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My mom currently has a Linksys wireless router that I bought for her 2-3 years ago. Within the last week, it has cut out and lost the connection to her home network. Said router had to be repaired using the Linksys software for the connection to be restored. The home network includes DSL internet access for her desktop and her iPad 2. Both the desktop and the iPad 2 were directly affected.

I am looking at wireless LAN reviews at cnet.com, but I am a litte lost here and there. I would like to acquire a new wireless router for less than $100. Said router would ideally have 802.11N (no need for 802.11ac) and that the router needs to be a dual-band router. All suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance.

http://www.amazon.com/Medialink-Wireles ... 394&sr=1-2
This seem to have plenty of good reviews and is inexpensive...

To be honest, there is no such thing as "best wireless router" - I've went through many of them, they ALL have various problems with various features (new firmware releases (official or third-party modifications) usually fix the some of the issues... while also bringing in new issues with each release ) and rather short lifespan, so the best advice is to try out different models (make sure you purchase them at a place where you can easily return them) and see which one works best in your particular setup.

The best one I've had is a WRT54GL with Tomato firmware. It's been running non-stop for at least five years without a hiccup, and I've been very happy with it, which is saying something since I don't have much patience for network hardware that doesn't work well.

Right now, the Asus RT-N16 with TomatoUSB is my router of choice. I just deployed two, one as an AP and the other as a bridge, to some remote users, so I don't have a lot of miles on them a the moment. I was impressed with the routers when I had them. The latest stock firmware was okay, and it will get you by. Tomato was its usual awesome self, and I would recommend using it over the stock firmware.

I believe the WRT54GL was around forever, and continues to be one of the best out there...and you can still get one!

Although, are you sure you need dual band? There seem to be several n routers available (I've had two running for about a year with no troubles), but the ones flagged with dual band shoot up in price rather quickly.

I can't speak for the OP of course but dual band is definitely needed where I am! At home, my computers generally detect at least a dozen and sometimes up to fifteen wireless networks, all on 2.4GHz. Any device that connects to my network on 2.4GHz generally has a pretty awful connection to the network. As soon as I put in a 5GHz router in, performance increased across the board as there are no other 5GHz networks in range of me.

I bought the Asus RT-N16 last summer with the intention of putting Tomato on it. First time logging in I found the navigation menu pretty easy to use. I set up my basic wireless network and left it alone. Been very happy with it, have not had a single issue with it. (To be fair, my computer is hard wired and my sister has her laptop and netbook using the wireless).

I'd recommend it.

Thanks for all the suggestions. It turns out I did not need to replace my router. I had the Ethernet wires in the wrong ports. Once in the right ports, all the issues resolved themselves.

If you're in the market for a new router then I recommend taking a look at the reviews at http://www.smallnetbuilder.com