802.11ac wireless router with good range

[x509]

I need to replace another failing NetGear wireless router, so this time I'm not going to automatically buy the newest NetGear model.

I don't plan to run third-party firmware at first, but I'm open to the idea later on. Recommendations? Brands/models to avoid?

Thanks.

 

[omegatotal]

My suggestion, stop putting your routers where they overheat and fail? and/or get a better power filter/UPS?

I have a dozen netgear network products that are all over 5 years old and still work like new(with the exception of the one that I burnt out the 2.4ghz side's RF amps with dd-wrt >.<)

otherwise i would suggest the netgear nighthawk, or the asus AC series routers. linksys/cisco consumer is meh, buffalo / dlink / tplink are ok'ish

Router - Ranking

 

[SolidBladez]

My advice, find the cheapest gigabit router you can find, preferably one that supports DD-WRT/Tomato, and get an access point such as a Ubiquit AC Lite/LR/Pro.

 

[bds1904]

If you like a good, stable router I advise separating your router from your switch and WAP.

Yes, it's more money up front but long term it is easier to upgrade wireless & add more switch ports. Not to mention you can end up with a nice, stable system.

Router: Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite
Switch: HP 1820-8G (has a lifetime warranty)
WAP: Unifi AP AC Pro

The UniFi AP's aren't my favorite overall, but for a single AP deployment they are pretty good. If you are looking to deploy multiple AP's I recommend either Open-mesh or multiple Mikrotik AC access points in CAPSMAN mode.

 

[x509]

My suggestion, stop putting your routers where they overheat and fail? and/or get a better power filter/UPS?

I have a dozen netgear network products that are all over 5 years old and still work like new(with the exception of the one that I burnt out the 2.4ghz side's RF amps with dd-wrt >.<)

otherwise i would suggest the netgear nighthawk, or the asus AC series routers. linksys/cisco consumer is meh, buffalo / dlink / tplink are ok'ish

Router - Ranking

My router is always on a shelf with loads of ventilation. Wall power is extremely reliable. We have never had an issue there. For me at least, it's the NetGear routers.

 

[x509]

If you like a good, stable router I advise separating your router from your switch and WAP.

Yes, it's more money up front but long term it is easier to upgrade wireless & add more switch ports. Not to mention you can end up with a nice, stable system.

Router: Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite
Switch: HP 1820-8G (has a lifetime warranty)
WAP: Unifi AP AC Pro

The UniFi AP's aren't my favorite overall, but for a single AP deployment they are pretty good. If you are looking to deploy multiple AP's I recommend either Open-mesh or multiple Mikrotik AC access points in CAPSMAN mode.

If I understand you, I should get a non-wireless router and then connect the router to the AP via Ethernet. But I have no need to deploy multiple APs. I'm talking about a single-family residence here.

EDIT: I just looked up the prices of the router and WAP. Router, OK. WAP, ack! I can't justify over $600 just for the AP, or over $700 for the combination, as opposed to say $150-200+ for a normal wireless router.

 

[bds1904]

If I understand you, I should get a non-wireless router and then connect the router to the AP via Ethernet. But I have no need to deploy multiple APs. I'm talking about a single-family residence here.

EDIT: I just looked up the prices of the router and WAP. Router, OK. WAP, ack! I can't justify over $600 just for the AP, or over $700 for the combination, as opposed to say $150-200+ for a normal wireless router.

$600? What crack are you smoking?

EdgeRouter Lite is $91.11 on Newegg
Switch is $98.99 on Newegg
AP is $127.46 on Newegg (The AC-LR is only $97.89, longer range but lower bitrate)

$317.56 for a rock solid 1gbps thruput router, 8 port smart switch and a really high speed AP is an excellent price. Want to upgrade your wifi next year? No problem, upgrade the AP. VPN? No problem, the EdgeRouter handles it. Multiple SSID's on different vlans, no problem. See my point?

As far as multiple AP's in a single family residence, I have 4 on my property. 2 inside, 1 outside and 1 in the pole barn. Remember that "working" wifi doesn't even compare to "good" wifi. I can stand at the back of my 1.5 acre property (the house is roughly centered 25ft off the road) and speed test at 65mbit all day long. No issues doing anything on wifi anywhere on the property.

 

[Chris2]

The Asus RT-AC68U is a good solution as opposed to the Nighthawk AC1900. You could go for the better RT-AC87U, but since you said that you don't have a huge house, I'd say that the RT-AC68U is the better choice.

 

[GotNoRice]

802.11ac wireless router with good range

Just remember that 802.11ac is 5Ghz only. Any connection on the 2.4Ghz band will still be 802.11n at best. 5Ghz has more available channels, so you are much less likely to get interference from neighbors. That can really help in places like a crowded apartment building. 2.4Ghz has much better penetration through walls however. So if you are in a typical suburban home or similar, it's very possible, even likely, that you will actually get a better signal with 2.4Ghz, which means 802.11n.

My point is, there is no reason to pay top dollar for 802.11ac if you are just going to end up only using 802.11n on the 2.4Ghz band. There are many very nice older 802.11n units that can be found used, many from those who "upgraded" to 802.11ac even though they probably never actually use 5Ghz.

 

[x509]

Just remember that 802.11ac is 5Ghz only. Any connection on the 2.4Ghz band will still be 802.11n at best.

I've noticed that some 802.11ac routers list only 802.11ac, not ac+n+.... Does that mean that these routrers are single-protocol and don't have backwards compatibility. Or is the backwards compatibility so universally understood that no one bothers to mention it?

 

[EricGRIT]

$600? What crack are you smoking?

EdgeRouter Lite is $91.11 on Newegg
Switch is $98.99 on Newegg
AP is $127.46 on Newegg (The AC-LR is only $97.89, longer range but lower bitrate)

$317.56 for a rock solid 1gbps thruput router, 8 port smart switch and a really high speed AP is an excellent price. Want to upgrade your wifi next year? No problem, upgrade the AP. VPN? No problem, the EdgeRouter handles it. Multiple SSID's on different vlans, no problem. See my point?

As far as multiple AP's in a single family residence, I have 4 on my property. 2 inside, 1 outside and 1 in the pole barn. Remember that "working" wifi doesn't even compare to "good" wifi. I can stand at the back of my 1.5 acre property (the house is roughly centered 25ft off the road) and speed test at 65mbit all day long. No issues doing anything on wifi anywhere on the property.

You could even drop down to an unmanaged switch for super cheap, but I agree this setup outlined above would be great.

 

[Ocellaris]

I've noticed that some 802.11ac routers list only 802.11ac, not ac+n+.... Does that mean that these routrers are single-protocol and don't have backwards compatibility. Or is the backwards compatibility so universally understood that no one bothers to mention it?

They all do N as well.

 

[omegatotal]

The Asus RT-AC68U is a good solution as opposed to the Nighthawk AC1900. You could go for the better RT-AC87U, but since you said that you don't have a huge house, I'd say that the RT-AC68U is the better choice.

One thing to keep in mind about ASUS is that they do use non-standard power connectors and voltages. I think its 19V but not a laptop psu...

My router is always on a shelf with loads of ventilation. Wall power is extremely reliable. We have never had an issue there. For me at least, it's the NetGear routers.

yeah but 'stable' does not mean 'clean' I keep mine behind a UPS that has some level of filtering and although not an online/double conversion UPS, it is one of the better designs (not the crappy little APC es350/550 type things)

Once the noise on the AC line kills the caps in your wall wart, it will eventually kill your router, the wall wart may still be providing 'stable' 12v, but not 'clean' 12v...

Everyone has a different experience, I am just offering food for thought!