I am going to buy a new router. One of the routers on the list that
follows. I know they will all do what I need (particularly they are
compatible with Apple's iChat software), but I worry that one of them
could have a slow chip and affect the speed of my network's access to
the Internet. I am sure somewhere out there is a list of performance
characteristics of the following routers. I would like to know how to
rank them for performance, so that I can take that list to the
computer store and compare it prices and see what performance I can
afford.

Here is the list:

Asante FR1004LC
Asante FR3004LC
Belkin F5D5230-4
Belkin F5D5231-4
D-Link DI-604
D-Link DI-614+
D-Link DI-704P
D-Link DI-804V
Linksys BEFSR41
Linksys BEFW11S4
Linksys NR041
Netgear RP614

Although I appreciate the references, I really only care about sorting
the list according to performance.

Thanks.
--Colin

---

Request for Question Clarification by efn-ga on 04 Jul 2004 23:54 PDT

Hi colinsummers,

The closest I could find was 2002 test results for 24 routers in this
class, four of which are on your list.  (All the manufacturers are
represented.)  If you'd like a link to these results as an answer, let
me know in a clarification.  Otherwise, perhaps another researcher
will be able to do better.

--efn

---

Clarification of Question by colinsummers-ga on 05 Jul 2004 06:59 PDT

Sorry, that comment was to clarify.

I'm curious to know... unless you're Internet connection is slower
than 128k, almost all hardware routers are going to be equivalent and
negligible in their difference in speed.

Do you have any information on "slow chips?" I'm curious to know how
you came to your query.

Also, I'm willing to guess that models within a brand are going to
have the same chipset, especially Linksys. If you're really into speed
issues, then these cheap routers aren't the way to go anyway. Still,
worrying about speed when your issue is I-chat and not (for example)
online gaming is puzzling. If you're typing, you're fine with dial-up.
If you're talking, you still have to deal with the remote user's
quality of speed.

I am not a Google Answers Researcher.

iChat AV. The application that allows the video conferencing. At one
point a friend put a router into his house, having used his DSL
direectly the whole time. He said it was a *large* degree slower. He
could a/b the difference, plugging directly to the DSL modem or into
the router, and he said it was fivefold slower.

I can't remember the kind of router he had. But that is what I am worried about.

--Colin

to be honest Linksys is the industry standard.  The speed unless
wireless will not effect you unless u got a really fast connection.
Speed is limited to the connection speed that u go to ur ISP.  All the
routers should handle cable/dsl without any problems.  You should look
at features not speed.

If the test results have some indication of speed or throughput
performance, that would be fine. I would prefer a list of the four on
my list, sorted by performance, but I suppose a link would be ok.

Thanks,
--Colin

I bought an inexpensive linksys router a year ago and its speed was
fine for any outbound traffic, but it did seem to drastically slow
down inbound traffic that used port forwarding.  I am guessing that
iChat requires that port forwarding (or a DMZ) be configured in order
to work, and so I suspect that this may be what your friend was
noticing.   I eventually gave the router to someone who wouldn't be
doing many inbound connections via port forwarding.

If you have trouble getting an answer, you might want to choose your
router based on other characteristics (price, features) and simply
plan on returning it if it fails to perform adequately.  I know Best
Buy has a particuarly forgiving return policy.