Wired Cable Modem Router Suggestions?

I need a new wired cable modem router for my house (not really interested in going wireless); my Belkin has failed finally. I don't need more than 4 ports necessarily, and it doesn't need to be gigabit. I'd like to spend less than $100 if I can, preferably closer to $50-ish, but reliability and a quality product is key.

While product ratings are certainly subjective for many reasons, I see *a lot* of routers that are either badly rated or are split between bad and good. The couple I've found that are well-rated are either at least $125 or no longer sold. It's shocking to me that there's such a wide variance of router ratings with such a small number of units with consistently good ratings. A factor that I never thought about that I discovered during research is that there are even some routers that don't perform above 6Mbps, leaving those with turbo connections crippled. It seems to be quite the router jungle out there!

Similar Messages

  • Any suggestions for an all-in-one "cable modem router print server" (N)

    any suggestions for an all-in-one "cable modem router print server" (N)?

    If that's a problem with your cable company, change the company.
    If your cable company is not able to provide you with a cable modem which gets you full performance for their service why would you bother with that company or try to make it better than them?
    If you subscribe to a 100 Mbit/s service they must be able to provide you with a modem that does 100 Mbit/s and be able to demonstrate you 100 Mbit/s on your cable.
    If they are unable to provide you with a modem which does 100 Mbit/s and thus cannot demonstrate that the service they have installed in fact can do 100 Mbit/s but only give you a 50 Mbit/s because that's the best they have, why bother buying yourself a better modem to find out whether or not their service does what it promises or not??
    In addition, an integrated device won't get you better performance. On the contrary, consumer devices are generally single CPU (and core) devices. It's usually running some Linux or similar. If a single process gets overloaded it can drag down the performance of the whole device. For instance, let's say there is a bug in the print server software of the router. You print something and it hangs and the print server process on the router runs wild. Now the CPU is fully loaded and the routing performance will go down. If there is a bug in the routing software it will bring down the whole device and you can't even print.
    You'll get the best performance if you use dedicated devices because then one device cannot overload another. Get a modem. Get a wireless ethernet router. Get a printer with integrated print server. That's far better.
    It's like the all-purpose audio device compared to components...

  • SOLVED: Dropped connections with Time Capsule and cable modem/router

    I've been dealing with random dropped connections for quite a while and I thought that it would be useful to share what I've found.
    I was having a very puzzling problem where my internet connection would drop randomly on wireless devices. On my laptop, webpages would suddenly become unresponsive for a minute or two, Mail would have connection problems and complain, etc...but incredibly randomly and definitely not repeatable or in any pattern that I noticed.
    I also have 2 Nest thermostats in the house which connect via wi-fi. I noticed that they would randomly show Offline very often when viewed from a webpage or iPhone app, but the Nest front panels showed that they were connected with a strong signal.
    As I said, the dropped connections were very sporadic. Most of the time, everything worked, but every once in a while...bam.
    I worked with the level 3 tech support guys at Nest for over a week to figure out what was going on. We went through settings on my router and Time Capsule and everything seemed proper and okay. I even replaced the Nests with new ones but still had the same problem. We were all completely stumped.
    Yesterday, my laptop dropped it's connection at the same time my wife's laptop dropped hers. At this point, I wondered if something was wrong with the Time Capsule or maybe my internet provider.
    I called AppleCare to see if they could help with debugging the problem. They passed me up to a senior wi-fi tech and he asked me many questions about the configuration of my network. My home network looked like this yesterday (see crappy diagram below)
                                                         Motorola Cable modem/router
                                                                                 |
                                                           Netgear multiport switch
                                                          |          |         |         |          |
                                                         hardwired Macs,            TimeCapsule (bridge mode)
                                                         laser printers,                   |   |   |   |   |
                                                          Apple TVs                       laptops, Nest, iphones
    This configuration seemed correct to me. The Time Capsule in bridge mode would mean that the cable modem/router would be handling DHCP so all the devices would be on the same network and I could print from a laptop to one of my printers and the laptops could connect to the hardwired Macs, etc..
    The AppleCare technician said he thought that bridge mode was the problem. He mentioned that there was a known issue that in this configuration, the IP addresses could get lost between the cable modem/router and the Time Capsule. He said it would be best if the Time Capsule was in DHCP/NAT mode and the first device before the switch, this way the Time Capsule was the only device passing out IP addresses.
    So I repatched my network like this:
                                                       Motorola Cable modem/router
                                                                                 |
                                                       TimeCapsule (DHCP/NAT mode)
                                                                |                                       |   |   |   |   |
                                        Netgear multipart switch                      laptops, Nest, iphones
                                             |         |         |        |
                                               hardwired Macs,           
                                                 laser printers,                 
                                                   Apple TVs                     
    I can tell you that in the past 24 hours, I haven't seen anything lose a connection. Not even the Nests which seemed be on and off all the time. And, in this configuration, all the devices are on the same network and able to speak to each other.
    I hope that helps someone.

    So you're saying that Bridge Mode not functioning properly is a well known issue?
    Not to me.. I have not had issues with the TC in bridge. And it is my prefered setup. I think it is better as a wireless AP and network hard disk than a router any day of the week.. but there are other ways to skin the cat if it is proving unreliable. I am at the moment using a wireless bridge from the Gen4 TC to a Gen4 AE upstairs for TV internet streaming.. it started off very reliable.. but of late I guess I need to reboot it every few days. And it has required a full reset two or three times.. although I probably need to take some of the blame for those. I am not over worried.. i do not believe in wireless bridges except for the most interim of arrangements.. it will be wired in ethernet ASAP.
    Wireless should always be used in a way that respects its status as voodoo.. not stable technology. NOT SCIENCE.. it is more a bag of beads and rattles.
    Is there a way to change the cable modem/router to avoid the double NAT problem?
    The answer to this may depend on your ISP. Did they provide the modem? If so they may lock it down so you have no control. But normally a Motorola cable modem will not have a bridge mode as such but will have a method of turning off NAT.. (and wireless).. this amounts to the same thing.
    Once you turn off NAT.. you need to power cycle the modem so the TC gets the public IP in router mode. The power cycle time might be 5min or 20min or overnight.. it again depends on your ISP.. but you need to stop the modem capturing the public IP so it can be passed to the modem.
    Depending on where you are in the world.. US is most concentration of cable network.. you can go out and buy your own modem. Pick one on your ISP list and steer clear of SB.. at least with the apple routers they are problematic.
    It also can be a case that the cable modem is SB model and therefore more problematic. Sorry I have forgotten the recommendation for what to buy. There are a number of posts here about it but search is terrible now. (or I am too old to figure it out). I will get Bob to poke his nose in and tell you what works for him.

  • Configuring E3000 to work with Verizon FIOS actiontec cable modem / router

    Hi all, I've read knowledgebase Article ID: 3733, which seems to get me on the right track, but the router menu screens shown do not match the E3000's screens. 
    I have a FIOS cable modem / router in the basement that I need to keep since it drives all the FIOS guide and on demand features. I have a NAS drive in the basement and all the house hard wiring runs to the basement as well. 
    I wanted wireless n and a better location for the wireless access point, so I bought the E3000 and put it in the kitchen on the main floor
    When I wired a numbered LAN port on the E3000 to a numbered LAN port on the ActionTec and brought  the router up all worked fine, but quickly found that wireless clients could not see the NAS.  I suspect that this is because the E3000 uses a different address range(192.168.0.1)  than the actiontec (http://192.168.1.1/).  I ended up moving the NAS upstairs to temporarily fix this, but my wife would like me to get it out of her kitchen ASAP :-)
    I tried just about every setting imaginable (setting IP of E3000 actiontec range, disabling NAT, disabling DHCP, enabling/disabling RIP) to get the E3000 to simply become a wireless gateway and wired switch and let the actiontec do the routing but never could get it to work. 
    Could someone post a version of Article ID: 3733 that works for the E3000???
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    Press and hold the reset button on E3000 router for 30 seconds. Release the reset button and wait for 30 seconds. Power cycle E3000 router.
    Now connect one computer to Ethernet port 2 on the router ( Do not connect the cable between modem and E3000 )
    open the setup page of E3000. Change the wireless settings of E3000 router.
    Go to Setup tab and change the IP address of E3000 router to 192.168.1.2.
    Disable DHCP server on the router and save the settings.
    Do NOT change any other settings ( NAT firewall ).
    Connect the cable from modem to the Ethernet port 1 on E3000 router. power cycle the router.
    Now try to access the Internet through E3000 router.

  • X3500 to be connected via a wired VDSL modem/router

    Hey, I just got myself the X3500 ADSL2 modem/router just to use it as a wireless router (got it 2nd hand, good price).In order to use the bandwidth I have, I got myself a separate Huawei wired modem/router just to use it as a VDSL2 modem.The thing is that I'm having a hard time to configure this simple setup.After using the live chat, I have just figured out that the X3500 router capabilities can not handle the VDSL2 bandwidth, is that so?What I did was setting the Huawei modem/router to be the only DHCP, plugged one of the the Huawei LAN ports to the Cable (WAN) port in the X3500 router and set the DHCP service in the X3500 to disabled.I have tried to set the X3500 to a briged mode only, didn't help much.Any idea about this simple but yet so annoying setup? Thanks!

    It looks good and the WAN Subnet mask is fine too. From a computer (Mac or PC) connected to the X3500 via Ethernet run the below command prompt\terminal commands and post the results: PC:ipconfig /allping www.yahoo.com -n 40tracert www.yahoo.com Mac:ifconfigping -c 40 www.yahoo.comtraceroute www.yahoo.com

  • SMC Cable Modem/Router strange behavior

    I have a home network that has my own router/wifi, so my Comcast cablem modem/router is used to pass data from the Comcast internet interface to my router and provide a telephone line.  My network takes care of everything else.  Earlier this week, Comcast had to replace the router because the telephone service failed.  When I got home from my business trip, I began to reconfigure the router to meet my needs. The router is an Arris Model TG862G. After I got all the settings the way I wanted, my network could no longer reach the Internet.  A laptop connected directly to the router could.  After lots of headscratching, I restored the modem to factory defaults.  Network access returned.  I began setting the options one at a time, testing network connectivity at each step.  Everything worked fine until I turned ON "Remote Management" by HTTP on port 8080 (the default, which was grayed out so I could not change it).  As soon as I saved the setting, network connectivity to the internet died.  Once I saved the values, the port number then became editable.  I changed the port number and network connectivity resumed. I have noticed before that Comcast must use port 8080 for some internal stuff because I was never able to get an incoming connection on  port 8080 to work.  Other ports worked fine, but not 8080. So there is some "magic" on port 8080 that not only makes it unavailable for incoming traffic but also causes the routing within the cable modem to fail.  It is unfortunate that the router defaults to that port. Very strange. 

    When I plug in a macbook air (10.8) via Ethernet USB, connected to one of the LAN ports on the TC, I get a strange 169.x.x.x IP address. Something tells me the TC isnt bridging here...
    Suggest that you first check to make sure that the AirPort Express is bridging to the Ethernet port. To test, temporarily turn off the wireless on your laptop and connect it directly to the Express using an Ethernet cable.
    Can the laptop connect and log on to the Internet?
    If it can, then you know the Express is delivering an Ethernet signal, and the TC needs some trobleshooting.
    It the laptop cannot connect, you must first troubleshoot to find out why the Express is not bridging to the Ethernet port.

  • Airport Express via Wired Cable/DSL Router - Bridge?

    Any advice appreciated! Just purchased Airport Express 802.11n and was looking to use it as a wireless ethernet bridge for Macbook. Network configuration is: cable modem (touchstone via comcast)-> wired ethernet cable router (linksys BEFSR41) -> airport express (AX)~> macbook. Simply plugged and played here - ethernet cable into AX and plugged into outlet. AX is showing steady green (good?)! How does the Macbook use AX to connect to internet? Shouldn't this be plug-n-play? Confused on next steps....Thanks for any help.

    neocro, Welcome to the discussion area!
    Configure the AX to act as a bridge (not sharing a single IP address).
    Assuming that the DHCP server is enabled on the Linksys, configure the MacBook to use AirPort and DHCP to connect to the internet.

  • Printer crashes with 0xB845D7DC when connect to UPC Ubee EVW3226 cable modem/router

    Printer: HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus e-All-in-One Printer - N911g
    SN: [Personal Information Removed]
    PN: CM750A
    FW: CKP5CN1516AR
    When try to connect to the wireless router (DHCP enabled), the printer LCD display starts to flash and for a second it displays B845D7DC.
    After this, the printer requests a reset and it will restart with wireless disabled.
    I have a cable modem with wireless router from my TV cable provider UPC called UPC Ubee EVW3226.
    I tried to connect the printer to the router using WPS button and providing the password. In both cases I have the same behavior.
    I have a dozen of other wireless devices at home that connect without any problem to the router. But not the printer.
    Please let me know what other information will be good for you to solve the issue. Or please provide a workaround.

    Welcome back to the HP Community , I read through your post about the error codes you are noticing on your Officejet 8600 Plus, amongst the unit requesting a reset when connecting the router. I wanted to share my own suggestions with you that may help. If you find the issue unresolved, contact HP directly afterwards to see about your next printer options with them. 1. Click this link and try a firmware update: HP Officejet Pro 8600 N911g_n FirmwareFM available at the moment is CLP1CN1516AR 2. Power reset the printer and make sure the printer is plugged in directly to the wall outlet, avoiding power bars and surge protectors. This ensures the printer is receiving full power. Turn the printer on.
    With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the unit.
    Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.
    Wait at least 15 seconds.
    Plug the power cord back into the wall outlet.
    Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the unit.
    If the printer does not turn on by itself, press the Power button to turn it on.   If you need to reach HP, here is their contact information:Step 1. Open link: www.hp.com/contacthp/
    Step 2. Enter Product number or select to auto detect
    Step 3. Scroll down to "Still need help? Complete the form to select your contact options"
    Step 4. Scroll down and click on: HP contact options - click on Get phone number
     Case number and phone number appear.  Best wishes to you!Show thanks for my reply to help you today by hitting the "thumbs up" icon below!

  • Does Linksys Make a Wireless-N Cable Modem/Router Combo

    Does Linksys make a wireless-n gateway router, a combination router and cable modem?
    I currently have the combo device for wireless-g but want to upgrade to wireless-n.
    Thanks!
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    I think at the moment Linksys does not sell 802.11n gateways.
    I generally recommend not to get combo devices but better get two separate devices, one simple modem and a wireless router.
    1. You have a far larger product choice for the router and they are usually cheaper.
    2. If the router dies you can still have internet through the modem directly. If the combo device dies you are offline.
    3. Less functions in a device makes simpler design and in average more stable and reliable devices.
    4. You can replace either device at any point. For instance, if you switch from cable to DSL or FTTH you can simple replace the modem. You may have to change the internet connection setting on the router but other then that you can keep the router. Likewise, if in two years from now you want to get the next-generation wireless router you can keep using your modem (if it is still fit for your internet speed)
    Just some to think about...

  • Best cable modem & router combined?

    I have the Motorola Surfboard SBG900, but was wondering if there are newer (and better) combo cable modem/wireless routers now available.
    Also, is cable still much faster than DSL, and, if not, are there good combined modem/routers for DSL?
    Thanks.

    We might be able to give you an opinion on a "best" modem, but it would be of no use to you if your Internet Service Provider did not support that model.....so you had no help when....not if....you have a problem.
    Instead, please check the list of supported modems that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) likely has on their website and post back with those models.
    Then, users might have some feedback for you on the upsides and downsides of the particular modem model they are using.
    Alternately, if you could tell us which ISP you are using, that might help expedite things.
    Finally, please designate whether you are looking for a simple modem.....or a modem/router or gateway combination device.

  • Wireless cable modem/router for macbook pro?

    My parents just bought a Macbook Pro (their first Mac!) and would like to connect it wirelessly to the internet through high-speed cable (they already have cable TV in their house). Are there cable modems available with built-in wireless capability, or should they get a separate cable modem and wireless router (like I'm using for my Powerbook)? I want to make sure that they have WPA2 security. Can someone offer recommendations for which networking hardware to purchase? Thanks.
    Paul

    The AEBS is a wireless router, not a cable modem. A good cable modem is the Motorola 5120 but it is not wireless.
    Yes, the AEBS is pricey but it's an excellent product. However, if you wish not to spend that kind of money there are less expensive products by LinkSys, Belkin, D-Link and others. However, none have any Mac support although most all of them will work with Macs - some better than others.

  • My internet works fine with my wired cable modem, but when i connect to my extreme base station and setup my wireless network the internet no longer works and my apple tv by default

    my cable modem works fine, but when I hook it up to my extreme base station and run through the prompts and set up my wireless network it doesnt work and neither does my apple tv by default. I am unsure how to correct this problem. It will come up saying that I dont have an IP address when I have it set to DCHP so I dont know what the problem is.

    Push the reset button on the modem and power the modem off
    Power off everything else....all devices....order is not important
    Wait 15-20 minutes or longer
    Connect the Ethernet cable from the modem to the WAN port (circle of dots icon) on the AirPort Extreme
    Power up the modem and let it run for 5 minutes by itself
    Power up the AirPort Extreme and let it run for 5 minutes
    Power up each other device one at a time a few minutes apart
    Check the network

  • AirPort Extreme   Cisco cable modem and router

    Hi all,
    I have a Cisco cable modem/router which is being connected to an AirPort Extreme without any problems. I disable DCHP on the Cisco and connected to the WAN port of the AirPort with an ethernet cable.
    Now I have a home office with several computers, nas drive, etc and the configuration is somewhat complex to have it messed up. I share a house with another two and while I was away for the weekend one of them decided to wipe off all my AirPort Extreme configuration.
    I don't wanna go throught that again so I'm looking for options to having two separate wifi networks, one for home users (Cisco) and my office (AirPort). Since I can't run a cable between them, how can I get internet connection on the AirPort from the Cisco? I don't think joining/extending the wifi from the Cisco is an option since I want two separate wifi networks.
    I've somewhat managed to get it working by using a Netgear WNCE2001 to connect wirelessly to the Cisco and to the AirPort with a network cable. The AirPort is then set up to create a new wireless network, configured as DCHP only with a range different than the Cisco. Everything works fine apart form the downloading speed goes in waves, really slow. Upload speeds are fine though. If instead of the Netgear WNCE2001 I connect both routers with a network cable everything is perfectly smooth (same settings on both).
    All I can think of is one of those pairs network-through-mains and hope they do the job connecting both.
    Is there any other way to have two separate wifi networks sharing the same interrnet connection?
    Many thanks for any help you can give.

    Thank you for your answer, I'm ordering a set of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004INVKP4/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8 &psc=1 and hope they do the job.
    I'll get back and tell if they work, might be helpful for others.
    Thanks again.

  • Connecting my airport extreme to comcast cable modem-- AGHHH

    I've had three Comcast techies to my house since switching over to their triple play offer. Today, I finally got connected to the Internet, through their cable wired into my house, and connecting their modem to my Mac mini (which does not have wireless card). I want to hook up two other laptops in the house, but can't figure out how I do that? The Comcast guy today said with an ethernet cord. So I've plugged the cord into the back of my Extreme, but the other end doesn't fit into the only slot remaining on the back of the cable modem -- which is labeled "phone"... Does anyone know how I do this?
    Thanks,
    Jill

    You need either a router or an ethernet hub/switch between the modem and the computers to give you the needed ethernet ports. Hubs/switches are cheaper but, depending on the Comcast policy on multiple computers on one modem, may not all work at the same time.
    A router, on the other hand, allows up to something like 255 devices to be connected. Instead of the Comcast server passing out IP addresses as would happen with a hub, the router issues the addresses to each device. This is useful when the ISP limits how many IP addresses can be assigned to one account (we had this with our ISP--limit of three--and is why we now use a router).
    Basically, the arrangement is:
    cable from wall >>> cable modem >>> router or hub >>> multiple ethernet lines out to individual computers
    See if this video helps:
    http://videos.howstuffworks.com/labratstv/829-episode-6-home-network-primer-vide o.htm

  • EA4500 Won't get a DHCP WAN address from Cable Modem

    I have an EA 4500 that I used to replace a bad WRT45 (or something like that).  We have an ADT camera system that allows you to view the cameras locally and remotely.  All I have to do is set a static internal address on the DVR and the public IP on the router in the application.  I duplicated the setting in the old router and everything was running smoothly.  However, the speed test result I was getting from the router and speedtest.net were not even close to what we were paying for (wireless and wired.  But it was functional. 
    I called Comcast and they said we needed a Docsis 3 modem.  So, I went to the Comcast office and they traded out my modem for a docsis 3.  Hooked it up and everything was working again.  Speeds were better but not really up to par.  Hooked my laptop directly into the new modem and I was getting speeds off the charts.  Frustrated, I called Comcast, they said the modem needed to be put in Bridge mode. Then the EA4500 wouldn't get a DHCP WAN adress.  They took it out of bridge mode.  Same result. 
    They sent a tech out (Mind you I've been a Network Engineer for almost 20 yrs) and he tells me they gave me the wrong modem (I wasn't there either, roommate let him in).  He replaced the modem with a new all inclusive router/switch/wifi modem.  He then proceeds to setup a whole new network, which of course , except the laptops that connected, my devices don't see ( printers, cameras, dvr, etc).  Then, this baffles me... he did a factory reset on my EA4500. So now there are 2 seperate networks one with slow Internet and one without WAAN services. 
    After all this, my EA4500 still will not get a WAN address when plugged into the new modem.  I would just use their new modem but to make any config changesto it, something as simple as changing the SSID name or the password, you have to call them.  They won't give you access to the admin page.
    Anyone have any ideas why my EA4500 won't get a WAN address? Oh, btw, I did do a MAC address clone on the EA4500 while connected to the modem and it DID get the address, but the speeds were dismal, not even 1mb up or down.

    @stix180
    There is a need to reset and reconfigure the EA4500 router to work with the new modem. There are certain configurations on the router that will make it work for a particular modem, and this might be causing the issue. Cable modem authenticates end users through username and password but there are cable modem/router as well in which the IP address are on the same range with the default IP address of the router. Please try to check the IP address of the computer wired directly to your modem, it should not be on the same IP address range with the EA4500 router since it will cause IP address conflict. You can change the default IP address of your router from 192.168.1.1 to 10.10.10.1. Please try to make sure that your router also has the latest firmware version installed. And it would help if you do port forwarding on the router for your camera and DVRs to resolve NAT issues.

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