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Raible
join:2008-01-23
Plainfield, IN

Raible

Member

Need a New Wireless Router

I heard from a neighbor power went off in our neighborhood so I went home at lunch to check on stuff. Power was back on but my internet was down. I verified the modem and internet feed were both good, but my router is suddenly not working. Obviously, the power outage is suspect. It's not producing a wireless signal and not even operating as a router to my computer. I will do a couple more troubleshoot steps on it this evening after work but I suspect it's dead. (Feel free to offer suggestions on troubleshooting).

Anyway, I'm interested in getting some suggestions on what wireless router to go with. My current one is a Netgear N900

»www.newegg.com/Product/P ··· 33122435

I've never had any issue with it until now and have always been happy. It does not, however, have 802.11ac so maybe it's time to upgrade anyway. I live in a two story house and value signal strength as much as raw speed. The N900 did a very good job signal strength wise upstairs although I did have a couple weak spots.

Does anyone have suggestions?
HarryH3
Premium Member
join:2005-02-21

HarryH3

Premium Member

I'm quite happy with my ASUS RT-N66U. The stock firmware isn't bad, but Merlin adds some feature to the stock firmware, while Tomato lets me control everything. I think the model for the AC version is RT-AC66U. (Note that you may see the "U" at the end of the model number replaced with an "R" in some places. It's the same router, but for some reason the ones you buy online, at places like Newegg,have the U on the end while the ones you buy in a store, like Best Buy, have an R on the end.)

Weasel
Premium Member
join:2001-12-03
Minnesota

Weasel to Raible

Premium Member

to Raible
Use the pin hole reset button to see if that brings the router back. You will need to reset everything, but it would save you a new router.

banditws6
Shrinking Time and Distance
Premium Member
join:2001-08-18
Frisco, TX

banditws6 to HarryH3

Premium Member

to HarryH3
I've got an Asus RT-N66U and recently added the newer RT-AC66U. On the N router I've been running Tomato Shibby since forever, and it's rock stable (current uptime: 131 days, been as high as 260ish). On the AC router I used Merlin because I hear it's the only way to retain hardware acceleration. Both routers have been wonderful.

I also ran the cheaper Asus RT-N53 for a while, but it was much less reliable and towards the end it was requiring multiple power cycles a day. Terrible.

janderso1
Jim
MVM
join:2000-04-15
Saint Petersburg, FL

janderso1 to Raible

MVM

to Raible
What is your budget?

mozerd
Light Will Pierce The Darkness
MVM
join:2004-04-23
Nepean, ON

1 edit

mozerd to Raible

MVM

to Raible
said by Raible:

Does anyone have suggestions?

If you cannot revive your NETGEAR WNDR4500 I suggest the Netgear R7000

If you get the R7000 make sure to load the latest firmware as it fixes some bugs.

And to protect your investment do yourself a favor and also purchase a UPS that will protect your wireless router from Power issues. The UPS I suggest is the APC BE750G 750 VA 450 Watts 10 Outlets Power Saving Back-UPS ES

StyxKee
join:2001-07-05
GTA, Canada

1 recommendation

StyxKee to Raible

Member

to Raible
A good article from SmallNetBuilder: 5 Tips For Buying A Future Proof Router

»www.smallnetbuilder.com/ ··· f-router

(The article has also been posted in DSLReports »[Wi-Fi] 5 Tips For Buying A Future Proof Router)

However, I have just "disobeyed" tip #5. I do not have any ac devices, but seeing that there is a good sale on the refurbished ASUS RT-AC66U, I decided to order one. I am kicking myself a bit now that I could have saved $20 for buying the N version instead.

sweller
join:2009-04-25
Tucson, AZ

sweller

Member

"Tip 2: Don't Be First"

You do see the irony in that. Yes?

Raible
join:2008-01-23
Plainfield, IN

Raible to janderso1

Member

to janderso1
said by janderso1:

What is your budget?

I expect to pay at least $100, but would rather not spend $200 if it's just because it's the "latest & greatest" and full of sparkly features I realistically won't even use.

Thank you for the link to the 5 Tips article. That was an interesting read.
SD6
join:2005-03-26
Pittsburgh, PA

SD6

Member

I don't want special features either, but I would like to pay no more than $100 for simple requirements - dual-band ac, gigabit, DLNA. Good range is preferred.

NewEgg's filter choices for wireless routers are not very helpful. You can't even limit ti 802.11ac reliably (manufacturer reported speed only).
davidhoffman
Premium Member
join:2009-11-19
Warner Robins, GA

davidhoffman

Premium Member

Have you tried small net builder at »www.smallnetbuilder.com/ ?
»www.smallnetbuilder.com/ ··· ter/view
»www.smallnetbuilder.com/ ··· reviewed
»www.smallnetbuilder.com/ ··· reviewed
SD6
join:2005-03-26
Pittsburgh, PA

SD6

Member

I tried it. Could not find any benchmarks for range. And found the interface confusing as well.
SD6

SD6 to Raible

Member

to Raible
I went to a store and bought a Belkin ac1200DB. It seems to have less range than my old -n router. sigh.

StyxKee
join:2001-07-05
GTA, Canada

StyxKee

Member

Have you thought about purchasing the power line adapters to cover any poor signal areas within your house? My friend purchased a D-Link set (I think it is N- rather than AC-), and it seems to be working well for him.

My refurbished Cisco/Linksys E4200V2 range is pretty good (it is running as an Access Point). The refurbished Asus RT-AC66U (not the latest and greatest) is also very good. Both are better than my old D-Link DIR-655.
SD6
join:2005-03-26
Pittsburgh, PA

SD6

Member

We have a couple ac devices in the house, so I think now is good time to go ac. The power line extenders seem to be n only.