Your Choice for Router in 2023

john_pifer

john_pifer

Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
5,217
Location
Dickson, TN.
We're still soldiering on with the ubiquitous Linksys WRT54GS V7 that I've had since 2007.

It's been OK since we don't have a lot of devices (just mine and my wife's iPhones, 2 laptops (which we don't use much and are never on at the same time), and a Roku. The kids are still very young (2, 1, and 4 mos), so they don't use devices and won't for a long time.

We do often use the Roku for streaming, and our 2 phones simultaneously.

Since we have a new Mac Mini M2 Pro (still waiting on monitors, though), I'm thinking about investing in a new wireless router to take maximum advantage of the speed of the new M2 Pro.

And while I haven't noticed any hiccups in our streaming (we watch a lot of YouTube), I'm quite sure things could be faster.

Additionally, I've read that the security of the WRT54GS is obsolete, to say the least.

I will say that the WRT54GS has been exceptionally, boringly reliable.

Anyway, what do you use?

What should we get?

We have a single-level, 3BR, 2BA home on approximately 1 acre of land.

PC Mag reviewed the TP Link Archer AXE75. Price doesn't seem too bad for the features, and it has the new wifi 6E, which the M2 Pro has. I also may upgrade my iPhone 11 to the latest iPhone at the end of the year when a new iPhone comes out, and I'm sure it'll have the wifi 6E.

Thoughts?
 
Get something that automatically updates firmware. I believe most of the newest Netgear, Asus and TP-Link ones do this. There's a lot of security flaws discovered after routers get put into service and most people will never bother to check and manually update router firmware, so having one that does it automatically is a huge win.
 
BornSlippy said:
What speed is your internet?

Asus routers are pretty good. The RT-AX86U is a nice one. I have the RT-AC86U for the last few years and it's been great.

The TP-Link stuff is also great bang for the buck.
Click to expand...
Dont know.

Is there a way for me to check without calling Comcast?
 
Curious to hear people’s answers, I’ll share my experience rather than a recommendation.

We have about 1600 square feet (1000 feet upstairs) raised ranch. Two adults and two kids around your kids ages but we were both working from home and at least one of us would be streaming video calls. Router (was an old Rosewill freebie after rebate from Newegg) was located at one end of the house and my work area was at the other. Long story short I was getting a lot of lag on my calls. Had bought the same router for my parents and they were getting the signal dropped in the corners of their house when trying to stream.

Purchased a couple of Netgear wax202 from Amazon when they were around $30 a piece. Seems to be good enough for our needs and I can stream radio from my phone in the driveway now which I could not with the old router.

Anyway, the Netgear above works for us, was more buying the price point than the model.
 
BornSlippy said:
What speed is your internet?

Asus routers are pretty good. The RT-AX86U is a nice one. I have the RT-AC86U for the last few years and it's been great.

The TP-Link stuff is also great bang for the buck.
Click to expand...
IMG_2346.jpg


Current speed on wifi - just measured
 
john_pifer said:
Dont know.

Is there a way for me to check without calling Comcast?
Click to expand...
John, it should tell you on your monthly bill or by logging into your Comcast online account if you are paperless. Here is a link to the Ookla Speedtest site so you can check your actual speed real-time:

OOKLA Speedtest

I purchased a TP Link AX1800 for $75 in April '23 and it works flawlessly in my 1850 sq. ft. rancher. Amazing since we currently have 37 devices connected on the router either hardwired or via Wi-Fi.
 
If your router & ISP connection aren't in a central part of the house, I like mesh systems. TP-Link makes a good one with Deco. It's very easy to setup, and more nodes can be added to help reach dead zones.

Don't get too obsessed with speed. Most households don't use anything close to the amount of bandwidth they pay for.
 
john_pifer said:
View attachment 162016

Current speed on wifi - just measured
Click to expand...

Hard to tell from that. The router will be the limiting factor there. If you are able to plug a computer directly into the modem and run another speed test, that will show your true internet speed.

That Linksys was a rock stable modem for many years. It's been surpassed speed wise many times over.
 
john_pifer said:
View attachment 162016

Current speed on wifi - just measured
Click to expand...
Keep in mind your speed in general is going to be worse the further from your router/if there are obstructions (like concrete). Was what I was getting to with my radio comment in my previous post.

So for example for me, I'm paying for 300 mbps. here is 15 feet from my router:
IMG_9390.png

Versus 40 feet but still in the house same floor:
IMG_9393.png

Versus driveway maybe 50 feet away:
IMG_9392.png
 

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On cable the speed should be at least 100 / 10. What you are testing is being seriously bottlenecked by the old router and its g WiFi (WiFi standard 3-- WiFi 7 is now the latest).
 
john_pifer said:
View attachment 162016

Current speed on wifi - just measured
Click to expand...
Your WRT54GS is holding you back. I bet your internet speed is much higher than that. If I remember correctly, that router won't do more than about 25Mbps on a good day. 17.2 over wireless and maybe not right next to the router sounds like its being bottlenecked. Any modern router you upgrade to will show your true speed.
 
I second BornSlippery's suggestion on a ASUS RT-AX86U. It is a stealler router. Make sure you keep up on checking the built in firmware update every 2-3 months. I myself check it monthly as I have their app on my iPad/phone.
 
What's the budget? How concerned are you about security? This is a very broad field if we scope in SMB gear or if you are concerned about security (though running a 15 year old router, I get the impression there's not a lot of emphasis on that).
 
First, call your Internet Service Provider.

Find out what the current minimum speed is, and the cost, per month.
Make sure you are not renting any equipment or have hidden charges.

Done this twice, bill went down, speed tripled both times…
 
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Now look at your Internet Service Provider’s modem choices…

I am used to Verizon, so there were four for me to choose.
I am unfamiliar with Comcast’s Comcast’s modems and speeds, would those in the know please comment?

The silver band Actiontech, does not have Gigabit wired Ethernet ports

The red band Actiontech, looks like the silver version, but has a red and black case. Has wired Gigabit, but limited to 100 Megabits throughput…

The G1100, look on Amazon for refurbished versions around $50, make sure they are not a rebadged/ relabeled Frontier router.

The G3100 mesh router.

Just remember, if you are using coax cable from the outside fiber converter to your Verizon router, speed will be limited to 100 megabits.
Upgrade the cable to Cat 5E or 6 to get 300, the new minimum for Verizon.
 
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Next, look for a tri-band router, with gigabit wired ethernet ports…

I just installed a Velop WHW03 Version 2, an upgrade from my Linksys EA6350…

Look at Goodwill Tech Works or Shopgoodwill dot com…
Watch the shipping costs…

Install was a little finicky, the Linksys App did not turn on Mac Address filtering, SSID was left on, and DHCP reservations were not made for my Network Attached Server (NAS), and wireless printers.

I turned off the wireless on the G1100, to increase throughput…

Note that while the National Security Agency recommends setup this way, Apple does not, and instead spoofs the MAC address of your iPad…
Hmmmm…

IMG_0115.jpeg
 
The NSA report says nothing about MAC address filtering (which does not improve security, as a hacker can change their MAC to match one of yours) and recommends not hiding SSID.

Ironically, a hidden SSID produces a privacy concern. If you configure a phone to connect to your home network with hidden SSID, it will broadcast that SSID in clear text in probe requests while away from home with wifi enabled.
 
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