[mythik]

Hi,

I am having issues with a network with one of my clients and am trying to find the most affordable solution for them. Theyhave a wired/wireless network with 8 - 10 wired computers and 30+ laptops that are needed to connect wirelessly. They have just switched from one service provider (1.5 MBPS) to a new one (15 MBPS) but are still esperiencing complete drops.

Once 15 or more computers are connected, they lose their connection all together whether it be wireless or wired or mixed. They are using 2 Linksys WAP200 access points with an older D-Link router to route everything (can't remember the exact model). Rebooting the router seems to resolve the issue temporarly...

I feel that the router is not able to handle that much load and therefore require an upgrade. Does anyone have any recommendations for me?

I have looked into Cisco routers, Linux routing machines and various other possible solutions but just do not know which path to take. A ot of the cableing in this building has just been re-sone as well in an attempt to resolve this issue which has helped but not good enough. It is a church/school which requires their internet access for exams and other time sensitive materials.

Thank you in advance.

Edited by mythik, 17 February 2010 - 12:31 PM.

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i think you're on the right path here....a home router is just not capable of handling that type of traffic. especially if these people are all connecting at the same time. you need to look into an enterprise or small business series router. your APs should be fine since i would imagine just a few people are connecting to either at any given time, though you could add more to reduce the load if you still have issues on the wireless side

cisco makes solid gear, and they always have. there's a reason they're the leader in the corporate routing world. i don't have a specific model to suggest for you but with a network of that size you're going to want to look for something in the mid range level that's geared towards small/medium business (make sure not to get something geared towards home small office)...if the company has any plans for growth you should oversize the thing just a little, but it doesn't sound like you've got massive requirements for advanced routing

i've built a few linux routers here and there for fun and they can be a pain if you don't know what you're doing. there are some virtual routing devices that run on linux that you can get from the VMware appliance store (some free some not) that will run on VMware server (free). so if there's an extra computer that's decently speced out sitting around you could go that route, but be prepared to do a lot of reading

[dsenette]

i think you're on the right path here....a home router is just not capable of handling that type of traffic. especially if these people are all connecting at the same time. you need to look into an enterprise or small business series router. your APs should be fine since i would imagine just a few people are connecting to either at any given time, though you could add more to reduce the load if you still have issues on the wireless side

cisco makes solid gear, and they always have. there's a reason they're the leader in the corporate routing world. i don't have a specific model to suggest for you but with a network of that size you're going to want to look for something in the mid range level that's geared towards small/medium business (make sure not to get something geared towards home small office)...if the company has any plans for growth you should oversize the thing just a little, but it doesn't sound like you've got massive requirements for advanced routing

i've built a few linux routers here and there for fun and they can be a pain if you don't know what you're doing. there are some virtual routing devices that run on linux that you can get from the VMware appliance store (some free some not) that will run on VMware server (free). so if there's an extra computer that's decently speced out sitting around you could go that route, but be prepared to do a lot of reading