Wireless AC Router help please!

[newls1]

I havent needed to buy a router since the days of linksys was top dog (2002 era) and ive come to find a very very populated area full of 1000's of routers and need help. I dont need anything fancy for gaming or any of that jazz, just looking for something that will be better then my current Comcast supplied modem/router combo that im sending back as im buying my own cable modem and now router. (Current Xfinity modem combo is the TG1682G XB3) It is an 5GHZ AC router (not sure on the AC speeds) but it is actually pretty good, no complaints really. I see tons of AC1900/AC2600 routers just not sure what is currently a "Good" router that is under 100$ that will provide me with good coverage for a single level home with 2300sqft. currently looking at these, whats your opinions?

http://www.microcenter.com/product/...Dual-Band_Gigabit_Wireless_Router_Refurbished

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...98-a031-5fae-8730-8836e3a0d44b&pf_rd_i=172504

http://www.microcenter.com/product/...Dual-Band_Gigabit_Wireless_Router_Refurbished


Any ideas? Thow me back some options please!! much appreciated

 

[FNtastic]

First off, bravo for getting away from the ISP-provided "crap"! Anything will be an improvement over that.

I typically recommend staying away from consumer-grade stuff. Typically because as soon as you purchase it, they stop providing firmware/software updates. Including security patches.

I'll try to still be valuable here. I'm going to put you a little bit over $100 for what will be an extremely reliable network once it's setup/configured. The benefit here is that this hardware will continue to get updates over the years, and Ubiquiti stuff consistently passes on 3rd party security checks/scans
Grab a Ubiquiti Edgerouter X: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0144R449W
Pair it with a wireless AC access point: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PR20GY
If you don't absolutely need AC, you can save about $10 with: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HXT8R2O

Don't forget to use the [H] referral link if you're going to be purchasing from Amazon (click this link before purchasing on Amazon for it to work) https://www.amazon.com/?tag=hardfocom-20

As a side note, this is your best bet at stretching the 5 GHz range across your whole building with 1 access point or "router". It's really going to depend on you using best practices during installation (aiming, distance to power lines, etc), and it being absolutely centrally installed in the house/building. In addition, with a setup like we have here, you can have multiple access points (simply by adding a PoE switch) throughout your home/building to increase your coverage area and strength in all frequency ranges.

Happy to answer any other questions, if you got em!

 

[obs]

The range of most routers is pretty much the same due to physics and all. You will likely want it centrally located for best reception. SmallNetBuilder is a good site for router reviews. Netgear R7000 and R7800 are both great. Personally, I like ubiquiti but they do require more tinkering depending on the clients on your network. I spent days working on getting IPTV from my ISP working.

 

[newls1]

thank you for the link to that site