Best WiFi router for home use

[bmacd]

Hello!

I have a Cisco X83 modem/router through Comcast/Xfinity X-1 services. The router will not broadcast a good signal through the first floor of my home. I plan to use my X83 in bridge mode. I've tried using network repeaters, but they weren't able to fix my problem. Can you please recommend a sub-$150 router that will broadcast over the first floor of my home? It's less than 2000 sq ft. Thanks!

 

[Insert_Nickname]

If you're getting a new router, it's a good idea to get one with detachable antennas. Add some high-gain ones instead of the manufacturer provided, and don't forget to angle one of the antennas horizontally. Should do fine. An adaptor with a high-gain antenna would not go amiss either.

If you're in a congested WIFI area, take the plunge and go AC. It's well worth it.

 

[bmacd]

Thanks for the advice. Any recommendations for a model-specific router?

 

[smitbret]

For sub-$150

If you want AC:
http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Arche...UTF8&qid=1433875336&sr=8-1&keywords=archer+c7
or
http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Arche...UTF8&qid=1433875336&sr=8-2&keywords=archer+c7

If N is good enough:
http://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-...8&qid=1433875384&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+rt-n66u

Although if it is 2000 sq/ft ranch style, the corners might be kind of nasty and I would think about a main router and a cheap AP to kind of split the difference if it's possible.

***UPDATE***
Looks like this one has come down in price since I last checked. It was kind of the gold standard of AC routers until the AC1900+ units came out:
http://www.amazon.com/RT-AC66U-Dual...8&qid=1433875398&sr=8-2&keywords=asus+rt-n66u

 

[JackMDS]

If you want to make sure that you really have a Good coverage leave every thing as is.

Then lay one cable to a second center local and use it to connect a second AP.

You can use same SSID and password. Set one Wireless to Ch 1 and the other to Ch11.

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Arche...TF8&qid=1433880217&sr=8-1&keywords=tp+link+ac

Using Wireless Routers (or Modem/Wireless Router) as a Switch with an Access Point - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Thanks for the advice. Any recommendations for a model-specific router?

I've had fairly good results with ASUS routers. Enough to recommend them.

***UPDATE***
Looks like this one has come down in price since I last checked. It was kind of the gold standard of AC routers until the AC1900+ units came out:
http://www.amazon.com/RT-AC66U-Dual...8&qid=1433875398&sr=8-2&keywords=asus+rt-n66u

^^This. No contest.

If you want to make sure that you really have a Good coverage leave every thing as is.

Then lay one cable to a second center local and use it to connect a second AP.

You can use same SSID and password. Set one Wireless to Ch 1 and the other to Ch11.

Sometimes its not really practical to lay cables. Otherwise good idea.

BTW, some of the cheaper ASUS routers have AP functionally built-in. So they can operate as either AP, WIFI extender or as a standard router. Should be a little cheaper then a dedicated AP

 

[PliotronX]

There are only two types of access points (that I know of) that will knock your socks off with range. UniFi is the least expensive option and then a new fascination of mine which is more than six times as expensive is the Ruckus Zoneflex line. Both product lines don't go off into AC1300/1700/eleventymillion for the sake of marketing so don't be fooled by "only" supporting N300. They actually deliver the goods in consistent speed and eliminate dead spots.

Now the thing to keep in mind is that these are discrete access points which I actually prefer because you can hang onto your old router if you are happy with the wired performance or swap out to your heart's content (which us networking geeks like to do).

 

[kommisar]

I have a Cisco X83 modem/router through Comcast/Xfinity X-1 services. The router will not broadcast a good signal through the first floor of my home. I plan to use my X83 in bridge mode. I've tried using network repeaters, but they weren't able to fix my problem. Can you please recommend a sub-$150 router that will broadcast over the first floor of my home? It's less than 2000 sq ft.

I would suggest a linksys wrt54gl that can be purchased here for $28:

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-WRT54GL-Wireless-G-Broadband-Router/dp/B00LV89BEG

and then getting these hi-gain antennas for $10:

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Power-Supply®-871W-G-E-K9-Air-AP1252AG-A-K9/dp/B00KQ0U19E

This combination has given me the strongest wifi coverage I have ever seen with a wireless router. If even this is not enough to cover your house, install dd-wrt firmware on this router which can be found here:

http://dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linksys_WRT54GL

Once the dd-wrt firmware is installed (use the recommened 12548 version) you will be able to increase the transmit power of the unit. This should give you the necessary umph to cover your house.

 

[sonitravel09]

I would recomend the asus RT-AC66U it is fast secure and has very quick setup

 

[s44]

I would suggest a linksys wrt54gl that can be purchased here for $28

Absolutely not. This was a good recommendation ten years ago. Now, it's a poor choice in every way.

 

[ericlp]

Absolutely not. This was a good recommendation ten years ago. Now, it's a poor choice in every way.

Well, the firmware of DDWRT is never a poor choice, the problem with linksys 54G is poor bandwidth. One could go to amazon and buy a cheap n300 TP Link for 20 bucks that will probably have 3-5x the thoughput of a older 54G. If you don't mind the slow speed. The hardware is top quality. The firmware and hardware are bulletproof. I used one of these for a REALLY long time as a VAP. Worked but slow! I wish they made quality routers like they did back in the day, ones that lasted forever and stayed up for years without resetting them.

Every router I setup today I set it to reboot itself everyday at 3:30 AM. Flaky crap on the market. Probably the worse thing about these are the power supplies. Try compare a power supply from an old linksys to the crap you get today. No comparison. Crappy power supply? Flaky and short lived router at best.

 

[kommisar]

Absolutely not. This was a good recommendation ten years ago. Now, it's a poor choice in every way.

That depends on why he is not getting a signal throughout his modest size house. If it is being caused by old style construction techniques in the walls, then wireless n is not going to work too well and wireless g will be a better solution. If it is being caused by lots of neighbors with routers in the same spectrum, then ac would be the correct way to go. He has not provided enough details to determine the problem, nor a bandwidth requirement for what the router must deliver. All he has said is he wants signal. The wrt54GL w 9dbi antennas and 125mw of transmit power is about as good as he is going to get <$150.

 

[kgokal]

I'm having similar issues, but here is my details.
I have 3 story home built in 2006, so predominate wood structure, no metals.
Modem/Router is in basement, closest to the cable box coming inside.
I do have a CAT5 going from that location to master closet on top floor.
The router is an old 802.1G Netgear router

My devices include phones, ipads, nests and laptops. They all tend to be online with 3-4 bars, but frequently lose the connection for long periods of time, my nest is offline for an hour at a time, and being fixed location makes it confusing.

My mac when it turns on will frequently not be able to find the SSID, and im forced to select it from the list before it will actually connect.

Is it my old router, and would moving to the $150 ASUS really help things out?
Would moving old router to top floor help?

 

[s44]

I'm having similar issues, but here is my details.
I have 3 story home built in 2006, so predominate wood structure, no metals.
Modem/Router is in basement, closest to the cable box coming inside.
I do have a CAT5 going from that location to master closet on top floor.
The router is an old 802.1G Netgear router

It's probably a combination of the limited RAM/processor/firmware on your old router and the limited coverage on its access point. With a house that size, I'd suggest splitting the functions:

2x UniFi APs, one for downstairs (run another ethernet to the basement door and mount it there) & one upstairs (in master closet). These come with PoE injectors and hand off to each other seamlessly.
1x more stable but less expensive router like the 3500L. Just turn off the built-in wireless altogether and just use it as a gateway/router.

 

[mcveigh]

I'm having similar issues, but here is my details.
I have 3 story home built in 2006, so predominate wood structure, no metals.
Modem/Router is in basement, closest to the cable box coming inside.
I do have a CAT5 going from that location to master closet on top floor.
The router is an old 802.1G Netgear router

My devices include phones, ipads, nests and laptops. They all tend to be online with 3-4 bars, but frequently lose the connection for long periods of time, my nest is offline for an hour at a time, and being fixed location makes it confusing.

My mac when it turns on will frequently not be able to find the SSID, and im forced to select it from the list before it will actually connect.

Is it my old router, and would moving to the $150 ASUS really help things out?
Would moving old router to top floor help?

It's easy to try, and costs nothing. Put it upstairs. I bet it helps.
Then get one of the recommended routers from this thread.

 

[lazybedone]

thanks a lot for the info bmacd and smirbit on the cost of AC on amazon. my wifi at home is crap, been connecting to a vpn ever since just for speed.

 

[anhbloginc]

How about Buffalo brand ? Anyone used it ?

 

[JackMDS]

In the era of b/g the HP Buffalo been the best.

Currently (Dual Band AC era) their Wireless Routers are decent+ but the Asus line is better.

 

[sep]

If you want to make sure that you really have a Good coverage leave every thing as is.

Then lay one cable to a second center local and use it to connect a second AP.

You can use same SSID and password. Set one Wireless to Ch 1 and the other to Ch11.

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Arche...TF8&qid=1433880217&sr=8-1&keywords=tp+link+ac

Using Wireless Routers (or Modem/Wireless Router) as a Switch with an Access Point - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html

OP, I hope you don't mind me jumping in on this tread with a question.

JackMDS - I have this setup using R66U (ch1) as primary & WNDR3600 (ch11) as secondary to cover outside. I notice the problem when my devices (SG4) are almost out of range of the primary. It seems to hold on to that router vs switching so I end up with poor/slower performance. If I'm out of range of the R66U then the secondary is used and performance is okay. That gap would provide better performance from the secondary. Any thoughts or suggestions? I can post a new thread if you want (or OP).

 

[PliotronX]

OP, I hope you don't mind me jumping in on this tread with a question.

JackMDS - I have this setup using R66U (ch1) as primary & WNDR3600 (ch11) as secondary to cover outside. I notice the problem when my devices (SG4) are almost out of range of the primary. It seems to hold on to that router vs switching so I end up with poor/slower performance. If I'm out of range of the R66U then the secondary is used and performance is okay. That gap would provide better performance from the secondary. Any thoughts or suggestions? I can post a new thread if you want (or OP).

This is partly the fault of client devices and partly the lack of awareness by the APs. I believe both of those routers feature Atheros processors so you might be able to fiddle with WDS but this cuts overall throughput in at least half because of the way that the APs talk to each other. Unfortunately one of the only ways to take advantage of zero hand-off is with UniFi APs. They are very cheap so you could conceivably retire the 3600 and disable the Asus's radio and let the UniFi's show you some real WiFi coverage for ~$130USD/pair.

 

[JackMDS]

Sep what you are looking for is Seamless Roaming.

Unfortunately the Consumer grade Wireless Routers/APs are not really providing it.

Basically there are two options.

1. Stay with what you have and spend the few sec. that it takes to switch the Wireless device.

2. Spend more money and get Pro level Wireless that was designed to provide seamless Roaming.

https://meraki.cisco.com/technologies/seamless-mobility

http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Netw...sim_147_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=07V10P5BAWPQMZH01BQW

 

[cruzinforit]

Personally I have a Archer C5 with high gain 9db antennas on it, and I have it centrally mounted in the 1700sq/ft Ranch style house I'm living in, and I get consistent 50db in every corner of the house, and the basement, and about 55-60db on the back porch, with my 7260AC equipped laptop. I can manage about 20-25MB/s in most of the house if the laptop is oriented the correct direction. The nice thing about the C5 is it's only 2 steam for AC (because how many people have 3 stream AC devices), but 3 stream for 5ghz N, so you get the best of both worlds, and it's only $79.99. That said, the firmware is lacking compared to ASUS in terms of ease of use and features. That said, I don't use it for routing, it's AP only. I have a pfsense box for my routing duties, and my 2012R2 server handles DNS duty.

 

[JackMDS]

cruzinforit in most cases what it means is that to get results like your I have to buy your House

Buying the same hardware in a different house would would provide different Wireless capacity.

 

[smitbret]

cruzinforit in most cases what it means is that to get results like your I have to buy your House

Buying the same hardware in a different house would would provide different Wireless capacity.

Yep. I have seen exactly that. In my current house that is two stories and only about 1600 sq feet I have mounted 4 different routers (Archer C7, RT-AC68U, MyNet N900, DIR-825), all of which are really pretty good routers, at two different locations and there are still a few dead spots regardless of which router I use.

I put a $30 Netgear 2020 in the basement of my in-laws 3 story, 3000 sq foot house and not only do they not have any dead spots that I can find, but even on the third floor I get better than -60db.

 

[JackMDS]

I had situations that after furniture rearrangement the Wireless capacity grossly changed.

What all this means is that the typical Post.

I need a Router what is the Best to buy? is in practical terms meaningless.