Should I replace my Router

50Twuncle

I have an approx 6 year old Netgear 834GT router and only manage to connect at 4Mbps (max) - the limiting factor would appear to be my (non-fibre) connection and according to my ISP - I should only be able to connect at 4Mbps anyway
But - what is the maximum speed that an ancient router will work at ??
What I am wondering is will a replacement help or would I be better waiting for fibre (some time / never) ?
I like my Netgear - it takes seconds to "boot up" - unlike my dads Thompson - which takes a couple of minutes to become "ready"....

Graystreet

As long as the router works fine and has a good reliable connection then there's nothing to be gained by changing it. The 834GT was, and still is, a solid little router.

stevemcol

Agree with gray street. The router will either work or not. It's unlikely to slow down with age.

kwikbreaks

The only reason you might want to upgrade that router would be to possibly improve wireless range if your other machines support "N" wifi or if you wanted to do machine to machine file transfers over WiFi.

If it's just a case of making your internet connection available around the house and you don't have any problems with that then there is no point at all in changing unless it breaks. If you do move on to fibre in the future then the chances are you'd get a free N router from the ISP.

50Twuncle

kwikbreaks wrote: »

The only reason you might want to upgrade that router would be to possibly improve wireless range if your other machines support "N" wifi or if you wanted to do machine to machine file transfers over WiFi.

If it's just a case of making your internet connection available around the house and you don't have any problems with that then there is no point at all in changing unless it breaks. If you do move on to fibre in the future then the chances are you'd get a free N router from the ISP.

Thanks - I was just concerned that it may degrade slowly, which I would not notice - we won't get fibre this century if what BT tells me is correct ...

kwikbreaks

Well the connection could indeed degrade but that would be far more likely to be the phone wires than your router. In the main routers either work or don't work and don't degrade.

Terry98

kwikbreaks wrote: »

The only reason you might want to upgrade that router would be to possibly improve wireless range if your other machines support "N" wifi or if you wanted to do machine to machine file transfers over WiFi.

So the wireless card on the device connecting to the router must support "N" wifi?

I have just found this on google http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wifihomenetworking/a/upgrade-your-home-network-to-wireless-n.htm

Do you agree with their 'three times faster' comments?

50Twuncle

Terry98 wrote: »

So the wireless card on the device connecting to the router must support "N" wifi?

I have just found this on google http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wifihomenetworking/a/upgrade-your-home-network-to-wireless-n.htm

Do you agree with their 'three times faster' comments?

All it means is that - given optimum conditions - it can transfer 3 times as much data as "G" - It doesn't mean that under identical conditions - it will triple your throughput....

macman

Neither will take any time to boot up if you leave them switched on permanently. And then they won't have to resycnch every time you do.

bluesnake

these were excellent routers, but did have a tendency to overheat and die
http://forum1.netgear.com/showthread.php?t=27316

Terry98

50Twuncle wrote: »

All it means is that - given optimum conditions - it can transfer 3 times as much data as "G" - It doesn't mean that under identical conditions - it will triple your throughput....

So if you don't use your wireless connected device to transfer data between machines and you have no trouble with connection you might as well stick with the Netgear 834GT?

I have had mine a good few years and it's never let me down although the previous post has got me a little worried!