Are 802.11ac routers ready for prime time, yet?

[smitbret]

Experience tells me that life expectancy of a router under moderate to heavy use is about 3 years and I'm going on 5+ years with my D-Link DIR-825 and it doesn't seem to be quite as stable as it once was. Just wanna be ready when it's time.

Should I give it 6 months for ac to mature or is it safe to pull the trigger now on something like the Asus RT-AC66U?

 

[rsutoratosu]

Do you have a working AC laptop/desktop adapter ? I would wait for the price to drop.. I seen a lot of prices for new routers, 200 bucks is crazy insane

 

[JackMDS]

No.

Status similar to the pre-N, draft_N conundrum of yesteryear.

Only reason to have one is "Social Bragging Rights".

 

[RadiclDreamer]

No.

Status similar to the pre-N, draft_N conundrum of yesteryear.

Only reason to have one is "Social Bragging Rights".

Just because bragging rights are a reason for most, it does not mean its the reason for all. The recent AT review shows it does have performance gains, maybe not those that are promised, but they never are. If you have a need its worth making the jump. If you dont have a clear need, stick with proven gear.

 

[Ichinisan]

Apple sells one now...so, yeah.

 

[Fardringle]

Apple makes some nice products but has also sold plenty of things that were complete flops. The simple fact that Apple has an AC router doesn't necessarily mean that it (or any AC products) are actually ready for production use. So, yeah..

 

[JackMDS]

One thing is obvious during the 15 years that I spend in Networking Forums.

There is a Noticeable shift from trying to understand technology and judge according to real technological variables to mainly "Verbal technology" and societal useless jargon.

Plastic surgeon use Botox which is based on the Botulinum toxin for cosmetic enhancement. That does Not mean that the substances good in general, actually it is one of the most dangerous poisons in nature.

If there some specific circumstances that AC has some advnadge, then it has to be spelled out to make sure that the specific OP systems is the same has the specific circumstances.

 

[smitbret]

I realize that I don't need 802.11ac, but if my router goes down and I need to pick a replacement, I'd rather futureproof now instead of going N and buying another AC router down the road. Kind of a chicken or the egg kind of scenario. I'll just hope the DIR-825 holds on for a few more months then I won't worry about it.

FWIW, my DIR-825 is a Draft-N router and I've never had any trouble till now.

 

[ccbadd]

I don't think 802.11ac vs 802.11n is even worth debating. I would look at both as 11n routers and compare real world performance and cost. I would do so using 11n clients, especially since the only 11ac client adapter I can find is one model sold by Asus. I am currently using an Asus RT-AC66U do to it having great range and performance at my house. I also have a Linksys WRT-310N that has very good range at my office, but dumped an E3000 due to poor range.

 

[JackMDS]

"I don't think 802.11ac vs 802.11n is even worth debating".

That is a make believe argument, the comparison should be between. AC to to A/B/G/N

I.e., with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320091

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"FWIW, my DIR-825 is a Draft-N router and I've never had any trouble till now".

So what the rush to get another one if it is working OK?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Stick with N for now, if anything once AC does go mainstream all the N stuff will be cheaper. Even now you can pickup 3 unifi access points for like 200 bucks. Well worth it.

 

[smitbret]

"I don't think 802.11ac vs 802.11n is even worth debating".

That is a make believe argument, the comparison should be between. AC to to A/B/G/N

I.e., with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320091

-----------------------


"FWIW, my DIR-825 is a Draft-N router and I've never had any trouble till now".

So what the rush to get another one if it is working OK?

I agree, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

However, my Spidey sense is tingling and telling me that this router is reaching end of life and I'm having to pull the plug on it every once in awhile to reset it. I don't think I did that for the first 3 years of service. When it dies, I wanna be ready to jump on Amazon or NewEgg and have a new one at my door ASAP. Don't wanna wait a day or two to decide what I'm gonna do, but I won't buy till the old one dies.

Like I said, if my D-Link keeps chugging along for another year, then this will be a moot point, but if it dies tomorrow I wanna get a new router up and running as fast as possible.

 

[Sazuzaki]

anyone used these routers paired with the ac adapters too? how much improvements does it really have in real life application? I mean paper stat wise they demolish the previous gen but at same time they cost A LOT, wanna know if its time to move over or wait.

 

[nk215]

I do and it improved the speed around 3-4x compared to N. I can't backup laptop to my servers using N but I can using AC. Around 300Mbit/sec actual speed

 

[JackMDS]

I do and it improved the speed around 3-4x compared to N. I can't backup laptop to my servers using N but I can using AC. Around 300Mbit/sec actual speed

Even marketing (which always grossly exaggerates) does not claim such a Jump in speed in AC. Which means that your old N "sux big time". Most people that have good Dual Band (A/B/G/N) would see such an improvement (if any) when switching to AC.

 

[smitbret]

Well, my N connection (marketed as 300mbps) would consistently hold about 80mbps at a reasonable distance. 4 x 80mbps = 320mbps. Nk215's claims seem pretty reasonable to me.

 

[JackMDS]

AC should be compared to Dual Band A/B/G/N.

They can run 300Mb/sec and some of them cost almost $100 less than the pre_AC.

 

[nk215]

Even marketing (which always grossly exaggerates) does not claim such a Jump in speed in AC. Which means that your old N "sux big time". Most people that have good Dual Band (A/B/G/N) would see such an improvement (if any) when switching to AC.

There's no doubt that my old "N" is not very good since it's the laptop built-in antenna.

I don't think you can practically hold a consistent ~300Mbps on a N (dual band) but you can with AC.

For web activities and movie streaming, it may not matter. The real difference shows up when you do laptop backups or large file transfers.

 

[It's Not Lupus]

maybe the routers, but what about the adapters?

 

[nk215]

I am not too crazy about the adapter. They kind of defeat the idea of ultra portable laptops (which are all that I have, thinkpad Xs and Asus pink). I don't plug in the adapter most of the time. The next laptop generation prob has AC support built-in.

Basically, if your N router is on the way out, I would recommend replacing it with an AC. that way you have dual band and be ready for next generations of laptops. You pay around $80-$100 extra but, at least for me, I don't replace router very often (every 3-4 years or so). No point of getting another N for $100 cheaper and get stuck with it for the next few years.

About the adapter. Only get it if you really need to or if you use it on the laptop docking stations. The current AC adapter are mostly USB2 which is kind of a bottle neck of the AC speed.

 

[JackMDS]

There are A/B/G/N (Dual Band) Wireless cards for almost all laptops on ebay for less than $20.

As an example...

A good A/B/G/N (Dual Band) Wireless Router can be found for $70.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833162070

So, for less than $100 (Wireless card + Adapter) One can have nice Dual Band Wireless today instead of paying $100 more to future proof ignorance.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...i+PCIe+Notebook+Laptop+Wireless+Card&_sacat=0

 

[dawza]

I'd suggest selecting a router that meets your routing needs first, and then focus on its WAP features. You can always add a separate AC AP (or purchase an AC router and use it as an AP only) down the line-- prices will likely have come down by then, so total monetary output should be comparable, but you end up with potentially higher-quality equipment, plus redundancy/segregation of points of failure.

Naturally, if you need/want AC now AND need to replace a router AND want an all-in-one device, a router with AC functionality would be most appropriate.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm most interested in draft-AC routers that also support WDS or wireless bridging, and also support WPA2-PSK/AES while doing so.

I run a wireless bridge (on 5Ghz currently) between my two rooms of my apt. I get maybe 40Mbit/sec on a good day. It would be nice to improve this fourfold.