Hi all,

 

I am looking for a new router/access point to plug into my modem (requirement of ISP to use their modem) to give better wireless connectivity across my home network.

 

I require the following:

 

802.11n final not draft 1 or 2 please.

Dual band 2.4GHz and 5GHz

I want to be able to split my n devices with b/g so all n stuff runs on the 5ghz freq and my older stuff uses the 2.4 so they don't slow down the newer things

Guest wifi not essential but would be nice

Gigabit lan not essential.

 

Been looking at things like the Apple Airport Extreme Base Station but don't really wanna spend more than £100.

 

Help greatly appreciated :)

 

Matt

I don't have any suggestions since I haven't looked into it too much, but if you get any model created since late 2009 they shouldn't be draft N anymore, they should be final.

 

EDIT: Also this website is pretty awesome for this sort of information: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/

Cheers. I might also consider a draft2 router if that helps to bring prices down a bit.

go for D-Link Router...

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/FC340B/A

 

Cheers. ;)

$100 for refurbished? That's pretty expensive.

More than likely, it's not even a refurb - it's last years model.

 

Even still, they replace the defective part(s) and replace the outer shell and slash 1/3 of the price. You still get the one year warranty and it's covered by AppleCare if you purchase it with any other Mac.

 

Not a bad deal at all.

Didn't notice the currency but if it's 1/3 of the price, and it clearly says refurbished, that means new it is around £300? Now that's [bleep]ing expensive for a router.

 

I looked a bit around, and can find some dual bands and stuff, but the hard thing is finding one that's not draft. For example if you go into D-Link I was able to find one for around $100 USD and a few that were lower.

 

I've personally been happy with my router I had for years, and it cost me $45 CAD, but I use mostly wires because it's way faster than wireless - I pretty much only use my laptop on my wireless. Has Wireless N draft 2.

Didn't notice the currency but if it's 1/3 of the price, and it clearly says refurbished, that means new it is around £300? Now that's [bleep]ing expensive for a router.

 

I looked a bit around, and can find some dual bands and stuff, but the hard thing is finding one that's not draft. For example if you go into D-Link I was able to find one for around $100 USD and a few that were lower.

 

I've personally been happy with my router I had for years, and it cost me $45 CAD, but I use mostly wires because it's way faster than wireless - I pretty much only use my laptop on my wireless. Has Wireless N draft 2.

No, no, they slashed 1/3 of the price. A new Apple Extreme is £140.

 

And just because it is on the refurbished store does not mean it is refurbished. While I understand it may be confusing, it has been proven that Apple puts previous models on the store at discounted prices, even though they have never been used. The model I linked to was released in Oct. 2009. The latest model has an updated chip to increase range and signal strength.

 

I have the 2009 version and can confirm that it works great. I have it set to 2.4Ghz for my iPhone and Windows computers and the 5Ghz band serves my MacBook. On this network, I have a shared USB drive and printer (using the AirPort's USB port) that serves all of my devices well. In the event that I have company, I have a guest network setup that they can use, but without access to my drives and printers.

Why pay appletax when you can get a superior router for cheaper? Do you really care if your router has a shiny white box?

Thanks for your help guys. As it turned out my old router completely died last week and I had to get a new one supplied by the ISP. The new one, while only 2.4Ghz, is N type and appears to be working fine. Not the best solution but it'll certainly do for me for a while.