Any good Wireless Routers compatible with Vista?


Recommended Posts

I had an old Linksys wireless router, but since it's an old router, I had some compatibility problems with it. So, I bought the Netgear WNR834B, which is Vista compatible according to Microsoft's site. Now, the problem is, the router keeps on freezing. I just read some reviews and other people have the same problem with this router. I tried researching for other better routers but people always some sort of complaint about them. I even read the reviews on the newer Linksys routers and there are a ton of complaints on them. I guess they don't make wireless routers like they used to. But, I know there has to be some good wireless routers out there that's compatible with Vista. Can anybody recommend me any?

This is something I never understood. A router thows out a network (and Internet) connection over either a wireless or wired connection. Where does the OS come into this, as the router should be 100% independant. Surely the OS on the receiving PC needs only know how to use an Ethernet or wireless connection?

Yes, but the Netgear router I bought is freezing and my connection drops. I have to reboot the router in order to get the internet to work again. I never had this problem with my old Linksys ones. But according to reviews, the newer Linksys have that freezing problem now. So my question is: does anyone know a Vista compatible wireless router that works well and doesn't hang/freeze?

A vista compatible router? I think that's just marketing, really. If you're experiencing connections being dropped, it's not Vista's fault.

What is so hard to understand about my question? It isn't Vista's fault. The Netgear router is freezing! The freezing has nothing to do with Vista. The router just sucks. I am looking for a router that performs better and doesn't freeze. Any recommendations?

Best router there is.. Put on DD-WRT

Linksys WRT-54GL

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16833124190

I have had mine for almost 3 years... maybe one reboot in that time?

Oh wow! That's a bit outdated, if you ask me. I was looking for something a bit faster than that.

Oh wow! That's a bit outdated, if you ask me. I was looking for something a bit faster than that.

It's not outdated.

Its 802.11G.

How much faster do you actually need? If you are looking for a draft N, then your limited . Its hands-down the best 802.11G router on the market, which unless you plan on transferring gig's of data over your network, its plenty fast for the internet

Heres this 802.11n router with DD-WRT

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16833124085

Not sure on it, but DD-WRT is the best firmware to date

There is actually such a thing as a Vista compatible router. It's due to the way Microsoft re-wrote the TCP/IP stack, and the traffic scaling it does. Some older routers have problems forwarding these packets.

What I would suggest is if your router is marked as being Vista compatible, download the latest firmware for the router from the manufacturers website and update it from a non-Vista machine. If the problem persists, then you might have a hardware fault in the router. In this case, just return it and ask for a replacement and tell them the reason you want one is that it hangs and needs a power cycle to get working again.

It's not outdated.

Its 802.11G.

How much faster do you actually need? If you are looking for a draft N, then your limited . Its hands-down the best 802.11G router on the market, which unless you plan on transferring gig's of data over your network, its plenty fast for the internet

I'm not denying that it's the best router. I have a similar one. I'm not sure what model it is. When I get home, I can check. But I had a similar one and it was really good, but it wasn't Vista compatible.

I'm not denying that it's the best router. I have a similar one. I'm not sure what model it is. When I get home, I can check. But I had a similar one and it was really good, but it wasn't Vista compatible.

Theres no such thing as "vista compatible"

It works. I've used my laptop with vista at a friends that has first gen 802.11B equipment and it works just fine.

Its just marketing.

If you get DD-WRT on any router, it will handle the way MS changed the IP packets in Vista even faster

There is actually such a thing as a Vista compatible router. It's due to the way Microsoft re-wrote the TCP/IP stack, and the traffic scaling it does. Some older routers have problems forwarding these packets.

Bingo!! That was the exact problem my older Linksys router was having. That is why I bought the Netgear, but now it's not a TCP/IP issue. This time, the router is just crashing.

Bingo!! That was the exact problem my older Linksys router was having. That is why I bought the Netgear, but now it's not a TCP/IP issue. This time, the router is just crashing.

If its a 802.11G linksys router, put DD-WRT on there. That will solve your problem

Oh wow! That's a bit outdated, if you ask me. I was looking for something a bit faster than that.

Lmao outdated? I don't think so. That router NEVER gives me any problems, but if you insist on something that's "faster" rather than stable, then be my guest. lol

Here's a list of "compatible" routers, and here as well.

Lmao outdated? I don't think so. That router NEVER gives me any problems, but if you insist on something that's "faster" rather than stable, then be my guest. lol

Here's a list of "compatible" routers, and here as well.

Just because it's "stable," it doesn't mean it will work on every computer. My laptop from work doesn't work on my older "stable" Linksys router because the router is so old. That's another reason why I bought that junky Netgear router.

And that list is not what I was looking for. I already saw those. Many of them have bad reviews and I believe them too because I had bad experience with the Netgear one. What I'm asking for is Vista compatible routers that perform well. Does anybody here have a Vista compatible router that performs well on their computer that they can recommend? Seriously! Is my typing gibberish or what? Why is everyone misunderstanding my question?

Edited by xraffle
Just because it's "stable," it doesn't mean it will work on every computer. My laptop from work doesn't work on my older "stable" Linksys router because the router is so old. That's another reason why I bought that junky Netgear router.

And that list is not what I was looking for. I already saw those. Many of them have bad reviews and I believe them too because I had bad experience with the Netgear one. What I'm asking for is Vista compatible routers that perform well. Does anybody here have a Vista compatible router that performs well on their computer that they can recommend? Seriously! Is my typing gibberish or what? Why is everyone misunderstanding my question?

I feel like I'm taking to a brick wall :argh:

If you want a draft 802.11n, be prepared for problems here and there as there isnt a set standard yet. The linksys one I linked above got pretty good reviews and can have custom DD-WRT firmware. Almost all stability issues comes down to firmware problems.

Stop reading the damn reviews on everywhere BUT newegg. If you check the link the WRT54G router I posted had tons and tons of 5-star reviews, and as other members here have said it is the best router to date.

The WRT-54GL IS VISTA COMPATIBLE, just like pretty much every other router. (check the link above). Install the custom DD-WRT firmware on it, and your set. No worries.

Your old Linksys router may be 802.11a or something. There is no reason why your laptop should not even work on it as 802.11G is backward compatible with 802.11B and vice versa. You are falling for a marketing ploy with the "vista compatibility"

Your old Linksys router may be 802.11a or something. There is no reason why your laptop should not even work on it as 802.11G is backward compatible with 802.11B and vice versa.

Well my laptop doesn't work with my older Linksys router because it doesn't work with old routers. It works with the Netgear one I got, but the router crashes, so that router is no good. This is why I believe the reviews now. Those reviews I saw about Netgear turned out to be true.

Well my laptop doesn't work with my older Linksys router because it doesn't work with old routers. It works with the Netgear one I got, but the router crashes, so that router is no good. This is why I believe the reviews now. Those reviews I saw about Netgear turned out to be true.

hahaha. Thats like saying my laptop doesn't work with USB1.1 devices

Probably because it is different technology or something, like 802.11a as I had said. THat or your setting something up wrong

many coffee shops use 802.11b and many people connect just fine with this "old" hardware.

No piece of hardware is going to have perfect reviews. Hell look at the xbox 360's. My original launch console is working just fine. No RROD or anything

This is painful to read...

Buy a WRT54GL & flash it with custom firmware (Tomato my preference over DD-WRT, as it is prettier :) )

If you want draft-N, I would suggest an Apple Airport Extreme.

No such thing as Vista compatible. Wi-Fi certified, however...

I dual boot XP and Vista with my 54GL using Tomato firmware. No issues at all. A firmware upgrade may be all you need to get your old router working. Or, you say it won't connect. Do you have your new laptop to connect using some sort of authentication (WPA, WEP, WPA2) that your older Linksys router does not support? The 54GL will work with Vista.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Ford execs say they made a mistake when they replaced human engineers with AI by David Uzondu Ford recently announced that over the last three years, it's had to rehire about 350 "gray beard" engineers to mentor younger staff and reprogram diagnostic systems and AI tools that were failing to meet up to quality expectations. The company's VP of vehicle hardware engineering, Charles **** said that leaders overlooked the deep experience of veterans who survived many product cycles. **** admitted that simply replacing them with AI was a huge mistake, and that while AI is "a fantastic tool," it remains "only as good as the information you use to train it." The rehired engineers now run mandatory meetings to troubleshoot vehicles and reprogram automated engineering software and AI tools to prevent glitches before production. These technical specialists hunt for failure points before parts ever reach the plant floor, helping prevent the massive recalls and defects that previously cost the company billions as it aims to cut one billion dollars in expenses this year. In last year's JD Power Quality Survey, an annual study that measures the quality of a car during the first three months of ownership, Ford finished 10th among mainstream brands and scored below the industry average. But this year, JD Power ranked the automaker as the top mainstream brand, placing it above the likes of Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Ford attributed this massive improvement directly to the expertise of these returned engineers. Ford's realization that AI cannot magically design and test quality vehicles without senior human oversight is just the tip of the iceberg. When Careerminds looked at companies that conducted AI-driven layoffs, researchers found out that 35.6% of those companies had to rehire more than half of the employees they previously fired. Another 32.7% had to rehire between 25% and 50% of them. In 2024, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO of Klarna, proudly announced that its new chatbot was doing the work of 700 full-time customer service agents. As a result, the fintech company froze hiring and cut hundreds of positions. But by mid 2025, and into 2026, Klarna was scrambling to recruit human agents again because customer satisfaction had plummeted. It turns out, while AI is very good at answering basic questions like how to check an account balance, when faced with complex customer issues that require nuance, the thing usually resorts to the unhelpful, robotic corporate jargon we all know and love.
    • Free AI in IDEs is shifting to paid models Or you know, you could just learn to actually design and code apps, use frameworks to handle the repetitive parts and not use AI at all - and voila... free for life!
    • In a sane world US antitrust laws wouldn't even allow these companies to be in the position to be subjected to EU directives. As you say, better than oligarch nothing.
    • Apple reportedly has a second-generation iPhone Fold planned for 2027 Good grief, Apple hasn't even released a first folding phone and the Apple faithful is already obsessing over the sequel? Seriously people, go out and touch grass... because this level of obsession is borderline stalkery/neurotic.
    • I checked on the IPs associated with every login and they're all mine... And whenever I get a new prompt, there is no activity to show for it. 
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      xvvxcvv earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      xvvxcvv earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Enthusiast
      Xonos went up a rank
      Enthusiast
    • Conversation Starter
      Admir earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • First Post
      The_Focal_Point earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      405
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      169
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      129
    4. 4
      neufuse
      69
    5. 5
      Xenon
      68
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!