What's a good DSL modem/Wireless Router and...?

[LD]

How bad would 30~ft and ~3 walls be for reception?

I was thinking of getting this one, but I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't just pick up my whole set-up and drag it into the living room. Either way, I'm going to need a new router, since my current modem only has one ethernet port.

[Norellicus]

Depends on what the walls are made of, other signals nearby (cordless phones in particular like to cause problems), time of day, moon phase, etc.

In other words, there's no good way to say for sure. I've done it in houses where I've had to go through 30' and 3 walls if you draw a straight line from router to myself, and it worked fine, but it really depends. If it's a big house and one of those three walls is a fire wall, then you're probably going to have issues.

[Korietsu]

What ever you do, do not get a Linksys WRT54G model router.

[LD]

Well, it's not a modem, is it, but why not?

[Norellicus]

They're unreliable, tend to overheat, and just generally bad.

Surprising, considering I've usually had the best luck with Linksys historically (and considering all of their equipment is underwritten by Cisco).

Though I can't help but wonder if it's more an issue with firmware revisions in the last few years...because I have one of the very first WRT54Gs and don't have a single problem with it, but haven't upgraded the firmware at all. Best router I've ever owned.

[Khamsin]

I have a DLink DGL-4500, seems to work well for file/print sharing, etc. and the occasional FFXI.

[Zosi]

They're unreliable, tend to overheat, and just generally bad.

Surprising, considering I've usually had the best luck with Linksys historically (and considering all of their equipment is underwritten by Cisco).

Though I can't help but wonder if it's more an issue with firmware revisions in the last few years...because I have one of the very first WRT54Gs and don't have a single problem with it, but haven't upgraded the firmware at all. Best router I've ever owned.

It's not the firmware revisions, it's the hardware revisions. I have an original (v2) WRT54G, and it's solid as a rock, although reflashed with DD-WRT because of a bug with the original firmware (which is still present in the newer ones).

Someone at Linksys decided that the original WRT54Gs were TOO good for the money, so they cut the RAM and flash memory in half, switched the OS from Linux to VxWorks, and started using cheaper components, and now the new ones (v5 and newer) are trash. They're also less compatible with third-party firmware, which is a big reason why people want to buy them in the first place. You can still buy a "full" model as the WRT54GL, which is basically a WRT54G v4, but it'll be a bit pricier than the cut-down models.

Either way, since none of them have DSL modems, not really what the OP was looking for. To the OP, you're gonna have a pretty hard time finding a single device that's a *good* DSL modem and *good* wireless router.

[LD]

"The OP"? My name is 2 letters. ~_~;

Thank you all very much for your input. I wanted to get a dual thingy because it's more economic and I'd like to replace my ZyXEL P-600, which I was given by my ISP when I signed up for DSL. The thing's decent enough, but it overheats horribly, even with just a little heat. I blame the construction, since all of the circuitry is on the bottom of the casing and the rubber feet provide no real clearance, and thus totally shitty airflow. I don't suppose they make em with fans, do they?

I might be forced to go for a straight router if the one I posted isn't good enough, because I really wanna get top performance out of the WiFi and a hardline would not only be just as expensive, but would require disconnectiong my comp from the net or moving my entire set up.

[Guyverarmor]

My parents use DSL and they have a wireless "2wire" mdm/router, works fine for them and I don't ever hear them have issues with it.

[killerx]

My parents use DSL and they have a wireless "2wire" mdm/router, works fine for them and I don't ever hear them have issues with it.

never had any problems with my 2ire 2701hg-b it doesn't even feel hot and i don't remember the last time i shut the damn thing off. I have a huge house, with 3 walls-5 spread over a good 50-75 feet from the wireless modem. The computers have at least get on the net. Through its not prefect but it works.