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New Router Needed - Best options

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  • Wireless
  • Routers
  • Wireless Network
Last response: in Wireless Networking
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December 26, 2013 9:51:32 AM

Good Afternoon,

I am hoping to find some assistance in making sure that I make the best choice in buying a new router as my router is on the verge of dying. Apparently I am behind on the the router lingo and strategies so I would appreciate as specific assistance as possible. Let me start by giving you some of the details of my setup/usage/devices:

Home size: 2800 sq ft.(1400 per floor) Router and modem in basement
Current router: dLink DIR-655 class
Devices:
Desktop - wired
PS3 - Wireless (although close enough to be wired)
2 x HP Laptop - wireless
macbook pro - wireless
blackberry playbook
galaxy nexus 7
2 x Iphone 5
galaxy s4
nintento wii (so rarely used online that this functionality need not be retained)

The users of the macbook, one hp laptop and iphone like to stream video. The other laptop has become a hub for downloading legal torrents. The desktop computer is mostly used for online gaming.

More about : router needed options

a b F Wireless
December 26, 2013 10:05:49 AM

Between the better grade consumer routers, there probably isn't a LOT of difference aside from features. Signal strength differences from one 802.11ac or n router or another will be minimal.

What I can say is that the basement is probably the worst place in the home to propagate a WiFi signal from. Stone/cement walls, sending a signal vertically, etc, etc.

A reasonable router, and then a wired repeater on the first floor to spread the coverage area.
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Best solution

December 26, 2013 10:16:12 AM

Every manufacturer is going to have some snags as far as working perfectly with every device. I have one of the early model Linksys 802.11ac wireless routers and have been pleasantly surprised by the range and performance. From browsing some of the newer offerings, it sounds like they're using a new inversion of MIMO to allow you wider reception range and higher speed by letting your device talk to multiple antennas simultaneously. 802.11N is still plenty speedy and that is still the standard that most newer network devices can access so it's not a make or break necessity but since it's much more likely that you'll replace your laptops and cell phones before you replace your router, you might as well splurge a bit. Based on what you say you use, this is probably what I would purchase:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

You can make the device very friendly by publishing your SSIDs or you can lock it down to where your wireless network isn't visible but can be joined manually. The web interface is pretty user friendly and there is a smart-phone app that makes some of the day to day needs like remotely rebooting the router or kicking a device off your network easily available at your fingertips. There are cheaper and more expensive offerings on the market, but this should give you plenty of speed without bankrupting you.
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a c 213 F Wireless
December 27, 2013 1:42:50 PM

USAFRet said:
Between the better grade consumer routers, there probably isn't a LOT of difference aside from features. Signal strength differences from one 802.11ac or n router or another will be minimal.

What I can say is that the basement is probably the worst place in the home to propagate a WiFi signal from. Stone/cement walls, sending a signal vertically, etc, etc.

A reasonable router, and then a wired repeater on the first floor to spread the coverage area.
I agree with USAFRet, a basement router and another router on the first floor configured as an AP would be ideal. If you want dual band, the ASUS RT-N56U is a great router that is pretty reasonable now. I use several DIR-655 routers as APs and they work well if you want 2.4GHz only.

Unless you already have AC capable devices, I would probably stay with N for now but maybe go dual band (2.4 and 5GHz) on the upstairs AP device.

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December 27, 2013 9:11:45 PM

RealBeast said:
USAFRet said:
Between the better grade consumer routers, there probably isn't a LOT of difference aside from features. Signal strength differences from one 802.11ac or n router or another will be minimal.

What I can say is that the basement is probably the worst place in the home to propagate a WiFi signal from. Stone/cement walls, sending a signal vertically, etc, etc.

A reasonable router, and then a wired repeater on the first floor to spread the coverage area.
I agree with USAFRet, a basement router and another router on the first floor configured as an AP would be ideal. If you want dual band, the ASUS RT-N56U is a great router that is pretty reasonable now. I use several DIR-655 routers as APs and they work well if you want 2.4GHz only.

Unless you already have AC capable devices, I would probably stay with N for now but maybe go dual band (2.4 and 5GHz) on the upstairs AP device.



So would one ASUS RT-N56U be sufficient considering i already manage to use one Dlink Dir655? I am not sure i have the expendable funds to replace one router with 2.
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a c 213 F Wireless
December 28, 2013 6:46:29 AM

Sure. Just run a cable up to the first floor and attach the net router (AP) to the main router LAN port to LAN port.

Connect a computer to the AP and turn off DHCP, set your radio channels (for 2.4GHz use a different non-overlapping channel that the 655, choosing from 1, 6, and 11), I would use the same security type and password. I would also use a different SSID for each radio on the AP (and different from the 655) so that you can identify your connection easier. Give the new AP a static address that is in the network range and then in the 655 you can give it a reserved address (or static if you prefer but address reservation on the 655 works well).

Once you make this last change, to login to the AP you will need to use its new address in the browser. If you make a mistake just reset the AP and start over. Best to make a list of what you need to do and check it off as you go.

Note that the unused three LAN ports on the AP can be used for gigabit wired connections if the connected device is gigabit, since the 655 and new AP will both have gigabit LAN ports.
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December 28, 2013 8:59:30 PM

RealBeast said:
Sure. Just run a cable up to the first floor and attach the net router (AP) to the main router LAN port to LAN port.

Connect a computer to the AP and turn off DHCP, set your radio channels (for 2.4GHz use a different non-overlapping channel that the 655, choosing from 1, 6, and 11), I would use the same security type and password. I would also use a different SSID for each radio on the AP (and different from the 655) so that you can identify your connection easier. Give the new AP a static address that is in the network range and then in the 655 you can give it a reserved address (or static if you prefer but address reservation on the 655 works well).

Once you make this last change, to login to the AP you will need to use its new address in the browser. If you make a mistake just reset the AP and start over. Best to make a list of what you need to do and check it off as you go.

Note that the unused three LAN ports on the AP can be used for gigabit wired connections if the connected device is gigabit, since the 655 and new AP will both have gigabit LAN ports.


I think I understood about 1/4 of that. What is an AP? (Access Point?) Is that a second router? or a different piece of tech altogether?

Because part of the issue is that i think my 655 is going to die. I drop connection while playing league of legends a lot. And for some reason it won't work if i put a password on it (while it did for years previously)
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a c 213 F Wireless
December 29, 2013 7:15:44 AM

Okay, the AP is a second router configured by turning off DHCP, making an LAN to LAN cable connection, and giving it a static address. Since your current unit is failing, you can just buy two new routers and configure one as an AP and use the other as your main router. You don't need anything else.

If you are happy with the 655 and want to just stay with 2.4GHz wireless, buy two new DIR-655 (~ $64 each). One will be the main router and you will toss out the current failing unit. The other will be the AP with the changes in the post above. If you want to take this chance to upgrade to dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) then buy two ASUS RT-N56U (~ $85 each). The process is the same other than configuring the two 5GHz radios.
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