Best N router < $50

Hello,

My girlfriend is looking to get a router for her apartment and she's not sure which one to get. Her budget is $50 and she's not a gamer or high performance user; she just wants long range, steady connection, and future proof (N). I've only had experience with Linksys and their routers seem to run at about $55 to 70; she's looking to spend $40 +/- $10. I've seen other router on Newegg and other sites that seem to be cheaper but I've never used any of their products and therefore don't know about their reliability. I looked at CNET's top 10 list but all but one of the routers there were over $100, and the only one that wasn't had a 2/5 rating!

Does anyone have any suggestions for a router?

 

It's very hard to find a good router inside this budget- as close as I can get is almost $60 (may be found around $50 on ebay though) and that would be Linksys E1000.
It has good hardware (CPU, RAM) it's also supported by DD-WRT (kinda- WRT160N is so this one is gonna be supported too)
You can also buy the same thing cheaper as Linksys WRT160N v3 (new one can be found for $50 on ebay) WRT160N has been rebranded to E1000 just like all Linksys' have been but it's the same product.
Don't mind reviews on newegg- there are three hardware revisions of this router and as long as you buy the last one- v3 it's OK so if it's not explicitly stated ask the seller if it's v3.

 

Belkin F5D8233 Wireless N Router 802.11n PC & MAC - eBay (item 400125294306 end time Jul-27-10 13:04:03 PDT)

Belkin N150 Wireless N High Speed Router PC MAC Win 7 - eBay (item 400132580598 end time Jul-29-10 09:16:05 PDT)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Netgear-WNR2000...ewItem&pt=COMP_EN_Routers&hash=item335dbe8173

Netgear WNR1000 RangeMax 150 Wireless N Router 802.11n - eBay (item 370360947928 end time Aug-03-10 16:22:00 PDT)

 

source

Belkin N150 is not really an 802.11n router, neither is Netgear WNR1000- these are all 150mbps pulling-your-leg devices
Belkins are considered unreliable in general so I would stay away from them- it's not my opinion as I have had no experiences with them but other users of this subforum known to me as otherwise knowledgeable in the networking department say so. Apart from that Belkin F5D8233 is inferior to E1000/WRT160N in hardware department (RAM) and performance (apart from Wi-Fi performance) and is not supported by 3rd party firmware which is quite important.
Linksys E1000/WRT160N is slightly faster in terms of wireless performance compared to Netgear WNR2000 and unlike Netgear it is (or going to be in case of E1000) supported by DD-WRT.
All in all of all the above only Netgear WND2000 is interesting and well priced.

 

I wouldn't recommend Belkin, they don't have a great reputation. Usually they need lots of reboots.


To the OP
Is there a reason she needs N? Unless she is sharing big files, g is more than enough and is faster than her internet service. Also, $50 is not very reasonable for a good N router. Especially if you need any decent range.

I would recommend a G router, BUFFALO WHR-HP-G54 ($59). If you catch it on sale, you can get it under $50 (try eBay as well where you can certainly find it for less). This router has a larger antenna giving it great range. It's also simple to setup.

Otherwise, expect to spend around $100 for a decent N router that is worth your money.

 

If you're ok with recertified, Tigerdirect has the Linksys WRT310n for $45.

 

There's no such thing as future proof in technology. And if there was such a thing as a future proof router, your research points out that its not going to be found at a bargain basement price.

But wireless is a capricious medium and even the "best" routers that you spend a couple hundred buck so on will STILL give you headache at some point.

And the current N technology is about to get upgraded anyway shortly its no holy grail anyway.

So heck, just get a used router on craigslist.
- You can probably pick up an "N" router for under 50 bucks. Its a crapshoot so probably doesnt matter which.
- You also can get a "G" router for 20-25 bucks and it will do just great for internet surfing or even torrenting. I torrent a lot and even with a G router I'm able I'm able to download huge files pretty damn quick if the seed that is uploading is a fast one.

 

For that price range, this Asus FTW! DD-WRT support and 300mbps for forty bucks shipped.

Newegg.com - ASUS RT-N12 IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE802.11n Draft 2 SuperSpeedN Wireless Router

And yeah, do yourself a favor and stay away from Belkin. The Bufallo lesliann mentioned is also really nice.

 

Alright, I see your guys' point about the routers being expensive. How about a G router for the same budget?

 

Umm, the router I posted is an N, and it's $40.

 

I agree it's a pretty good one but you have to use DD-WRT with this (this is not a problem though) Asus firmware is bad in most cases and this one seem to be no exception (just read first review on newegg)
Still it's well priced, rather good hardware and detachable antennas.

 

Point take. Looks like that'll be the one we get. Thanks!

 

On Newegg:

Newegg.com - ASUS RT-N13U IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE802.11n Draft Wireless Router with All-in-One Printer Server

That's N13 (N12's older brother) - similar specs, with addition of a USB port so you can attach a printer or a hard drive, also $35 after rebate.