looking for top end router, but which one?

[bleucharm28]

Hey guys

How big of a difference comparing a dual band wifi router vs tri band?

This house is about 3500 sqft, and beside all the computer connections, they also have TV's with Wifi, plus everyone else mobile device.

If this scenario was true, we have multiple device with simultaneous connection throughout this house.

Would Triband makes more sense, or dual band will work just as well?

I think this guy has like 6 or 7 computers; thinking about hardwire connecting to router.

I have 2 routers in mind.

Asus RT-AC5300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320244

or

Asus RT-AC88U
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320242

 

[frowertr]

Neither of those are "top end" except for their price. You'd do better installing a couple of dedicated APs in the house and running them back to your router. Especially to get great coverage for that size home.

https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-lite/
Or
https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap/

Whatever you get make sure it's in the 5Ghz spectrum. You will deal with far less interference issues.

 

[smitbret]

Neither of those are "top end" except for their price. You'd do better installing a couple of dedicated APs in the house and running them back to your router. Especially to get great coverage for that size home.

https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-lite/
Or
https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap/

Whatever you get make sure it's in the 5Ghz spectrum. You will deal with far less interference issues.

Agreed, if you want "high-end" then those APs paired with this router will provide the jumping off point for the performance you want for a lot less than either of those routers:

http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Edge...id=1456244591&sr=8-3&keywords=edgerouter+lite

 

[dave_the_nerd]

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/rankers/router/view

Just look at the router ranker, and go down the list until you find the awesomest router in your pricerange.

There's a lot of minutiae you can get into if you want, but smallnetbuilder makes it pretty easy to get the "right" hardware - the rest is up to you and your l33t network engineering skillz.

 

[razel]

Also don't buy into the speed. 2600 mb/s will not get you data 26 times faster than 100 mb/s if the amount of data you need is less than 100mb. Also many of the newer wave 2 'top end' routers also require clients that support that speed or the awesomely useful MU-MIMO.

The other reality as I found out is realistically once you get everything setup your real-life speed off your wireless device is roughly 75mps for 2.4Ghz wireless 200mp/s for 5. Yes with a direct line of sight to the antenna you can get 866/1300 AC, but as soon as you turn a corner in your home and begin walking and settle to where you use it, it's often closer to 200.

Smallnetbuilder is an awesome resource. I often look at the 2.4 downlink speed profile to see which routers are best at distance. It's a joke to think that 5Ghz is for range. Just look at the charts, they often drop off at -45db. 2.4 drops off 60-70ish. However realistically 2.4 is crowded and in those situations 5ghz may be more viable for a signal than 2.4. So, there isn't one router for everyone. It's up to you unfortunately to determine.

 

[bleucharm28]

ok, thx guys. This is exactly what I need to know.

 

[JackMDS]

This http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320174

Plus extend the WIFI id needed with this https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-lite/

That said, some people can not feel Good about Jewelery unless they get it in Tiffany.

In such case this - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320244

or this - http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-Wi-Fi-AC5300-Router-DIR-895L/dp/B00PVDNQ34/ref=pd_sim_sbs_147_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=411DGmt8fQL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0TCCF4E96WCWTA8MM0M3

 

[boomhower]

If your current router is alive just reusing it as a router but adding a couple unifi AP's would be the ticket. Two would be about right for your space but every home is different. One more than blankets my 1500 home in 5GHz, 2.4Ghz is obviously even better.

 

[SeanFL]

In case it helps, I've used a few methods to cover a house that is 8,000 square feet over the years. At first I tried 4 ap's in the corners of the house. All worked fairly well, except handoffs when streaming media while moving around the house.

What has worked well for me, is to use a high powered Asus router. This one in particular has worked very well for me: http://goo.gl/GDGJeB

The router is positioned on the 2nd floor in the middle of the house and it covers the entire house very well. We're fed by 150/150 fiber and there are often 5 or 6 people consuming media and sending files. One option that may help is to have some of the people streaming and consuming loads of data on the 5G band (which does not travel as far as the 2.4G band).

Sean

 

[bleucharm28]

I've decided to keep my current router and add couple unifi AP's. cheaper and effective.

Thanks again, guys.

 

[boomerang]

This thread has inspired me to move past the two buggy Asus routers I have, one each at two separate residences. When one was giving me trouble I thought I just was having bad luck. Now that the second is giving me trouble I've realized they are just bad pieces of hardware. I'm disappointed. I've built many systems around Asus motherboards and bought routers based on those experiences.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

In case it helps, I've used a few methods to cover a house that is 8,000 square feet over the years. At first I tried 4 ap's in the corners of the house. All worked fairly well, except handoffs when streaming media while moving around the house.

What has worked well for me, is to use a high powered Asus router. This one in particular has worked very well for me: http://goo.gl/GDGJeB

The router is positioned on the 2nd floor in the middle of the house and it covers the entire house very well. We're fed by 150/150 fiber and there are often 5 or 6 people consuming media and sending files. One option that may help is to have some of the people streaming and consuming loads of data on the 5G band (which does not travel as far as the 2.4G band).

Sean

The issue you run into with standalone AP is there is technically no handoff at all, each time your client decides to change AP you need to do a full re-auth to the next one. A controller fixes this problem, but is typically more than most home users want to spend.

 

[PliotronX]

Neither of those are "top end" except for their price. You'd do better installing a couple of dedicated APs in the house and running them back to your router. Especially to get great coverage for that size home.

https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-lite/
Or
https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap/

Whatever you get make sure it's in the 5Ghz spectrum. You will deal with far less interference issues.

This is the route to go. If you would enjoy:

• Impressive coverage
• Never having to reboot devices
• Simple setup and management
• Inconspicuous implementation

Look no further than these UniFi APs.

 

[boomerang]

Neither of those are "top end" except for their price. You'd do better installing a couple of dedicated APs in the house and running them back to your router. Especially to get great coverage for that size home.

https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-lite/
Or
https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap/

Whatever you get make sure it's in the 5Ghz spectrum. You will deal with far less interference issues.

I'm looking at the system example in the datasheet for these and I'm wondering, do I have to have a computer always connected in the system running the UniFi Controller software when I would have just one AP? After initial setup, I don't need a computer for it to do its thing, correct?

 

[frowertr]

I'm looking at the system example in the datasheet for these and I'm wondering, do I have to have a computer always connected in the system running the UniFi Controller software when I would have just one AP? After initial setup, I don't need a computer for it to do its thing, correct?

Correct. You only need the controller to configure them initially. So you can install it on a computer and never run it again unless you need to ever reconfigure them.

The AP's lack any kind of web GUI for configuration so the controller takes place of this.

 

[boomerang]

Correct. You only need the controller to configure them initially. So you can install it on a computer and never run it again unless you need to ever reconfigure them.

The AP's lack any kind of web GUI for configuration so the controller takes place of this.

Thanks for the reply. I figured as much but wanted to make sure before I ordered anything.

 

[boomerang]

Some of this is informational or perhaps even anecdotal but I wanted to do a bit of an update. I also want to ask a question or perhaps two. Please keep in mind that I am slightly above a rank amateur when it comes to networking.

So, I bought an EdgeRouter X and a UniFi AP AC Lite. I had some trouble setting up the router as I assumed, despite actually reading the manual, that I could just follow the standard procedure for installing a router which is something I have done many, many times. After a bit of frustration, I knuckled down and actually followed the steps outlined in the quick start guide along with what I learned from a video and lo and behold I had it up and running. Getting the AP into the mix was quite easy. I'm awaiting a delivery of some cabling to actually put it all in place permanently so for now I am running the Asus router I have that this hardware will be replacing.

I absolutely desire to access this equipment remotely. Our primary residence is 1500 miles away where we spend eight months of the year and I rely on the equipment in place here to monitor the condo from the perspective of the temperature and an IP camera. I also like being able to log into the existing Asus router to futz around when the need arises. I once lost access to the thermostat and I was able to restore connectivity by rebooting the router to cite one example of why remote management is both useful and necessary for me.

Along those lines I will need to go with a free DNS service. No questions there and I will be able to set that up to access the router. My question centers around an easy method for a rank amateur to access the AP remotely. My research has me somewhat confused.

Maybe someone could point me towards a good tutorial? I haven't been able to find one yet on my own.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

My question centers around an easy method for a rank amateur to access the AP remotely. My research has me somewhat confused.

I believe the Unifi Cloud Key would be best for an amateur. How to setup UniFi Cloud Key and adopt UniFi APs

The no-cost solution could be one of several options, including but not limited to:

VPN/TeamViewer/VNC to PC with controller on remote network
VPN to remote router and use local controller to take control of remote AP
Using a cloud controller (free for 12 months)

 

[boomerang]

I believe the Unifi Cloud Key would be best for an amateur. How to setup UniFi Cloud Key and adopt UniFi APs

The no-cost solution could be one of several options, including but not limited to:

VPN/TeamViewer/VNC to PC with controller on remote network
VPN to remote router and use local controller to take control of remote AP
Using a cloud controller (free for 12 months)

Thanks for taking an interest. I want a no-cost solution. There will be no computer here so the first option is out.

I have researched VPN stuff (see how technical I am? ) numerous times before and I just get confused. I'm an old dog and although I never thought the day would come, I'm tired of learning new tricks.

However, I did run across this. Which I think offers a solution. I think, but am not certain.

https://help.ubnt.com/hc/en-us/arti...yer-3-methods-for-UAP-adoption-and-management

I just need to wrap my head around what it's saying. If I have to do anything CLI related though, I'm screwed.

 

[frowertr]

That link is for adopting existing AP's into the Unifi controller. Did you mean to link something else?

That router should support L2TP and/or IPSec. Either of those will be fine as they will give you access to your internal LAN once you pass through the VPN. You won't need DNS but you will need a static IP from your ISP. I know there is a DNS service that tracks IP changes so you can continue to use a DHCP address from your provider. I've never used them so I can't comment on how well they work. It is always just easier to grab a static IP from your provider.

I don't own a Unifi Router so I can't walk you through any steps. There should be a section in the admin GUI of the router that will allow for VPN configuration. You could probably pull up just about any IPSec/L2TP router tutorial on the internet and apply the same basics to your router. CLI is not needed for this at all...

 

[AnonymouseUser]

You could probably pull up just about any IPSec/L2TP router tutorial on the internet and apply the same basics to your router. CLI is not needed for this at all...

Here's a tutorial from Ubiquiti, including a video. It does require a CLI after all...

 

[frowertr]

Wow, CLI on a consumer router? They need to get with the program. The think they are IOS?

For a while, their Tough Switch line were also mostly CLI based but their GUI team finally caught up and you don't need to use the CLI for configuration on them any longer. Perhaps the routers are still a bit behind.

 

[boomerang]

That link is for adopting existing AP's into the Unifi controller. Did you mean to link something else?

No, that was the link. This just shows how confused I really am.

Thanks to you too for the interest. I'll figure this out on my own and learn something in the process. I do have the time to do so.

And, maybe this hardware is robust enough to stay running and performing the functions it's designed to do. If that's the case, I don't need to remotely manage anything. We winter in Florida and our area has a whole lot of power blips. I eventually put the old equipment on a UPS and will have this new hardware on it too. The UPS helped a lot with the Asus router and the UPS combined with the newer hardware may just be bulletproof.

 

[boomerang]

The wireless crapped out again yesterday evening on the RT-N66U. It's broadcasting the SSID but you can't connect, the same thing it's done twice before. Rebooting it restores functionality. In Michigan, the RT-AC66U quits broadcasting the SSID. With both, logging into the router hardwired shows nothing amiss but I have admitted before that the logs are too technical for me to interpret them.

If anyone still has interest, could you please take a look at this .pdf and see if it contains my answer. I believe that it may.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...ixOzI-Y7y2kTxd0MA&sig2=-klQzhfbkpBPiVgFMAAekg

UniFi-Discover is installed as part of the UniFi Controller so that already exists on my computer. The only part that confuses me a bit is installing UniFi as a Windows Service but I think once I start the procedure it will be not all that difficult.

 

[Kaido]

The wireless crapped out again yesterday evening on the RT-N66U. It's broadcasting the SSID but you can't connect, the same thing it's done twice before. Rebooting it restores functionality.

I had the same issue. Switched to a TP-Link Archer C3200, no issues since.

I've read that you can resolve the issue by switching to a third-party firmware, but I just wanted something that worked OOTB.