similar age to the one I already had, but though not problem free, chalk and cheese to my existing one.

Draytek seem in general to get better reviews, and certainly the modem I bought (ADSL modem to go with the new router) has worked out of the box, none stop. But then it is a very simple device. Draytek are a bit more expensive, but seem to have way more you can configure, and some of their modem routers have features like plugging in a 3G dongle as a backup, a second ADSL line, and so on.

D-Link are good.....

http://www.dlink.ca/support/faq/?prod_id=2485&question=DIR-625%20/%20DIR-635%20/%20DIR-655%20/%20DIR-625_revC%20/%20DIR-628

http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=DIR-632

Thanks chaps, I had been looking at the Linux based routers but at $300 I passed up the idea. I've had both Netgear and Linksys in the past and they have been rubbish, but this was a good few years back so maybe the bugs are ironed out??

My current router is an O2 box and has been faultless but the options you can configure on it are none existant. I read about the Draytek but cant remember what I read now

At least I know I can do it with QoS now, thanks. I'm not good with networking and trying to learn.

Interesting to see a recommendation for Dlink. Years ago I had one so bad I never even used it. It would work for a bit then pack in, but would only reset after being switched off for half an hour. So if you took it back to the shop, it would work fine.

Belkin were even worse. Wasted many hours of my life trying to sort out my Dad's Belkin.

But I guess they must have changed, or they wouldn't be in business any more.

For the past few years I have been supplying and installing Netgear routers. Favourite being the DG834G. I have in that time and about 70 routers only had two fail in use. In one case although out of warrantee was replaced without issue. The other was five years old and had worked perfectly up until that point. The DG series although now superseded are still available at very good prices. e.g. http://www.ebuyer.com/product/52244
The latest incarnation http://www.ebuyer.com/product/186153 Uses the same software and provides greater wireless coverage. I have only one experience of supplying and installing this model, that was about about six months ago, still working fine.

Only one thing I can add, if one has a problem do not go to the supplier, go directly to Netgear for support. I have always found their tech support pretty good and their customer service second to none.

The linux based boxed are great - although you'll need to spend a bit of time flashing the firmware and configuring it. Nothing too major though, but I wouldn't recommend it to a technophobe or someone looking for an easy solution.

Buy a Linksys WRT54GL http://www.ebuyer.com/search?q=WRT54GL&x=40&y=12 and install DD-WRT on it.

You'll have a router with more features than you can shake a stick at.