What kind of router for streaming video ?

need a new router and would want one for streaming video, is there a certain thing I should be looking out for when buying ?

From where?

Server/NAS --> HTPC/Desktop presumably? Or direct from the internet, i.e. iPlayer/YouTube?

And what kind of video are we talking? Standard .avi stuff or 1080p .mkv files?

Ethernet or wireless?

If your after a router for streaming video, then the best thing to look for is a router with features like the one I have at the moment.

My Router has a USB port on the back of it labelled as "Storage link" and if I connect my HDD full of media to it, it distributes the media files to various players around the house via the DLNA server built in.

you shouldn't need a special router for streaming video. Streaming over wireless can be very hit or miss. Some make it work, others can't do it reliably no matter what they do.

I know a few members dislike the DLink stuff, but ive never had a problem with mine.

My setup is.

Virgin modem--DLink DIR 615--WIRED-MY PC
--WIRED-MEDIA PC #1/SERVER
--WIRELESS-MEDIA PC#2

Media gets streamed from MEDIA PC#1 to my PC via wire, also to MEDIA PC #2 over wireless, MEDIA PC#2 runs THIS

Have 0 problems streaming 1080p files :).

I just have a drobo

As in the original Drobo?

That means you either need a router with a USB port like Lee suggested, or you have the PC it's connected to left on to stream to other clients.

An actual NAS (a Drobo isn't a NAS unless you get the new Drobo FS) it's just a very clever external drive cage.


(btw, i would recommend putting a bit more detail in your posts as well, it would mean we could help you better)

I have the drobo v2 which has a firewire 800 port. is there such thing as a router that I can connect to my drobo via USB or even firewire, and then stream the video to my WD HD Live player which has a Ethernet port ?

I really dont want to go down the PC route as I have a high powered gaming PC which will cost loads to run.

So in short words I have a drobo with all my movies on the hard drives, how can I watch then around my house ? I am willing to just be able to watch the movies in the same room as the drobo and not have to stream around the house if its to much trouble

Yeah, that's what Lee was saying in post 3.

Get a router that supports USB hard drives and media streaming, job done.

Seems a router with storage USB link would be a good idea. My only worry is that it wont be able to read all my data from the drobo as its not exactly your bog standard external hard drive

But that's kind of the point in the Drobo, as far as the host is concerned it is a regular USB drive. It's what the Drobo does internally that makes it special :)