# Best Wireless Router.



## GodisGreat79 (Jun 12, 2006)

I have Directv on Demand but my DVR is in the living room while my computer is in my bed room so my question is which Wireless router is the best to get and use? will they all work or which one is the best of the bunch thanks.

Andy


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

I have no idea what's best but I've found the Netgear WNR834Bv2 easiest to use and configure.

I've had wireless routers by Linksys and Microsoft and this Netgear was much easier and worked right out of the box.

Mike


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## dettxw (Nov 21, 2007)

This kind of thing gets asked a lot.
The answer can really be short and stuart. 
If all that you are ever going to to with the wireless is VOD to the DVR then any old wireless g will do.
If you might be interested in Multiple Room Viewing, downloading/surfing with a wireless laptop, or streaming music/video/pictures then buy the best dual-band wireless n router that you can afford. You'll want a dual-band wireless n adapter to go with it like the DirecTV directly supported Linksys WGA600N. DirecTV sells the adapters or of course places like Amazon or Newegg. 
Do a search and you'll find lots of discussion threads on the subject and technical how-to threads.
See my signature for what works well for me.


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## gfrang (Aug 30, 2007)

I have a Linksys wrt54g2 works really good but tec support is really bad it is now ,overseas and they charged me 10 bucks.Years ago it was really excellent.


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## Michael D'Angelo (Oct 21, 2006)

Personally I am a fan of Linksys. I have had a lot of different Linksys products and never had a problem. Right now I have an WRT600N wireless router and a few WGA600N game adapters.

But there are a lot of different routers by different manufactures that will work great for you. 

The only suggest I have is go with a wireless N router and wireless N adapter for your HD DVR.


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## MIAMI1683 (Jul 11, 2007)

The Linksys WRT610N has been flawless for me. Dual bands and a built in "media server" option


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## celticpride (Sep 6, 2006)

I''m confused !,if i have an actiontech router on my sons computer in the bedroom can i buy an adaptor to plug in to the back of my hr 22-100 dvr thats in the living room so i can receive directv on demand? i asked at two local best buys on how to get directv on demand an shockingly at both stores i couldnt find any employee that knew the answer!


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Personally...my expereience with Lynksys is that they have all sorts of setup problems. I've bought 3 of their devices in the past and ended up returning all 3 of them (different models over time) - all 3 times I got D-Link routers, which worked out of the box.

I've gone through 3 generations of Dlink routers...now up to the "Extreme N" series (DIR-655) with nothing but great performance, solid setup, and good signal strengths.

Of equal importance to you will be your remote location wireless device...it drives the actual performance you'll see at that location itself.


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## rotohead (Nov 29, 2007)

I have the TRENDnet wireless 11n router and adapter and the seem solid and easy to set up. Good price if you shop around.


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## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

i have a linksys wrt610n and it works great now that it is setup. but if all you want to access is directv on demand then i would recommend the directv powerline adapters. they work great for DoD(but not so great for MRV)


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## dettxw (Nov 21, 2007)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Personally...my expereience with Lynksys is that they have all sorts of setup problems. I've bought 3 of their devices in the past and ended up returning all 3 of them (different models over time) - all 3 times I got D-Link routers, which worked out of the box.
> 
> I've gone through 3 generations of Dlink routers...now up to the "Extreme N" series (DIR-655) with nothing but great performance, solid setup, and good signal strengths.
> 
> Of equal importance to you will be your remote location wireless device...it drives the actual performance you'll see at that location itself.


The Linksys hardware seems good and has performed well for me, couldn't stream the HD properly without it, but the setup software is definitely lacking. 
I set up a WRT310N and WRT600N manually after using the CDs failed miserably. Maybe I'll try the DD-WRT firmware sometime.

I've got screen caps made of all the setup screens. For example:
http://www.dbstalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16713&d=1229792193

Same thing for the two WGA600N adapters:
http://www.dbstalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16712&d=1229791793


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## flexoffset (Jul 16, 2007)

MIAMI1683 said:


> The Linksys WRT610N has been flawless for me. Dual bands and a built in "media server" option


I had a bit of a rocky start with my WRT610N but it's been very very stable ever since.


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

With a newer Linksys router, the WGA600N can be set up by connecting to the router in your browser, enabling WiFi Protected Setup and pressing a button on the front panel of the adapter. This is even easier than using the HR2x setup screens.


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## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

flexoffset said:


> I had a bit of a rocky start with my WRT610N but it's been very very stable ever since.


same here.....


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## mikeny (Aug 21, 2006)

My review of the D-Link DIR-825 Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit Router is up at Best Buy (listed under Leftycurve)...Hasan put up a great review of it over at amazon.

It's my first N experience and I am real pleased with it so far.


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## Ed Campbell (Feb 17, 2006)

No matter what, go with N - it will be common as crows within the year.

I use an Apple Time Capsule and move a half-hour HD recording up to the Apple TV for playback in 20-30 seconds. Yes, it has 1tb NAS.


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## Extreme2KEclipse (May 29, 2007)

celticpride said:


> I''m confused !,if i have an actiontech router on my sons computer in the bedroom can i buy an adaptor to plug in to the back of my hr 22-100 dvr thats in the living room so i can receive directv on demand? i asked at two local best buys on how to get directv on demand an shockingly at both stores i couldnt find any employee that knew the answer!


If the actiontech router is wireless, then yes.

Pick yourself up a Wireless Game Adapter (I.E. The Linksys WGA600), plug it into your DVR and go through the setup. If the setup with the DVR fails you may need to plug it into your computer/laptop to do the initial configuration, then move it back to the DVR.

Good luck!


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## GodisGreat79 (Jun 12, 2006)

I just ordered a Belkin Wireless G Router offline do you think that will work? because all I am gonna use it for is ondemand and nothing else i only have one computer.


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## Skooz (Jul 20, 2007)

I just set up my first home network using a Belkin Wireless N+ router and it went smooth as silk. Nice and fast, too.

It's new, and the reviews are enthusiastic.


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## Extreme2KEclipse (May 29, 2007)

GodisGreat79 said:


> I just ordered a Belkin Wireless G Router offline do you think that will work? because all I am gonna use it for is ondemand and nothing else i only have one computer.


Belkins are OK and should fit your needs, however you will need more than just a wireless router based on your configuration.

You will need a wireless network card for your desktop in your bedroom (If you go this route look for a USB Adapter where you can position the antennae, or a PCI card that has an external antennae you can position where needed)

OR

You will need a Wireless Gaming Adapter for the receiver that is in your living room.

Just to throw in my preference, I prefer Linksys. 
First, they have the knowledge of Cisco behind them who handle routers/firewalls for the majority of the businesses and ISP's out there.

Second, the majority of the Linksys routers support custom firmware such as DD-WRT and some others that are out there. This firmware basically turns a consumer device into a powerful business/enterprise type of device (I.E. Multiple SSID's, VPN Server, VOIP Server/Gateway, NAS Server and etc...)


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## celticpride (Sep 6, 2006)

thanks for answering my question EXTREME2KECLISPE!


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## thestaton (Aug 14, 2008)

Get an Apple router. My Airport extreme 'G' is almost 4 years old and it's never had to be restarted. Compared to a linksys that drop packets, and have to be babysitted this makes all the difference. 

I got my Airport Extreme 'N' almost a year ago and it's never had to be restarted.


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 28, 2005)

Skooz said:


> I just set up my first home network using a Belkin Wireless N+ router and it went smooth as silk. Nice and fast, too.
> 
> It's new, and the reviews are enthusiastic.


The reviews are great because they're fake.

http://www.thedailybackground.com/2...people-to-write-fake-positive-amazon-reviews/

My vote goes for the Linksys WRT54GL. Those reviews are legit.

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Cisco...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1232288410&sr=8-1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190

It took me about 10 minutes to set mine up 2 years ago and it's worked perfect ever since.


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## Impala1ss (Jul 22, 2007)

I think my best option is to buy a new "N" router and connecting to computer, and use my current Belkin 7230-4 "G" router as a network bridge and plug my hr20-700 into it. It would seem to give me more options for future than just buying the WGA600N adaptor and using the Belkin "G" router connected to computer.

What do you network guys think?? Will it be hard to connect new "N" router to computer and Belkin "G" to 
HR20-700?


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## Reggie3 (Feb 20, 2006)

MIAMI1683 said:


> The Linksys WRT610N has been flawless for me. Dual bands and a built in "media server" option


I have this router and it locks up with all my notebooks. It is a common problem and I have had to go back to my Linksys WRT-54G that has no issues. Check out the forum for Linksys: 
http://forums.linksys.com/linksys/b...hread.id=110488&view=by_date_ascending&page=1

http://forums.linksys.com/linksys/b...hread.id=106350&view=by_date_ascending&page=1

I use to recommend Linksys but now would say the best router out there is the D-Link: 
http://www.dlink.com/products/?sec=1&pid=548

DIR-855 > Xtreme N Duo Media Router - It's very expensive but I don't hear of the same issues like I do the Linksys.

I am using the Linksys WGA600 to connect to my Directv DVR and have not had a issue with it at all. I orginally was using the n @ 5Ghz band with the WRT-610n because of the great connection and speed but it is working great with g on the WRT-54G.


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## Chuck W (Mar 26, 2002)

The problem I have with Linksys(I have the WRT600N) is that they don't SUPPORT their routers very well, if at all. I bought the WRT600N last year, around this time. I loved it for it's routing, but it has serious issues with the network drive that you can hook into it. They have been documented on their forums and have basically made the network drive option all but useless at times. Yet... to this day these issues go unfixed and the last firmware update was FEB 2008, which was only 4 months after it was released.

I'm tired of having to goto 3rd party firmwares like DDWRT, just to get a properly working router. I'll definitely be looking elsewhere, the next time I need a router. I've heard the DLink DIR-655 is quite good.


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

Impala1ss said:


> I think my best option is to buy a new "N" router and connecting to computer, and use my current Belkin 7230-4 "G" router as a network bridge and plug my hr20-700 into it. It would seem to give me more options for future than just buying the WGA600N adaptor and using the Belkin "G" router connected to computer.
> 
> What do you network guys think?? Will it be hard to connect new "N" router to computer and Belkin "G" to
> HR20-700?


First you will need to check to see if your Belkin router model supports bridge operation. If not, you should be able to use dd-wrt firmware to add this capability: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices#Belkin.

Once it is in bridged mode, there shouldn't be any problem.


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## mikeny (Aug 21, 2006)

Reggie3 said:


> I use to recommend Linksys but now would say the best router out there is the D-Link:
> http://www.dlink.com/products/?sec=1&pid=548
> DIR-855 > Xtreme N Duo Media Router - It's very expensive but I don't hear of the same issues like I do the Linksys.


At this point the DIR-855 is grossly overpriced and hard to find. According to the article at smallnetbuilders: the performance between the DIR-855 and the much more affordable and easier to find DIR-825, (which I recommend) are practically identical: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30588/96/1/2/ The link takes you to page '3' with a comparison chart of the 2. I recommend reading the whole review. Edit to add: I think the 825 basically replaced the 855.


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## Skooz (Jul 20, 2007)

Bob Coxner said:


> The reviews are great because they're fake.


Mine isn't.

The router is excellent and has provided stellar service since install. I could not be happier with it.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

mikeny said:


> At this point the DIR-855 is grossly overpriced and hard to find. According to the article at smallnetbuilders: the performance between the DIR-855 and the much more affordable and easier to find DIR-825, (which I recommend) are practically identical: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30588/96/1/2/ The link takes you to page '3' with a comparison chart of the 2. I recommend reading the whole review. Edit to add: I think the 825 basically replaced the 855.


It always costs more to have "the latest".

My DIR - 655 performs extremely well...and yet is "outdated" now in 5 months and 2 new versions ahead of it. Big deal.

Get what you can afford and and what does the job that you need it to do. Simple criteria.


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## mikeny (Aug 21, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> It always costs more to have "the latest".
> 
> My DIR - 655 performs extremely well...and yet is "outdated" now in 5 months and 2 new versions ahead of it. Big deal.
> 
> Get what you can afford and and what does the job that you need it to do. Simple criteria.


 Yeah, it usually works that way but my point was that it's actually the other way around in this case. The 855 was first. The 825 came out to replace it and is much cheaper and performs the same way. Big external difference is the lack of a 3rd antenna on the 825 which the 855 had.

Why do you think the 655 is or will be outdated so soon? It seems to be a great performer.


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## Reggie3 (Feb 20, 2006)

mikeny said:


> At this point the DIR-855 is grossly overpriced and hard to find. According to the article at smallnetbuilders: the performance between the DIR-855 and the much more affordable and easier to find DIR-825, (which I recommend) are practically identical: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30588/96/1/2/ The link takes you to page '3' with a comparison chart of the 2. I recommend reading the whole review. Edit to add: I think the 825 basically replaced the 855.


Thanks - I'll look into it


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## GodisGreat79 (Jun 12, 2006)

so any router I get would still require me to have a wireless card installed on my desktop?


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

GodisGreat79 said:


> so any router I get would still require me to have a wireless card installed on my desktop?


Not if you have an ethernet connection between the desktop and your router.


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## GodisGreat79 (Jun 12, 2006)

Ok I have ordered a Belkin G wireless router online so how would the set up go to get Directv on Demand working between my internet connection online and my DVR?


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## Elganja (Jul 16, 2007)

check out the TRENDnet TEW-633GR It goes on and off sale all the time on amazon, I ended up getting it for 51.99. It's one of the best routers for the money out there now...

you can generally read more about wireless N routers here: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1226866


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## SParker (Apr 27, 2002)

Bob Coxner said:


> My vote goes for the Linksys WRT54GL. Those reviews are legit.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Cisco...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1232288410&sr=8-1
> 
> ...


I agree, the WRT54GL is a fantastic router. I use a 3rd party firmware DD-WRT and it makes the router even better. I does void the warranty though.


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## GodisGreat79 (Jun 12, 2006)

Got my router today but how do I set it up to work with DOD? I only have one computer and its a Belkin G Wireless router please help.


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

GodisGreat79 said:


> Got my router today but how do I set it up to work with DOD? I only have one computer and its a Belkin G Wireless router please help.


First get it working with your computer and internet connection (if you are now connecting your computer directly to your modem, connect the router to the modem (WAN port) and your computer (LAN port). If a CD came with the router, it should be used for the initial setup. Later, you can probably configure things using your browser. You then need to run the network setup procedure on your DVR. Once you get the DVR to successfully connect to the internet (which isn't always trivial), DOD should show up although it may take a while (the list of programs to download takes about a day to fully populate).


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## kfcrosby (Dec 17, 2006)

Ask 5 people and you'll get 14 different answers.

My personal favorite is the NETGEAR SRXN3205


Not your usual Net Junkies Router, but it does everything and it is very stable.


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## GodisGreat79 (Jun 12, 2006)

bobnielsen said:


> First get it working with your computer and internet connection (if you are now connecting your computer directly to your modem, connect the router to the modem (WAN port) and your computer (LAN port). If a CD came with the router, it should be used for the initial setup. Later, you can probably configure things using your browser. You then need to run the network setup procedure on your DVR. Once you get the DVR to successfully connect to the internet (which isn't always trivial), DOD should show up although it may take a while (the list of programs to download takes about a day to fully populate).


Ok Another question after I hook it up to my computer as i have it right now, then do I take it down and hook it up the the DVR and which wires do I use to do that, because it tells me the router has to be connected to the back of the DVR.


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## Neilkn (Jul 19, 2008)

Bob Coxner said:


> The reviews are great because they're fake.
> 
> http://www.thedailybackground.com/2...people-to-write-fake-positive-amazon-reviews/
> 
> ...


I would have to ask what makes you think that the Linksys reviews are any better? Do you have proof that they are real people?

I used to work a few years back as tech support for an hardware manufacturing company that I'll leave unnamed for now. As tech reps, we'd search our own products to see what was being said about them. That's when I learned that there were reviews made by multiple people saying how great our memory and modem products were. And learned that most of those reviews were created by salesmen in our company and were just as bogus, but cheaper, than those made by paying for people to do them. So when you read great reviews, take them with a grain of salt. You could not possibly know who is writing them, especially the ones that exclaim how great a product is. I've since been layed off, downsized if you wish, a few years ago ... but do believe that we did have a great set of products back then and have no hard feelings as to the layoff. The economy was not the company's fault.

As for routers, I, and a few of my techie friends, prefer D-Link as they are the most stable and easiest to set up that we've seen. And NO, D-link is not the company that I work for now or have worked at in the past. I've had a D-Link setup at home for about 3 years now that is still working flawlessly.


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## Tonedeaf (Jun 13, 2006)

My personal favorite is the WRT54G series of routers. I have 3 of them around the house with DD-WRT firmware on them that are all set as Client Bridges. Completely rock solid since day one of setup.


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

GodisGreat79 said:


> Ok Another question after I hook it up to my computer as i have it right now, then do I take it down and hook it up the the DVR and which wires do I use to do that, because it tells me the router has to be connected to the back of the DVR.


No, you keep it connected to your modem and computer and add a connection to the DVR (typically there are 4 ethernet LAN ports on a router).

If your DVR is in another room, you can either run a long cable or use wireless (with a suitable wireless-ethernet bridge connected to the DVR) or use powerline networking (you would need one powerline adapter connected to the router and another to your DVR).


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## finaldiet (Jun 13, 2006)

I have Linksys WRT 54G router for my desttop and both HR20-700 receivers and have never had a problem.


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## R8ders2K (Sep 11, 2006)

I've got an Apple AirPort Extreme and two AirPort Expresses, all 802.11n.

No problems.


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## judson_west (Jun 15, 2006)

I am using the D-Link DIR-655 as the router and one of my HR20's is connected via the D-Link DAP-1522. Newegg has a sale last year on the 655 and after rebate only cost $30. The 1522 was on sale earlier this month with a $20 rebate.


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## Seismo (Jun 22, 2007)

If it's at all feasible, the best way to go is wired.
I couldn't get DirecTV2PC to work 'til I ran a CAT6 cable from the router to the living room. Now it works like a champ.


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## Reggie3 (Feb 20, 2006)

Seismo said:


> If it's at all feasible, the best way to go is wired.
> I couldn't get DirecTV2PC to work 'til I ran a CAT6 cable from the router to the living room. Now it works like a champ.


Sure that is the best way as it has a higher bit rate but who wants to trip over a cable? But it was easy to set up a wireless system with the Linksys WGA600N game adapter to connect to my wireless router.

I have discovered that connecting to my AV system is much easier using my PS3 than the Directv system.


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## shadco (Jan 6, 2006)

I'm a believer in refurbed Linksys N routers teamed up with dd-wrt software.

I recently built this setup which allows great mediasharing and vod performance with the added benefit of solid wireless N support throughout the house.

It takes a little study to spin up on dd-wrt but in the end for less than the price of 1 Airport extreme N router I have 3 N AP's spread out throughout the house.

I'll be upgrading an R15 to an R22 real son now that this is working so well.


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## martyp (Jul 11, 2007)

Well I just used a belkin router and put it in bridge mode as 2 of my dvrs are in our bedroom and did not want to run internet connections to them .

It was easy to do and works well, with the 4 ports on the router I was able to get both dvrs online along with the blu-ray and hd dvd players . 

It was much cheaper then getting a gaming adapter as the router was only like $35 and as a added bonus it boast the wireless signals for the laptops


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