Routers

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Hi folks am currently running a netgear router on my adsl line, its an old router with no wireless, however after ungrading it to the latest verison firmwire to have upnp it keeps dropping connection, and even before this i never got a good download speed even tho all ports opened! So i wanted to get a new wireless router (wireless for my psp to go on net).

Anyway i was debating between two or there - was wondering if anyone had any advice?

Option 1 - netgear range max
http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/ShopDetail.asp?ProductID=2705

Option 2 - 3com http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/ShopDetail.asp?ProductID=3476

Was looking at 3com cause i heard they are good etc, tho read a few bad reviews especially one on the newer model that supports 108mps wirelss - well so they said on trusted reviews - they gave the 3com with 108mps speed a 3/10 and 9/10 for range max, but am reluckant to go to netgear because of the trouble i had with this one.

Any advice or sugesstions would be great

Thanks

 

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Neither of them

One sentence for you:

"Linksys WRT54G rules"

Fantastic little boxes, you can get them for 40 quid off FleaBay and can flash them with third-party firmware as they run on a tiny linux kernel. Doing this will give you what amounts to about a 500 quid router/NAT firewall/VPN device for a tenth of the price.

 

Hi.

Welcome to the forum.

 

I'd agree - unless there is an overriding reason for having it - avoid uPnP.

Harry.

 

Ummm... I didn't spot that originally Boycey.

Technically, UPnP isn't insecure (apart from the original implementation in Windows XP - but thats another story entirely!).

Basically, for the uninitiated, UPnP enables ports to be opened 'on the fly' by applications which are UPnP-compliant. This means that you don't have to specifically define ports for your applications ahead of time which, theoretically, should make your network more secure.

Of course, the flaw in this theory comes with the fact that most people using UPnP haven't got a clue about what it is, or does, and just turn it on without realising the potential consequences of doing so.

The reason people get twitchy about UPnP is that if you have a malicious application on your network that wants to communicate with the outside world, enabling UPnP allows it to do so basically unchecked (unless someone who knows what they are doing comes in to take a look). However, my counter-argument to the doomsayers is that, if you DO have such apps hiding on your LAN/PC, then UPnP is the last of your worries

 

I've always had good luck with Netgear. That said, I haven't used any of their 108Mbps Range Max stuff... I've only used their rock-solid 54Mbps .11b/g implementations.

 

Zeb,

It was D-Faktor that put me on to security now podcasts after he commented on how Spinrite saved a few drives of his. I have to say, I have personally had sucess with Spinrite recently.

Anyhow, back to topic!

I did a *little* digging on the XP PNP issue and understand that it was patched, thankfully.

As for UPNP being enabled on a router, I see what you mean, but wouldn't it be more secure (for the people in the know) to NAT any ports required?

 

They are NATed with UPnP. They're just NATed as and when UPnP-aware applications require them.

 

ah, so even if UPNP was disabled and a system was already infected it could get around normal NAT ?!

 

Well, look at it this way. Say you have a malicious application that has been coded to contact it's dirty little home server on a random high port.

You could theoretically block all outbound communication on high (after 1024) ports but that wouldn't be much use, since no applications that require access outbound that don't use well-known ports would be able to function.

Once a system is infected, its gone. The only way you can ever be sure of regaining proper control is to vape it and start again.

 

I usually install D-link 604T's they do what most people need and are reasonably reliable.

http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=372

 

Zeb,

Thanks for clearing that up

 

No worries.

And now, thoroughly perplexed by the Snort installation I've been working on for THREE POXY HOURS, I'm off to bed.

Night all!

 

LOL. Night mate.

 

well, everyone seems to have basically said linksys - i havent heard much about them - are they stable and all that jazz - and what is the advantage of this open source firmwire on that linksys mentioned?
Also am a novice linux fan, and often use torrents to download linux, however torrents are meant fill up "some sort of table in the router" or something like this, however appranetly some routers can take to much info, so i want a good stable router, which has upnp, ADSL/ADSL 2+ and wirless connectivity - tho speed of this doesnt matter 54mb will do!

So after this is it still linksys

P.S. thanks for the wee interesting convo about upsp

 

Paul,

Zeb has gone to bed, so bearing in mind he has forgotten more than I know after a gallon and a curry, I will try and expand on your post.

I have used Linksys equipment in the past and found it stable. There technical support is also outstanding. I had a question with a WAG54G and used there live chat facility and the tech stayed with me until it was all up and running.

Linux comes from Unix which could be compared to a pair of testicles made of stainless steel and has nothing to do with torrents which use a peer - peer network that usually require a *high* port number to function.

Hope this helps.

 

pauljb123,

Questions:

1. Is this network at home?
2. Is the current Netgear router located near the geometric center of your network?
3. Will the new router go where the Netgear router is currently located?

 

hi,

yeah the router is at home, consists of 2 computers.
The router is in he middle of two pcs - N.B. both are connected via cable - wireless would only be for psp.
Oh and yes the new router will be in exactly the same place

Hope this helps

 

Thats what im currently running, had no problems at all with it

 

Ive noticed a few of these on ebay, there are some really cheap refurbished ones but they have german language firmware, would i be right in thinking that you could just buy one of these then flash it with the 3rd party firmware, to get it back to english?