So basically I have a very old Linksys WRT54g in my house (using it for wired). When I go on gameranger to play Age of Empires 2, I get this message:

 

 

I have a little picture of a router next to my name, and I can barely play with anyone. At an alternate location I play at, there is a ClarkConnect gateway with a switch instead of just a router. When I play there, I get:

 

 

However, there is no little router, and I can play with almost anybody. I cannot get my hands on a ClarkConnect (had one before, but its hard drive died and I got an old router) so I need a new router. My question is, do all routers act like mine, or can I play games like that with a new router. Also, I cannot forward ports because my brother also plays with me.

http://portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/Linksys/WRT54G/Age_of_Empires_II.htm

Apply port forwarding, and you will not b constrained by NAT.

 

Ok, no forwarding - if not on together, then it may be possible to find "triggerring" rules that assign temporary port forwards to whichever user is active.

 

 

And check the version of that WRT54G, if it's one that OpenWRT can be installed on, then that is another possible alternative - heavy going though, compared to the friendly face of most webconfigs.

Maybe it was DD-WRT I was thinking of - easier config, and DD-WRT is capabale of getting to "OPEN" NAT for the very fussy XBOX Live, if UPNP is enabled.

 

Do a LOT of reading before attempting router firmware swaps - if you have a decent firmware replaceable version of the WRT54g, it would be a shame to brick it, as it is the granddaddy of of alternataive firmware routers - everyone builds for it as a base.

 

Even the VXworks firmwared versions can potentially be switched to to DD-WRT Micro, by a multi-step process.

http://www.wrtrouters.com/guides/upgradetolinux/

http://portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/Linksys/WRT54G/Age_of_Empires_II.htm

Apply port forwarding, and you will not b constrained by NAT.

 

Ok, no forwarding - if not on together, then it may be possible to find "triggerring" rules that assign temporary port forwards to whichever user is active.

 

 

And check the version of that WRT54G, if it's one that OpenWRT can be installed on, then that is another possible alternative - heavy going though, compared to the friendly face of most webconfigs.

Maybe it was DD-WRT I was thinking of - easier config, and DD-WRT is capabale of getting to "OPEN" NAT for the very fussy XBOX Live, if UPNP is enabled.

 

Do a LOT of reading before attempting router firmware swaps - if you have a decent firmware replaceable version of the WRT54g, it would be a shame to brick it, as it is the granddaddy of of alternataive firmware routers - everyone builds for it as a base.

 

Even the VXworks firmwared versions can potentially be switched to to DD-WRT Micro, by a multi-step process.

http://www.wrtrouters.com/guides/upgradetolinux/

Ok, but will buying a new one fix the problem? I don't really care about flashing it.

Hard to tell exactly, but it looks like any router that supports XBOX Live will have the right kind of NAT, as XBOX Live requires "Cone NAT" rather than symmetric.

 

Other phrases to look for are "gaming mode", which is often another name for a mode with less restrictive NAT.

Hard to tell exactly, but it looks like any router that supports XBOX Live will have the right kind of NAT, as XBOX Live requires "Cone NAT" rather than symmetric.

 

Other phrases to look for are "gaming mode", which is often another name for a mode with less restrictive NAT.

How about on newegg? What kind of router there would be good?

 

EDIT: So do you expect this to have cone nat?

Seems to be a good one, though some forum posts suggest otherwise (unreliability, not getting "Open" NAT with XBOX).

 

One tip if you like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Z7AKGC?tag=hushedcasket-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B000Z7AKGC&adid=03TX08CHBCV9J8BWH9ZW

Amazon's "can't tell you until you look" price is $144.99 - quite a saving!

 

Complete overkill if using wired though. The DLINK DIR-655 also seems to be well regarded, and considerably cheaper.

 

Best to get from somewhere with a good retuns policy, as the reports for every model seem to be variable - in some cases, it's down to firmware and hardware revisions.

 

http://www.unofficialguidetolive.co.uk/equipment

According to this site, "Works with Windows Vista", also describes routers with the style of NAT that is friendly to XBOX, gaming and some other PC apps.

 

The other router which gets consderable recommendation is the old WRT54G (Or newer GL Linux models) with the firmware changed to DD-WRT or Tomato.

Seems to be a good one, though some forum posts suggest otherwise (unreliability, not getting "Open" NAT with XBOX).

 

One tip if you like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Z7AKGC?tag=hushedcasket-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B000Z7AKGC&adid=03TX08CHBCV9J8BWH9ZW

Amazon's "can't tell you until you look" price is $144.99 - quite a saving!

That's the same one I found on newegg for $129.99.

 

The other router which gets consderable recommendation is the old WRT54G (Or newer GL Linux models) with the firmware changed to DD-WRT or Tomato.

I have one of those. I just haven't changed the firmware because I don't want to crash it.