Any Reliable WiFi N Routers?

Hey all, my sis has Cablevision's optimumonline which will not supply her with a WiFi router..so she of course hits me up after I already set up for her an Asus netbook that has N support & iPod touch (b/g). She also has an old Dell notebook with probable b/g but right now is plugged via ethernet.

The challenge is she doesn't want to spend that much & I don't need her calling me up every time she has a tech issue (any more than she already does , so should I just get her a reliable g router & let her know she is not giving me enough to work with to purchase a reliable N router or are there any reliable N routers in same price range as in store Gs?

When I read reviews there always seems to be some IT guys complaining that there are no really reliable N routers yet for the masses?

Would truly appreciate any contructive replies-links, Thanks so much

 

If she's not going to be really taxing the n-speeds, then I know the little Linksys WRT-110n from walmart serves me fine. I plugged it in (set my own addresses) and haven't had to fool with it again and that was like 3 months ago. If it's anything like my 54g then it'll last forever too.

 

People seem to be complaining that so many Ns are not holding up like their Gs. Ideally the product would have a decent warranty-support..

What should I make of the harsh reviews:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16833124285

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-WRT11...iewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

I should also mention she currently lives in a pretty crowded NY apartment building..

Still really appreciate feedback, -Thanks

 

Many N's are under spec'd on the power supply is a major issue. 1amp at 12volts is simply not enough for most. Even 2 amps is not really enough. They suck down a lot of power.

I would find a Linksys WRT54GL (no "S" or "2", just a GL). They are workhorses, especially with aftermarket firmware, for that model, look into Tomato. This is nearly bulletproof.

 

So you think I should avoid potential headaches & go with the less glamorous G tried and true workhorse?:

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-WRT54...iewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

I will definitely present this to her so she can make the choice, anything else to consider here(e.g. her cablevision connection be the bottleneck not the G router)?

When do you think Ns will become as reliable as Gs for the masses? -Thanks

 

I wouldn't expect it for another 6 months to a year.

The new workhorse may already be out there, but we need time to evaluate them.

 

IDK, like I said I haven't really tried HD streaming over N, so maybe that's why I haven't hit any probs yet. I'd say go with what the other guys here are saying, they seem to have pretty valid points.

 

Many thanks leslieann , since reliability is the top priority (her infrastructure likely won't really benefit as much from the n-speed-range anyway but hope to see these become as reliable soon) I will try this highly rated old school looking reliable workhorse router but just so it won't void her warranty I think I should stick with the Linksys firmware for now. At some point if she consents to the warranty voiding 3rd party firmware I may try the tomato firmware:

http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/Routers
http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/support/WRT54GL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linksys_WRT54G_series
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato_Firmware
http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato

Really appreciate the feedback, hopefully the setup & operation will be uneventful & I won't have to post back anything but more product praise

P.S. - I wouldn't mind hearing thoughts on reliability of Apple Airports if you have any..

 

I ordered the WRT54GL for her but any thoughts on whether the Apple Airports have proven themselves as reliable N routers (i.e. for mixed pc-apple environments)?:

AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n and AirTunes:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB321LL/A/AirPort-Express-AirTunes?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY ($99)

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MB321LL...iewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending ($94)

AirPort Extreme Base Station:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC340LL/A/AirPort-Extreme?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY ($179)

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-AirPort...iewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending ($166.86)

Thanks,