Best home wireless AC router 2014?

[Nate_007]

Hey community,

In less than a month I will be moving from an apartment to my new home and I will need to upgrade my old router.

So what is the general consensus around here regarding what is the best home wireless AC router that I can buy right now?

Currently eyeing on these:
1) TP LINK AC1750 Archer C7 (my friend said 5Ghz band often disconnects)
2) D-Link AC1900 DIR 880L (I read its USB port can only detect less than 500GB external HD, my media external HD is 2TB)
3) ASUS AC1750 RT-AC66U (Overheating issues)

 

[JackMDS]

Number 3.

 

[smitbret]

Hey community,

In less than a month I will be moving from an apartment to my new home and I will need to upgrade my old router.

So what is the general consensus around here regarding what is the best home wireless AC router that I can buy right now?

Currently eyeing on these:
1) TP LINK AC1750 Archer C7 (my friend said 5Ghz band often disconnects)
2) D-Link AC1900 DIR 880L (I read its USB port can only detect less than 500GB external HD, my media external HD is 2TB)
3) ASUS AC1750 RT-AC66U (Overheating issues)

The Asus routers are the gold standard so most people will say #3

I have had #1 for about 14 months and can't complain. No problems with the 5GHz band, either.

 

[PliotronX]

Number 3.

Winner, winner chicken souffle!

 

[alkemyst]

smallnetbuilder.com should have performance comparisons.

 

[stlc8tr]

I've been looking into Asus AC routers and it seems most recommendations are for the AC68U over the AC66U. It has a much faster CPU so throughput is supposedly better at the high end.

 

[Nate_007]

I've been looking into Asus AC routers and it seems most recommendations are for the AC68U over the AC66U. It has a much faster CPU so throughput is supposedly better at the high end.

Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah the AC68U version is what it seems the most recommended one. I'm just trying not to spend over $200.

So let me ask you guys this, if you only have $200 in cash, which router will you get?

 

[nickbits]

I have the AC68U, no complaints.

 

[stlc8tr]

Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah the AC68U version is what it seems the most recommended one. I'm just trying not to spend over $200.

So let me ask you guys this, if you only have $200 in cash, which router will you get?

If you don't mind jumping through a few hoops, the AC68U is available with a $60 MacAfee rebate so the net price is $150. If you have a Discover card, you can get another 5% off.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...4475&CatId=373

The rebate is one of those "sign up for a yearly service" rebates so you will have to remember to cancel after 10 months or use a virtual card with a very low limit.

 

[smitbret]

Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah the AC68U version is what it seems the most recommended one. I'm just trying not to spend over $200.

So let me ask you guys this, if you only have $200 in cash, which router will you get?

NetGear Nighthawk R7000

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I have an AC66U, and no complaints, but that bit about a 500GB HD limit on the D-Link sounds like total "what-in-the-world-that-can't-possibly-be-true?!?!"

Then again, there was a reason or three that I swore I'd never buy another D-Link product, so...

 

[Nate_007]

I have an AC66U, and no complaints, but that bit about a 500GB HD limit on the D-Link sounds like total "what-in-the-world-that-can't-possibly-be-true?!?!"

Then again, there was a reason or three that I swore I'd never buy another D-Link product, so...

I'm ready to bite the bullet for the AC66U since it's $20 off at my local store and it will be just right under my budget of $200 with tax, it's the same price as the D-Link but the 500GB HD limit may be true. I read it from a complaining user where he could not get his 1TB external drive to connect, he called D Link support and they said it will only detect less than 500GB HD, or something like that.

Or should I just save my sushi dinner budget this month and go all out and get the Asus AC68U version or Netgear R7000 Nighthawk?!? Help!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I'm ready to bite the bullet for the AC66U since it's $20 off at my local store and it will be just right under my budget of $200 with tax, it's the same price as the D-Link but the 500GB HD limit may be true. I read it from a complaining user where he could not get his 1TB external drive to connect, he called D Link support and they said it will only detect less than 500GB HD, or something like that.

Or should I just save my sushi dinner budget this month and go all out and get the Asus AC68U version or Netgear R7000 Nighthawk?!? Help!

I bought a refurb'd 66 right after the 68 came out. The 68U's more capable CPU is nice, and the USB is faster. (3.0 vs. 2.0) - that last bit might make the difference if you're connecting an HD to it for NAS functionality. (Might be worth the splurge if that's an intended use of the router.)

Newegg.ca has refurb'd 68s and refurb'd 66s. I've never been particularly disappointed buying a factory refurb, but I've saved some bucks.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I bought a refurb'd 66 right after the 68 came out. The 68U's more capable CPU is nice, and the USB is faster. (3.0 vs. 2.0) - that last bit might make the difference if you're connecting an HD to it for NAS functionality. (Might be worth the splurge if that's an intended use of the router.)

USB3.0 interferes with 2.4GHz wireless. I think therefore, if I intended to utilize the 2.4Ghz band of my router, that I would want a router with USB2.0 ports rather than 3.0.

 

[boomhower]

I have an AC66U running DD-WRT and it has been rock solid since day 1. Very very nice router for the price.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

USB3.0 interferes with 2.4GHz wireless. I think therefore, if I intended to utilize the 2.4Ghz band of my router, that I would want a router with USB2.0 ports rather than 3.0.

That's... Umm...

I'm going to need a link for that.

 

[smitbret]

That's... Umm...

I'm going to need a link for that.

Actually I read this report a couple of months ago as well. I believe it was Intel that published it. If I can dig up the link I will post it.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I have the AC68U, no complaints.

Yeah, my AC68U has been a great router and has tremendous range.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I'm ready to bite the bullet for the AC66U since it's $20 off at my local store and it will be just right under my budget of $200 with tax, it's the same price as the D-Link but the 500GB HD limit may be true. I read it from a complaining user where he could not get his 1TB external drive to connect, he called D Link support and they said it will only detect less than 500GB HD, or something like that.

Or should I just save my sushi dinner budget this month and go all out and get the Asus AC68U version or Netgear R7000 Nighthawk?!? Help!

I'm seeing new AC68U routers for under $200 at both Newegg and Amazon. I'd go for that.

 

[ImDonly1]

That's... Umm...

I'm going to need a link for that.

https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1004004
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2423604,00.asp

Asus routers have an option that "reduces usb 3 interference" I believe it makes the port run at usb 2.0 speeds.

Not sure why you are paying "a little under $200 for the ac66u" locally. Order online and get it for less.

 

[Chess]

https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1004004
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2423604,00.asp

Asus routers have an option that "reduces usb 3 interference" I believe it makes the port run at usb 2.0 speeds.

Not sure why you are paying "a little under $200 for the ac66u" locally. Order online and get it for less.

Thoughts on Refurb'd ones ?

 

[azazel1024]

https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1004004
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2423604,00.asp

Asus routers have an option that "reduces usb 3 interference" I believe it makes the port run at usb 2.0 speeds.

Not sure why you are paying "a little under $200 for the ac66u" locally. Order online and get it for less.

Correct. Intel published a handy dandy white paper back in...I want to say 2011? Or maybe 2012 that examined the issue. When USB3.0 spec was published, no one stopped to think that signaling at 2.4GHz over the wire might ever cause interference. Silly them. Too bad they didn't choose 2.8GHz or something to avoid stomping on Wifi.

At any rate, it depends heavily on the router/device. A properly shielded port and the USB cable not running near the antennas and the interference is nearly non-existant. A poorly/unshielded port and wrap the USB wire around an antenna and you can have massive interference.

The power levels for USB (for signaling) are miniscule, even in comparison to wifi power consumption, especially when you look at how much leaks as EMI. That said, it is located a few inches from an antenna, where as your wifi client might be dozens of feet and several walls away. So a 1mw EMI source might equate to a much more powerful signal than your wifi client.

That said, the difference between a properly shielded port and an unshielded one, IIRC from the Intel white paper, can be on the order of about 30dB of noise, which is HUGELY significant.

Anyway, USB3 is not always an issue. Based on SNB testing, there ARE a few routers where USB3 causes 2.4GHz issues. Most seem to ship with properly shielded ports and it causes no real 2.4GHz issues.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Thoughts on Refurb'd ones ?

They're stuff people return that tests fine.

How fine is anybody's guess, and it depends on the nature and thoroughness of testing. And who does the testing.

But I can't say that I've ever regretted buying a factory refurb.

 

[Firetrak]

The Asus without a doubt the wifi range is incredible.

 

[Nate_007]

Hey Guys,

I finally decided to go for the Asus AC68U, just hooked it up two nights ago so I haven't gotten the chance to play around with it thoroughly. This is what I've done so far:

1) Initial setup was piece of cake, plugged modem > router > wired pc and was brought the initial setup page upon opening my browser where you setup Wifi. My wireless devices were all connected to 5ghz and haven't experienced any drops so far.

2) Went ahead and tried plugging my 1TB ext HD to the USB 2.0 port, was able to access the drive on my pc but it disconnected after few minutes. Plugged in my other external HD and did not get any drops at all. Though I sitll have not figured out how to access the drive using my macbook (to access it through parallel Win 8.1).

3) Quickly tried VPN and that went very smooth and easy using my macbook to remote access my network and my pc at work (One of the feature I was really looking for).

4) Tried pairing my wireless printer, it took me 1 hour to figure it out. The WPS button on the router, not sure if its working. But I figured you can force it on the admin console and my printer was able to connect. No biggie but I hope that button is not busted.

5) Quickly tried FTP on the external hard drive, its fine using the local ip address that was given. The ddns method did not work using www.asus.com server, people said noip.com works fine but I haven't tried it.

6) QOS, still confused how this works, maybe I had the wrong idea of its concept. Basically I wanted to give my gaming-pc highest priority of my bandwidth (80%) and allocate the rest to my guest-pc (10%). To test I downloaded a media file on my gaming-pc then ran speedtest on the guest-pc. The result, my bandwidth was evenly distributed instead. (This feature is very important to me as I will be connecting many devices in the future and would like to prioritize packets accordingly, can anybody help me out on this?)

I also read on other forums of users having similar issue with the QOS functionality. Other than that, can’t really find much info on this, I would thought there would be enough community of AC68U users by now that would share their optimal settings on this router.