Suggestion for Macintosh wireless/Ethernet router please.

May 11, 2008 10:29 AM

Help save my marriage! Thunderstorm fried our Apple Extreme Base Station (Gigabit), so we need another router. The problem is that 2 of our computers have wireless cards installed, but one, an old 450 mhz G4 does not, so we need something that can handle wireless traffic and Ethernet cable and is less than the $179 Apple Extreme Base station. All of the machines run the latest version of 10.4. Suggestions? The Base Station was solid, no problems, but I don't want to pay $179 again.
posted by nomadicink to Computers & Internet (17 answers total)

did you check ebay. they have new and used for less
posted by Mr_Chips at 10:35 AM on May 11, 2008

Best answer: Get a Linksys WRT54G. It is about $50, has ethernet and works fine.
posted by k8t at 10:36 AM on May 11, 2008

Best answer: A client of mine gave me a Linksys 802.11g with wired 100mbps ethernet a few weeks ago; it's yours for postage. memail me.
posted by porn in the woods at 10:38 AM on May 11, 2008

(actually it's a Netgear WGT624 v2)
posted by porn in the woods at 10:40 AM on May 11, 2008

Response by poster: The Llinksys WRT54G needs a PC to setup it up. We don't have or want one.

PitW, thank you, that's an incredible offer, but having wrecked the internet on Mother's Day (I should have remembered to unplug the network), I need to go get a new router today.

Hmm, an Airport Express would do the trick except for the older mac needing Ethernet. dammit, dammit, I am so not fucked :)
posted by nomadicink at 10:50 AM on May 11, 2008

WRT54GS now $30 in some places. If you install DD-WRT you will be in a much better place. The Buffalo WHR-G125 is the currently recommended router for higher performance with DD-WRT.
posted by meehawl at 10:59 AM on May 11, 2008

Nope, nothing has changed, you can still setup all linksys routers from any OS that runs a decent web browser.

The Linksys' WRT160N should give you the same link speed over wireless, with four wired ports. For around $70.

For $20 less you can get the same router but only supporting 802.11G/B.
posted by Matt Oneiros at 10:59 AM on May 11, 2008

Pretty much any wireless router will work. The Linksys already recommended is as good as any. You might spend a bit extra on the WRT54GL model. The L stands for Linux and means the router accepts third-party firmware with lots of extra features. You might not want those features now but it's nice to have access to them if you ever want them.
posted by kindall at 11:01 AM on May 11, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks you guys! Out the door to Best Buy...
posted by nomadicink at 11:04 AM on May 11, 2008

Anecdote: after having "broken" the in-laws internet by arriving with our mac-tops and an Airport Express, the problem was solved with a Netgear RP614 router. It's got ethernet ports for the parents' PC, and for our Airport Express. $35 or so at Fry's. Tossed the configuration CD because the web-based configuration is just fine.
posted by fatllama at 11:07 AM on May 11, 2008

Seconding the little Linksys WRT54G. It's been one of the simplest and most reliable I've ever used, and despite their documentation, no PC is needed -- I use it in a Mac only house.

You don't need their software at all.
posted by rokusan at 11:19 AM on May 11, 2008

Reading all these comments, it's worth noting that the WRT54GS sold today bears little relation to the original WRT54G that "made" its reputation. Currently sold models have different chipsets and limited RAM compared with older versions. The more expensive WRT54GL more closely resembles the "classic" Linksys that was the first model to be comprehensively opened up with OpenWRT/DD-WR. However, routers such as the Buffalo (above) and the Asus WL-5X0G are generally superior to the current Linksys models (at least until you step up to Linksys's more expensive N series or USB-equipped models).
posted by meehawl at 12:44 PM on May 11, 2008

Get a Linksys WRT45GL and flash the firmware with X-WRT (http://x-wrt.org/).
posted by PenDevil at 1:09 PM on May 11, 2008

Best answer: Got an a Linksys WRT54G for $50. Works great. Had to open up the PDF (located in the folder, "Routeer-UserGuide) on the included CD to find the device's IP address. Once connected, I renamed the network (under Wireless>Basic Wireless Settings) and reset the password (Wireless>Wireless Security) and boom, was ready to go.

Thanks to all.
posted by nomadicink at 2:24 PM on May 11, 2008

A friend of mine called from Best Buy last week when looking at the current inventory of Linksys routers. We wound up picking the WRT160N for around $70 or $80 because that was the only in-store model that cleared accepted third-party firmware (DD-WRT for our purposes). The other in-store models, the WRT54G2 and the WRT110N, did not, which made the Linksys recommendation somewhat pointless, since you really want to install the third-party firmware.

Note that Buffalo isn't selling routers in the US, the last I looked, because of a patent infringement issue.
posted by chengjih at 2:34 PM on May 11, 2008

Best answer: You might want to consider enabling the MAC filter under Wireless Network Access..
posted by jockc at 5:01 PM on May 11, 2008

Response by poster: The MAC filter is for security, right? It'll ensure that only specific computers with their specific and unique MAC addresses will be able to use the network, yes?
posted by nomadicink at 8:15 PM on May 11, 2008