Just ordered my 8th router in 2 years

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Google update screwed up a Google router, prolly the most reliable. It all starts the same...Wifi suddenly goes (reboot, reboot, check settings) then LAN gets unstable (goes/comes back) then LAN goes out.

3 Linksys
1 Netgear
1 Asus
1 Google
1 Cisco
1 some unknown company that I've forgotten
 
You should check out snbforums.com for router/wifi equipment reviews.

If you want a really rock solid wifi router, Apple Airport Extreme. $129 refurbed and is set it and forget it. What I tell family to use so I don't have to be Mr. LAN Fixer for them.
 
My current Asus router is almost 5 years old. Still running fine. It's the AT&T U-Verse gateway that is sitting in front of it that I'm not crazy about...
 
+1 on Netgear and D-Link. Netgear lasted probably 9 years and is still fine. Optimum/Xfinity offers a free D-Link so I just changed it since it has better range. No problems so far. The one at the store I work at is the same D-Link model and has been going strong for 4 years. No updates or anything needed. Just a reset once in awhile if the power went out with the Netgear. D-Link does it automatically.
 
I'm on my second Asus router in 5 years, only because I upgraded to gigabit. It is the most stable router I've owned, I've had to restart it twice since November.
 
Are you feeding it power from a UPS or directly from the wall? Does it have enough air to keep cool? Something does not seem right.

I love my ASUS RT-AC88U.
 
Originally Posted By: robertcope
Are you feeding it power from a UPS or directly from the wall? Does it have enough air to keep cool? Something does not seem right.

I love my ASUS RT-AC88U.


+1 There has to be an environmental factor. Most people leave their network equipment in the open, so heat doesn't get to as many routers as power quality issues. A UPS is worth the (small) investment.
 
I put my router on top of a Laptop pad with fan.

It cools down the router quite a bit by about 10 degrees Celsius.

Some Linksys/Cisco needs to be opened to re-do the heatsink mounting so it touches the chips.

I have just upgraded my Linksys/Cisco to Asus.
Asus seems to be easier to work with with better antenna design for better coverage.
It is also WRT based so it is easier to setup of OpenVPN with the need to reflashing it to DD-WRT.
 
I think fairies are sneaking in and sticking strong magnets all over them. Seriously I've only upgraded routers as my internet service has improved. About once every 4 years and not one failure. I use them hardwired and for wifi with alot of devices pulling a lot of data. Are you living under the power lines lol.
 
Even my 2nd router in home (tp link) with dhcp off used as wireless extended has lasted 3 years located above my cats litterbox. I am guessing that's a corrosive environment!
 
Thats the very reason I stopped buying them and built a mini-PC to do routing duties instead. Got tired of buying new routers every 3 months.
Im on my second router PC. Only reason I changed was for better power efficiency. Three and a half years on my current one.
 
You shouldn't be eating routers that regularly, as was said already something is wrong. I have whatever router Verizon gives and I have had FIOS for about 8 years now. It is on 24/7 and I think I had to have it replaced about 3 years ago. If it get's hung up for whatever reason I just power off, wait a few minutes and power on; and I do have to do that about once every 6-8 months.
 
I have a TP-Link that started getting flaky a few months ago. It dropped signal regularly and required frequent reboots.

Before pulling the trigger on a new router, I loaded DD-WRT on it, set it to reboot automatically every Tuesday at 3:00 AM, and haven't had a problem since.
 
Spend a few more bucks and buy some business grade gear. Consumer junk is always a [censored] shoot. Sometimes it'll last until obsolescence, sometimes it becomes a flaky piece of junk well before it should. While DD-WRT and its ilk are a great update from some stock firmware they aren't available for everything and that upgrade still doesn't prevent board failures or similar if the device is so inclined (ASUS WL-500W for example).

I've pulled tons of old Cisco gear that is so old it has a 10Mbit WAN port, LOL! Still works perfectly fine.

I'd recommend something like a Sonicwall product which are inexpensive (compared to Cisco and Juniper) and in my experience, quite reliable.

I also third the suggestion for keeping this kind of gear on a UPS. Power can definitely be a factor in lifespan and reliability.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
I also third the suggestion for keeping this kind of gear on a UPS. Power can definitely be a factor in lifespan and reliability.


Why would it matter?

Most are 12VDC & are operated off of a switching power supply, which supplies perfect power adjusted every few microseconds.

I don't think a UPS would help, other than for outages.
 
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
I also third the suggestion for keeping this kind of gear on a UPS. Power can definitely be a factor in lifespan and reliability.


Why would it matter?

Most are 12VDC & are operated off of a switching power supply, which supplies perfect power adjusted every few microseconds.

I don't think a UPS would help, other than for outages.


Because it leads to shorter life of these adapters, which is often the source of the unreliability. I could point you to literally thousands upon thousands of BELL provided 2-Wire units as examples. Most of these switching power supplies are cheap Chinese units that are not robustly built in the first place. Unreliable AC feeds lead to shorter lifespans of these units, as I've observed first-hand. The ASUS WL-500W and the WL-566 were both prone to premature adapter failure and when the adapters began to fail output became quite a far cry from perfect power. This would initially lead to flaky operation and eventually the devices wouldn't even complete a POST. Often, a new adapter would fix them, but there were many cases where the adapter caused failure of the actual unit itself.

My experience has been having these cheap adapters on a UPS that prevents them from seeing as much input variance leads to them lasting significantly longer.
 
Originally Posted By: Speak2Mountain
Google update screwed up a Google router, prolly the most reliable. It all starts the same...Wifi suddenly goes (reboot, reboot, check settings) then LAN gets unstable (goes/comes back) then LAN goes out.

3 Linksys
1 Netgear
1 Asus
1 Google
1 Cisco
1 some unknown company that I've forgotten


Its not the routers but something you are doing or something in your home electric system or INTERNET service or modem that is ruining them, assuming you are correct and they are ruined.
You ruined 40 to 80 years worth of routers in 2 years, assuming a replacement every 5 to 10 years.

As stupid as this may sound/and VERY long shot, I wonder if you ever changed the Ethernet cables, one bad cable can screw everything up until you move it to replace a router, once moved it makes proper contact for a while, then bugs out again.
 
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