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#3817849 - 08/03/13 11:06 AM Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations??  
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LeemzHQ Offline
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Been having a lot of trouble with my internet connection lately. Replaced my modem from Comcast and I'm hoping that'll solve the issue but they seem to think the router is the problem. I have a Cisco/Linksys wireless N router and I'm looking to replace it with a dual band, perhaps with the newer AC technology.

My priority is Xbox Live and PC Gaming (both directly connected), second priority is web surfing for my daughters and wife, wirelessly.

Any recommendations?

ps - Oh, and I need something super easy to setup. I know less about routers/networking than I know about women. biggrin

Last edited by LeemzHQ; 08/03/13 11:08 AM.

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#3817873 - 08/03/13 12:39 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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Lifer
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Linksys model WRT610N

OR OTHER SIMILAR MODELS THAT ARE MADE FOR THE xBOX 360, MEANING THEY COVER ALL THE BANDS, opps cap lock... usually says made for consoles or xbox on it or has a sticker.

#3817909 - 08/03/13 03:11 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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If you want to go AC, expect to drop some bucks. One of the best is the ASUS ASUS RT-AC66U:
http://www.amazon.com/RT-AC66U-Dual-Band...rds=asus+router

Dual band (simultaneous, unlike some where you choose one or the other). I bought the model without AC and LOVE it:
http://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-Band-...rds=asus+router
Also no issues with 2 360's online at the same time, right out of the box. Pretty good parental controls, but not as good as my old beloved Dlink DGL-4500.
Both of the Asus models are simultaneous dual band.
I won't have another Cisco/Linksys, just never had good luck with them lasting. DLink I also like.


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#3817991 - 08/03/13 08:30 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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LeemzHQ Offline
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Thanks for the input. Last night I bought the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router (EA6300). At this point it's "insurance" as I haven't installed it yet.

Since swapping out the modem I haven't had any disconnects (that I'm aware of). I'll keep this new router in the box for awhile longer and see if the issue re-appears.

This Linksys is an "AC" 1200 with simultaneous Dual Band. Should be good.

But, I know the Asus models have been highly recommended as well. They had an Asus model at Best Buy. It was right next to the Linksys on the shelf but it wasn't an "AC" and it was the same price as the Linksys ($149.99).

If I don't get any disconnects over the next few days I'll probably just return the router.

My current router is a Linksys WRT160N V3. It's mostly been ok but there is one odd thing about it. If I try to power cycle it by unplugging it from the back of the router it'll often take over 100 attempts of plugging it back in before it powers up properly. That's not an exaggeration, it literally took OVER 100 attempts of un-plugging it and re-plugging it to get it to work after power cycling it yesterday. Very strange and extremely annoying. Once it's up and running it seems fine but, sheesh!


"All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry."
Edgar Allan Poe
#3818056 - 08/04/13 12:16 AM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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Hi Leemz,

Personally, I would have gone with an ASUS model, but to each his own. I admit I haven't tested any of these on an XBOX, but the Linksys dual-bands I've used with internal antennas have mediocre range.

Can I recommend that you put your router on a large cooling pad? I think it will extend the longevity. smile

#3818211 - 08/04/13 01:48 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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LeemzHQ Offline
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Yup, made up my mind. After reviewing the ASUS RT-N66U, that's the one I've settled on. I'll return the Linksys a.s.a.p.

The reviews I've read and watched won me over with the performance and interface. I was always lost trying to find my way around in the menus of my Linksys. The ASUS seems much easier to navigate.

Plus, ASUS has their own YouTube channel with a lot of videos for setting up their routers.

Thanks for the input! thumbsup

Last edited by LeemzHQ; 08/04/13 01:49 PM.

"All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry."
Edgar Allan Poe
#3818277 - 08/04/13 04:59 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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You should be aware that range of AC is lower than N, so you might lose wifi where you would normally manage a connection.

#3818285 - 08/04/13 05:28 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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LeemzHQ Offline
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The Asus router is not AC and it has 3 external antennas so, if anything, I'm expecting an increase in range (for my wife's iPad and my daughters' laptops). I'm hard-wired with my PC and Xbox so I should be fine either way.

I'm going to return the Linksys and get the Asus but I'll do it NEXT weekend. Tax-free weekend in Massachusetts next week so I'll save a few bucks!


"All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry."
Edgar Allan Poe
#3820673 - 08/10/13 03:08 AM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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LeemzHQ Offline
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Ok, so I got the new ASUS RTN66R router all set up. Pretty easy. Haven't had any disconnects (knock on wood).

But, I have no idea how to set it so that I make sure my PC and Xbox use the 5G band while everything else (iPads, laptops, phones, etc.) uses the 2.4.

Can anyone step me through it?


"All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry."
Edgar Allan Poe
#3820823 - 08/10/13 06:50 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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Glad you like it! I like how easy it is to navigate. My DGL-4500 had even more options, but wasn't very friendly to get around on. This one gives me full bars on the far end of the house where the 4500 was usually at 1 or 2 due to interference from the kitchen (which is between the bedroom and router). No issues with Live on 2 360's, didn't have to set up port triggering or anything.

You'll set up 2 different networks, the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz. They'll have different names, so just remember which is which, like this:
DEAsafehouse03
DEAsafehouse05

-On the left, click Network Map
-Then, on the right you'll see a box with 2 tabs, 2.4GHz and 5GHz. It's on 2.4 to begin with. Set up the SSID and key for the 2.4 network, then hit the 5 tab and set that one up.

Then on your devices that can use 5, set them up on the correct network, they'll see both when searching for a network.




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#3820963 - 08/11/13 12:21 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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LeemzHQ Offline
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Thanks, RK.

I've done that, but how do I tell my PC and/or Xbox to use the 5G network? Both are hardwired to the router with a LAN cable. Does the dual band thing only work for wireless?

Sorry if that's a completely newb question. I consider myself reasonably savvy when it comes to computers but the networking end of things is like learning to speak Klingonese.


"All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry."
Edgar Allan Poe
#3820999 - 08/11/13 03:32 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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Entil'zha
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If you're using a wire, wireless frequencies would be irrelevant, don't you think? wink

The differences between the 2 freqs are 2.4GHz has greater range/penetration of obstacles, but doesn't go as fast while 5GHz supports faster speeds but is more easily blocked.

If your PC and Xbox are close enough to the router to use a patch cable, you could easily set them up to use 5GHz instead. However, there's realistically no reason to do that unless the wire is failing or runs through an area where it looks ugly or whatever.



The Jedi Master


The anteater is wearing the bagel because he's a reindeer princess. -- my 4 yr old daughter
#3821018 - 08/11/13 05:04 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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New firmware from last Wednesday:
http://support.asus.com/download.aspx?SL...aPRqqZuiBsRlS5W

Quote:
ASUS RT-N66R Firmware Version 3.0.0.4.374.168
Fixed:
1. Reduced the redundant packets when used 3G/4G dongle as WAN and opened web browser.
2. Fixed the traffic monitor related issues when used 3G/4G dongle as WAN,
3. Fixed client duplicated issue in network map
4. removed modem setting button in AP mode
5. Fixed IE related parental control issue.
6. Disabled the Broadcom ACSD service to prevent buffer overflow vulnerabilities.

Added:
1. Unmount all disks with 1-click

3G/4G dongles:
1. Support Huawei EC306

#3821037 - 08/11/13 06:39 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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Yeah, if you're wired, then the wireless network doesn't apply to you. If you have other devices that you DO use on the wireless, if that device doesn't support 5GHz then that SSID won't show up. Not all are capable of 5GHz.
My firmware is a few updates behind, but not sure it's worth doing until I see an issue. I'll probably hold off.


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#3821056 - 08/11/13 08:01 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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LeemzHQ Offline
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So.....if I'm wired with a patch cable, am I automatically getting the best speed possible on this router or is there something I need to do ensure it? PC is like, literally, less than 2ft from my router and my Xbox is about 6ft. away. It just never made sense to me to use the wireless for my PC and Xbox because of the proximity but I need the wireless for the iPad and laptops.

I'm still getting the occasional disconnect but it doesn't seem as bad as it was with my Linksys.


"All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry."
Edgar Allan Poe
#3821101 - 08/11/13 10:12 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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You'll get the best speed based on the abilities of the router and devices. Your laptop or tablet might have a network card slower than the router is capable of. Same for the pc and xbox. That router won't be the weak link though.


·Steam: Raw Kryptonite ·MWO & Elite Dangerous: Defcon Won ·Meager youtube channel
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#3821358 - 08/12/13 04:29 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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Entil'zha
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I don't think I've ever seen a device with say a 10Mbps Ethernet but an 11g or n wireless connection that let it work faster. Almost all have a 100Mbps Ethernet connector, which is fast enough practically speaking. Yet wireless generally tops out at 54Mbps unless you're lucky with your 11n connection.

I personally bypassed my router for my PC because regardless of using wire or wireless it won't go faster than about 28Mbps, but my cable modem gives me 60 if I don't use it.

Besides, wireless is vulnerable to interference all the time, while a wire is far more hardened. It's better to use a wire unless you can't reach or there are cosmetic considerations.



The Jedi Master


The anteater is wearing the bagel because he's a reindeer princess. -- my 4 yr old daughter
#3821382 - 08/12/13 05:17 PM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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My netbook connects at 320 Mbps, but that's really only beneficial for moving files on my LAN.
I got a usb wireless adapter for my pc when it's in the bedroom, but I think that one tops around 100-150 Mbps.


·Steam: Raw Kryptonite ·MWO & Elite Dangerous: Defcon Won ·Meager youtube channel
·Intel i5-9600K ·EVGA GTX1070 FTW 8GB ·EVGA CLC 120 Cooler
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· CORSAIR CARBIDE AIR 540 case ·BenQ BL3200PT monitor
#3836202 - 09/13/13 01:10 AM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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LeemzHQ Offline
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Ok, so I got my new Asus RT-N66R router and it all seems to be working fine.

However, for the first time ever, I'm trying to host an rFactor race with a friend.

The rFactor documentation tells me I need to open ports 34397(UDP) and 34447(TCP). But, being the complete newb that I am, I have NO idea how to do this.

For me, IT/networking stuff is like trying to understand the writings of a Klingon with dyslexia.

Can anyone tell me how to open these ports either through my router or through the Windows firewall (or does it need to be through both)?


"All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry."
Edgar Allan Poe
#3836211 - 09/13/13 01:24 AM Re: Need a good router for Xbox and PC gaming. Recommendations?? [Re: LeemzHQ]  
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Access the router by IP address (default: 192.168.1.1).
Default user: admin
Default password: admin

Go to the WAN tab on the left, then virtual server/port forwarding tab at the top.
Enable port forwarding.
Fill in the ports "34397, 34447" no quotes of course, local IP (the pc you're playing on), select "both" for protocol and then Add. Then Apply at the bottom.

Check the drop down for the pre-filled in games for an example if you need.


If you don't know your gateway IP and IP of the pc, then open a command prompt (on 7, just type CMD in the search box on the start menu).
type, no quotes, "ipconfig"

Find default gateway, that is your router and it's IP address. Use that to open the interface.
Find IPv4 Address, that is the IP of the pc you're currently on.


·Steam: Raw Kryptonite ·MWO & Elite Dangerous: Defcon Won ·Meager youtube channel
·Intel i5-9600K ·EVGA GTX1070 FTW 8GB ·EVGA CLC 120 Cooler
·16 GB Patriot Memory VIPER 4 3000MHz ·GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS PRO WiFi Mobo
· CORSAIR CARBIDE AIR 540 case ·BenQ BL3200PT monitor
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