Is wireless-N just broken? Or do vendors not test products?

So I've been looking up reviews on all the single and dual-band N routers/access points and haven't found one by a consumer(non-business) that has reviews saying it works when downloading files on the 5ghz band.

I bought a WRT600N and it simply does not work when downloading files from the internet. I can download to my laptop at max ~1.1MBps for 10-20 minutes, then I lose connection to the access point. Linksys support has no idea how to fix it and these problems seem to be vendor-independent according to reviews I've read about all dual-band N routers, single-band N routers, and N access points.

Is N just broken?

I currently have a WRT54G and I want to upgrade to a dual-band so I can have my g devices on 2.4ghz and my n devices on 5ghz. I'm returning my WRT600N and I guess I'll have to stick to my WRT54G until the technology matures.

 

I thought only A has got 5GHz!

 

N works on both 5GHz and 2.4GHz.

 

Thanks for correcting me.

Is that why N has so much troubles with 2 frequency bands, or 802.11N members still have not come to a concensus of a final version of N? Y is coming next year?

 

Have you tried flashing to DD-WRT and work with the settings from there?
The only downside to DD-WRT is that the LEDs don't work correctly but everything else functions as expected.

 

Are you using one, Dev?

 

N is still Draft right? That means no guarantee's

 

Yeah, this is why I don't understand why people have scrambled for N technologies. I've heard of TONS of problems.

 

N works fine on the 2.4ghz and in N-only mode it works in the 10-12MBps range.

It's the 5ghz band that is trash.

 

Although I'm not using one, I've heard about the router's performance and have set up a friend's WRT600N (w/ DD-WRT). I'm using a DIR-655 btw.
It's understandable for you to be angry at the router because there's a vast amount of variables that play a part into having it work correctly (which imo, there shouldn't be problems) and that you want the performance that you've paid for. It's difficult to clearly diagnose where the problem is. But all I have are suggestions that may be the solution. If you want, you can try:

1. If you're using WPA2-AES, then I think you should switch over to WPA-AES (some people were having issues with WPA2 and their wireless cards and this was the solution) for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels. Update drivers to latest(if not up to date). Give the laptop+router a reboot, then try?

2. Are you using both bands at once when you turn on the 5GHz? If so, just try 5GHz by itself? Although really, that would defeat the purpose of the dual-band feature.

 

Yeah, I was just curious if you've set up DD-WRT on the WRT600N, what your experience was like doing that, and if it made any noticeable improvement?

 

i think the stock firmware that comes with linksys n routers are just crap.

i have the wrt350n, and was on the verge of trashin it for a dir-655. i decided to give it one last try and reflash it with DD-WRT. after the reflash, my router was like a whole new router. one that actually worked...very well.

 

I've heard a lot of issues with the WRT600N until you flash the firmware to the latest. Which aparently corrects all issues.

Have you done this?

 

Yeah I had the latest linksys firmware on it and it performed as stated.

 

from what i've read, the OEM firmware for linksys draft-n routers suck.

i personally own the wrt350n and it was a baby migraine UNTIL i reflashed it with DD-WRT v24. now i love it. literally a night and day difference. and i got to delete the stupid software that came with the router =P

 

there is a new firmware out for the wrt600n, not sure if this will also correct the issue at 5ghz or not.

That seems to be the major complaint with this router atm though. Several sites have stated that the latest linksys firmware corrects the issue. I'd like to know if this is indeed true, or do we need to resort back to dd-wrt? Last I heard dd-wrt does not support the NAS functionality on the wrt600n, and that's the whole reason why I plan to buy this router.

 

i'm not sure about the new firmware and NAS issue. wireless n is still in its "testing" stages, so i'm sure alot of current issues will be fixed in due time.

u always have the option to try out the new firmware and return/reflash with DD-WRT if u'r not satisfied with it.

u also have to keep in mind that, most of the negative reviews are from the average joe buyer. they might've set up the router wrong. 1 wrong adjustment in yur router setup interface could make a huge difference. i'll help u as much as my personal experiences can allow me to. good luck and keep us updated =)

 

WiFi-N isnt broken. Your router is broken. Works wonderfully on my DLink DIR-655. The Linksys ones are notorious for having issues. Flash to DD-WRT as others have suggested. If I didnt have a DIR-655 Id probably have gone that way as well.

 

Make sure you do the firmware flash well, otherwise you could brick your router.

 

DIR-655 is a 2.4ghz router. I'm talking about 5ghz bands, but I appreciate you trying to help.

 

Where'd you read about new linksys firmware? Latest I've seen is from February.

 

Yeah, I've searched and haven't been able to find any information good or bad about effects on the 5ghz band using dd-wrt. I already returned my router, but if I see good results for 5ghz using dd-wrt, I'll be buying another one and trying it out.