Router Failure

[johnb]

My 9 year old Draytek business grade router gave up the ghost yesterday and it brought home to me just how dependent I am on the router and home network, e.g. for my iPad, music streaming, iPlayer (radio and TV), video streaming, etc, etc, not to mention the normal internet related activities.

Normally when I buy some techie kit I will go online, do my research and then buy online - but when a router fails those options just aren't available and one is forced to traipse over to the nearest PCWorld or Maplin and choose something from their limited stock, which is likely not what one have chosen in other circumstances. For example, I would probably have bought another Draytek instead of the TP-Link that I got from Maplin. (The Fritz!box routers also have good write ups and I do like their retro red and silver styling.)

[french frank]

What a nightmare! I have to confess that I rely on a (free) BT Homehub, but also must confess that it (the router itself, that is!) has been very reliable. It's the BT bribe that keeps their customers bonded to them for another 12 months)

[Dave2002]

My 9 year old Draytek business grade router gave up the ghost yesterday and it brought home to me just how dependent I am on the router and home network, e.g. for my iPad, music streaming, iPlayer (radio and TV), video streaming, etc, etc, not to mention the normal internet related activities.

Normally when I buy some techie kit I will go online, do my research and then buy online - but when a router fails those options just aren't available and one is forced to traipse over to the nearest PCWorld or Maplin and choose something from their limited stock, which is likely not what one have chosen in other circumstances. For example, I would probably have bought another Draytek instead of the TP-Link that I got from Maplin. (The Fritz!box routers also have good write ups and I do like their retro red and silver styling.)

Was it really necessary to be "forced to traipse over to ..."? Surely it depends on how much was immediate and essential, though often it may feel that such things really are essential to fix quickly. Having said that, it's easy to forget what's possible. Most people who work would be able to get on to the Internet in order to order new kit, but without a connection it might be harder. I'd probably use a mobile device to access the web and put in an order. However, the world of routers and modems seems to have changed over recent years, so I wouldn't really know what to buy now. The BT Home Hub seems good enough for us, though some of the TP Link models appear to offer similar facilities now - with dual band operation etc., and the ability to connect to optical systems such as BT Inifinity.

[Quarky]

My 9 year old Draytek business grade router gave up the ghost yesterday and it brought home to me just how dependent I am on the router and home network, e.g. for my iPad, music streaming, iPlayer (radio and TV), video streaming, etc, etc, not to mention the normal internet related activities.

Normally when I buy some techie kit I will go online, do my research and then buy online - but when a router fails those options just aren't available and one is forced to traipse over to the nearest PCWorld or Maplin and choose something from their limited stock, which is likely not what one have chosen in other circumstances. For example, I would probably have bought another Draytek instead of the TP-Link that I got from Maplin. (The Fritz!box routers also have good write ups and I do like their retro red and silver styling.)

Heavens to Betsy! I have a Draytek router too, but not that old. Fortunately there is a dealer nearby who offers a mail order service: http://www.seg.co.uk/contact.html

Having had problems in the past, I have two fall back options - firstly a little TalkTalk modem from my phone supplier, and secondly a mobile telecom USB dongle - this however a rather expensive option.

Other than that, John Lewis offer quite a good range.

[Pegleg]

Hells bells, a router failure would leave me up the proverbial creek. Hence I have ye olde backup thompson model if the current ageing tp-link TD-W8960N dies on me. JohnB, I don't now what model tp-link you purchased, but these plastic cased consumer grade devices often run hot, particularly if they have no vertical mount, so mine stands on four plastic bottle tops for a little extra ventilation, plus It's always switched off overnight. I have no complaints about the TD-W8960N's performance.

[johnb]

Thanks for the tip about the plastic bottle tops - lifting the unit off the surface it is resting on should definitely help with the cooling. (The model I bought is the TD-W8980.)

My old Drayton Vigor 2600VG was powered up 24/7 but as it was a business grade router it was probably designed for that type of use - it certainly didn't run very hot. I'm not sure what the expected lifespan of a router is but as it was nine years old I can't really complain.

Having some form of cheap or old backup device seems a sensible idea.

[johnb]

PS All this prompted me to check out which WiFi channels my neighbours are using so that I could minimise any clashes, so I downloaded the free version of inSSIDer.

Very interesting: of the seven 2.4GHz WiFi networks visible:

4 are on channel 1 (2 of which have no security in place !!!!!)
1 is on channels 1+5
2 are on channel 11

The four on channel 1 probably wonder why their WiFi is so poor.

[Pegleg]

My router is an early model TD-W8960N, I guess around four years old and I hope it chugs along for a little longer. The model you've just purchased is obviously more advanced. As it's a relatively new model it's worth checking to see if there any firmware upgrades available. I don't think it uses a broadcom chip which may not please those trying to match their router hardware to their exchange hardware for max line speed.

The inSSIDer is a must for checking crowded channels. It's always puzzling to see unsecured connections, surely people should no better.