The thing is I don't have the faintest clue what features I require.
Should I just blindly pick something from here:
http://www.flipkart....c1-8a58cae42055.
Going through some of the threads here, D-Link seems to be the most compatible with MTNL. And this one
http://www.flipkart....46-0f6d381ef1de most popular.
Can't make out what's the difference is between
D-Link DSL-2730U Wireless N 150 ADSL2+ 4-Port Router
and
D-Link DSL-2750U Wireless N ADSL2+ 4-Port Wi-Fi Router
The first has one antena and the second has two. Is that worth the additional 600 bucks?
Also, what is t DD-WRT support? What does it have to do with torrents? If I cant use torrents with these routers they're useless
My plans is 599UL (Rs 599 a month for unlimited data transfers @ 512 kbps; no FUC; though i get download speeds of just ~60kbps)
stop worrying about torrents .. as long as you are going to download on your pc, theres no relation between torrents and routers. you need specific routers only if you wish your router to be able to directly download torrents without the use of a computer.
WRT is the open source Firmware available for wireless routers and gateways.. and if it says WRT compatible, it means you can flash the factory router firmware with the Open source WRT firmware, and with fair bit of knowledge, tweak the WRT firmware according to your needs.. hence the requirement of WRT for torrent enabled routers.. so that you can install WRT, and program your router to be able to download torrents directly without the use of a pc.
and this------>>>My plans is 599UL (Rs 599 a month for unlimited data transfers @ 512 kbps; no FUC; though i get download speeds of just ~60kbps) the hell do you mean by this?? 60 KBPS is the speed you are supposed to get with a 512 kbps connection.
the catch lies in the difference of units.. the 512 kbps plan means 512 kilobits per second, whereas the speed displayed to you on your comp. is in kilobytes per second.
1 byte = 8 bits
Hence, 512 kilobits per second = 512/8 = 64 kilobytes per second.
so the max. speed you should be getting is 64 KBPS, and if you're getting 60 KBPS its pretty decent. infact quite good. notice the diff. between kbps and KBPS. kbps means kilobits per second whereas KBPS is kilobytes per second.. its only a difference of units being used.. and a big marketing gimmick used by broadband companies.. using a smaller unit enables them to use bigger numbers and they especially count such people who dont know the technical difference to extend their market share.
and the difference between the routers you mentioned, the one with the double antenna is because the router uses multiple communication streams to improve connection quality by using MIMO technology. (multiple in multiple out) yes , it does improve connection quality and also gives better range but you want have any noob software to just display the whether the connection quality is better or not. just the basic signal strength in windows. you may spend the extra money on the router with the double antenna..
one more thing, notice the specs of the router on flipkart. the one with the double antenna also has the maximum bandwidth of 300mbps (megabits per second so basically 37.5MBPS megabytes per second ) whereas the one with a single antenna has 150mbps.. but dont worry about it. you wont be able to use the full bandwidth anyway as you will most probably be using the G band . Not the N band.. and the full speed also depends on a lot of other factors.. like the distance of your pc from router, no. of obstructions.. signal quality etc..
and about the WRT, It is my strong suggestion not to rack your brains in all that stuff. theres no end to it.. just buy a good value for money D Link wireless N router. whether with or not the double antenna.. your choice.. i would have spent the extra 600.