Top 5 Wireless routers- best selelrs in Amazon in networking - router category - most popular wireless N routers with five star average ratings
with a bunch of wireless routers available in the market today, it is obviously confusing the way you choose which one is the best for your need. Wireless router is the heart of your home wireless network to share the internet connection and other networking tasks. Unlike wired network which the connectivity performs well with least interference, wireless network is prone to any types of signal attenuators within its network coverage. Any sources of signal attenuators (including 2.4 GHz-based wireless home appliances, concrete walls, file cabinets etc) can degrade the performance of your wireless connection significantly.
Wireless router manufacturers introduce their new new router products powered by the latest wireless 802.11n technology, dual band support and embedded with gigabit interfaces for both LAN and WAN Ethernet ports delivering high speeds of up to 300Mbps or even faster up to 450Mbps. But remember, the speed specification are in ideal conditions. In the real world, you never reach those speeds due to many factors and environment conditions. Unlike wired connection, the wireless network is prone to any type of signal attenuator sources that can causes the wireless connectivity issues. Moreover, wireless network shares the bandwidth. The more wireless clients connect to the network, the more traffic shares the bandwidth that makes each connection getting slower. So if you are planning to purchase a wireless router, listen from others who have experiences with the products and read what their opinion about the products.
Without including the legacy wireless routers, the following top 5 wireless routers are currently become the best seller in Amazon in networking - router category.
1. MediaLink Wireless N150 Router
You will be surprised if you read the customers reviews about this router. Nearly 90% out of the customer reviews give averagely 5 star ratings for easiness of the installation, value for money, attractiveness, and technical support.
MWN-WAPR150N Wireless N150 Medialink Router is powered by wireless N150 technology with solid connections. This router is ideal for simple hoe networking for sharing the broadband internet and other networking tasks.
Cons:
- It supports single band (2.4GHz). Typically the 2.4Ghz band is not ideal for streaming HD video. But many customers are satisfied with the solid connection even for streaming up to 1080p HD video.
- It doesn't support USB port for storage / printer.
2. D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Gigabit Router
D-Link DIR-655 is previous generation of D-Link Extreme N routers with three external MIMO antennas technology, designed for larger homes and offices. The router is ideal for bandwidth- intensive applications with gigabit ports.
Mostly customer experience provide positive reviews with averagely 4 star customer rating for ease of setup, value for money, speed and wireless connection. It is interesting that the next generation of this router (D-Link DIR-665 selectable dual band router) doesn't receive better customer ratings than the DIR-655 even though it is designed with N450 technology.
Cons:
- Doesn't support 5GHz band for clean network and less interference
- Supports only one USB port for either sharing the storage printer. For best value I prefer router with 2 USB ports to share both printer and storage concurrently
3. Apple Airport Base Station
Apple Airport Base Station is a simultaneous dual band gigabit router. Apple doesn't follow other wireless routers which are typically includes 4 Ethernet ports, this router includes only three Gigabit LAN Ethernet ports. This is unusual actually, but if you require wireless router with more ports you can consider D-Link DIR-623 which is equipped with 8-Ethernet ports.
Mostly customers provide nearly 5 star customers rating averagely for ease of installation, ease of use, range and extensibility. The router includes one USB port for either storage share or printer share. The good thing is that you can add USB hub to allow you host both printer and storage concurrently.
Cons:
- Less Ethernet ports (3 Gigabit ports)
- Single USB port, but allows you add USB hub
4. Cisco Linksys E-3000
Cisco Linksys E-3000 is a simultaneous dual-band router with Gigabit interfaces for both WAN and LAN Ethernet ports. It's one of Linksys high performance routers designed for streaming HD video and smooth gaming.
Mostly customers experience satisfaction by giving averagely 4 star ratings for easy setup, better range, good design and technical support.
For secure guest access, you can create separate SSID, different password and with limited access.
Cons:
- Include one USB port for hosting share USB storage but you cannot use it for hosing a USB printer. You need separate wireless print server for share printer.
5. WNDR3700 Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Router
WNDR3700 is the first Netgear router with wireless N600 technology. It supports simultaneous dual band and gigabit ports for both WAN and LAN interfaces. The router is powered by draft 802.11n wireless technology with 680 MHz powerful processor, 16 MB flash and 64 MB RAM. For Eco friendly - Green features, the router includes power and wireless on /off buttons and 80% recycled packaging.
customer reviews are mostly positive with nearby ease of setup, ease of use and rich of features.
Cons:
- It supports Guest network but many complaining that this feature doesn't work
- It include one USB port for storage but not for hosting a printer share. Many complaining about this port, cannot work for storage.
