The Router Recommendations Thread (Consumer)

[Yogesh Sarkar]

I have a TP-LINK TL-WR841N router, with 100mbps WAN and LAN ports. So far I am using it with 50mbps internet connection and it is able to provide full 50mbps speed through LAN and WiFi. Now I am planning to upgrade my internet connection to 100mbps and I am wondering, whether it would actually be able to deliver the full bandwidth or prove to be a bottleneck?

 

[Edgar]

You probably will bottleneck every now and then. Because with 100mb you can sometimes have speed that surpass 100mb. Gigabit is standard now on every router. Why not buy a new router? You can find a cheap one that has gigabit and probably decent wifi.

 

[Nathan_P]

We have no choice, we get given Tilgin HG 2302's and that's it. no options to change

 

[Yogesh Sarkar]

You probably will bottleneck every now and then. Because with 100mb you can sometimes have speed that surpass 100mb. Gigabit is standard now on every router. Why not buy a new router? You can find a cheap one that has gigabit and probably decent wifi.

Because I bought this router in Jan, when I upgraded from 16mbps DSL to 20mbps connection. Frankly speaking, I have no use for 100mbps. Just thinking of trying it out, because it is only US$4 more and I can change me internet speed each month thanks to prepaid plan.

 

[Edgar]

Because I bought this router in Jan, when I upgraded from 16mbps DSL to 20mbps connection. Frankly speaking, I have no use for 100mbps. Just thinking of trying it out, because it is only US$4 more and I can change me internet speed each month thanks to prepaid plan.

I meant so your internal network can be on gigabit. It makes a huge difference especially if you have more than one computer on the same network.

 

[Yogesh Sarkar]

I have one desktop that is connected through LAN, no NAS and rest of the devices are connected through Wi-Fi. So it is sort of hard to come with a justification for a new router so soon.

 

[SpaceFlotsam]

For a secure home router (think not easy to hack and bot), try the PepWave Surf Soho.

Review

Pros:
Frequent firmware updates (unlike most every consumer router out there that very rarely gets firmware updates or security updates)
Ability to store two firmware versions and toggle between them
Easy interface, with advanced networking features for the so-inclined
Solid speed results (not the fastest, but will fit needs for vast majority of people)
Antennas easily upgraded
Multiple vlan capability allows for segregating IOT and computer networks from each other
Abilty to create guest network allowing Internet only access, and walled off from internal networks
Supports VPN connections (great if you want to VPN back to a home server)
No WPS support (much more secure WiFi authentication)
Commitment to supporting the customers, robust support forums
Network usage reporting and site control features, includes rate limiting features
Use hotspot/LGE devices as network failover backup (in case your cable/FTH connection fails)


Cons:
Will only work on 2.4 or 5Ghz at a time, cannot handle both frequencies simultaneously
3 antennas makes upgrading these a bit more costly than some other models
Occasionally have to reset as router connections will stall (not a big issue - reboot needed about once per 2-3 months)
No WPS Support (not as user friendly for certain people - requires web console configuration during install)
Rate limiting generic across devices, cannot specifically limit bandwidth per device or group configuration
No USB file/printer sharing
Relatively expensive - security comes with a price!

 

[Deleted member 133315]

My rt ac3200 is dieing so I have just bought an asus ac5300 but I am sick of only getting two years out of wifi routers before they start to have problems.

It really is begining to annoy me, I have had consumer and business routers previously and for some weird reason 2-3 years always happens to be their lifespan.

 

[86 5.0L]

My rt ac3200 is dieing so I have just bought an asus ac5300 but I am sick of only getting two years out of wifi routers before they start to have problems.

It really is begining to annoy me, I have had consumer and business routers previously and for some weird reason 2-3 years always happens to be their lifespan.

Dirty electrical maybe?

 

[Deleted member 93354]

Dirty electrical maybe?

Nope. None of them want to put the 50 cents worth of aluminum heat sinks on the amp chips and a fan on the CPU. Only the super high end ones do that ($500+). And they do get hot.

You can go to small net builder and see how they are built.

 

[86 5.0L]

My rt3200 is chugging along, Merlin firmware FTW!

 

[SticKx911]

Nope. None of them want to put the 50 cents worth of aluminum heat sinks on the amp chips and a fan on the CPU. Only the super high end ones do that ($500+). And they do get hot.

You can go to small net builder and see how they are built.

Never really noticed how my wrt 1200 sits at 1% load but somehow manages 72°C.
That’s insane. If I somehow found a way to actually tax it, or if it was an outdoor ap, it’d be dead in no time. Time to put some heat sinks in it.

 

[Deleted member 133315]

Nope. None of them want to put the 50 cents worth of aluminum heat sinks on the amp chips and a fan on the CPU. Only the super high end ones do that ($500+). And they do get hot.

You can go to small net builder and see how they are built.

Thats exactly what I think, thats why I bought a laptop cooler and the router sits on that and it blows air right into the bottom vents of the 3200.

I got it working again after much trial and error, but now I have a ac5300 arriving tomorrow, so i dunno what am gunna do with that. I will probably use the 5300 as the main router and use the 3200 as an access point upstairs, hopefully if I can put it in a good spot I will get wifi indoors and outdoors, its either that or i tell the amazon delivery dude to Foff when he tries to deliver it.

 

[Deleted member 133315]

Never really noticed how my wrt 1200 sits at 1% load but somehow manages 72°C.
That’s insane. If I somehow found a way to actually tax it, or if it was an outdoor ap, it’d be dead in no time. Time to put some heat sinks in it.

My one sits at a constant 58-60oC, summertime or winter time its always either 58oc or 60oc, always, i think its lieing.

 

[lightsout]

Netgear Nighthawk R6700
https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nigh...qid=1523747152&sr=8-3&keywords=ac1750+netgear

Building a house, not looking to break the bank, I currently have a junky old netgear that seems to be fine.

This will be hooked up to 100mb cable with a wired network throughout the house (through a switch)

4 smart phones and a couple smart tv's. And 2-4 computers.

It says good for 12 devices, I don't need absolute perfect performance. House will be 1600 sq ft.

 

[NIZMOZ]

EdgeRouter X
https://www.ubnt.com/edgemax/edgerouter-x/

With my EERO Pro Mesh WIFI

 

[///AMG]

EdgeRouter X
https://www.ubnt.com/edgemax/edgerouter-x/

With my EERO Pro Mesh WIFI

Why use the Edgerouter and an EERO pro system?

 

[NIZMOZ]

Why use the Edgerouter and an EERO pro system?

EdgeRouter X is way more powerful / customizable than any router out there. Like how iOS and Android are. I could use Ubnt Access Points for WIFI, but I didn't want to deal with wiring the house to get them done, so I went with EERO and have had it for 2 years with no issues. But if you aren't familiar with routers, EdgeRouter is probably not the way for you to go and go with NetGear. Now EERO Pro Mesh has it's own router built in if you need a strong wifi system and router together. I've used it that way for a while. It's just limited on what you can do with it.

 

[///AMG]

EdgeRouter X is way more powerful / customizable than any router out there. Like how iOS and Android are. I could use Ubnt Access Points for WIFI, but I didn't want to deal with wiring the house to get them done, so I went with EERO and have had it for 2 years with no issues. But if you aren't familiar with routers, EdgeRouter is probably not the way for you to go and go with NetGear. Now EERO Pro Mesh has it's own router built in if you need a strong wifi system and router together. I've used it that way for a while. It's just limited on what you can do with it.

I guess, I have the EERO Pro system but I personally dont see the need to add an edgerouter to it. If I was going to do the edgerouter I would get the Ubiquiti APs. But I guess if it works for you then.

 

[NIZMOZ]

I guess, I have the EERO Pro system but I personally dont see the need to add an edgerouter to it. If I was going to do the edgerouter I would get the Ubiquiti APs. But I guess if it works for you then.

Well, EERO can't do this, or really any other router.

 

[///AMG]

Well, EERO can't do this, or really any other router.

View attachment 66876

Yea I understand what the Edgerouters can do. I just find it odd to combine an EERO with one because typically the EERO is catered for consumer and the edgerouter prosumer.

 

[bds1904]

Well, EERO can't do this, or really any other router.

View attachment 66876

And that’s why I use Open-Mesh for clients that need multiple AP’s. An AP can act as the router, the other AP’s can be wired or wireless ( it detects which connection to use automatically, no configuration necessary) and they have L7 analysis enabled by default.

Did I mention Open-Mesh is cheaper and has been around longer than eero? Not to mention they also make their own managed POE switches that are managed form the same interface.

 

[wikidlad]

Netgear Orbi. Hits every corner of my 2 story house.....4 gamers in the house playing PUBG at same time with no issues.

 

[atreidesgoldenpath]

If you had and loved an R7000 Nighthawk, don't get the R8000 and think it will be better. The range sucked, and I had problems with WIFI out of the box. Returned to Best Buy within 48 hours.

 

[Deleted member 93354]

Netgear Orbi. Hits every corner of my 2 story house.....4 gamers in the house playing PUBG at same time with no issues.

network mesh is always a mess. There's significant lag added every time there is a hop. And Netgear Orbi has tons of reliability issues. Check the netgear forums with people having issues of getting randomly dropped or hung up.

Don't get me wrong. I dropped a repeater in my Brother-n-law's house to solve his dead spot issues. However he isn't technically inclined. So it serves his purpose.

My preferred approach is use the strongest router you can and see if it covers your house. My X2S covers my 2800 SqFt on 2.4GHz, so I don't worry about repeaters. HOWEVER if I need to augment I do have additional hardwired ports.

 

[NKD]

network mesh is always a mess. There's significant lag added every time there is a hop. And Netgear Orbi has tons of reliability issues. Check the netgear forums with people having issues of getting randomly dropped or hung up.

Don't get me wrong. I dropped a repeater in my Brother-n-law's house to solve his dead spot issues. However he isn't technically inclined. So it serves his purpose.

My preferred approach is use the strongest router you can and see if it covers your house. My X2S covers my 2800 SqFt on 2.4GHz, so I don't worry about repeaters. HOWEVER if I need to augment I do have additional hardwired ports.

I had ORBI. It was a cluster fuck. It ran fine for a few months and the netgear kept pushing firmware updates. They even admitted they fucked up the ios devices. Because my iphones and ipads will disconnect. They will still be connected to wifi but no internet. They did fix it but I ultimately got rid of because of below reason.

Another thing I didn't like about mesh system was when it puts on 2.4ghz instead of 5. My wife would complain about speed slowing down to where she couldn't even play a video. I kinda knew what was going on. Not to mention I have gigapower connection.

I got myself a ASUS GT AC5300 Tri band with quad core chip and it screams. Covers my whole house without a sweat and no issues with streaming. I just hate when you cant control which band your device is connected to. Because 2.4 gets saturated pretty fast and for me streaming was crap on portable devices.

I sold mine on ebay. Both the satellite units and router $150 each separately. It was funny because I tried to sell it all for 300 and decided to list them separate and got antoher 150 lol.

 

[///AMG]

I had ORBI. It was a cluster fuck. It ran fine for a few months and the netgear kept pushing firmware updates. They even admitted they fucked up the ios devices. Because my iphones and ipads will disconnect. They will still be connected to wifi but no internet. They did fix it but I ultimately got rid of because of below reason.

Another thing I didn't like about mesh system was when it puts on 2.4ghz instead of 5. My wife would complain about speed slowing down to where she couldn't even play a video. I kinda knew what was going on. Not to mention I have gigapower connection.

I got myself a ASUS GT AC5300 Tri band with quad core chip and it screams. Covers my whole house without a sweat and no issues with streaming. I just hate when you cant control which band your device is connected to. Because 2.4 gets saturated pretty fast and for me streaming was crap on portable devices.

I sold mine on ebay. Both the satellite units and router $150 each separately. It was funny because I tried to sell it all for 300 and decided to list them separate and got antoher 150 lol.

I bought the orbi when I moved last year. It was ok, didn't realize it didnt have wired backhaul support then (I read they added it after). Performance wasn't that great so I returned it and got an Eero Pro system, honestly if you are looking for a solid, easy to setup and maintain system the Eero is the best on the market IMHO. They keep adding new features and improved performance almost every other month. I've never had such a trouble free experience and so much support from a consumer grade router. If you reddit, theres a subreddit for Eero where the CEO and developers actually answer questions and help you out.

 

[NKD]

I bought the orbi when I moved last year. It was ok, didn't realize it didnt have wired backhaul support then (I read they added it after). Performance wasn't that great so I returned it and got an Eero Pro system, honestly if you are looking for a solid, easy to setup and maintain system the Eero is the best on the market IMHO. They keep adding new features and improved performance almost every other month. I've never had such a trouble free experience and so much support from a consumer grade router. If you reddit, theres a subreddit for Eero where the CEO and developers actually answer questions and help you out.

May be next time. I just didn't like how ORBI would offload alot of devices to 2.4ghz where it would get saturated and you can't even stream things.That was the main reason I got rid of it.

 

[///AMG]

May be next time. I just didn't like how ORBI would offload alot of devices to 2.4ghz where it would get saturated and you can't even stream things.That was the main reason I got rid of it.

I didn't have it long enough to see that. However I did have issues with throughput because there was not wired back haul and my house is quite large the orbi satellites could barely do anything.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

not sure what is inside of this Ubiquiti stuff.. but so far so good

I like to think of it as black magic.

Back before 5ghz wifi was common, I lived in a dense neighborhood where the 2.4 GHz band was thoroughly inundated.

I went through several of the top consumer routers of the day and none of them got me reliable signal inside the house, until someone on here (or the servethehome forums, can't remember) suggested trying a Unifi AP.

I tried it and my jaw dropped. It cut through the noise and congestion like it wasn't even there and just worked.

I have rarely been so impressed by any piece of hardware, and I have been using only Unifi AP's ever since. These days I use two Unifi AP AC LR units in my house, and I absolutely love them.

The only way I can describe it is black magic. They shouldn't work as well as they do, but they just do.

At this point no one on Earth could convince me to use anything else. I cpuöd never go back to a consumer router/AP combo unit.

 

[Alberto Hurst]

D-Link DIR-605L Wireless N Cloud Router

One can go for this product as I am using it for more than two year, It is cost efficient and good after 2 or 3 wall barrier.
One thing I like of its cloud controlling, MAC filters, no disconnection issue.
Its andriod app is bit too laggy which may irritate anyone.

 

[Hitti2]

So that I am jumping on the FIOS band wagon, DL-1GBs/UP-31.25MBs.
I made sure my system can handle it, and it can.

I have a small general area to cover and all rooms, one bedroom apt. My smart phone is wireless-N. My pcie network adapter is 1000MB/s interface.

With dd-wrt supported, what are some good routers these days?

 

[NKD]

So that I am jumping on the FIOS band wagon, DL-1GBs/UP-31.25MBs.
I made sure my system can handle it, and it can.
View attachment 111096



I have a small general area to cover and all rooms, one bedroom apt. My smart phone is wireless-N. My pcie network adapter is 1000MB/s interface.

With dd-wrt supported, what are some good routers these days?

Are you using your hard drive read/write speed to determine if you could handle 1 gig fiber? It really doesn't have anything to do with that. It really depends on your hardware such as network card and CPU speed. I was only able to maxe out my AT&T gigapower with my gaming rig. All other computers would cap out around 300-500. You are downloading a file at that speed so your read and write speed doesn't do anything.

 

[FNtastic]

So that I am jumping on the FIOS band wagon, DL-1GBs/UP-31.25MBs.
I made sure my system can handle it, and it can.
View attachment 111096



I have a small general area to cover and all rooms, one bedroom apt. My smart phone is wireless-N. My pcie network adapter is 1000MB/s interface.

With dd-wrt supported, what are some good routers these days?

https://hardforum.com/threads/guide-what-router-should-i-get.1965547/

 

[Hitti2]

Are you using your hard drive read/write speed to determine if you could handle 1 gig fiber? It really doesn't have anything to do with that. It really depends on your hardware such as network card and CPU speed. I was only able to maxe out my AT&T gigapower with my gaming rig. All other computers would cap out around 300-500. You are downloading a file at that speed so your read and write speed doesn't do anything.

I have a realtek 1000MB pcie onboard network adapter.
I73770k@4.5Ghz
File being transfered to an os system has alot to do with the write a drive can handle.
Its just like transferring over from drive to another.

 

[NKD]

I have a realtek 1000MB pcie onboard network adapter.
I73770k@4.5Ghz
File being transfered to an os system has alot to do with the write a drive can handle.
Its just like transferring over from drive to another.

Over internal network sure. But I haven't seen much difference over internet. Downloading from the internet has never made much difference for me. I have NVME drives. If it was a big difference I would truly hard wire my entire house to get 1gig across my 2 rigs lol.

1000/1000 connection should download max at around 100 or little above MBps. The internet speed is 1000Mbps, small b not 1000MBps.

 

[Makaveli@BETA]

So that I am jumping on the FIOS band wagon, DL-1GBs/UP-31.25MBs.
I made sure my system can handle it, and it can.
View attachment 111096



I have a small general area to cover and all rooms, one bedroom apt. My smart phone is wireless-N. My pcie network adapter is 1000MB/s interface.

With dd-wrt supported, what are some good routers these days?

A Modern HD can handle a 1Gbps connection fine.

For drives to drive transfers in the same system it will be great.

Get a 10Gbps connection then your post would make more sense

 

[NKD]

A Modern HD can handle a 1Gbps connection fine.

For drives to drive transfers in the same system it will be great.

Get a 10Gbps connection then your post would make more sense

Yep, I think he was thinking his connection is 10Gbps instead of 1Gbps. MB vs Mb.

 

[NIZMOZ]

Going by the info on wikipedia, "a typical 7,200-rpm desktop HDD has a sustained "disk-to-buffer" data transfer rate up to 1,030 Mbits/sec"

1030Mbits/s converted to Megabytes/s is 125MB/s. You don't need to upgrade your HD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_drive#Data_transfer_rate

 

[Hitti2]

Damnit, it is Gb/s, I just checked. Omy, thought it was 1GB/s. Sux.