Am I the only one that can't seem to pick a reliable router?

[gorcorps]

I was going to post this in the networking thread, but it's more venting than actual troubleshooting.

For the life of me I can't seem to pick a router that doesn't need to be power cycled every once in a while for some reason or another. It's driving me nuts, and while I haven't bought the TOP end of the routers I think I've been spending enough to get something reliable. The most recent one is a netgear nighthawk X45 R7800. The problem I have with this one is every couple months the wired connections just stop working. Can't figure out why, and a power cycle fixes it, but it's annoying given my server is connected to it. If I used only wifi for all devices I probably wouldn't notice a single issue, but I need the wired connections. Google shows that other people have this problem too, but no real solutions. I may just have to bite the bullet and run a 3rd party firmware.

Before this it was tp-link n750. Good reviews at the time, but granted it was getting a little old and was never meant to be a high performer. Had to power cycle it every once in a while when the wifi started acting flaky.

Before that it was a linksys router, then probably another netgear. To be honest the most stable router I had was the router/modem combo that I had to rent with AT&T. I've never had a router that hasn't had some sort of issue. Do I just suck at picking routers or is this a common thing people just deal with?

 

[sdifox]

Not just you. They have all gone to shit.

 

[Brainonska511]

I've managed to pick a few good routers over the last two cycles:

A Cisco E4200 v1 simultaneous dual-band router for A/B/G/N worked for some time. The only major issue was that it could easily overheat. I had to prop it up on a few blocks to get better airflow under it. However, outside of that, it worked for several years without any major issues.

Now I'm on a TP-Link Archer C9. At one point, the firmware was kind of mediocre and it would drop my connection every now and again, but that has since been rectified and it's been a solid router for over a year now.

 

[lxskllr]

Wireless borks at the office, and I have to restart the wireless service every so often. It's some kind of Dlink. Best router I've used is the venerable wrt54gl with tomato firmware. Not as fast as modern routers, but solid as a rock

 

[chubbyfatazn]

Currently using a refurbed DLink DIR-868L (AC1750, looks like a trash can) that I got for $65. Stock firmware. In the past 2.5 years I've had it, I've never had to power cycle it. Usually if I have any issues it's a) for a wifi-connected device, and b) solved by rebooting Windows. Pretty surprised by its reliability given its price category and... the fact that it's a DLink.

If it matters - I have 3 computers wired to it, with the rest - 3 laptops, 4 phones, my Nest, and (lol) my garage door opener - connected over wifi.

Past router was a Linksys E3000, which needed to be cycled every few weeks or so. Also have a Netgear Nighthawk R7000 at my parents' place, needs to be rebooted once every few months it seems.

 

[boomhower]

Had the same problem. Bought top end of both Netgear and Linksys/Cisco. They were always replaced because of failure rather than newer tech. Finally fixed it by not buying consumer grade. Bought a Ubiquiti USG and AC LR (though a Lite would have been just as good). For less than $200 you have damn near business grade for less money than the higher end consumer. Toss in a $20 switch and you are good to go. Takes a bit more to get it set up but after that it is rock solid. Love the combo.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Power cycling every two months sounds pretty reasonable, actually. It's hard not to have slow leaks of memory or resources, or more likely memory fragmentation over time causing the available open spots to become too small for a larger allocation.

 

[Avalon]

I've been running a Netgear Nighthawk RC6400 (AC1750) for almost a year now without the need to power cycle for wired or wireless. But, that doesn't really help you since you've already got a nighthawk and you're having issues. Are you sure it's not more to do with your connection than the router itself? Do you get internet outages at the same time your wired goes out? Maybe try a new ethernet cable? You could be really unlucky, I suppose. If you're still in warranty, and it's bad enough to warrant an RMA, I'd say give it a shot.

 

[Svnla]

OP, I have to ask. Did you upgrade to the latest firmware and try to use the router in its factory form and not in "root" form?

I like the old Linksys routers. They were built like tanks. Not sure how good they are now.

I am using an Asus wireless right now and I usually turn off and back on once a week just to refresh/reset.

 

[BD231]

Business grade or nothin, those little 40/50 dollar pieces of sh*t are definitely junk.

 

[Zanovar]

Be careful when power cycling,especially if you are in the uk."hey you have lost connection we are going to drop your speed did it help?"fuck off.

 

[Crono]

Had the same problem. Bought top end of both Netgear and Linksys/Cisco. They were always replaced because of failure rather than newer tech. Finally fixed it by not buying consumer grade. Bought a Ubiquiti USG and AC LR (though a Lite would have been just as good). For less than $200 you have damn near business grade for less money than the higher end consumer. Toss in a $20 switch and you are good to go. Takes a bit more to get it set up but after that it is rock solid. Love the combo.

I have an AP AC Pro. Got it mainly for expandability, but so far just 1 is providing enough range. No issues with it so far. I had the older non-AC model as well that I swapped out with an ASUS router that died after a year, so I went back to Ubiquiti. Probably going to get another router from them (something like the EdgeRouter) for a guest network or IoT devices.

 

[zerocool84]

I've been running a Netgear Nighthawk RC6400 (AC1750) for almost a year now without the need to power cycle for wired or wireless. But, that doesn't really help you since you've already got a nighthawk and you're having issues. Are you sure it's not more to do with your connection than the router itself? Do you get internet outages at the same time your wired goes out? Maybe try a new ethernet cable? You could be really unlucky, I suppose. If you're still in warranty, and it's bad enough to warrant an RMA, I'd say give it a shot.

I have that same router and it's been rock solid for me too, as have my other routers.

 

[Kaido]

I have had good luck with 2 brands/models long-term:

1. Netgear Orbi (specifically the Orbi, and with the latest firmware on both the base & satellites). This is what I currently use in my own home.

2. Ubiquiti (so far everything in their current lineup I've tested has been pretty solid).

imo one of the biggest problems is never rebooting stuff. My old Linksys WRT54G was super-reliable back in the day, as was my PFsense rig, and it was all downhill after that. Even the expensive stuff doesn't seem to want to last, let alone not have problems without occasionally yanking the power on them. I just have my stuff auto-reboot using Tech Restarter:

https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Restarter-Digital-Outlet-Timer/dp/B01C66X6GU

 

[drinkmorejava]

I've been using a netgear R7000 with AdvancedTomato for the last 2.5 years. It's the first consumer setup of mine that hasn't been a constant pain. It looks like you've already tried using a higher quality router. I would try a different firmware.

 

[RLGL]

Asus RT-N66R here. Rock solid

 

[Viper GTS]

My ubiquiti stuff gets rebooted for basically no reason but firmware updates. In five years of multi access point use I think I've had to reboot an access point once. They just work. Currently run two AC HDs, but I've moved on from the ERL to a FortiGate 60E. I'd still easily recommend the ERL it's rock solid for an absurdly cheap price.

Once you're moved out of consumer gear you will never, ever go back.

Viper GTS

 

[Herr Kutz]

I have a ubiquiti ac lite and often have it running for months straight with no issues. However I had to switch to using the included power adapter because the Edgerouter X with PoE kept causing the router to reboot when streaming netflix.

It was difficult to configure and set up though.

 

[Ajay]

Asus RT-N66R here. Rock solid

Asus rocks!

So like others have said, try and open source firmware version if you router is supported. Asus RT-AC68R, first AC router I've owned that works consistently (although there is an annoying bug in the current firmware version). I think Asus builds it's firmware based on some open source software and adds it's own UI. Probably why it doesn't suck. I just leave the 'Micro-Trend' software additions off.

 

[Rifter]

The only time i reset my router is to do OS updates. Its a x86 NUC sized PC running pfsense. Since switching to pfsense from a SOHO router i have yet to need to reset even once other than for OS updates.

 

[tynopik]

fun older article: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/01/numbers-dont-lie-its-time-to-build-your-own-router/

 

[MrSquished]

I got my parents a
D-Link Wireless N300 Mbps Extreme-N Gigabit Router (DIR-655)
back in 2011. It was used on both a wired puter and wifi. They never had an issue once or I would have gotten a phone call. I would hope their newer versions of that model works just as well but I have no idea.

 

[Carson Dyle]

My network consists of a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite (no wireless), an ancient D-Link 802.11g wireless access point, and a small gigabit switch. I only really use the wireless for streaming to media devices around the house, and the D-Link handles it without a hitch. I never have to reboot any of it.

 

[gill77]

I had similar experiences. Very frustrating. In the old days, you were your desktop and your router let you add a second pc. Now you are your router, internet is everything, with a dozen devices.

Thought of building my own, but for me, purchasing this turned out to be a very good decision:

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Edg...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3JM1KKA195GANP25WT41

 

[Red Squirrel]

Consumer routers are garbage and built down to a price (but then they still charge a lot for them). Part of the issue too is trying to cram 3 network functions into one device that does not even have active cooling. Router, switch and AP.

If you want something reliable go with a DIY router like Pfsense and just find an old 1U rackmount box or something. There are a few miniture PC type boards you can use too. Then get a managed switch (you can get 24 port Dell switches on Ebay for under $100) and then get one or more Unifi APs for wifi. Nice thing with that setup is being able to do vlans so you can do stuff like split wifi from rest of network so that if it gets compromised it won't have access to the entire network etc. I have 2 wifi SSIDs actually, one for me and then one for guests. The guest one is strictly internet access only and has an easy password while mine has a more complicated password and has a few extra accesses such as hvac control.

A cheaper option is to look at small business routers like a Sonicwall. Sonicwalls arn't that great either though, but they are probably better than consumer routers.