Best Basic Inexpensive Wireless Router

My sister needs a basic inexpensive wireless router (2.4GHz, no modding firmware) to use with her laptops and iPhones just something simple to set up but good. Any suggestions?

 

What about an Asus RT-N12?
Broadcom CPU 300MHz, 32MB RAM, 802.11n 300mbps Wi-Fi.
It is supported by 3rd party firmware but it's not like you have to use it.
Firmware on basic Asus router decent so 3rd party firmware is not a must-have.
This bucket of magnificence costs $40.

 

I would recommend picking up a used WRT54G off of craigslist or ebay. I bought a set of them off of ebay recently for $20 to my door. They have all the functionality you need for the basics, as well as the option for dd-wrt advanced firmware, all for a cheap price. I buy them when I find a great price on them and give/sell to friends/family/clients at half the cost of any new router they can buy. Believe it or not, but Cisco still uses this same web gui on their new E4200, which makes me like my $10 WRT54G with dd-wrt firmware better than my new $180 E4200.

 

While I like the Wrt54g, they are pretty long in the tooth at this point (10/100/G, low memory, etc...).

I think Downloads has the best bet.

Not to mention Linksys is seriously dragging their heels on IPV6. When they do finally release the patch it will only be for recent routers.

 

While I agree that the WRT54G's are getting old, the first thing you should have considered is the op's use of the product. There is no reason for her to spend more on features like gigabit ethernet when she will not use it. Unless she has fiber to her house the WRT54G will perform just as fast as any other router out there for her, all while saving her money, and doing so in a very simple, easy to use gui. Even if cisco doesn't provide an update for the older routers, IPv6 is fully supported in the dd-wrt firmware for all versions of the WRT54G except for v7 and v8 which need the micro or mini firmware.

 

Thanks for the replies I'll pass it on!

 

Though I maybe late;

My favorite sub 40 dollar router is the Dlink DIR-615. Never had a firmware issue with it, very easy to setup, and fast has heck for a 40 dollar router!

 

Okay, let's look at this from another perspective.
Pros:
You save, what, $10?
You get a router with a great reputation.

Cons:
You are buying a router with no clue how many years it has been running.
No warranty
Old technology
You could find in a month that you actually could have used that increased bandwidth.


If it was me, I'd spend the $10.

They were good, but I have had a few burn up over time.
They seemed to run great for a year, sometimes several years, and then poof, done.

The only used routers I would buy is either extremely cheap, or nearly new. I see too enough burned up network equipment on a regular basis as it is.