tips on getting a new router
February 5th, 2020
first timer here. i’m gonna sum it up for you guys, i’m trying to get one of those new wireless ac routers and i’ve done some research but i keep finding different reviews contradicting with each other it’s confusing me. I’m on com cast’s extreme (105Mbps) but with the lousy router/modem they gave me i’m only getting 10-20Mbps wirelessly. so which do you recommend and if i did get a new one how should i deal with the previous modem? do you think i should get a new modem as well? thanks 
I think you will only get 10-20 Mbps wirelessly, no matter what router you use. However, if you want to go down the 11 ac route, you could try this one. Your whole environment can affect wireless speed transmission, eg. thickness of walls, distance, carpets, curtains etc
http://www.netgear.com/R6300
You will also have to change the cards in anything you want to connect wirelessly to dual band 11ac, to get the full benefit they are quite expensive at the moment too.
The fastest connections you will get of course will be in the 5GHz range, the 2.4 GHz range being similar to 11 n.
As mentioned, your wireless speeds may not increase. Probably the best cards for lappies at the moment are Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 Plus Bluetooth – have a look on ebay.
Of course you need to put your existing modem/router into “Bridge Mode”. and connect the router to it.
Best of luck, and let us know how you get on
*EDIT – found this which may be of help,
http://wikidevi.com/wiki/List_of_802.11ac_Hardware
I bought my WNR3500L for under $50. Good router, runs the Teddy Bear version of Tomato.
I wouldn’t say dual band is all that important, unless you REALLY expect to be using a lot of mixed G/N devices a LOT. I have mostly wireless N devices, with an iPhone, iPod Touch, and a wireless G net book. I consider myself a power user, and I don’t need dual band.
wow great replies guys thanks a lot!
@Jogikewl thanks for the explanation and the link, as for the cards i would only need them to get the better performance but they are not a must since ac is backward compatible right?
also, i read some reviews on the net gear device you linked and even though there was a lot of good reviews like the asus 68u but still were some really bad reviews and it’s a lot of money on those so which do you recommend? i’m in for asus 68u. but some reviews claim it won’t work as good after 3 -4 weeks of use. What do you think?
Thanks again
wow great replies guys thanks a lot!
@Jogikewl thanks for the explanation and the link, as for the cards i would only need them to get the better performance but they are not a must since ac is backward compatible right?
also, i read some reviews on the net gear device you linked and even though there was a lot of good reviews like the asus 68u but still were some really bad reviews and it's a lot of money on those so which do you recommend? i'm in for asus 68u. but some reviews claim it won't work as good after 3 -4 weeks of use. What do you think?
Thanks again
No problems I have the Netgear at home for about 6 months as I got one cheap – although haven’t upgraded all the devices at home for 11ac as we have a wired home network throughout the house too. I haven’t used that Asus so can’t really comment. You will get good and bad reviews online, however, you tend to get more negative than positive feedback as people don’t usually post when things are good. Make of that what you want
Yes it is backwards compatible with 11a/b/g/n
I wouldn't say dual band is all that important, unless you REALLY expect to be using a lot of mixed G/N devices a LOT. I have mostly wireless N devices, with an iPhone, iPod Touch, and a wireless G net book. I consider myself a power user, and I don't need dual band.
If you are in a built up area, you will most definitely need dual band, the 2.4 GHz range is heavily congested in major Cities. You can check what is going on around you by using inssider.
You can only make use of the faster 11ac speed in the 5GHz range (as already mentioned above) – so you obviously don’t know what you are talking about mate – sorry but I had to say that.
Using only 3 devices such as you describe is not exactly “power usage” http://www.inssider.com/
I strongly advise getting a router that is compatible with DD-WRT firmware.
Otherwise, you will be severely limited by your default firmware.
Accidental double post, sorry. But here is the link also:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/index
I forgot to mention that there is also the Netgear D6300 which utilises 11ac a little faster than I have got.
You also have to bear in mind the cost against breakthroughs in technology, eg. you may spend say �300 on an 11ac router and a couple of adapters/cards etc, then in 6 months time there is something faster than 11ac. However, saying that, 11ac has been available for quite a while now, and not all manufacturers have jumped on the wagon to produce 11ac products.
What is the layout of your home, and where you would be using it – are there many walls/floors etc?
Will you be streaming HD videos, gaming – whatever ?
*EDIT – there is also the LINKSYS EA6300, which is draft 11ac, they are fairly cheap, new here in the UK are around �70 – �80, I have no idea what they are like, but you might want to Google for reviews
whatever you get, be sure to flash/update it to the latest firmware from the MFG (or DD-WRT)
even the latest firmware from the MFG can make a big difference
Two points
1 All wireless connections suck because its shared bandwidth and half duplex so use Ethernet wherever possible (on all desktop computers)
2 If you know anything about computer networks ditch the consumer trash for real cisco gear.
2 If you know anything about computer networks ditch the consumer trash for real cisco gear.
*EDIT - there is also the LINKSYS EA6300, which is draft 11ac, they are fairly cheap, new here in the UK are around �70 - �80, I have no idea what they are like, but you might want to Google for reviews
Linksys = Cisco
Most Cisco hardware is highly overrated, I work with their stuff a lot, they do make decent switches though.