Anyone recommend a router please

[#1]

hi, i would like to buy a new wireless router. i want to use it for normal cable connection to my pc for internet and gaming, wireless to my laptop and other devices and also file sharing and printer sharing between my pc and laptop.
my current exchange is not ADSL2+ enabled  but will be so want to cater for that.
i have read a few reviews and they all seem to have good and bad points and wondered if anyone can suggest one that works well with plusnet.
i would like to be able to access useful stats when things go wrong and i have to post them on here
any advice is much appreciated
cheers

[#2]

if your lucky you might get one in the post Xmas sales

[#3]

thats what i was thinking, happy christmas anyway, do you have any model in mind

[#4]

You can't go far wrong with the Netgear DG834
http://www.netgear.co.uk/wireless_adslrouter_dg834g.php

[#5]

cheers mal0z , i like the look of that, as i might use the wireless side more in the future i like the look of the GT version, is that what they call 802.11n

[#6]

Compared with the DG834G (the wireless version of the DG834), the DG834GT has enhanced wireless range and speed (when connecting compatible wireless devices), but is not 'N' rated.
A comparison of the Netgear 'G', 'SuperG' and 'draft N' standard router capabilities can be found here.

[#7]

cheers spraxyt, that exactly the info i was looking for, i think the more i look into going wireless the more uses i see for it so i think the DG834N would at least give me some future proofing.
i am always concerned about buyng anything new as things are made so cheaply you never seem to get the reliability in the manufacture anymore, my 4 microwaves in a year and 5 repairs and one exchange on a brand new 'quality' washing machine  in 6 months, 3 irons in a year........ i digress,  i read the reviews on here http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B000G3JTV2/ref=cm_cr_pr_link_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0 and for as many goood reviews there seem to be bad so i think i'll have a shop around for a good price and will probably take the plunge on the netgear 834N
thanks for advice everyone, happy christmas

[#8]

I've had my Netgear for about 4 years or so - and it's still going ok, mind you it's not used all the time as I use the Thomson 585v7 - which PN 'give out for free'  and does a good job if you don't want to do any techie stuff

[#9]

cough  - postage and packing charge

[#10]

yes most suppliers charge for post and packing - Amazon etc etc - oh yes and Plusnet  
Amazon sometimes include it within the price

[#11]

Quote from: mal0z

You can't go far wrong with the Netgear DG834

Hmm.  I bought one (a DG834G v5) a couple of weeks ago, in the hope that it would improve my slightly unreliable ADSL2+ connection - which had been annoyingly dropping and resyncing just often enough to get me reprofiled at the exchange.  I even chose the DG834G because it's so standard.
It installed Ok (eventually, after I'd temporarily disabled the VMware network adaptors, which seemed to confuse it), and the ADSL2+ connection was rock solid.
Wireless, however, was completely hopeless.  Wireless devices that had behaved perfectly with the old Linksys WAG54GS, now either:
- failed to connect at all, or
- connected and quickly dropped the connection, or (most often)
- appeared to be connected, with all the good stuff like IP and gateway visible in IpConfig, but couldn't get out to any web pages**
I've experimented endlessly with channels, security modes, all to no avail. It seemed to work better with no wireless security at all, but a) the problems have been so variable and intermittent that I might be imagining it, and b) no security is obviously no good.
I'm back on the Linksys now - and wireless is perfect again.
Ominously (touch wood), the ADSL2+ connection seems fine too - so maybe there was never anything wrong with the Linksys.
_________
** I realise this is symptomatic of DNS problems, and of course, it was the first thing I checked.  But it was complicated - sometimes I could ping an external server I knew to be up (from the wireless client) by its IP, but couldn't access web sites from a browser, and sometimes I couldn't ping either.  All these problems went away on returning to the Linksys.  I'll be trying to get a RMA for the Netgear unless anyone has any bright ideas about the obviously daft thing I'm doing wrong.

[#12]

Chris - as usual, first thing I would do if you haven't already is make sure the Netgear router has the latest firmware on it from here
http://kb.netgear.com/app/products/model/a_id/2327
I've had the V1 version since they came out and apart from the first few buggy firmware releases it has been rock solid for ADSL connection and wireless too.

[#13]

Thanks for this - I should have also mentioned that I've also tried different firmware versions, including the most recent one (1.6.01.34), and the one it came with.  I hard reset it after each firmware upgrade (or downgrade).
Made no difference, though.  
I'm usually the first to blame myself for this kind of thing - I know only too well that it's usually the muppet pressing the buttons at fault, rather than a hardware problem, but I've pretty much run out of ideas, and of course, it's possible I just got a dud.
dick:quote

[#14]

hi Chris, i think what you are expereiencing is far too common which is why i have been holding off buying a netgear or any router for that fact. i do like to research things to death before i buy as quality always seems so variable these days with cheap imported goods and i am sure the router you have had  really good reviews and really poor with some people loving them and some hating them and i think its just the luck of the drawer. it is quite often common again with loads of different types of product that people have had an old product thats lasted for years and then you replace it and they break down every couple of weeks or months.
i would chuck it back if you can

[#15]

Beware, with some of the newer firmwares for the DG834G can cause issues with VOIP.  I dunno if its still the case or not as mine has been retired in favour of a DGN2000.
I couldnt really say my DG834G were reliable  though, with the first one I had only lasting 11 months before going faulty.