Brian needs a new Wifi router

[Brian Roth]

Thought I'd throw this out here for the Smart Folks who visit...

Olde setup (maybe six years old now) with a new freebie Arris DOCSIS (?) 3 modem from Cox Cable that I installed today.  It's a bit faster.

My Linksys/Cisco Wifi router is also ancient....shopping for "bang/buck" and a new one.  Need a couple of hardwire ports and new Wifi connections since friends/guests are having a tough time connecting..

Thanks!

Bri

 

[Brian Roth]

Sticking with Linksys, this one looks interesting:

https://www.pcmag.com/review/349932/linksys-ea6350-ac1200-dual-band-smart-wi-fi-wireless-router

Yes, I now have a small house, and the laptop on my desk will connect via hardwire.

I like the "guest" feature for friends/visitors.

Comments?  Thanks!

Bri

 

[PRR]

Linksys E1200 (Firmware Version: 2.0.06) here. Not highly recommended; got because an older LinkSys got goofy and I figured I could print/retype my old settings into a newer model of the same brand. WiFi is acceptable in the house, marginal 100 feet down at the garage (router on a shelf in a wood-frame front room).

Looks just like that one except no visible antenna, and I paid that price in a high-ball shop (I was in a rush) so clearly a lower model than you are looking at.

OK except once/twice a month we have to un/re-plug it to get back online. The routers at work were much more complicated and never needed reboots. Seems like a home router could skip new frills and just do its job. Ah, I'm dreaming.

FWIW, I have NO password on this thing. On many devices, scan and you are on; others you have to give permission to connect to this horribly insecure network. (Hey, if I wanted to peek your bytes, I could do it on the wire.) The only neighbor who can even see it is too un-savvy to know what it is, and the signal is too weak at his house to hold a connection. Anybody else gets this close, the dog will bark.

> freebie Arris DOCSIS

TimWarner (they have a new name here) 's modem "lease" is up to $12/month. They are also known to "lose" modems turned in by customers, and the drop-off point is a long way away. They also give me <half the bandwidth that new customers *on my street* are promised. But it works well enough to not rock the boat yet.

 

[ruairioflaherty]

Hey Brian,

I know very little about Wifi routers but last year when we moved house I needed to buy a new router.  I googled something goofy like "best wifi router 2016"  and after reading a few reviews I settled on "TP-Link AC1750 Wireless Wi-Fi Router, Dual Band Gigabit (Archer C7)" - it cost $79.

It's been absolutely fantastic.  I've been online for 16 years and this is by far the best router I've ever owned, great wifi range, never loses connections and handles a real mix of devices flawlessly (1xPC, 2x Macs, 2 iPhones, 1xiPad and an Apple TV). In 14 months I haven't rebooted once.

Compared to newly routers I use elsewhere it's  been great. Again I'm no expert, don't know or care about this stuff much but this has been great.

 

[cyrano]

TP-Link for low budget, Mikrotik if you're serious:

https://mikrotik.com/product/RB962UiGS-5HacT2HnT

 

[Rochey]

I had TERRIBLE issues with Wifi in the house we bought.
I broke down, and spent decent money on an Unifi system by Ubiquity Networks.

I sh*t thee not. The best $400 I have spent on home networking.
Remotely controlled by phone app, 2 wireless hotspots and a fully controlled gateway for doing VPN's and all sorts of priority traffic (e.g. all my TV comes through the 'net now...). It's glorious.

We can all be cheap and cut corners, but if it's something you use every day, spend that little extra and do the job properly.

/R