Which router?

[uNz[i]]

Yay! I'm finally getting broadband. So it's time for uNz to go shopping for an ADSL modem/router/firewall.

But I'm a total n00b when it comes to buying routers, so I'd like your advice.

I'm looking for ease of configuration, reliability and in particular, something that's easy to set up port forwarding-wise.
I don't want a wireless router. Just a common cat5 hook-up will do, but it must have at least 4 ports.
It'll be serving as a router at the occasional mini LAN party, and be an ADSL modem/router/firewall the rest of the time.

My supplier says he can get me one of these...
ZyXEL P-334 (http://www.zyxel.com/product/model.php?indexcate=1073384120&indexcate1=&indexFlagvalue=1021876908)
Billion 5100 (http://www.billion.com/product/adsl/bipac5100.htm)
...and I won't have to spend more than $95 Aussie.

Or I can get one of these...
Netcomm NB1300PLUS4 (http://www.netcomm.com.au/ADSL/adsl.php)
Netgear DG834 (http://www.netgear.com/products/details/DG834.php)
...for around $130 Aussie.

Feel free to make other suggestions though, if you know of something better for a comparable price.
I can always ask my stockist if he can do a me a deal if the model you propose is Telstra approved.

I plan to hit the shops in 36 hours from... now.

[tesco]

The netgear one should be good. Never heard of those other two companies so i'm not sure if I would trust them (it could be good though, i dunno).

Have you tried looking for some reviews?

[bigdawgfoxx]

What about Lynksys?

[Virtualbody1234]

What about Lynksys?
What about them? Do you have a model to recommend?

And it's Linksys.

[uNz[i]]

I quite like the look of the Netgear, and yes, I've seen a couple of reviews.
It seems that about half the users loved it and half hated it... so I'm feeling a bit cautious there at the mo.

Billion routers are very popular in Australia. Made in China and/or Taiwan for the Aussie market... The folks on this forum (http://www.thescene.com.au/forum/?act=ST&f=16&t=42336&) seem to like Billion and Netgear too.

I've never heard of the ZyXEL brand either. Hoping somebody here might know something...


As for Linksys, damn... I'd love to own one, but those babies are top dollar down under.
If it has the Cisco sticker on it, you can bet it'll be thoroughly overpriced.

[bigdawgfoxx]

Oh...well there prob not that much worth the extra money...at all.

[uNz[i]]

Damn.. seems my supplier messed up with the quote for the Netgear router.
It doesn't have a built in modem; it's just a router/firewall. So that one's out of the running.
He can still get me a Netgear modem/router/firewall, but it won't be as cheap as the RP614's nice price.
I've edited my original post to reflect the changes. :(

Still affordable though...

[Samurai]

Don't get the Netgear. They're shit. The memory inside them fills up too fast and you end up with constant reboots, more so if you use P2P. I'd also stay away from D-Link.

I personally would recommend a Linksys. The model I'm using at the moment is a godsend; WAG54G. It's wireless (although no need to use it at present), fast, has 4 ports, built in firewall etc...
I'm not sure what you can get for $95 AUS as that equates to roughly £40 here in the UK. With that amount, you could probably get a D-Link (No No) or own-branded router from ebuyer for example.

Trust me when I say stay away from Netgear though.

[uNz[i]]

Yeah, I encountered some of Netgear's 'quirks' last year during 2 weeks of work placement at a local primary school as part of my IT cert 2.
I was helping the school's network administrator to upgrade their LAN, and part of it used 3 Netgear wireless routers.
2 of the damed things never worked properly if at all, no matter what we tried.
And Netgear's tech support was pretty lame. They were really good at telling us to try stuff we'd already done.

So I've decided to go with the Billion. It's cheap, supposed to be uber reliable and does just what I'll need it to.
The only thing the Netgear DG834 has over the Billion 5100 is stateful packet inspection (SPI), which adds a second layer of security, and pretty looks.
But seeing as I might have to splash out on a new mobo soon, I have to watch the budget.

As for a Linksys, I could go for the NE-LSAG041, but it'll cost me $170.50 Aussie. (not including shipping).

So... Billion it is.

[Mïcrösöül°V³]

I use a linksys BEFSX41 and it works nice except for AIM dropping connection sometimes, but i guess your looking for one with built in modem as well. You really should try to go with linksys, but i see you made up your mind already. good luck :)

[uNz[i]]

Yeah, thats right, I'm trying to save deskspace by having the modem and router all in the one box.

I'd seriously love to own a Linksys, but like I said, it's purely a matter of money. I'm a student at the mo, so there isn't much of it... :(

The Billion really does sound like the business though.
It's always winning editor's choice and best buy awards in all the Aussie PC mags. It'll do until I start getting paid work.