Best bang for buck wifi router on the market?

[darude]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to spend $50-80 on a solid wifi router for a 1500 sq ft space. The ISP will be Charter with upwards of 30 mbps download speeds.

Looking for a router that:

• Provide stable WIFI to upwards of 4 PCs at a time
• Will not drop connection during light gaming (CS:GO, DOTA 2) and/or streaming (very important! willing to spend more money if necessary)

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[tdowning]

Honestly, I'm on an Apple Time Capsule (2nd Gen = 802.11n + dual radio) and current 11ac airport extreme is $200. Airport Express goes for $100 but I'm pretty sure it's not dual radio.

One thing I will say is get a surge suppressor with Ethernet dataline protection or invest in an APC gig-ethernet standalone surge suppressor:
http://www.amazon.com/APC-PNET1GB-P...qid=1408381624&sr=8-1&keywords=Ethernet+Surge
between your modem and router. I used to have routers die every 18-24 months. My current Time Capsule has been in service for over 5 years now, and my Asus 11g router lasted about 6, before it died.

 

[SRTie4k]

If you're pretty set on that price bracket, I'd say the Asus RT-N56U:

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Dual-Ban...8&qid=1408381803&sr=8-3&keywords=asus+rt+n66u

If you can stretch it a bit further, definitely the Asus RT-N66U:

http://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-...8&qid=1408381803&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+rt+n66u

It is still widely considered one of the best wireless N routers you will find in terms of performance, reliability and range.

 

[darude]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I am currently looking at the ASUS N56U vs the NETGEAR WNDR4300. Both units are $88 on Amazon.

Reading through the reviews got me a little worried about the ASUS firmwire, but not sure if this should be something that should concern an amateur like me.

Also, leaving this thread open for anybody who might have experience with the ASUS vs NETGEAR. I would definitely like to hear any feedback before I make a decision!

 

[SRTie4k]

FWIW, the Asus RT-N66U is on sale on Newegg for ~$120 right now with promo code EMCPBWE23. Combine that with the 10% off using Visa Checkout makes it a bit over $100.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320091

 

[diizzy]

TP-Link TL-WDR3600 or WD MyNet N600 or N750
http://www.amazon.com/N750-Dual-Rou...TF8&qid=1408388395&sr=8-1&keywords=mynet+n750

Flash a recent version of OpenWRT such as the one linked below and you got yourself really good and stable router for the money.
http://randominfo.pyret.net/index.php?controller=page&action=view&id_page=3

If you go with the WD routers they also support DLNA sharing due to larger flash memory.
//Danne

 

[Edgar]

asus n66u is my current router. House is 1900 sq ft. Awesome coverage and bandwidth over wifi.

 

[mi7chy]

$100 TP-Link Archer C7 v2 simultaneous 2.5GHz and 5GHz dual radio works fine here.

 

[ktr]

I have no complaints about my Mikrotik RB951G-2HnD (~$80). Impressive performance, range, and stability. Options associated with a typical SOHO, off the shelf router can be configured in the simple Quickset panel.