I think I want a new Wifi Router

[JWC86]

Current router is 10 years old, my wifi speeds and connections seem to be getting worse with every new gadget I get, I'm guessing a router upgrade would do me well.

I know nothing about this kind of thing, no idea where to start.

We have fiber internet, its located in the basement with 2 floors above it that it needs to reach.

Family of 4.

Not sure what I need for a budget but looking for a good unit, can I get a good one for $300 ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[skyactiv]

Get this Amazon eero 7 https://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Amazon-eero-dual-band-router/dp/B0D955ZMSR?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

 

[Selmorides]

Contact your carrier and see what they recommend, unless they recommend you pay a monthly fee for theirs. I have Comcast Xfinity. Their website has a page with modems and routers suitable for their service. I bought a combo modem/router capable of faster speed than I was getting at the time. I now get faster speed than it’s capable of but not by much. Several good brands to choose from. Get one that allows for faster service down the road.

 

[MurkyAsparagus]

I've looked at quite a few and installed many over the years. The eero systems are good, I just don't trust Amazon with data security. Here are some concerns. However, no system is perfect. The best setup would be to get a mesh system where you can wire in another node at a different location in the house. Personally, I have an ASUS ZenWiFi system I purchased on eBay for about $100. TP-Link makes a really good system for the money. I haven't loved any of the Netgear network equipment over the years other than their super basic switches that aren't managed, I've always thought the software was poorly designed and the performance was always lacking. Here are two options: One and Two. As you go up from WiFi 5 to 6 to 7, speeds increase but distance for transmission becomes more and more blocked by walls and floors.

 

[JWC86]

I've looked at quite a few and installed many over the years. The eero systems are good, I just don't trust Amazon with data security. Here are some concerns. However, no system is perfect. The best setup would be to get a mesh system where you can wire in another node at a different location in the house. Personally, I have an ASUS ZenWiFi system I purchased on eBay for about $100. TP-Link makes a really good system for the money. I haven't loved any of the Netgear network equipment over the years other than their super basic switches that aren't managed, I've always thought the software was poorly designed and the performance was always lacking. Here are two options: One and Two. As you go up from WiFi 5 to 6 to 7, speeds increase but distance for transmission becomes more and more blocked by walls and floors.

Good info, thanks.

I would think for my situation wall and floor penetration is more important than speed.

Probably a stupid question... with a "mesh" system do you need the "cat 6" (I think thats what it is" connection to install another "node" or just power? The reason why I ask is I think I only have one more place in my house with a wired connection and its in a poor spot as far as hiding it.

Thanks again.

 

[jcy]

have you tried updating the firmware on the router? if so, maybe also try a factory reset

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Some mesh setups support wired backhaul where the remote nodes are connected to the "main" one via network cable, but it's not really necessary. The speed will degrade some when you have the mesh repeaters fully wireless, but not enough to notice it.

A lot of ISPs really try to sell higher throughput packages .... Oh you have 2 people watching youtube, you need our full gigabit package!!!! ... Streaming, facetime / voice type of stuff and even gaming actually use very little throughput.

200 megabit is more than enough for a handful of people to be doing all sorts of things.

The router (not necessarily the wifi device) can cause your Internet connection to feel slow because it's handling a ton of connections in and out to a bunch of different services.

It's not a throughput issue at that point, but a processing power issue. That's what the gaming routers bring to the table; they can handle the multitude of simultaneous connections that people would have while online gaming.

 

[Rob_Roy]

If you could find a spot on the first floor of your house for the router, you would get a more uniform signal throughout the house. A lot of the new routers don't look out of place on a shelf, endtable, etc - so it would just be a matter of running an ethernet cable from the modem/ONT to the router.

$300 will go a long way towards a new router, especially if you are willing to buy a refurb. or used unit. A lot of people upgrade frequently and sell the used equipment on ebay. Depending what you have for a fiber connection the latest and greatest equipment may not benefit you.

 

[rijndael]

Some mesh setups support wired backhaul where the remote nodes are connected to the "main" one via network cable, but it's not really necessary. The speed will degrade some when you have the mesh repeaters fully wireless, but not enough to notice it.

If you can find one that does the backhaul over a frequency your clients don't use, and isn't heavily utilized, you'll be a lot better off. For example, something like a 6GHz backhaul with a mostly 5GHz client pool is a lot better than all of it on 5GHz.

 

[Nukeman7]

I have used this TP Link AX1800 router since 2023 and recommended it to several friends who are not tech savvy. We are absolutely enthralled with the value and extraordinary stability of this router, especially at the current discounted price of $52. A lot of internet fear-mongering about TP Link products potentially containing spyware since it is made in China. However, so are iPhones!

 

[slo town]

Get this Amazon eero 7 https://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Amazon-eero-dual-band-router/dp/B0D955ZMSR?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

I strongly agree with this recommendation. I installed 7 Ring cameras outside our home several months ago, 3 had poor connectively with the router I had in my office. I ordered a 3-pack of Eero routers and the improvement in coverage and bandwidth greatly exceeded my expectations. They are worth every penny.

Scott

 

[Pew]

Probably a stupid question... with a "mesh" system do you need the "cat 6" (I think thats what it is" connection to install another "node" or just power? The reason why I ask is I think I only have one more place in my house with a wired connection and its in a poor spot as far as hiding it.

I would first ask your internet company if they can send you a new router and see how that does first. 10 years and they may have a newer better performing router out that will serve you fine.

With that said:

A mesh system can work with both a wired and wireless backhaul. CAT6 is just the classification for the ethernet cable. Both Cat5e and cat6 will work in your case and is the most common cable installs.

If you do have cables already running through the house, you can use those cables to plug the Access Point into the wall plate that leads to the basement for data. However, you have to make sure the wireless AP has power so if your router does not supply Power over Ethernet (I doubt it does) then you will have to plug the AP into the wall power or buy a power injector to supply power via the ethernet cable.

If you do not have cables running through your house, some Access Points work wirelessly by connecting to the router via WiFi. Theoretically this is not as stable nor fast as having a wired connection between the internet router and AP but it's the only option if you cannot run cables throughout your house. This is the option I'm using since I'm not going to run cables in my rental townhouse.

It is also strongly advised to keep your router and APs within the same brand for compatibility; ie: eero with eero and ubiquiti with ubiquiti instead of mixing.

 

[JWC86]

I would first ask your internet company if they can send you a new router and see how that does first. 10 years and they may have a newer better performing router out that will serve you fine.

With that said:

A mesh system can work with both a wired and wireless backhaul. CAT6 is just the classification for the ethernet cable. Both Cat5e and cat6 will work in your case and is the most common cable installs.

If you do have cables already running through the house, you can use those cables to plug the Access Point into the wall plate that leads to the basement for data. However, you have to make sure the wireless AP has power so if your router does not supply Power over Ethernet (I doubt it does) then you will have to plug the AP into the wall power or buy a power injector to supply power via the ethernet cable.

If you do not have cables running through your house, some Access Points work wirelessly by connecting to the router via WiFi. Theoretically this is not as stable nor fast as having a wired connection between the internet router and AP but it's the only option if you cannot run cables throughout your house. This is the option I'm using since I'm not going to run cables in my rental townhouse.

It is also strongly advised to keep your router and APs within the same brand for compatibility; ie: eero with eero and ubiquiti with ubiquiti instead of mixing.

Thanks, good info.

I'm currently reaching out to my provider trying to see what they can do first.

 

[shortyb]

Upgraded my modem and router when I upgraded my Spectrum speed to 2 gig. Hitron CODA56 muti-gig DOCSIS 3.1 modem allows blistering speed that far exceeds what Spectrum can supply on a speed test. 2 TP-Link Deco XE75s (mesh) handle router duty wirelessly throughout my 5K sq.ft. home flawlessly with no drop-out or buffering. Use the WiFi6 for backhaul and restrict clients to 5Ghz and 2.5Ghz. Currently have over 20 and nothings jams up. Can turn on/off clients with an easy to use app.

 

[JWC86]

Update, after consulting with the provider for the last 2 hours...

They are going to upgrade my plan from 500MB to 1.5GB and upgrade the hardware to a wired mesh Wifi 6E or Wifi 7 at the installers discretion.

This will cost me $15 more a month than I'm paying now but I get to have someone show up that (hopefully) knows what they are doing to install and setup so thats worth it for me rather than me buying, installing and trying to set it up myself. Plus 3x the potential throughput.

Should be all set, thanks for the help guys.

 

[andrew_j]

10 year old well worth upgrading. You old equipment is a likely choke point

 

[PhilloBeddow]

Update, after consulting with the provider for the last 2 hours...

They are going to upgrade my plan from 500MB to 1.5GB and upgrade the hardware to a wired mesh Wifi 6E or Wifi 7 at the installers discretion.

This will cost me $15 more a month than I'm paying now but I get to have someone show up that (hopefully) knows what they are doing to install and setup so thats worth it for me rather than me buying, installing and trying to set it up myself. Plus 3x the potential throughput.

Should be all set, thanks for the help guys.

I think your internet provider is upselling you with something you can’t take advantage of.

Its like the water company upgrading your house supply from a 2 inch pipe to a 6 inch pipe without changing the pipes in the house. Your laundry won’t be cleaner and your shower won’t be any better either.

I had a similar situation where my old router was misbehaving intermittently. Tech Support couldn’t help on the phone so they sent a guy out to troubleshoot it. Their idea of troubleshooting was to replace the router without trying anything else. For free, I might add.

While talking to the tech, he said they now offer some lower cost options. I went from $77/month for 200 MB to $48/month for 150 Mb – a 50 MB downgrade. I can’t sell the difference.

When the tech shows up, I would ask him to explain exactly what you have that can use 1500MB. The installation guys are usually straight shooters and will tell you like it is since they don’t make commission. Then call the provider and see what other performance tiers they offer that match your needs better.

If you’re ok with the $15/month that’s fine too. Just my $0.02.

 

[JWC86]

I think your internet provider is upselling you with something you can’t take advantage of.

Its like the water company upgrading your house supply from a 2 inch pipe to a 6 inch pipe without changing the pipes in the house. Your laundry won’t be cleaner and your shower won’t be any better either.

I had a similar situation where my old router was misbehaving intermittently. Tech Support couldn’t help on the phone so they sent a guy out to troubleshoot it. Their idea of troubleshooting was to replace the router without trying anything else. For free, I might add.

While talking to the tech, he said they now offer some lower cost options. I went from $77/month for 200 MB to $48/month for 150 Mb – a 50 MB downgrade. I can’t sell the difference.

When the tech shows up, I would ask him to explain exactly what you have that can use 1500MB. The installation guys are usually straight shooters and will tell you like it is since they don’t make commission. Then call the provider and see what other performance tiers they offer that match your needs better.

If you’re ok with the $15/month that’s fine too. Just my $0.02.

Good points and I certainly don't need the 1500MB but that part was only $5/month more and my wife works from home using a data hungry network, while video conferencing, while she has netflix streaming in the back ground. Then when I'm home I always have youtube going in the garage or in my pocket listening to a podcast on youtube so all that combined with the fact you might only get 1/3 of that speed over wifi.

The other $10 is for the mesh system which is what I think will be the biggest upgrade, with the layout of our house it isn't very wifi friendy.


Yes I might have got upsold but really I'm ok with it if it all works as it should, and the price is still pretty good. Around $75 USD which is pretty good here in Canada not in a big city.

 

[PhilloBeddow]

Good points and I certainly don't need the 1500MB but that part was only $5/month more and my wife works from home using a data hungry network, while video conferencing, while she has netflix streaming in the back ground. Then when I'm home I always have youtube going in the garage or in my pocket listening to a podcast on youtube so all that combined with the fact you might only get 1/3 of that speed over wifi.

The other $10 is for the mesh system which is what I think will be the biggest upgrade, with the layout of our house it isn't very wifi friendy.


Yes I might have got upsold but really I'm ok with it if it all works as it should, and the price is still pretty good. Around $75 USD which is pretty good here in Canada not in a big city.

Sounds like you have a good understanding of what you’re getting into. I didn’t pick up on the fact that you’re upgrading to a mesh network either.

Hope it works out well. Keep us posted.

 

[alarmguy]

Good points and I certainly don't need the 1500MB but that part was only $5/month more and my wife works from home using a data hungry network, while video conferencing, while she has netflix streaming in the back ground. Then when I'm home I always have youtube going in the garage or in my pocket listening to a podcast on youtube so all that combined with the fact you might only get 1/3 of that speed over wifi.

The other $10 is for the mesh system which is what I think will be the biggest upgrade, with the layout of our house it isn't very wifi friendy.


Yes I might have got upsold but really I'm ok with it if it all works as it should, and the price is still pretty good. Around $75 USD which is pretty good here in Canada not in a big city.

Yeah, as long as it works and makes you happy, more so at the price it's all good. We could never get that service here at that price.
With that said, yes, you are correct though, you could easily get by on 1/3 that speed. Even 500 Mbps is way more than you need.
In almost all cases, it's not the speed people pay for. It's their router and the way it is set up that is the problem.
For decades I have had trouble free wifi in our homes with modest well reviewed equipment, proper placement in the home and set up. I always get the speed I pay for on our Wifi network.