Help me decide BEST wireless router for home (3 PCs, wifi, etc.)

You will find little difference between these. I would avoid buying 802.11AC until next year since the standard is not yet set. Most manufactures are waiting so you pay a big premium, I would suspect when AC is ratified you will be able to get low end AC routers for very cheap. For now there is no advantage, running a IPAD will force the router to switch to a 802.11n or worse. Since you cannot replace the wireless in most apple products 802.11AC will buy you nothing until apple decides to support it. If you have even a single device that does not run 802.11AC it will slow down....this is the same problem today when people run a mix of G an N devices

I used to like linksys but cisco decided the they were going to try to sell hype and add "cloud features" to their router. I generally never care a lot but in this case when you MUST use a vendors website to configure the equipment in your house so I decide to boycott their entire line.

You can run DD-WRT on the N66U if that matters to you.

You cannot really get wireless on your PC with just a router. You would need to add adapter cards to them. I would leave it as it is. It is the best performance you can possibly get and they will share with any wireless device that can attach to your router.

Hi john,
Thank you for your reply. I am still confused what to buy

This are only available options with me in India
http://www.flipkart.com/computers/network-components/ro...
 rice+High-to-Low/start:0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.homeshop18.com/wireless-router/categoryid:32...
http://www.primeabgb.com/index.php?orderby=product_pric...
http://www.bitfang.com/wireless-router/


Please give me model number to buy from this list.

Thanks.

Too hard to guess what you value. When you posted 4 of the top routers on the market I could guess when you post 100 no way.

Since you don't really know what you want I would buy a very cheap router and after you use it for a while see what you like and do not. Do not get confused by the hype. A router with lots of feature you do not use is a waste of money. Almost all routers have exactly the same performance.
The US price point I would recommend is about $50. This is about 100-125 off the cost of the top of the line models. You will have to do the currency conversion.

Your main limitation is your internet is only 8m which any router can do. Since you plan to run ethernet for main machines you will also get excellent performance even from a cheap router.

You really only need the advanced routers when you plan do things like run 2.4 and 5g bands at the same time or you need some fancy guest wireless or VPN.

Dear John,
I appreciate your reply very much for helping me making best decision.. (honestly I am impressed with the support).

We will have lot of new implementations in our office where we will use many advanced features, hence We want a future ready router

Some advanced/future stuff like:
1. connect to internet using USB dongle. (quickest way to connect to internet and serve as easiest backup)
2. connect to internet using wireless internet (router will connect to wireless internet)
3. 3G connectivity to router (router should connect to internet via wifi or 3g network)

And lot more I can write here.
Since I am in a hurry and working on my presentations, I will request you do suggest me best model.. (I am sure I will not waste money as I know my future requirements are just going to increase)

One important point:
Router will be awake 24x7 for atleast 6 days a week.

Thanks again.

john,
Thank You very much for your help, can you help me get best router from this list
http://www.flipkart.com/computers/network-components/ro...[]=sort%3Dprice_desc&sid=6bo%2C70k%2C2a2&layout=grid

Regards

My last question, before I make a purchase tomorrow:
My requirements:
1.
3000 sq. ft home/office and require solid wifi even on farthest end of office (maximum of 3 thin walls between router and last room where i will use laptop)

2.
At most - 1 laptop + 1 ipad + 2 mobile will use wifi always

3.
router will connect to internet using local lan on RJ45 ethernet

4. 3 PCs will always connect to router using ethernet cable and use internet. (this 3 pc dont need wifi)

5. we require good file transfer speed between this 3 pc

6. a usb port on router, which will help to connect to internet using 3g dongle (a backup internet)

7.
we will use future xbox and ps gaming, connect to internet using wifi

8.
internet tv which will require wifi

9.
Capability to turn on/off wifi using a button on router (not a major requirement, if available will be great)

10.
Turn on/off wifi and router using the software interface of router.

11.
There are many IT geeks in my building (I want best security via this router)

12.
Play with router firmware, install/upgrade 3rd party firmware (not a major requirement, if available will be great)

I have to decided to buy 1 of following products only, please suggest me which one should i select from this 4 routers only.
Netgear R6300
Asus RT-AC66U
Asus RT-N66U
Netgear WNDR4500

I will purchase from flipkart, if you have any better suggestions to buy this in Mumbai, it will be great:
http://www.flipkart.com/computers/network-components/ro...[]=sort%3Dprice_desc&sid=6bo%2C70k%2C2a2&layout=grid#jumpTo=114|60

Thank you very much for all your help  

With my search, compare to other wireless router, the ASUS RT-AC66U has the best specs, you can see this article:

http://www.wirelessrouterhome.com/fastest-wireless-rout...

I think if you have enough money, you can upgrade to the ASUS AC66U, I’ve had the ASUS AC66U router running on my home network for about 2 weeks now, with the device running 24/7 for the last 7 days (last FW update). Apart from the specific issues and limitations noted earlier, the device has run well for me, providing what I need from a router. Wired performance is great, and I have sufficient admin monitoring and control over network clients. Added features such as parental control, guest access and traffic monitoring & management are all excellent features, and part of the reason that I bought the N66 before getting the AC66.

Wireless performance is also good, and provides better coverage when compared to my Apple Airport Extreme (dual band model). The AC66 manages to reach 90% of my home, whereas the Apple device manages about 50% reliably. Wireless throughput is also particularly good, even in my ‘non-ac’ system.

The additional functions provided by the USB applications are good (although I found some to be unreliable), however these are not things that I will tend to use much. That said, if the iTunes server was upgraded to handle video and serve files from another LAN location, then that would be something I’d use – much better than having to leave a Mac Mini running 24/7 on my LAN.

Firmware maturity is something that the AC66 does not have – a fact that’s borne out by some of my problems, as well as the queries currently on the Asus forums. What I would say though is that Asus are good at listening to feedback and are always improving the FW. This is a brand new device, so I think it’s inevitable there will be teething problems.

I recommend the AC over the N, simply because the AC does everything the N does, but has the newer AC standard built in, faster wireless capability and will have AiCloud when it launches (not sure if the N will get this via a FW update). The FW may be getting updated regularly at present, but as I hope my review shows, the router performs well on a home network for everyday use.