Need a new router (200-300$ price range)

[KaRLiToS]

Hi guys,

My DIR-655 is starting to loose connection frequently and I need a good router.

I cannot get signal when I am at the other end of the house and I would like to pay 200-300$ CAD. Need a reliable router. Need it for wireless laptops, cell phones and PS3.

Preferrably from newegg.ca.

Please help me.

 

[mnewsham]

This router
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0XK-000W-00080

+ this access point
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0ED-0005-000V6


I personally dislike router wifi combo units, but if you want to go that route I prefer devices that can handle DD-WRT so I'd go with the Linksys WRT1900AC or WRT3200AC
Looks like on newegg.ca the cheaper 1900AC is actually $40 more expensive, so i'd go with the WRT3200AC, but it's at the edge of your budget.
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16833124634

 

[KaRLiToS]

I was eyeing the WRT 3200 as well. Might get it.

 

[razel]

Be careful not to fall for the big numbers. 160Mhz is available perhaps if you live out on a farm. To top it off not many devices are 4 stream. What's more realistic is 2 stream devices meaning 866 @ 5Ghz. Each AC stream is 433. Top speeds are also only available if you have line of sight of the router and are nearby.

The TP-Link Archer C7/C9 ($87USD) are currently on sale at Amazon. Check dealnews or slickdeals for details. The Netgear R7000p is the new revision of the benchmark R7000. Additionally the ASUS AC1900P (?) appears to be the latest update of the other benchmark ASUS RT-AC68. If you do not mess with your WiFi often the Google onHub/GWiFi coverage is stellar that it matches or exceeds AC68 and R7000. It's limited settings will drive your enthusiast network admin mad though.

My latest numbers are here: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/googlewifi/6-458nDrcOs;context-place=forum/googlewifi

 

[KaRLiToS]

I just need a good router to get signal accross my house, the DIR-655 doesn't cut it and my house is not that big.

 

[mnewsham]

I just need a good router to get signal accross my house, the DIR-655 doesn't cut it and my house is not that big.

The WRT3200AC is overkill really, but the lower end AC1900 model is more expensive, so it really wouldnt make sense to pay more for less.

 

[KaRLiToS]

Yeah I know, I will probably get it. Just want to get the best for my needs, I'm ready to extend up to 400$ but is it really worth it? I am also trying to get the wifi to my backyeard shed that is around 30 meters from my house. I might try the powerline adapters for it.

 

[razel]

Still lots of good deals at the official Linksys refurb site. $69 for the WRT-1200, the WRT-3200 is $140. The best deal for you might be the E8400 (AC2400) at $55.

 

[KaRLiToS]

No refurbished for sure. Sorry. I am a brand new buying guy.

 

[mnewsham]

Yeah I know, I will probably get it. Just want to get the best for my needs, I'm ready to extend up to 400$ but is it really worth it? I am also trying to get the wifi to my backyeard shed that is around 30 meters from my house. I might try the powerline adapters for it.

Power line adapters could work, or MoCA if your house is already wired with Coax.

With my first suggestion (router + access point) you can always just add another access point at the opposite end of your house (or whatever area you need the extra signal strength), the access points just need an ethernet connection, so power line, or MoCA, would work for that if you don't already have ethernet in your walls. You can also add an access point in the same way if you get the Linksys router, but you'll probably end up spending more that way.

 

[UsandThem]

I bought the TP Link Archer AC5400 around 8 months ago to replace a Negear R7000 that was having issues, and I love it. Best router I ever owned, and my kids are no longer bugging me every 5 minutes about their phones/Xbox One/computers dropping connections

http://www.tp-link.com/us/products/details/cat-5506_Archer-C5400.html

 

[mxnerd]

I bought the TP Link Archer AC5400 around 8 months ago to replace a Negear R7000 that was having issues, and I love it. Best router I ever owned, and my kids are no longer bugging me every 5 minutes about their phones/Xbox One/computers dropping connections

http://www.tp-link.com/us/products/details/cat-5506_Archer-C5400.html

That's $459.99 $CAD, over OP's budget
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA90R4D75586

Actually OP can check out all TP-Link models that's within his budget. TP-Link's price & quality deserve a good look.

 

[UsandThem]

That's $459.99 $CAD, over OP's budget
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA90R4D75586

In my defense, that link is for a 3rd party seller on Newegg.ca, called 'Mike's Computer Shop'. Newegg in the U.S. sells it for $249, and I bought on Amazon for $210, I believe.

The Canadian dollar must either be weak right now, or they just really get gouged up north It also shows I should read the OP a little better.

 

[sdifox]

archer c9?

 

[JackMDS]

YeahJust want to get the best for my needs.

But you did state your need.

Then you mention Power-line, which is usually a "Joke".

In the last few years the new Wireless Router are just a Money sqeezers. I.e., ther boast spec numbers tha in vivo add (if any) very little function performance.

Adding all of these Antennas and other pure electronic conundrum do not really squeeze more from the puny sub 100 mW (usually actual 30-50 mW) Wireless transmitters.

Good Wireless coverage can be achieved by multiple AP units, Mesh, and the like and not by the expensive "Snake Oil" Wireless Router.

 

[mnewsham]

But you did state your need.

Then you mention Power-line, which is usually a "Joke".

In the last few years the new Wireless Router are just a Money sqeezers. I.e., ther boast spec numbers tha in vivo add (if any) very little function performance.

Adding all of these Antennas and other pure electronic conundrum do not really squeeze more from the puny sub 100 mW (usually actual 30-50 mW) Wireless transmitters.

Good Wireless coverage can be achieved by multiple AP units, Mesh, and the like and not by the expensive "Snake Oil" Wireless Router.

Unless you're actually looking for 1gbps over the air, in which case you will need at least a 3x3 and 4x4 would be better. Sure you don't NEED it if you just want good wireless coverage over your entire house for 200-400mbps or less, but if you want a faster network, you WILL need those fancy 3x3 and 4x4 routers, if you want significant coverage at those speeds, you'll need to create a mesh network of $300+ routers which is obviously not in most consumer budgets.

Setting up multiple lower priced APs is great for most people who don't need super high performance speedwise and is what I was trying to recommend in my first post, with the Ubiquiti router and access point, for more coverage just add another access point as needed.

 

[KaRLiToS]

But you did state your need.

Then you mention Power-line, which is usually a "Joke".

In the last few years the new Wireless Router are just a Money sqeezers. I.e., ther boast spec numbers tha in vivo add (if any) very little function performance.

Adding all of these Antennas and other pure electronic conundrum do not really squeeze more from the puny sub 100 mW (usually actual 30-50 mW) Wireless transmitters.

Good Wireless coverage can be achieved by multiple AP units, Mesh, and the like and not by the expensive "Snake Oil" Wireless Router.

The powerline adapter is just to get the internet into my backyard which is on a circuit breaker.

My needs are still a router or the APs for my house like mnewsham is mentionning . My only concern is wiring there APs.

My budget is also very flexible, checking for the Archer C5400 right now but might just get two APs. I am very undecided. But as mentionned above, super high performance is a must because I will be streaming from my main PC to my TVs. Will APs be good enough for that?

Also, I need coverage all the way to the master room.

 

[mnewsham]

The powerline adapter is just to get the internet into my backyard which is on a circuit breaker.

My needs are still a router or the APs for my house like mnewsham is mentionning . My only concern is wiring there APs.

My budget is also very flexible, checking for the Archer C5400 right now but might just get two APs. I am very undecided. But as mentionned above, super high performance is a must because I will be streaming from my main PC to my TVs. Will APs be good enough for that?

Also, I need coverage all the way to the master room.

What sort of internet speeds do you pay for?
What type of movie streaming do you plan on doing? (Netfix, Amazon, Hulu, etc. OR bluray ISO's or encodes?)

Most $100+ APs these days will manage 100mbps+ from a few rooms away if not further. So if you're not needing more than 200mbps consistent wireless performance, you can probably make do with cheaper APs.

If you want 500mbps+ or god forbid 1gbps over wifi, then you'll need to start looking at $250+ APs.

The C5400 can theoretically deliver over 2gbps to a single client device, but if you never expect to need more than 200-300mbps, that extra bandwidth is irrelevant and you'd be better off buying 2 or 3 cheaper APs and spread them out throughout your property for much higher signal strength throughout, but lower overall available bandwidth (again, if you don't need the excess bandwidth, it's just wasted)

 

[KaRLiToS]

My internet speed is 30mbps. But the streaming is for accross all my devices in the home. I also might use my old DIR-655 as an Access point.

 

[mnewsham]

My internet speed is 30mbps. But the streaming is for accross all my devices in the home. I also might use my old DIR-655 as an Access point.

The DIR-655 should work fine as an access point.

For your internet speeds and described use case, I really don't think you need the speeds offered by the WRT3200AC or the Archer C5400, they're not bad routers, just extremely overkill for the amount of bandwidth you'll be using, and you would most likely be better served by purchasing two $100-150 routers and creating a mesh network with your DIR-655.
Something like this.
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA7RD3YK7312

 

[ch33zw1z]

This router
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0XK-000W-00080

+ this access point
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0ED-0005-000V6


I personally dislike router wifi combo units, but if you want to go that route I prefer devices that can handle DD-WRT so I'd go with the Linksys WRT1900AC or WRT3200AC
Looks like on newegg.ca the cheaper 1900AC is actually $40 more expensive, so i'd go with the WRT3200AC, but it's at the edge of your budget.
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16833124634

I too have a ER-X + Ubiquiti WAP (I use the Long Range version to make sure my house is covered)

I second this setup. very versatile, very good signal.

 

[KaRLiToS]

The DIR-655 should work fine as an access point.

For your internet speeds and described use case, I really don't think you need the speeds offered by the WRT3200AC or the Archer C5400, they're not bad routers, just extremely overkill for the amount of bandwidth you'll be using, and you would most likely be better served by purchasing two $100-150 routers and creating a mesh network with your DIR-655.
Something like this.
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA7RD3YK7312

So the Linksys WRT3200 is overkill? Don't you think it has a better coverage than the one in the link in your post?

 

[mnewsham]

So the Linksys WRT3200 is overkill? Don't you think it has a better coverage than the one in the link in your post?

Maybe slightly since it is such a powerful router.

But why bother when for the same price you can buy 2 of the ones I linked and have significantly better coverage?

No single AP is going to outperform multiple access points spread out to maximize signal strength.

 

[mv2devnull]

My DIR-655 is starting to loose connection frequently
I cannot get signal when I am at the other end of the house

The "loose connection", is it on the wireless or in the routing of the DIR-655?

You clearly need wireless access points (AP), but it is not clear whether you need any new router.

 

[KaRLiToS]

The router has to be in the basement and same thing with the AP if I get one. Is there limitation in the AP positionning?

The problem is, I don't want to pass cables through the walls up to the first floor. I think buying a new router and using my old one has an extender would be the best and easiest way, but I'm am still thinking about the APs, I want it so bad...but don't want to mess with RJ45 cables in the walls.