# 5 Best Wireless Routers For Your Money



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By Eric Podolsky , 9/10/12



As we collectively hurtle into the brave, new world of streaming, our ever-increasing bandwidth demands present us with constant challenges. The amount of data we stream continues to increase exponentially, and the routers we use to transmit said data are becoming obsolete faster than ever before. Thanks to a growing pool of streaming HD entertainment and games, the typical 300 Mbps wireless router just isn’t going to hold up to demands pressed upon it.



Naturally, as our hardware becomes increasingly unable to handle the sharp spike in streaming data, we continue the quest for that perfect router which can best handle our massive bandwidth needs in 2012 and beyond. And as AVS Forum’s members attest, the best performing router on the market is a very subjective term. Mfusick is quick to point out: “Best meaning what? Fastest? Most reliable? What's the purpose? If performance was actually important enough... you could just wire it. No wireless router can touch a good wired setup.”



Bottom line, there are so many factors to consider when buying a wireless router that a definitive “best of” list is next to impossible. So instead, we present the next best thing: a list of AVS members’ most recommended routers. These five top-of-the-line routers have been selected and recommended due to the high praise which AVS has given them across the board. Each stands out in its own way and is worthy for a different reason, so make sure to know what you want from a router before pulling the trigger. So kiss drop-outs goodbye, as these babies should have you riding a stable band of streaming connectivity from here on out (at least until your power goes out).



*Best All-around:*

*Asus RT-N66U*







*Cisco Linksys E4200*







When it comes to straight power and reliability, these two machines are at the top of the heap. You know what you’re getting with the E4200 and RT-N66U, which are far and away the most praised routers on AVS right now. The main difference between the two is cost, as the RT-N66U is around $60 more, although its performance is about the same as the E4200. AVS member Zon2020 points out that “they have very similar capabilities and I think most people would consider them comparable, some preferring one, some the other...the Linksys has every one of the features listed for the Asus except detachable antennas.”



Taking this into consideration, the Asus may be worth your extra money, considering its benefits. Member Ehjax raves that “after a few months I am very very happy with mine. Speed is amazing, have not had one hiccup and the range is silly (I get wifi in the park across the street from my house with my router located in my basement).” p5browne also has great things to say about the RT-N66U’s massive range: “Man is it fast! All the electronics in the house that require wireless connected easily... the DLink was nowhere as fast as this RT-N66U for the internet! Signal strengths, when shown on the other electronics scattered about the house, were far greater. Gave this router five stars!” With such powerful performance, this router justifies its high price with speed fast enough to handle whatever you throw at it.



The more modestly priced E4200 comes in an older and newer model (the V2), though their features are almost identical. AVS member Nethawk owns the older model, and stands by it completely: “it has been running perfectly for at least a year now...it has killer range and no issues whatsoever with wireless speed or latency - for almost two years I ran Google TV, Roku and Panasonic Blu-ray player streaming services across my wireless network with never a hiccup.” Member Apestoso agrees that this V1 model does all that he could ever want from a router: “I have tried many different brands/models and so far this is my favorite. Has all the bells and whistles anyone could require out of the box and if you throw dd-wrt firmware on it, you get so much more...Throughput and range is amazing. I have a very high speed...and this thing gives me every last kb of bandwidth available from my provider. I've done extensive testing on occasion over the years, and the 4200 has given me the best results I've ever seen. Sub 30ms pings wireless, and into the 20's and teens when directly connected to one of the ethernet ports. That is certainly pushing the limits of the ISP, not the 4200. I love the fact that I can have multiple SSIDs with different settings to accommodate the shortfalls of some mobile devices...unless you drop over $500 on a true Cisco Enterprise AP, you can't beat this thing.”



As for the V2, it seems to be equally as reliable, and comes equipped with extra processing power to match. Member Dark_Slayer has nothing but glowing praise for his: “I plan to use this router for a long time. I wanted dual-bands so that I could have wireless for the phones, laptop, devices, printer, etc. while using one band for dedicated video streaming...I can send full 1080p with HD audio to the bedroom HTPC without hiccups...I've had this up and running 60 days no resets, no down-time, no fuss. I'm very impressed with the stock menu options for the Linksys, especially the DHCP reservations, which is important if you're looking for expandability like using your old router as a repeater in another room.” These dual-band babies are true keepers, and you shouldn’t need to invest in another router for a long time if you opt for an E4200.



*Most proven, best value:*

*Netgear WNDR3700*







Though this router is a few years old, it’s a testament to its power that it is still at the front of the pack in terms of reliability. Netgear has released aWNDR3800 model with minor upgrades in flash memory and RAM, but the general consensus is that the 3800 is not worth the extra money -- its performance is not notably better than the WNDR3700, which still packs a wallop delivering speedy, high-performance dual-band wireless. And as it is now a discontinued model, this also means that it can be bought for much cheaper than other routers with similar capabilities. StanF loves his for its simplicity: “it does everything I need reliably. I don't use it's extra features. It's MUCH easier to configure than the Cisco.” LexInVA is also quick to point out that the router’s age is a benefit in many ways: “The 3700 is tried and true and can be found at a good discount since it's no longer being made and there are plenty on the shelves to be had. It takes Netgear a long time to work the bugs out of it's routers, so getting the newest is not a great idea as they tend to put very buggy products on the market.” After trying the WNDR3700, you may realize that tried and true is the way to go when it comes to getting the most reliable router money can buy.



*Simplest, best for your parents:*

*Apple Airport Extreme*







If simplicity and reliability is what you’re looking for, look no further than the sleek, compact Airport Extreme, which is solid as a rock, according to member wgriffa : “I do not find the range amazing on the Apple Airport Extreme but it is the most reliable one I have ever owned.” Though it is definitely more expensive than other routers, the Airport’s price tag is justified by its simplicity and ease of use. Simply put, this is the router your mother can use: there aren't any extras to speak of, just consistent connectivity and a little green light which turns red if there’s a problem. But judging from AVS’ reviews, that red light doesn’t turn on too often. NewOrlnsDukie boasts that he has “three airport extreme routers in my house, and they never crash or need to be reset. I have them placed such that I can get at least 10 Mb/s of transfer speed wirelessly from all but one room of the house.” lockdown571 can also hold claim to the Airport’s ease of use: “I've used Airport Extremes for probably the past 6 or 7 years, and they are extremely reliable. For something I use for hours every day, I don't think $180 is asking much if it gives me a reliable no-fuss connection. I remember having a linksys router before that and having to reset it all the time. I don't think I've ever had to reset an Airport Extreme.”



Despite its perks, this may not be the router for you if you’re looking to do more with it than just connect to the internet. AVS member sunol explains: “The Airport Extreme is fine, if expensive, if you don't want anything but basic connectivity. The ease of use and stability are probably why many people like it...The Airport is extremely limiting in what you can do with it. And I mean basic stuff like providing a wired LAN table, website filtering or not having to restart it every time you make a change. This is not the more advanced stuff in the RSV4000 like QoS, VLANs and VPN, but really basic router capabilities that I assumed would be in the Extreme and are just not there. If you have an Apple-centric home and just want 'a network', I am sure it is fine. But if you want to actually manage your network, it is a non-starter. Some people just 'want it to work' and don't really care.” PAP adds that “Apple products have no QOS settings, which is a huge problem if you have multiple users on a home network and need to prioritize traffic, i.e. so I can play xbox while my kids stream netflix, etc.” Though this may not be an issue for the majority of users, if you’re one of the few who want extra bells and whistles in a router, you may want to go a different route....



*Best heavy duty commercial grade:*

*ZyXEL ZyWALL USG100*







If you demand serious, commercial-grade connectivity and security in a router, you could do much worse than the ZyXEL ZyWALL USG100. Make no mistake, this is a real piece of machinery, and you will pay the price for its superior hardware and accompanying security subscription. Member mgavsf makes the argument for this heavy-duty piece of equipment: “Instead of all these junk home routers, how about a "real" router. The commercial kind...I want total control over firewall rules and a lot more...It took a year but I found ZyXEL which I had rarely heard of. I got a USG100 for about $350 which does way more than $5000 routers, and has....SIP ALG that works! That means no NAT issues for SIP (if you don't know what that means be glad) [it stands for Session Initiation Protocol]. The USG100 allows the 2 DSLs to be used at the same time and back each other up. And with SIP ALG the phone system (Freeswitch on a Mac Mini) even switches when one DSL goes down. It took 2 years to find the ZyXEL...Tech support is excellent and the manuals blow everyone away (you can download them free).



“Caution: The USGs are real routers meaning you should be somewhat technical and know what ports, gateways, rules, are so you can set them up. This is the best router for the money anywhere. But...if all you can handle is plug it in and adding your credential, this is not for you.” It’s clear that you’re going to have to know your stuff if you want one of these babies. Zon2020 is also quick to point out that the main perk in investing in such a high-end router is the security subscription, which has a price tag that’s hard to justify: “if I was buying a security appliance like that, I would do it because I want router-level anti-virus and intrusion protection, and that would require another $200-300/yr for a security subscription, and I'm not sure it's worth it for a home...it’s the annual subscription cost, not the hardware cost, that is the real issue” [the subscription is not required to use the router, however]. Despite its price, rest assured that if you do choose to invest in the USG100, you’ll never want to go back to using a consumer router again.



*Best open source firmware:*

* Tomato *







When it comes to commercial routers, there are many that simply do not stack up. And while this may be because of the hardware itself, in many cases, shoddy performance can be attributed to poor firmware, as SmartAV explains: “Typical consumer routers seem to be a mixed bag. With every brand and model you find rave reviews and owners that had horrible experiences...The lesson here: great hardware is useless if the firmware sucks, so make sure you can flash it with open source firmware (which hopefully fixes the bugs without introducing new ones).” Installing stable, bug-free open source firmware into a router that is less than stellar is a good way to increase performance, and according to AVS members, there’s no better firmware replacement than Tomato.



When installed on compatible routers (not all are compatible), Tomato’s stable (and free!) firmware boosts connectivity considerably, and is a great way to take a mediocre/poor router and make it useable. As xcrunner529 espouses, “Educate yourself...Most consumer routers are junk, Tomato makes some a bit more bearable.” It also boasts extensive QoS configuration options which allow you to manage bandwidth traffic to your specifications, which can be very helpful. Member Mark the Red explains: “QoS is a means of ensuring certain clients (I.e., gadgets, computers, etc.) are guaranteed priority on limited bandwidth. For instance, not letting bit torrent on one computer clouding out online gaming performance on another. Very handy in multi-user shared living accommodations.” Bottom line, Tomato delivers performance where there once was none. This is why many surely agree with Mark when he calls Tomato “the most intuitive, user-friendly router software I've ever used.”





For more router info and AVS recommendations see this thread:

*What is the very best wireless router available right now?*


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## fredthe

One BIG warning on the Cisco E4200: The built-in media server is limited to 8000 files. So, if you are looking to attach a hard drive and use DLNA be very aware of this limit. Note that Cisco does not disclose this limitation in any of their literature or specifications. I will say that other than that limitation, it is a very good and reliable home router.


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## chirpie

That E4200 is pure hell. The most weirdly temperamental router I ever encountered. I honestly think they install a ghost into each one they sell. ;-)


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## chirpie

For the most part though, I like this write up.


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## audioguy

My basic use of my Apple Extreme is connecting to the internet. However, of the 4 other routers I used, the Apple ran at least twice as fast. I get very close to my direct connect speed in most locations of my home. Easily worth 5 times the price of any other router I tried (plus I use the hard drive in my for file backup)


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## JazzGuyy

I'll second what was said about the Netgear WNDR3700. It's one of those products that just works.


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## irishgond

WNDR4500/N900 Killer router, I LOVE it...


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## dmspen

I just got the E4500. It was simple to connect and ramped my wireless speed from about 12mb/s to 21mb/s.

Easy to setup and use.


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## its phillip

I've had a WNDR3700 for a year or two and while I like most things about it, the wireless range is horrible in my house. It also doesn't work wirelessly with vista machines (not a big deal to me at all).


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## Shalimar

Recommending anything linksys now.. after the fubar stupidity they pulled of SPYING on buyers.. uploading private data.. etc etc.. please.. pull your heads out of your asses... and get a clue

I work in IT for a living.. have for decades.. and after that slimeball move by linksys / cisco.. I won't touch anything they make ... (which has cost them many $ in lost sales just since they pulled that)

For those that are oblivious... go to www.grc.com/securitynow and download episode 147

After learning the truth if you still use anything by them you are a total fool.


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## Dave62

Thanks for that information Shalimar !

I already wasn't happy with an old Linksys/Cisco router that didn't work properly until I put DDWRT on it. I thought it was incompetence. Now I see it might also be malice.


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## BrokerDon

Apple's routers are way ahead of the pack on user friendliness... and reliability. I've had failures on SEVERAL Cisco / Linksys routers & switches (RVS4000 router SD2008 switches) that I tolerated only because they had lifetime warranties.

In contract our 6 Apple Airport Express, including both 1st and 2nd generation units, are still chugging away and NEVER required a reboot except for firmware upgrades or configuration changes. And if we use Apple's user friend Airport Utility and select Advanced mode, we got LOTS of additional capabilities... including configuring 4 of them with the same WiFi network on different channels for seamless WiFi at our sprawling house, patio, garage and driveway. Definitely a case of getting what you paid for.


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## Shalimar

@Dave62 my pleasure. Sadly I can't blame it on stupidity alone for them anymore.

Oh and I've heard some rumors of similar from Apple though not officially confirmed yet (esp since Cisco has done a fair bit of their hardware for such etc - Not counting many other BS things from crapple of course.)

Kinda sad isn't it...

Afaik there is nada of such issues w/the above Asus.. and the Dlink 655.. ("successor" to dlink was actually worse btw overall)


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## W David Beasley

Kind of surprised none of the Belkin units made the cut.


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## taxi99

Anyone looking for a fast reliable router, look no further than the WNDR3700. I've had it over a year now, by far the best router I've ever owned.


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## rondtroy

I got burned badly by the Linksys WRT610n - a cute looking but badly overheating, constantly crashing unsupported piece of junk, IMHO. I used to like Linksys till they got cute. Now I'll never by their products again. I replaced my above junk with the WNDR4000; not perfect but overall quite decent, typical short range 5ghz speed 350-450 mbps, and it's been very stable lately. I'm amazed that anyone still buys Linksys, let alone recommends it.


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## Goldenbone

Billion 7800n - best router I've ever owned. Great performance, features, reliability. Love it.


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## DimitriAus

No Shalimar . Everyone eavesdropping. Linksys is the only company who publically admit it. Anything you put on a communication device such a PC or a phone is publically open in some degree. That is what communication devices designed for - to share information.


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## willybguy

I've been using Airport Extreme and Airport Express for many years - flawless performance. I have the express networking a Yamaha AVR for Pandora, Rhapsody, Net Radio, firmware upgrades, also flawless. This is the 2nd Yamaha AVR I've configured this way for WiFi, no setup needed, just works.


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## geekomatic

+1 for the Netgear WNDR3700!

It's just fantastic. I got it for a steal, free shipping, + a wireless dongle tossed in- 

I love the USB ports- which lets me plug in any external hard drive of music/videos & stream it to the rest of the connected PC's/TV. RE: Vista- ours connect to wireless just fine. In fact, we run: XP/Vista/7/OSX Snow Leopard, & Linux Mint- and they _all_ connect beautifully. My son's room is on the other side of our house, multiple walls between, & even he gets excellent speed.

If you can find one- grab it.


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## eyeguy1

asus black diamond, love it


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## darrennie

*Shalimar*,
the *Security Now* episode you are referring to is *#360 Listener Feedback 147*.


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## Shalimar

Addendum to the above link / info I supplied.

It's feedback #147.. which will be listed as episode #360

Sorry for those that couldn't find it before.


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## dr_gallup

I went with the Netgear WNDR4500. Maybe not worth the extra cost over the 3700 but it has been working great for the last year.


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## AVonaBudget

I decided to go with the NetGear WNDR4500. Great Range in my Home Network for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands with no dropped connections. Very happy with my decision, especially after the version 1.0.1.20 Firmware Update.


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## Guy Online

another mention for the WNDR4500/N900, least annoying router I have ever had to deal with. I'm a cranky old IT guy so that's saying a lot LOL


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## M4P

Shalimar, thanks for posting that. Unbelievable!!! I've only had one Linksys router and it was always overheating. I've got a Netgear R6300 and a WNDR4500, both solid routers.


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## cdepaola

The Asus RT-AC66U is the better overall router though their firmware is still a work in progress and documentation is poor.

The best way to go is a hardwired router and then utilize a wireless access point (WAP).


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## Kymis

*Netgear WNDR3700!*
$50 for Refurbish at Newegg.com (I am not affiliated with Newegg.com in any way)
looked like NEW! Works Great, DD-WRT and Tomato both work and really UNLEASH this monster.
I prefer DD-WRT but I like Tomato too. With DD-WRT it now covers my whole Large suburb yard. While placed indoors with no external antenna. With stock firmware it covered my whole 4000 sq foot house but no yard. With DD-WRT you get you firewall control with out a commercial Router.
I love the ability to boost the broadcast power over 100% that the stock firmware offers. _I could write a whole article about the 2 product, Netgear WNDR3700 and DD-WRT_, *But if you want the best price performance ratio this is it.*


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## Shalimar

Actually just did geekomatic since my old hardware was dying and pissin us off. Installing tomorrow (no time today)


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## keagy

ASUS rt-ac66u with Asuswrt-Merlin custom firmware
draft 1.3 gbps 802.11ac network for just a few extra dollars


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## bthrb4u

I spend $100 on a d-link dgl-657 thinking the "advanced qos" would be awesome. It's complete crap. I am hardwired to the router with my xbox and the second netflix is turned on via wifi to my tv, i start losing bandwidth and dropping packets like crazy. I have had a lot of routers in the past but this one is by far the worst. I have tried every configuration possible. Anyone know what the best router for gaming would be. I would need wi-fi but that does not need to be its strong point


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## jeffm13

I've had each of the top 3. I finally decided that reliability is most important to me. I want performance, but I don't want to buy a new router every year. The WNDR3700 lasted about a year before performance dropped and I had to reboot it constantly. The e4200, less than a month and it started dropping connections. I'm going on almost 2 years with the Airport Extreme without any trouble at all. Range is at least as good as either the Linksys or the Netgear. Speed is good. And you can't beat the simplicity. Plug it in, use the Airport utility on your Mac or PC, and it works great. I've even extended the Airport Extreme with an Airport Express and connected it to my multi-room system. So I get even more range and I can stream via Airplay to my Russound without spending an arm and a leg.


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## JohnnymoZ

Another Airport Extreme user. Ive had mine for a few years now and its rock solid. Ill never use anything else.


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## FMW

bthrb4u said:


> I spend $100 on a d-link dgl-657 thinking the "advanced qos" would be awesome. It's complete crap. I am hardwired to the router with my xbox and the second netflix is turned on via wifi to my tv, i start losing bandwidth and dropping packets like crazy. I have had a lot of routers in the past but this one is by far the worst. I have tried every configuration possible. Anyone know what the best router for gaming would be. I would need wi-fi but that does not need to be its strong point



While I have done pretty well with cheap routers in the past, I now use commercial routers because of the additional capabilities they provide. 


The commercial routers start at around $200 and go way up. They are rock steady and reliable. My current one is from SonicWALL and includes a full capability hardware network firewall. It was just under $300 with an annual software and support suite. At around the same price I have also used a router from Cradlepoint for its 3G wireless capability. Also completely reliable and no annual software subscription. Both of these have WiFi.


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## creationsh

These good routers cost a lot, isn't it more efficient to split the cost and buy 2 routers? I burn thru many routers, some expensive some dirt cheap, not one router I'm truly satisfied with. Right now, i'm running 3 routers, and it seems to solve my problem.


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## stickboy2k

its phillip said:


> I've had a WNDR3700 for a year or two and while I like most things about it, the wireless range is horrible in my house. It also doesn't work wirelessly with vista machines (not a big deal to me at all).


I had TONS of problems with my WNDR3700 dropping off and needing a reset to get things connected. 
I did a factory reset and the latest firmware update and now it seem like all these problems are gone. 

I hope that is the end of the issues.


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## its phillip

stickboy2k said:


> I had TONS of problems with my WNDR3700 dropping off and needing a reset to get things connected.
> I did a factory reset and the latest firmware update and now it seem like all these problems are gone.
> 
> I hope that is the end of the issues.


I replaced my WNDR3700 with an Asus RT-N66U a year or two ago and it has been working much better


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## stickboy2k

its phillip said:


> I replaced my WNDR3700 with an Asus RT-N66U a year or two ago and it has been working much better


Also a good solution!


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## fatuglyguy

previous router was an Asus RT-N65U. Liked it initially but it went haywire/unreliable after eight months. Replaced it with a Netgear Nighthawk R7000 almost a year ago and it's been great so far.


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## Robert Anderson

creationsh said:


> These good routers cost a lot, isn't it more efficient to split the cost and buy 2 routers? I burn thru many routers, some expensive some dirt cheap, not one router I'm truly satisfied with. Right now, i'm running 3 routers, and it seems to solve my problem.


What are you using for your main router, and what are you using for your additional access points? In my experience, any router that can run Tomato or DD-WRT is instantly 100% more reliable (and easy to tweak).


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## audioguy

Add me to the Apple list. I tried a number of highly touted routers and the Apple(s) have been far more reliable, easier to integrate and provide a higher speed connection over most of our two floors.


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## Gandu

SmallNetBuilder.com is a good source for detailed test results and direct comparisons.

Their current #1 is *NETGEAR R7000 Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Router*

Complete rankings here


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## m3incorp

My Netgear R7000 is pretty rock steady. I restart it once a month and check for updates. I have 105 Mbps from Comcast. The router is on the third floor of my home and the computers on that floor constantly show 100 Mbps (the wired one shows 110 Mbps). The laptop and tablets on the ground floor show 90 Mbps.


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## MrBobb

Curiously the best AP I ever had, and still using is an el-cheapo Airlink, cost me $20 bux! Rock solid, so it's not as fast as some others but the difference is not huge. I have a theory that says buy a router with the same chipset/brand as your client(s) or at least your main client, I have no empirical data, is just a hunch chips of the same brand "should" talk to each other smoother?


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## nvidio

stickboy2k said:


> Also a good solution!


Very!


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## shah993

ADMOMARA said:


> My Netgear R7000 is pretty rock steady. I restart it once a month and check for updates. I have 105 Mbps from Comcast. The router is on the third floor of my home and the computers on that floor constantly show 100 Mbps (the wired one shows 110 Mbps). The laptop and tablets on the ground floor show 90 Mbps.


After having tried many routers including the sonicwall tz series I came across Unifi edge and their access points.They are relatively cheap and combined with their AP are exelent value.They have been rock solid.I have not had to reboot even once since install (AP) for more than a year.I just got the edge router so too early to tell.Their software is very easy to learn.Unfortunately their tech support is not the best.Coverage of their AP is extremely good.I bought a 3 pack but needed only 2 for a 3 storey more than 7500 sq home!.Would be interesting to know if anybody has tried it.


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## nvidio

stickboy2k said:


> Also a good solution!





ADMOMARA said:


> My Netgear R7000 is pretty rock steady. I restart it once a month and check for updates. I have 105 Mbps from Comcast. The router is on the third floor of my home and the computers on that floor constantly show 100 Mbps (the wired one shows 110 Mbps). The laptop and tablets on the ground floor show 90 Mbps.


The only time when I restart my N66U is after a firmware update. So far, it's been stable as a rock. Not even a single dropout with the wireless going through ceramic brick walls and all the way from one end of the house to the other end, and the signal strength is showing all five bars. This is with some other wireless network activity going on in my neighborhood, causing a wee bit of interference.


802.11n @ 2.4 GHz, 15 meters (49.2 ft.) distance_–_through a few brick walls:










Wired:


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## Pulinador Matambodor

Anyone knows about microtik routers?


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## James Jordan

I always use Cisco Linksys and it never fails^^


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## trickpony

We've currently got an airport extreme and extenders but we're having connectivity issues. Looking to replace the apple devices with something that will be less troublesome. keep the info coming


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## KJSteward

Apple all the way here. I have 2 Extremes and an Express on my network. The Express is useful because you can plug a set of speakers into it, and play your iTunes content through them, using the Remote app on an iPhone to control the show. Has been very handy for barbecues.


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## JJ7

I am using mikrotik for my router and guest wifi. It's extremely robust and feature rich. You definitely need some technical background to use it, however. As for primary wireless I use a few AirPort Extreme... Fast, easy to use, and very reliable.


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## butlerkid

We bought and just installed today a Netgear R7000. Had a lot of problems getting it to recognize our 2 computers connected via ethernet. But now all seems to be good. Hope it lasts as long as our previous Linksys router.

Just ran the Ookla speed test.... ping 29, download 10.91 Mbps and upload 4.48 Mbps.... We have Charter....FiOs to street, coax to house. Ethernet to PC. Seems slow to me.... Ran the test a second time and the results were ping 28, download 4.78 and upload 4.41! Ran it a third time and download speed dropped again - to 4.06. Decided to quit testing! LOL!


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## FishenFool

I like my Buffalo WHR-300hp2d using DD-WRT firmware. Allows me to do Qos and assign ip addressees via sticky ip thus assuring a constant ip address for port forwarding but still using dhcp. Also has loads more customization features including output power. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


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## tech73x

Seems that Asus is really good, just buggy on some models.


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## Jim Cajun

ASUS has some decent ones. Dlink, I've found have been a bit unreliable. The only way I set up a network now is using Ubiquiti USG router, with a gigabit switch from Luxul and a UAPAC access point. Solid, fast, perfect.


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## Nuttendiesel

shah993 said:


> After having tried many routers including the sonicwall tz series I came across Unifi edge and their access points.They are relatively cheap and combined with their AP are exelent value.They have been rock solid.I have not had to reboot even once since install (AP) for more than a year.I just got the edge router so too early to tell.Their software is very easy to learn.Unfortunately their tech support is not the best.Coverage of their AP is extremely good.I bought a 3 pack but needed only 2 for a 3 storey more than 7500 sq home!.Would be interesting to know if anybody has tried it.


Sounds like what was recommended to me, I had a quote of $500 for the router and about $150 per access point


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## Djoel

What do you guys think of Modems slash routers? It's seems Time Warner doesn't seem to like them much, hmm.


Thanks


DJoel


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## torii

Gandu said:


> SmallNetBuilder.com is a good source for detailed test results and direct comparisons.
> 
> Their current #1 is *NETGEAR R7000 Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Router*
> 
> Complete rankings here


had this for over a year and havent reset/lost connection once.

highly recommend, very fast and reliable in my 3000 sq ft home with basement.


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## Nuttendiesel

I currently have Verizon fios with their router and range extender, I have never had this many problem with spotty coverage in my home!


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## shah993

Nuttendiesel said:


> Sounds like what was recommended to me, I had a quote of $500 for the router and about $150 per access point


That is expensive Check Amazon


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## N8DOGG

torii said:


> had this for over a year and havent reset/lost connection once.
> 
> highly recommend, very fast and reliable in my 3000 sq ft home with basement.


I just got the nighthawk R7000 (for a smoking deal, 133$ +tax CND from bestbuy) to replace my current Asus 68 a week ago. The Asus has been fine for a year or so but in the last week or so, it's just decided to not work worth a crap. I must say, you can sure tell the speed difference over Wi-fi. For whatever reason, it's almost double the speed.


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## DustNavy

I don't see any listed, but I've always been a fan of Netgear's offerings


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## Squirrel!

TP-Link Archer C7 router, replacing a Linksys:

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BUSDVBQ?keywords=archer c7&qid=1453616783&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

and TP-Link Docsis 3.0 modem replacing a Motorola:

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B010Q29YF8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

I will never have a Linksys again...Motorola is questionable.


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## markyc25

N8DOGG said:


> I just got the nighthawk R7000 (for a smoking deal, 133$ +tax CND from bestbuy) to replace my current Asus 68 a week ago. The Asus has been fine for a year or so but in the last week or so, it's just decided to not work worth a crap. I must say, you can sure tell the speed difference over Wi-fi. For whatever reason, it's almost double the speed.


thats a great deal. i was debating between the R7000 vs R8000 for a long time. my house is hard-wired for most of my devises, so I really only need the wifi for phones and ipads. i got the R8000 i think around new years for $219 CDN. for $133 i probably would have gotten the R7000. i hope my R8000 is worth it. hooking it up in the next couple weeks when my house is ready (it's under construction).


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## JimSatala77

markyc25 said:


> thats a great deal. i was debating between the R7000 vs R8000 for a long time. my house is hard-wired for most of my devises, so I really only need the wifi for phones and ipads. i got the R8000 i think around new years for $219 CDN. for $133 i probably would have gotten the R7000. i hope my R8000 is worth it. hooking it up in the next couple weeks when my house is ready (it's under construction).


I have Been using Asus products for the past few years with zero problems I have tried other brands and had compatibility Issues.
I currently am using an ac5300 triband router and 4 ac3200 routers as media bridges and i get constant 1300Mbs connection thru all devices, I added an ac3100 with the nitroq and it is connected at 1800Mbs. My only issue is the occasional reboot of the media bridges if i haven't used the devices connected to the particular bridge but I think its due to the devices i have connected.


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## Vic Y

Love Asus and their wireless AC router is faster than fast.


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## newfmp3

Stay away from the 87U. It's 5gig is garbage. I tried every firmware there is, Asus needs to step up and recall them.


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## dukja

I got a TP-LINK TL-WR1043ND V2 mainly for the use of Gargoyle. However, from time to time it will lost IP from the provider. It is kind of headache. Any of these nice router work with Gargoyle with good success?


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## IMWhizzle

I have two Apple extreme Airports (2013 model) wired to a fiber connection (1gbps). I've created a roaming network wirelessly on the 5ghz band and its freaking awesome! Very abnormal high speeds and superb coverage in my house!


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk


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## Skytrooper

Replaced my 10+ year old router a few weeks ago with a Netgear 4500\N900 router a few weeks ago. A great improvement. Had trouble with some sites not loading. All good now. Speed went up big time.


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## 527

Squirrel! said:


> TP-Link Archer C7 router, replacing a Linksys:
> 
> http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BUSDVBQ?keywords=archer c7&qid=1453616783&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
> 
> and TP-Link Docsis 3.0 modem replacing a Motorola:
> 
> http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B010Q29YF8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
> 
> I will never have a Linksys again...Motorola is questionable.


I have a TP Link Archer C7, and it was absolutely AWFUL until I added DD-WRT. It is still not great, but at least it handles a restart of my Windows 10 PC without 15 minutes of time to get its awful built-in DHCP to find my network again. It's connected to a top of the line Motorola cable modem, which is not the problem as when hard-wired to my PC via a cat 7 cable (basically skipped the router), actually gave me almost double the speeds up *and* down as we're paying for from TWC. I am definitely looking for something else going forward.


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## Squirrel!

527 said:


> I have a TP Link Archer C7, and it was absolutely AWFUL until I added DD-WRT. It is still not great, but at least it handles a restart of my Windows 10 PC without 15 minutes of time to get its awful built-in DHCP to find my network again. It's connected to a top of the line Motorola cable modem, which is not the problem as when hard-wired to my PC via a cat 7 cable (basically skipped the router), actually gave me almost double the speeds up *and* down as we're paying for from TWC. I am definitely looking for something else going forward.


Crazy. As with anything else, I guess YMMV applies here. Out of the box, no issues for us. I pay for 30 down from TWC 
and wirelessly in my office I average about 37 down. 

Not quite sure what you mean about your PC being restarted and what it has to do has to do with the router? Are you saying the PC has difficulty finding the router?

We have 2 of the C7, one here, the other at my sons place. He uses a Motorola modem. Never an issue. 

I wonder if it isn't the DD-WRT that is affecting your performance. I have read more bad than good about DD-WRT and why I have no desire to mess with the makers optimized FW.


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## 527

Squirrel! said:


> Crazy. As with anything else, I guess YMMV applies here. Out of the box, no issues for us. I pay for 30 down from TWC
> and wirelessly in my office I average about 37 down.
> 
> Not quite sure what you mean about your PC being restarted and what it has to do has to do with the router? Are you saying the PC has difficulty finding the router?
> 
> We have 2 of the C7, one here, the other at my sons place. He uses a Motorola modem. Never an issue.
> 
> I wonder if it isn't the DD-WRT that is affecting your performance. I have read more bad than good about DD-WRT and why I have no desire to mess with the makers optimized FW.


Yes, when I restarted my PC, I would not be able to get a network connection via the lan (directly tied to the router's LAN1 port via a 25' Cat 7 cable...tried Cat 5e and Cat 6 cables to make sure that wasn't the issue either) for at least 15 minutes.

So, it was was definitely 100% unusable as a router before the DD-WRT was installed. I have version 2.0 of the router, so if yours is working, it might be a 3.0. There are a few known issues with the 2.0, and one of them is the DHCP issue with Windows 10 PCs coming back from a restart. Windows 7 PCs don't have as much of an issue, but then again, Windows 7 runs like a 2 legged-dog on my machine and Windows 10 as I have it set up flies...


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## barrygordon

*The Mikrotik router*

IMHO the best router is by Mikrotik. I have their non-wireless one and I installed the wireless (without external antenna) one for my grandson. It is not for the faint of heart, but out of the box it handles a basic router configuration. I found it when dealing with some custom installers looking for a recommendation. The Mikrotik was always mentioned. It has a free companion program to configure it and tremendous support all over the web. You can not believe the size, the throughput and flexibility. Every feature I ever wanted is in their router which sells for way under $100. I paid $60 for mine and $70 for my grandsons. His is in the basement of his home and covers the entire 1-story house.


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## gulliBELL

@barrygordon curse you for putting me onto Pakedge all those years ago :roll eyes:

Over-priced, over-rated. Worst customer support in the business. Never again. Seriously considering trashing a $15K Pakedge installation for something else. The Mikrotik sounds like a good re-starting point.


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## barrygordon

*Routers*

gulliBELL, 

I am sorry for your bad experience with Pakedge. The only thing I use from them is a ceiling mounted WAP. I am probably going to change out all my WAP's for Ubiquiti units. I just need to work out the issues regarding patching the high ceilings which might be a pain in the Ass. At 76 I don't relish working on high ladders. Maybe I will get a Plaster guy to do it.

The Mikrotik router is quite solid. It has a built in 4 port switch which can be set up to be 4 separate v-Lans instead of just a switch. I drive a Vonage VoiP adapter over one port, A 32 port un-managed gigabyte switch over a second port and a 16 port un-managed gigabyte switch over a third port leaving 1 port free. There is an 8 port POE insertion unit which feeds from the 32 port switch to handle POE needs. It is restricted to a single voltage. All wiring is CAT 5 or cat 5E and I have no problems on the network as the runs are fairly short, no run being more than 100 feet .

The Mikrotik has full IP reservation capability and can assign a static IP to any MAC. It has a built in sniffer, but in my installation not to much internal traffic goes through the router, as the network is switched rather than hub'ed.

All my Vonage reboot problems I had with a Linksys router have disappeared.

The interface to the ISP cable is an Arris surfboard SB6183 which I own. It is capable of 300 mbps, but I only contract for 100 mbps from the cable company as that is more than enough and provides almost instantaneous performance as my last mile link from the ISP is fairly unloaded.

When I need to do something special with the Mikrotik router I just google the web and always have found just what I have needed.


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## gulliBELL

The Pakedge WAP-W3 (which Barry recommended to me) was a great access point which worked flawlessly with my Pronto remote. Being impressed with this device lead me to invest in an expensive whole-of-house Pakedge infrastructure which has since proved to be one drama after another. It was taking 3 months to get an RMA out of Pakedge to replace a faulty switch, then the replacement switch they sent was DOA, then had to negotiate the whole RMA drama process again to get the replacement replaced. I have had 5 failed Pakedge managed switches. My Pakedge dealer was so frustrated getting stuff done with Pakedge they discontinued their association with the brand. Now, without a dealer to facilitate the support process I was thrown to the wolves to find a new dealer to support my installation. A prospective new dealer wanted to charge me a $2,500 up-front retainer to take on my site, and for each support email channeled to Pakedge they would charge me $250 (that is, they would charge me $250 each time they forwarded a support email from me to them to Pakedge). My 7 month old managed Pakedge switch had a failed firmware update and I was told by the local Pakedge rep that it was "bricked" and I had to buy a new switch (at $2,700).

Which is why I say over-priced, over-rated, best avoided. I do like Barry's approach to his current installation, un-managed switches connected to a feature-rich robust router. Economical and reliable. I like that.


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## audioguy

Put me in the Apple camp (after having tried many of the highly rated available brands previously). I have one Extreme on the first floor hardwired to another on the second floor. Why do I like them? Because they just work and using their Airport Utility (runs under Apple and Windows PC's as well as iPhones/iPads), it is reasonably straightforward to determine if there is an issue.

I will say that until I got the right person at Apple to get the settings on both correct, I did have some reliability issues. I get pretty close to wired speed (100/10) wirelessly in most places in the house. I can't think of any reason to change given ease of use, reliability and speed.


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## TERSddnor2

Well i don't see Netgear R7000P in your best wireless router list? It is one of the best in the market and currently the highest rated product. It would be great if you can include it in your article


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## kfh227

I have the NETGEAR - Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router


https://www.bestbuy.com/site/routers/wireless-routers/abcat0503002.c?id=abcat0503002


This thing is solid! I absolutely love it and it was worth every penny. I currently have no dual band or tri-band devices on it. But the 6 channels (all can be private with no "guest" channels) are amazing. I can let my phone share data with things like my TV and receiver. I gave my PS4 a dedicated channel, my Xbox one a channel and each streaming device a dedicated channel.


I'm moving and hoping to hardwire my PS4 and Xbox One at that time.


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## Daniel_SV

I'd personally recommend skipping the overdesigned 'gaming' routers and go for proper network equipment right away if you like to manage your network...

I've set up a few Ubiquiti Edgerouters with Ubiquiti AC Pro APs lately, works like a charm and they have most bells and whistle you can ask for almost when is comes the router configuration including PoE.
That's the setup I have at home, and I'd never go back to the dinky Asus AC68. It does takes some know-how to get it up and running properly but it's not that difficult. The Edgerouter handles my fiber connection with ease so far, granted it's not the fastest but still.
The APs are not the fastest around but their reliability and configurability is outstanding in my opinion.

A well placed ceiling-mounted AP or two, powered via PoE is an option that should be considered... 
Mostly because good place for the Wifi coverage wise is seldom an acceptable place to put something that looks like a star destroyer had a baby with a transformer.


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## Montucky

kfh227 said:


> I have the NETGEAR - Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router
> ...
> This thing is solid! I absolutely love it and it was worth every penny....


I have one of these as well. Funny thing is I do have some far more expensive, fancier routers with separate WAPs and everything, but to be honest, the Nighthawk is most of the way there with easy (and very managable) setup, so it's kind of been my go-to until I get my fancier gear going again...one of these days. The Nighthawk's been so good to be perfectly honest though, that I've been less motivated. The range on it is fantastic for most uses and it seems to do an admirable job with traffic management. HIGHLY recommended, and to me is honestly a bargain for what it is when I compare it to my other gear.


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## RafaelSmith

Daniel_SV said:


> I'd personally recommend skipping the overdesigned 'gaming' routers and go for proper network equipment right away if you like to manage your network...
> 
> I've set up a few Ubiquiti Edgerouters with Ubiquiti AC Pro APs lately, works like a charm and they have most bells and whistle you can ask for almost when is comes the router configuration including PoE.
> That's the setup I have at home, and I'd never go back to the dinky Asus AC68. It does takes some know-how to get it up and running properly but it's not that difficult. The Edgerouter handles my fiber connection with ease so far, granted it's not the fastest but still.
> The APs are not the fastest around but their reliability and configurability is outstanding in my opinion.
> 
> A well placed ceiling-mounted AP or two, powered via PoE is an option that should be considered...
> Mostly because good place for the Wifi coverage wise is seldom an acceptable place to put something that looks like a star destroyer had a baby with a transformer.


This is the solution I went with when my Netgear 7000 started acting up. I went with Ubiquiti Security Gateway and 2 APs. It has worked extremely well. And yeah, I will never go back to all in one consumer router again.


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## Spectah

Not sure if I posted this yet in this thread, but since we all like research and data, check out this site: http://analiti.com

I used this to assess wireless jitter for streaming capabilities and purchased based on data results, then did in home testing. I’m currently on a Velop three node mesh. I saw a marked improvement in my CCA streaming based on jitter elimination.


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## Dave-T

Sounds like most of you guys are in single family homes? I live in a condo that has 70 other units in it. When you go to find the Network on the list of networks no joke I get a list of over 40. Everybody seems to have a 2.4 and 5hz network in their place. My condo has a Leveton home network that is wired into every room the condo. I have Verizon Fios quantum 150/150 and have the WiFi on the Verizon gateway turned off. I then have a gen 1 AirPort Extreme, a gen 2 time capsule and the latest generation airport express. The way I have it setup is by:

The Fios router name and password is used on all f the apple device. The apple devices are all hardwired in the rj45 sockets in each room. The apple devices are setup a individual new networks with same name and password. When each apple device is turned on they create a hybrid mesh network and you only see one network not three even though they all have the same name. 

I get the 150/150 when tested no depening on the time of day and depening on what room I am in. I have noticed that the speed is slower in the room with the gen1 airport xtreme, is that because that device is slower than the other two? I was watching Netflix last two nights and I had some buffering a couple of times. I also have a lot of devices connected on the network (20 maybe) I both a 5 and 2.4 hz setup. Is there an easier way to get a good fast signal without intervene in a condo? Any recommendations would be appreciated. I am definitely a novice when it comes to this stuff and have always been an apple verse pc person.

Thanks 

Dave


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## oliver44

WRT1900ACS V2 router firmware -OpenWrt/SuperWrt build by Daniel Petre
The files are provided free of charge on the site and compiled from public sources of the LEDE/OpenWrt project with small adjustments in kernel and system configurations.
https://superwrt.download/home/
https://superwrt.download/f/


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## pershoot

I'm still using an Asus RT-AC68 but not with the stock firmware. I use RMerlin's custom firmware for it. Has been working quite well.


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