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Cheap ADSL Holds Up 802.11n Router Design
sholto writes "Ever wondered why you can't find the perfect 802.11n router? You know, the one with dual band, great range, USB print server and storage? Australian ISPs used to give away modem routers to consumers with expensive ADSL plans, but competition has forced them to drop the plans' prices so low they can't subsidize the boxes any more. D-Link Australia says R&D into N routers is now becalmed in a Catch-22."
DDWRT helps but the hardware on the market is just garbage. And it's NOT because it's made of commodity components, but because it's poorly engineered. Best example of this is the horrific power/thermal management on newer Linksys products. Ethernet _switch_ traffic alone is enough to make the whole system overheat and crash no matter what firmware you're running. A competent engineer could have made it work right for the same BOM. I used to make wireless devices and our biggest category of support problems was crappy wireless routers either spontaneously rebooting, or needing to be rebooted. I just can't believe we are still at the same state of reliability as the 802.11b days - actually it seems worse now.
PS I don't mean to pick on Linksys, it's just that they're the ones I'm most familiar with. Overall the fails seemed to be in proportion to market share although every one had its particular problems.
Agreed. I don't care in the slightest about any advanced features. What I want in a router.
* 802.11n (duh).
* 5+ Gigabit ports
* ADSL2+ Modem
* Reliable NAT, including basic UPnP port mapping
* Software that isn't entirely shit (I'm looking at YOU d-link).
I'm happy to pay $300+ for a reliable router, but it's damned hard to find one even at that price range. D-Links products are notoriously bad. The web interface for the last one I used would only work in IE6. (And specifically only IE6).
I can't believe I wasted my time reading that dribble from D-Link.
In short, you can't buy the magical 802.11n router “because the market is not asking for it”.
Why in the world would you want an ADSL2+ modem (or any modem or media adapter other than ethernet or USB) built in to your router?
That's rather like wanting a boat trailer built in to your automobile. They work just fine as separate components, thank you, and putting them together will not foster competition or improve performance.
Because I currently have three boxes sitting in the corner of my living room taking up space, causing a cable mess, wasting electricity, and just generally being annoying.
Putting them all in the one device makes perfect sense for me, when they are all essentially components of the same system.
That's like saying "Why would I want an email client, twitter client, ipod, *and* telephone in the same device"
Because it's a home, not a datacenter.
Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
Since we're on the topic of Australians holding back the market...why are y'all hoarding the Four'N Twenty's, eh?
It's called the Time Capsule. I own one, and it offers all that. What, exactly, was the question?
Before telling us which device may or may not have the features required it may be a good idea to know what the question is.
No I'm not going to say RTFA, heck I'm not going to even say RTFS, I will say Read The Fucking Title though! We are talking ADSL modem routers. Unless you magical capsule has an internal ADSL2+ modem it frankly is off topic, just like the 10s of other devices with similar golden functionality from other manufacturers (to appease the Apple haters) which are just as good yet equally off topic. We want all in one devices, not most in one and a bit in the other.
So next time you go accusing the author of knowing or not knowing something maybe it would be wise to even read what they said.
You're the second to recommend an Apple product.
You're the second to accuse anyone of not liking it to be an automatic Apple hater.
You're the second to whom I will now reply Apple doesn't sell a product with a built in ADSL2 modem, which incidentally makes your lovely product recommendation completely off topic.
I will completely agree with you on your last point though. I too for a while ran a Linux machine as a NAT gateway, router, firewall, file server, wireless router, etc, but over the years features have gotten too much for it. I long for the days of my ancient old Linksys ADSL modem router with builtin wireless, PSTN to VoIP bridge, and USB print server. Now I have 4 boxes doing that job.
Yea, sure, so when one component fails, you're stuck without ANY connectivity of any sort while you wait for the replacement for the entire kit.
Or you could get REALLY short cables, stack the units properly for airflow, and if something fails, you're less likely to have to wait upon a service technician to deliver something to you, as you can likely run to a store and pick up the replacement within hours instead of days.
Plus, blinking lights, man! Blinking lights!
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
Yea, sure, so when one component fails, you're stuck without ANY connectivity of any sort while you wait for the replacement for the entire kit.
I heard the same thing ad nauseum when I sent all my kids to college each with their own dvd/tv combo. All of them are still working perfectly. And the one in the basement. And the one in the garage.