time to replace my router?

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dodecahedron
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time to replace my router?

Post by dodecahedron »

I thnk it is long past time to replace my router. (This is the sort of thing my late husband routinely dealt with.) Performance of the old one has degraded a lot.

WSJ has recommendations here, but I would be grateful for Boglehead suggestions.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/wi-fi-woes- ... NewsSecond
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walkabout
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by walkabout »

You have a MacBook, I think. I think you might consider an Apple Airport Extreme router. It gets positive reviews and integrates easily with Apple products (Mac, MacBook, iPhone, iPad, etc). It is more expensive than other routers, but is considered super easy to configure from your Mac or iPhone (or iPad).
Frugal Disciple
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Frugal Disciple »

What is the make/model of your current router? Also, what are the download and upload speeds that you are subscribed to currently?
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DSInvestor
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by DSInvestor »

I have a T-Mobile cellspot router which is a T-Mobile branded Asus RT-AC68U and it has been very fast and stable. If you have a T-Mobile post paid cell phone, you can get one at no cost from any T-Mobile store but it has to be returned if/when you terminate your T-Mobile service. The ASUS RT-AC68U is about $199. I liked this router so much I bought a second one for $99 from a T-Mobile store - this one I can keep even without T-Mobile service but T-Mobile account is required for the purchase at the $99 reduced price.

We have lots of devices, 3 macbook pros, 2 windows laptops, 2 desktops, xbox, PS3, iPhones, iPads, Sonos speakers.
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by tludwig23 »

I'm quite happy with an Apple Airport Express, ($99). I'll have 2 iPhones, 2 iPads and 2 MacBooks all using it at once, with streaming music and no pauses or problems, even when making Wifi phone calls in the iPhone.
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

I'm also a fan of the AirPort Extreme, but first a question. When was the last time you rebooted (ie, pulled power plug, waited 30 seconds, and plugged back in)? In theory: unnecessary, in practice: sometimes helps.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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fetch5482
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by fetch5482 »

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-router/
I have the Asus one and quite happy with it. A friend of mine was recently shopping for one and I suggested him Netgear model listed on thewirecutter. He had similar issues as you - random network cutoff, frequent need to reboot router, etc. All his problems are now gone.
Although I have never tried the tp-link archer c7, that model has consistently received rave reviews, especially for the budget-friendly price point.

thewirecutter also has a small blurb on Apple's router, although it was not very conclusive. http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-w ... ter/#apple
Last edited by fetch5482 on Tue Feb 03, 2015 4:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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LeeMKE
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by LeeMKE »

+1 Apple

Life is too short to deal with the nuances of electronic devices. Plug and play. Routers do become obsolete and just won't keep a decent connection past their lifespan.
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packet
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by packet »

TomatoTomahto wrote:I'm also a fan of the AirPort Extreme, but first a question. When was the last time you rebooted (ie, pulled power plug, waited 30 seconds, and plugged back in)? In theory: unnecessary, in practice: sometimes helps.
+1 reboot just to be sure.

Also, what do you mean "Performance of the old one has degraded a lot"?
Beyond the occasional reboot (due to bad memory management or sumsuch), these things (normally) either work or they don't ... they won't degrade over time (any more than they'll get better).

If something has changed in performance, mayhaps you're looking in the wrong place?

Just something to consider... certainly nothing wrong with an upgrade... but... :)

:beerCheers,
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Doom&Gloom
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Doom&Gloom »

dodecahedron wrote:I thnk it is long past time to replace my router. (This is the sort of thing my late husband routinely dealt with.) Performance of the old one has degraded a lot.

WSJ has recommendations here, but I would be grateful for Boglehead suggestions.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/wi-fi-woes- ... NewsSecond
wageoghe wrote:You have a MacBook, I think. I think you might consider an Apple Airport Extreme router. It gets positive reviews and integrates easily with Apple products (Mac, MacBook, iPhone, iPad, etc). It is more expensive than other routers, but is considered super easy to configure from your Mac or iPhone (or iPad).
I have personally avoided Apple products like the plague, but this is one time that even I would agree.
slbnoob
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by slbnoob »

For routine networking requirements, routers are a commodity. I have a $15 Rosewill router I bought from Newegg. I flashed it with DD-WRT and it has been rock solid. There is simply no need to spend more if all you need is to connect your devices to the network.
These days though, it might be worth to get an a/c capable router.
Stonebr
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Stonebr »

wageoghe wrote:You have a MacBook, I think. I think you might consider an Apple Airport Extreme router. It gets positive reviews and integrates easily with Apple products (Mac, MacBook, iPhone, iPad, etc). It is more expensive than other routers, but is considered super easy to configure from your Mac or iPhone (or iPad).
+1 I use Apple Airport Extreme with my Macbook, and it is, indeed, extremely easy to use, reliable, and reasonably secure.
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Rodc
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Rodc »

I replaced an inexpensive Ryboi with a really nice Porter Cable router and the new one really works much better.
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fetch5482
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by fetch5482 »

Rodc wrote:I replaced an inexpensive Ryboi with a really nice Porter Cable router and the new one really works much better.
lol :D :D :D
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Rodc
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Rodc »

More seriously, I have a Lyncsys router. It was plug and play with the HP printer, 3 different Dell laptops, Kindle tablet, 2 different Kindle readers, Apple Powerbook, iPhones, iPad mini, home built gaming computer and older laptop whose brand I don't even remember at the moment, everything.

What is this "issue" about compatibility with Apple that people are talking about?
We live a world with knowledge of the future markets has less than one significant figure. And people will still and always demand answers to three significant digits.
DSInvestor
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by DSInvestor »

One thing to check is your internet service itself. I was helping out a friend who has internet service that was 20Mbps downstream but only 0.5Mbps upstream. If anyone on the network does a big upload like for photos or cloud backup, it clogs the upstream pipe which results in very slow downstream performance - everything is slow even bringing up a google page. Downstream performance recovers immediately after stopping the upload.

My service is 50Mpbs downstream and 10Mbps upstream. I can upload or cloud backups as much as I want and I see little or no degradation in my downstream performance.
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Optimistic
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Optimistic »

OP - can you please explain how your router's performance has degraded exactly?

I'm still using the the same Linksys WRT54G router I bought in 2005. The download speed from my IPS is capped at 20 Mbps. The signal is strong throughout my house (on both floors). And, I rarely share files across a home network. So, there was never any incentive for me upgrade to a better router. Netflix never stutters, so why upgrade?
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fetch5482
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by fetch5482 »

If rebooting the router temporarily solves the problem, then it sounds like a router issue to me... a new router would help in that case.

I still highly recommend looking at thewirecutter.com link I had put in an earlier post in this thread.. Both those routers are rock solid, plug-n-play. I have mine sitting on the 2nd floor, and have not rebooted it for a year or so!
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oneleaf
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by oneleaf »

Rodc wrote:More seriously, I have a Lyncsys router. It was plug and play with the HP printer, 3 different Dell laptops, Kindle tablet, 2 different Kindle readers, Apple Powerbook, iPhones, iPad mini, home built gaming computer and older laptop whose brand I don't even remember at the moment, everything.

What is this "issue" about compatibility with Apple that people are talking about?
Yea, I have used Linksys, Netgear, and Asus routers. Every one of them worked immediately upon first use with no configuration other than setting an SSID and password. Every device, Apple or otherwise, PC, smartphone, printer, TV box has worked without an issue. There should not be any compatibility advantage to having an Apple router.
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Ged »

1. Routers are not a commodity. There are significant performance, reliability and ease of use differences.
2. The WSJ article surprised me by not mentioning ASUS which has a really strong product line.
3. The WSJ article choice (Netgear AC1900) is probably overkill for most people.

It's important to evaluate the different specifications your devices support. It's easy to overspend on a router and find you don't have any equipment that uses the latest protocol.

If you are a Mac/Apple user the Apple routers offer some ease of use benefits. However Apple price is high and performance is middle of the pack if you don't care about the integration features.

It is well worthwhile looking at your router setup every few years. Performance in this product group has been improving fairly rapidly.
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Kenkat »

Optimistic wrote:OP - can you please explain how your router's performance has degraded exactly?

I'm still using the the same Linksys WRT54G router I bought in 2005. The download speed from my IPS is capped at 20 Mbps. The signal is strong throughout my house (on both floors). And, I rarely share files across a home network. So, there was never any incentive for me upgrade to a better router. Netflix never stutters, so why upgrade?
It was a sad day when my WRT54G bit the dust. I bought a Belkin that seemed to need to be restarted occasionally before I replaced it with a Netgear that has proven reliable.
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by ralph124cf »

Rodc wrote:I replaced an inexpensive Ryboi with a really nice Porter Cable router and the new one really works much better.
When I saw the title of this thread, I was about to recommend Makita, but Porter Cable is nice too.

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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by ccieemeritus »

+1 reboot router and your DSL/cable modem

Please identify your router model and DSL/cable modem service level (expected speed down/up). Often the existing wifi routers speed exceeds the DSL line speed. It's impossible for me to confirm your diagnosis without the model.

Use ookla speedtest app on iPad or iPhone to test network speed (if you already have flash installed on your computer you can goto speedtest.net to do that, but don't install flash just for this due to weekly security updates).

Ideally you'd use speedtest before and after the reboots.

If you have a Mac, you might consider a time capsule. The automated backups saved my daughters photo collection.
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Toons »

I use an Almond touch screen router.Easy,Easy setup ,reliable,excellent coverage.
Read some of the over 7000 reviews at Amazon :happy

http://www.amazon.com/Securifi-Almond-T ... B0087NZ31S
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

Toons wrote:I use an Almond touch screen router.Easy,Easy setup ,reliable,excellent coverage.
Read some of the over 7000 reviews at Amazon :happy

http://www.amazon.com/Securifi-Almond-T ... B0087NZ31S
Probably been fixed by now, but some years ago I had to return mine because I simply could not talk the thing into becoming part of a roaming network (Ie, more than one access point with the same SSID and password).
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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dodecahedron
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by dodecahedron »

Sorry to post and disappear. I got inundated with work shortly after I posted my question last night.

To answer questions, yes, I do have a Macbook and the Airport Extreme sounds like a good choice, but will it also work well for my daughter and visitors who have non Apple (i.e., Windows) PCs?
TomatoTomahto wrote:I'm also a fan of the AirPort Extreme, but first a question. When was the last time you rebooted (ie, pulled power plug, waited 30 seconds, and plugged back in)? In theory: unnecessary, in practice: sometimes helps.
Sometimes I have to do this multiple times a day in order to get a working connection!

To the question what do I mean by "performance has degraded"? When I am using my MacBook anywhere but home, it works smoothly and continuously. When I am using it at home, the connection just dies on me without warning. Sometimes I am able to fiddle around with settings on my computer to reconnect, but all too frequently I have to go unplug and replug. And the frequency--which used to be every few days is now several times a day.
Frugal Disciple wrote:What is the make/model of your current router? Also, what are the download and upload speeds that you are subscribed to currently?
Good questions--and the answer is that I don't know. It is in an awkward and hard to access location (under the back of my late husband's very large desk.) It is easy for me to access the plug but not the device itself. Is there a software method by which I can query the router?
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by richard »

dodecahedron wrote:Sorry to post and disappear. I got inundated with work shortly after I posted my question last night.

To answer questions, yes, I do have a Macbook and the Airport Extreme sounds like a good choice, but will it also work well for my daughter and visitors who have non Apple (i.e., Windows) PCs? <>
From thewirecutter (mentioned above and a very reliable source):

"Even though the Airport Extreme was easy to set up and comes with a few Apple-exclusive features, the router’s high price, limited feature loadout compared to most other routers, and the fact that it doesn’t play very nicely with Windows computers makes it a poor value for the majority of users (Apple-enthusiasts included)."
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-w ... ter/#apple
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Yooper »

dodecahedron wrote: Good questions--and the answer is that I don't know. It is in an awkward and hard to access location (under the back of my late husband's very large desk.) It is easy for me to access the plug but not the device itself. Is there a software method by which I can query the router?
Yes, but since you don't know the type it may take a bit longer. Begin by googling "default ip address" and you'll see a number of routers (linksys, netgear, etc.) pop up as search suggestions. Select the first one (linksys and netgear are probably the most common routers the average person has at home) and get the ip address - if you're lucky the link may provide a default admin logon and password as well. If you're really lucky that particular type of router will be what you have under the desk. If you're really REALLY lucky, no one will have changed the default logon and password and you'll be in. If it has been changed then unfortunately you'll need to squeeze under the desk and manually reset the router to factory defaults. But I'm getting ahead of myself, see if you can get the ip address for the type of router you have.
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by jamesb124 »

I was very close to getting an AirPort Extreme but then read the reviews about the ASUS-AC68u (but their may be a new version already like the 68P).
It had a few more features than the AirPort and cost a bit less.

I do not regret getting the ASUS. It works as it should with my Apple, Android, iOS and Windows, Linux and embedded devices. It works well with wireless B, G, N and AC devices. It works well with wired gigabit and 100m Ethernet devices (I guess we have a lot of devices and operating systems in the house).

Prior to this, I have always had Linksys consumer grade devices but I grew tired of replacing them every 18months. I was beginning to think that the short lifespan was designed into the router so that we would be forced to upgrade!
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in_reality
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by in_reality »

richard wrote:
dodecahedron wrote:Sorry to post and disappear. I got inundated with work shortly after I posted my question last night.

To answer questions, yes, I do have a Macbook and the Airport Extreme sounds like a good choice, but will it also work well for my daughter and visitors who have non Apple (i.e., Windows) PCs? <>
From thewirecutter (mentioned above and a very reliable source):
Yes it will work absolutely peachy with your daughter's pc and any wifi device.

If you need to set it up initially without a mac, iPhone or IPad, you have to download an app onto your pc. That's all. Calling it unfriendly to windows is not exactly very accurate.

The qouted article also states "The Airport Extreme is easy to set up as an extender, a router, or even an access point — perhaps the easiest of any routers we’ve tested."

Now, if you want to run a vpn ..it may not be the best choice, but are you really going to do that.

Most impostantly, how are you backing your system up? Do you use time machine? Are you doing it regularly? You should be. The Airport extreme can be used with an external hard drive to automatically do backups wirelessly so you don't even have to plug anything in. Here a tutorial on how to set it up.

http://pcclassesonline.com/turn-airport ... e-capsule/
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by ixohoxi »

Find your "default gateway" address using the method below and put that address into Safari's address line. The router's login screen (identifying the make and model) will appear in Safari. Then you can google for the default username and password as Yooper suggested.

Finding default gateway (MacOS):
To open terminal, simply type terminal into spotlight (the magnifying glass on the top right of your screen).

With terminal open, type: "route -n get default" (without the quotes) and press enter. You will get a list showing amongst other things, your default gateway IP address of your router.

Yooper wrote:
dodecahedron wrote: Good questions--and the answer is that I don't know. It is in an awkward and hard to access location (under the back of my late husband's very large desk.) It is easy for me to access the plug but not the device itself. Is there a software method by which I can query the router?
Yes, but since you don't know the type it may take a bit longer. Begin by googling "default ip address" and you'll see a number of routers (linksys, netgear, etc.) pop up as search suggestions. Select the first one (linksys and netgear are probably the most common routers the average person has at home) and get the ip address - if you're lucky the link may provide a default admin logon and password as well. If you're really lucky that particular type of router will be what you have under the desk. If you're really REALLY lucky, no one will have changed the default logon and password and you'll be in. If it has been changed then unfortunately you'll need to squeeze under the desk and manually reset the router to factory defaults. But I'm getting ahead of myself, see if you can get the ip address for the type of router you have.
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

Maybe I misunderstand, but isn't the default gateway IP address 192.168.1.1 nearly always? One time I had a VPN connected remote office and I used 192.168.2.1, but other than that, it's always been the same.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by jebmke »

TomatoTomahto wrote:Maybe I misunderstand, but isn't the default gateway IP address 192.168.1.1 nearly always? One time I had a VPN connected remote office and I used 192.168.2.1, but other than that, it's always been the same.
this seems to be the most common default gateway on routers but I have bought others. My Buffalo router was something like 192.168.11.1 and Trendnet uses 192.168.1.0. Fortunately most routers have the factory default printed on the router somewhere so you are only a paper clip away from getting into the setup.
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by davebarnes »

Last edited by davebarnes on Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Toons »

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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by ccieemeritus »

Metal between the router and your computer can interfere with the signal. Is the desk your router is behind metal?
If yes get the router out from there and preferably put it someplace high (I put it on top of my file cabinet). You might need a longer Ethernet cable for that.

Do you have cable or DSL?

Is there one combined device (terminating the DSL/cable and providing wifi) or two devices (one terminating the DSL/cable and a seperate one providing wifi)?

Sometimes the wifi network name can be a clue. For example if the name is 2wireNNN then you have an ATT DSL router with built in wifi (possibly rented check your bill) and would probably want ATT to ship you a newer box.
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magellan
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by magellan »

If your router doesn't support at least 802.1n and you're having wifi issues, replacing the router is probably a good idea. You'll want to check that your computer wifi adapter supports 802.1n, but as long as it's less than 3 years old, it probably does. The 802.1n wifi router generation was a major upgrade in speed, range and robustness compared to older abg technologies.

If you live in an apartment building or condo, a common cause of sudden wifi performance degradation is a neighbor installing a new router that uses the same frequency band/channel as your router. If your router is set for "auto" channel selection, a reboot of the router might make things better.

This article has some suggestions for troubleshooting wifi frequency overlap problems in crowded environments like apartment buildings:
http://www.howtogeek.com/197268/how-to- ... ng-system/

If that doesn't help, upgrading to a router that supports 5ghz and using that frequency band may help. In crowded environments the 5ghz band often works better since most people use the more common 2.4ghz band. However, I'd suggest upgrading to an 802.1ac capable router if you plan to use the 5ghz band. Routers supporting 802.1ac are more robust at 5ghz compared to 802.1n routers, and many people experience connectivity problems when they try to use the 5ghz band on an 802.1n router. Also, this assumes your computer wifi adapter supports 802.1ac which is only likely if it's than 1-2 years old.
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by bungalow10 »

I purchased a $20 router from Amazon for my brother. 10 minute setup. Great little router, especially for the money.

At home we use a $160 Netgear fancy-pants router. But we have two smart-TVs, four Kindles, two laptops, printer, smartphone, Amazon Echo, etc. And we needed the improved range to reach the upstairs room of a detached building that contains my office and one of the two TVs.
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jkrm
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by jkrm »

Just a thought - Do you use cable, and if so, how old is your cable modem? I had a problem many years ago (about ten, I think) that was just like yours. The connection would just die, and I had to reboot the router. The cable company insisted I needed a new router but replacing it didn't help. Then I decided to replace the cable modem just as a long shot, and the problem disappeared. It turned out that the cable company had upgraded their network from the DOCSIS 1 standard to DOCSIS 2. I don't know whether it was that upgrade that caused the problem or not, but as I said, replacing the modem fixed the problem.
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Buffalo Chuck »

I can heartily suggest Small Net Builder's Router Ranker Table

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/ra ... outer/view

in considering new router choices.

Their forum has a few good thinkers aboard, too, including a few vendor representatives. There are rather constant "which should I buy?" threads and many are filled with the dullest responses due to the overwhelming repetitiveness of this one question.

But the Router Rankings are detailed AND wonderfully consistent. The Forum has many fanbois of ASUS while the website's main editor is decidedly anti-fanboi, so he doesn't give ASUS any credits for being Merely Popular - they have to earn good standings and, no, they don't always do that.
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dodecahedron
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Re: time to replace my router?

Post by dodecahedron »

jkrm wrote:Just a thought - Do you use cable, and if so, how old is your cable modem? I had a problem many years ago (about ten, I think) that was just like yours. The connection would just die, and I had to reboot the router. The cable company insisted I needed a new router but replacing it didn't help. Then I decided to replace the cable modem just as a long shot, and the problem disappeared. It turned out that the cable company had upgraded their network from the DOCSIS 1 standard to DOCSIS 2. I don't know whether it was that upgrade that caused the problem or not, but as I said, replacing the modem fixed the problem.
I do use cable. As to how old, I am guessing it must be pretty old since I assume it has not been replaced in the years since we signed up for this service (over a decade ago?) But I could be wrong. My late husband was always tweaking the elaborate electronic set up in our house. He might have replaced it. I don't even know what it would look like or where it is (there is large nest of devices and wires in an inaccessible space under his desk.)

I am tempted just to switch over to a new provider (I think Verizon offers FIOS) and start completely over rather than try to figure out what is what down there.
Buffalo Chuck
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Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2015 2:52 pm

Re: time to replace my router?

Post by Buffalo Chuck »

Some retailers will merrily arrive on-site and study and replace your equipment, providing you purchase from them. This may not be a terrible option if you don't have a computer guru under your spell, already! (ha ha)

If I depend on an ISP - Verizon, AT&T, ComCast, TimeWarner - to do this, then they'll lock me into their equipment. If I rely on a Best Buy/Geek Squad or Fry's or ??, those places will know the local ISPs and select from their retail shelves of retail equipment. I might not get The Best On The Market, but frankly I don't believe there is One Best Product. What I can stomp and scream for, however, is that MY environment works properly "or else".
selftalk
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Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 9:08 am

Re: time to replace my router?

Post by selftalk »

Go to Best Buy with your router and modem in hand and speak to YOUR carrier representative there about it. That`s what I did and bought the same one Comcast, my carrier, uses. It works perfectly. Nowadays the router is built into the modem. if you want you can have the carrier representative come to your home and test your equipment and tell you why it`s not working and quite possibly fix the problem on site but there`s probably a service charge.
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Bammerman
Posts: 533
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 4:58 pm

Time Capsule

Post by Bammerman »

I replaced my old Netgear router with an Apple Time Capsule. This device combines a router with a big hard drive, and does two things: Acts as your router; makes automatic (Time Machine) backups via WiFi from your computer. Both functions are important to me. I like having my backup hard drive in a different part of my house from my computer. Time Capsule is expensive, but, like typical Apple products, "just works".
ubermax
Posts: 1887
Joined: Tue Feb 11, 2014 1:19 pm

Re: time to replace my router?

Post by ubermax »

I've had good luck with Linksys ; currently have model WRT610N , dual band wireless N , it's a few years old now but it continues to be trouble free ; started with G , now N , and I think there's a newer iteration faster than N ; laptop has an internal receiver .
ccieemeritus
Posts: 706
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2014 9:43 pm

Re: time to replace my router?

Post by ccieemeritus »

ok the stuff is 10 years old and too complex to maintain. Maintaining complex network systems is not your thing. So you need to rip it all out and replace your cable modem and wifi router with one combined box.

You have cable but haven't told us that he provider. Let's assume Comcast. You want one docsis 3.0 cable modem with built in wifi that's on their compatibility list.

Here's their list with Amazon purchase links:
http://mynewmodem.comcast.net

Get a Motorola/arris surfboard. The first 3 on the list are surfboard. But the first cheapest one doesn't have wifi.
That leaves:
Sbg6580 wireless-n $130
Sbg6782-a. Wireless-ac $220

I'd get the 6580 since wireless-n is fast enough and probably faster than your cable service.

If you have another cable provider (time warner?) Google search for their cable modem compatibility list. But Motorola claims that the above modems are compatible with all us providers.

During setup set the new ssid and password to be the same as the old one so you don't need to change all your clients.

Thank you for your VITA service.

Edit: check your cable bill to see if you are paying for renting a modem. Once you replace it with your own you can return the old cable modem and eliminate that charge. Alternatively if you are renting you can call them and have them ship you a newer replacement.
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