9100EM vs new G1100 vs 3rd patry ?
ec831
Newbie

Newbie here :smileyhappy:

I have the old Westell 9100EM gateway.  I have been wanting faster wifi speeds, more range, and security so I have been trying to decide if I want to drop $150 on the new G1100 or spend that $150 on a 3rd party and bridge/connect the 3rd party to my 9100EM.  Heck even the "advanced" MI424WR GigE for $75 would probably be a descent upgrade but then again I could spend that $ on a 3rd party too, even a 300N router would probably be a descent upgrade.

I have 50/50 just Fios TV/DVR and Internet, no phone, MOCA to the coax.  I dont do a lot of gaming or anything requiring a super fast connection but I would like my speed and range to increase so I can use Netflix/youtube/Amazon TV without buffering as much.  I have 3 laptops, 3 cell phones, and 5 tablets that all can be connected to the wifi but not normally all on the internet at the same time. 1 story home about 2500sq ft. currently can get coverage all over the house but not far in the frobt or back yard.

I currently get about 24mbps/20mbps

Basically with the sales coming up this holiday season Im trying to decide if just getting a newer verizon gateway is worth it or if I can get more bang for my $ by going with a 3rd party. 

On a side note I am interested in connecting an external HD via USB2/3 to the router/gateway for a network HD for storage/backup.  Can you do that on the G1100 or MI424WR GigE?

Thanks for the help, advice, ideas!

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Re: 9100EM vs new G1100 vs 3rd patry ?
Anti-Phish1
Master - Level 1

@ec83 wrote:

On a side note I am interested in connecting an external HD via USB2/3 to the router/gateway for a network HD for storage/backup.  Can you do that on the G1100 or MI424WR GigE?


 No.  Neither the G1100 or the MI424WR rev I (GigE) support the USB port for anything other than a charging connection.
There's another option and that is to order the "WPA2 upgrade" from the teleproducts page for just the cost of shipping.  Most users that have ordered that have gotten the rev. I, although some have gotten rev. F routers.  For $5 or so, you have nothing to lose by ordering it.
 
 
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Re: 9100EM vs new G1100 vs 3rd patry ?
XDM45guy
Enthusiast - Level 3

@Anti-Phish wrote:

@ec83 wrote:

On a side note I am interested in connecting an external HD via USB2/3 to the router/gateway for a network HD for storage/backup.  Can you do that on the G1100 or MI424WR GigE?


 No.  Neither the G1100 or the MI424WR rev I (GigE) support the USB port for anything other than a charging connection.
There's another option and that is to order the "WPA2 upgrade" from the teleproducts page for just the cost of shipping.  Most users that have ordered that have gotten the rev. I, although some have gotten rev. F routers.  For $5 or so, you have nothing to lose by ordering it.
 
 

I just upgraded to 150/150 and got the g1100 router and wanted a more powerful radio to be able to get the 150 down speed wirelessly.  I  bought the Netgear  Nighthawk X 6 ac3200  tri-band router. My fios router still does the dhcp work but I turned off the radio since the Nighthawk has 1 600 meg 2 gig  band and 2 1300 meg 5 gig radios, it also has guest wifi  and usb 3 and 2 for network storage and has free software so you can setup back ups on the network. I just put a 128 gig usb3  drive and it works great.

The wireless setup is easy, just connect the cable from fios lan port to the netgear's wan port and then a cable from the lan port on the netgear router to a computer and then log in to the router to setup the radios.

The Netgear Genie software is great , but it is a bit pricey, you could easily stream 3 or 4 1080 p movies at one time and still hit max download speeds on the net.

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Re: 9100EM vs new G1100 vs 3rd patry ?
ec831
Newbie

Bummer about the usb, hopefully they will enable those capabilities eventually.

Thanks for the info and heads up about the WAP2 upgrade possibly being the rev1.!

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Re: 9100EM vs new G1100 vs 3rd patry ?
tns2
Community Leader
Community Leader

Didn't  bother getting one (g1100) since I long have relied on 3rd party at my primary home.  But it is reported to have pretty good wireless.

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Re: 9100EM vs new G1100 vs 3rd patry ?
ec831
Newbie

@tns_2 wrote:

Didn't  bother getting one (g1100) since I long have relied on 3rd party at my primary home.  But it is reported to have pretty good wireless.


Thanks, so do you guys think the 9100 is good enough to connect a 3rd party to or should I still upgrade to the WAP2 (possibly rev1) and then get a 3rd party?  Any suggestions on a 3rd party?

Thanks again!

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Re: 9100EM vs new G1100 vs 3rd patry ?
tns2
Community Leader
Community Leader

@ec83 wrote:

@tns_2 wrote:

..


Thanks, so do you guys think the 9100 is good enough to connect a 3rd party to or should I still upgrade to the WAP2 (possibly rev1) and then get a 3rd party?  Any suggestions on a 3rd party?

Thanks again!


If you can get the free upgrade to one that supports WPA2, then you might as well.  May well get one of the newer models such as the rev I.  If you intend to add a 3rd party the existing wireless matters less.  Any of the major brands have some excellent models.  The newest models support 802.11ac, which I recommend if the cost isn't to high.  Older models support wireless 802.11n.  I am using one of the Netgears.

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Re: 9100EM vs new G1100 vs 3rd patry ?
ec831
Newbie

@tns_2 wrote:


If you can get the free upgrade to one that supports WPA2, then you might as well.  May well get one of the newer models such as the rev I.  If you intend to add a 3rd party the existing wireless matters less.  Any of the major brands have some excellent models.  The newest models support 802.11ac, which I recommend if the cost isn't to high.  Older models support wireless 802.11n.  I am using one of the Netgears.


Ya I am leaning towardsthe Netgear AC1750 model: R6700.  Costco has them for $13x.xx until Dec 1.  It should do everything I need and then some. 

What has been your experience with your netgear?

I should upgrade to the WPA2 too and hope for the rev1, either way it wont cost anything but shipping.

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