Need to replace Router-Need your input

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DeltaDart1

Member
I have a Netgear WNDR3400 router and it's starting to act up and looking to replace it. It says the speed is 300Mbps. I'm looking at the Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 and it says the speed is 600Mbps. So if I get this one will is double my speed and also increase the wifi range? I would like to get a stronger signal in our living room. 1 story house. Any suggestions? Maybe go with another router? Thanks for your input!
 
How fast is your internet speed package? Your existing router doesn't have any external antenna's and that would be the problem of your signal strength. Asus makes some solid routers. What is your budget?
 
There are a few things to keep in mind, in addition to what John said. Your current router does 300Mbps on both the 2.4GHz band and 5GHz band. If you upgrade to the AC1900, it can do up to 1300Mbps on the 5GHz band, but the 2.4GHz band is going to remain roughly the same. You see it advertised at 600Mbps maximum speed, however this is virtually impossible to achieve as it requires specific client hardware that no vendor uses as standard equipment in computers, best case scenario you can get up to 450Mbps on that radio, or up to 1300Mbps on the 5GHz radio.

Also, the faster speeds are only relevant if you are generally in the same room as the access point, as you leave that area you fall back to slower and slower speeds. Secondly, the faster 1300Mbps speeds are only on the 5GHz band, which has much less range as the 2.4GHz band.

Now that I've confused you, if you tell us what sort of wireless adapter you're using, whether it's integrated into your laptop/desktop or an external card, we can give you some better information. If all you use is the internet, then the speed of your internet plan will likely be the bottleneck regardless.
 
My computer is in the basement where my router is installed. It sits on top of my computer. House is a 1 story 950 sq ft with a full basement. I run a Roku downstairs and 2 upstairs. 1 in the bedroom and one in the living room. Also my wife uses a laptop in the kitchen. 99% of our usage is just using the internet. Pretty basic. My internet speed is 20Mbps and have no problem with the Rokus and the laptop. For what I do this speed serves me well. Budget wise around $150 would be nice or do I need to go that high with what's out there? Hope this helps and many thanks for your input!
 
The router John posted is very good. You could jump up to the AC68U, but for $170 I don't think it would be worth it for you.

The best advice I'd give is to get an access point with external antennas instead of internal, place it as close to the center of your home as possible, and keep as many obstructions (such as bookcases, filing cabinets, etc) as possible away from the access point. Many of your devices area likely 2.4GHz only so you won't see a speed increase with those.
 
So to move my router more to the center I would need a much longer yellow ethernet cord and the beige cord that connects from the router to the back of the computer?
 
DeltaDart1 said:
I would need a much longer yellow ethernet cord and the beige cord that connects from the router to the back of the computer?
Click to expand...
Color doesn't matter, any color ethernet cord will work except crossover cables, most of the time these are orange or red. I would still get a new router with external antenna's so you can direct signal to wherever you need to.
 
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