Gaming router advice?

[Razavn]

All right I am not the best at computers so any help is appreciated.

I currently own a Linksys WRT54GS router and while it usually behaves fine on certain games (namely the Call of Duty franchise) it has significant trouble being able to connect with friends. It says the NAT type is strict and any attempt to fix it (DMZ and port forwarding) is unsuccessful and if I do manage to connect with friends the lag is absolutely horrendous.

I intend to get a new router this holiday season and was thinking about purchasing a Vizio XWR100.

So..is this a decent gaming router and if not which ones are? Any help is appreciated.

 

[Anarchemitis]

As it stands, setting up a LAN can be a bit frustrating. Usually whoever has the most persistence and patience wins against annoying routers.

 

[Razavn]

As it stands, setting up a LAN can be a bit frustrating. Usually whoever has the most persistence and patience wins against annoying routers.

Hmm...a LAN is something I have only done once as most of my friends are 30-45 miles away (I live in a rural area) so that is not the best option..do you happen to have any suggestions for a router or just to leave it as is?

 

[Anarchemitis]

As it stands, setting up a LAN can be a bit frustrating. Usually whoever has the most persistence and patience wins against annoying routers.

Hmm...a LAN is something I have only done once as most of my friends are 30-45 miles away (I live in a rural area) so that is not the best option..do you happen to have any suggestions for a router or just to leave it as is?

No idea. :|

 

[Razavn]

As it stands, setting up a LAN can be a bit frustrating. Usually whoever has the most persistence and patience wins against annoying routers.

Hmm...a LAN is something I have only done once as most of my friends are 30-45 miles away (I live in a rural area) so that is not the best option..do you happen to have any suggestions for a router or just to leave it as is?

No idea. :|

All right I will just wait for someone then with some experience with routers, thanks for trying to help I just live quite a ways away from my friends and I am relatively poor with computer skills...

 

[Zedayen]

When you say your attempt at using the DMZ and Port Forwarding failed, what do you mean exactly? Do you mean you tried to open ports and couldn't get it to work, or you opened them and still couldn't connect? If it was the former, try www.portforwarding.com and look for your router. On the "BUY OUR SOFTWARE NAAAOOOO" screen, in the top corner click to follow through to the actual information and follow the guide from there.

Have you also tried changing the settings on your personal firewall, either a 3rd party or the windows firewall, as this can be a common problem. Have you considered the use of a VPN to play certain games with friends? There are many free and useful tools that can help achieve this, though some of them may require you to mess around with to get working.

Without actually being there and seeing exactly what's going on, I can't offer a great deal of help

As for the quality or the routers, I know Linksys, as they are the non-commercial (or commercial depending how you look at it) side of Cisco. Vizio, I have not heard of at all.

 

[LooK iTz Jinjo]

Microsoft have a list on their website of recommended routers that generally will have an open NAT from the get go otherwise there are sites that will explain exactly which ports to forward (I did it 2 years ago so I can't remember exactly) and how to turn on DMZ and keep it on for your exact router.

 

[Razavn]

When you say your attempt at using the DMZ and Port Forwarding failed, what do you mean exactly? Do you mean you tried to open ports and couldn't get it to work, or you opened them and still couldn't connect? If it was the former, try www.portforwarding.com and look for your router. On the "BUY OUR SOFTWARE NAAAOOOO" screen, in the top corner click to follow through to the actual information and follow the guide from there.

Have you also tried changing the settings on your personal firewall, either a 3rd party or the windows firewall, as this can be a common problem. Have you con
sidered the use of a VPN to play certain games with friends? There are many free and useful tools that can help achieve this, though some of them may require you to mess around with to get working.

Without actually being there and seeing exactly what's going on, I can't offer a great deal of help

As for the quality or the routers, I know Linksys, as they are the non-commercial (or commercial depending how you look at it) side of Cisco. Vizio, I have not heard of at all.

I got the port forwarding and DMZ thing to work but it still wouldn't let my NAT type to be anything other than strict..I am going to check into what the other poster advised so that may work.

Microsoft have a list on their website of recommended routers that generally will have an open NAT from the get go otherwise there are sites that will explain exactly which ports to forward (I did it 2 years ago so I can't remember exactly) and how to turn on DMZ and keep it on for your exact router.

Hmm..I don't know if the DMZ can be turned off except if I choose to but I managed to get it turned on and it still wouldn't function correctly..I will look into your advice about the website of routers..thanks.