Which wifi router?

[Ziggidy]

Which router should I get?

Netgear AC1900 or ASUS AX3000? They are both about the same cost (about 179) but one is AX. I currently do not own anything with AX but I will be upgrading my laptop and phone later this year, if all goes well.

Any other recommendations? I want to keep it below $200.

Thanks!

 

[ashby koss]

ASUS.

Netgear kept me up resetting all the damned time (at least once a week).
ASUS, rock solid
ASUS, Top Tier Customer Support & Service

 

[Ziggidy]

ASUS.

Netgear kept me up resetting all the damned time (at least once a week).
ASUS, rock solid
ASUS, Top Tier Customer Support & Service

Thank you!


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[Cameramonkey]

another vote for Asus. They have taken over as my default. (used to be Linksys)

 

[BroodXI]

i absolutely love my Synology router

 

[qwerty]

i absolutely love my Synology router

I am going to second this. I have one for home and have even deployed them for a couple business due to the ease of VPN connectivity (site-to-site and remote users) and file sharing.
Management on the fly is a breeze with the app as well.

 

[EvilElmo]

I would vote Netgear. I just replaced an Asus RT-3200 because the signal strength was very weak no matter what I did. The new Netgear (X10) is far better.

 

[CZB1962]

I would recommend these two items from Ubiquiti. The access point is POE and the router has a POE pass through. I have the same router but the older AC lite access point and I love it. I have has the Netgear you mentioned and I liked it but this combo is far better IMHO.

Ubiquiti Store

Rethinking IT

store.ui.com

Access Point U6 Lite - Ubiquiti Store

Compact, ceiling-mounted WiFi 6 AP with 4 spatial streams ideal for smaller offices.

store.ui.com

 

[BlackGun]

Upgrades......Need to do the same........

 

[cburnworth]

I second unifi, I use them for all clients. They do have a new dream machine that is really slick.

 

[WebSnyper]

My last 2 have been Netgear and coverage, speed and stability has been excellent for rather large Sq footage homes, and lots and lots of connected devices (iot, home security, phones, pcs, streaming and gaming devices, etc in my ecosystem). That said, some of their bells and whistles on settings and being able to see reporting have been buggy and not worked. Typically when Ive looked up the concern it seems like a known thing but no fixes. None have been basic functionality deal breakers for me, but something to keep in mind.

I've heard good things about Asus but no first hand experience myself.

 

[IndyTim]

I’d go for ASUS. We’ve had good luck with their routers and being AX could potentially provide some future-proofing.

 

[wlr2]

Asus.

 

[bwframe]

How often are you folks upgrading and why?

Sounds as if I might be trying to extend my equipment too long? Maybe I need to invest in the latest and greatest top of the line stuff?

I normally buy the models that have been out for a bit and noticeably discounted.

 

[eric001]

I just finished a rather thorough comparison shop for a new router myself. I actually looked closely at several NetGear ones and the Asus AX3000 as well. I looked through many different "best of" comparisons by multiple different websites, then went into Amazon and spent a crap ton of time looking at different reviews on multiple models.

I found that there is an alarming trend of NetGear products--multiple models in multiple price ranges--having shoddy performance compared to listed specs, and REALLY crappy customer support. I'd avoid them for now.

I looked at mainly Asus and TP-Link after ruling out NetGear, and decided to give myself room for expansion--I'd originally had the same $$ range as @Ziggidy but decided to up the ante and ended up with the TP-Link AX6000 model. It just had an edge on capability over the Asus models, and after all that research into other opinions and reviews, this one just kept coming out with more favorable and fewer unfavorable comments. I figure this ought to work nicely for the next few years, as it has the WiFi 6 tech and all those extra electronic bells and whistles to keep it relevant for a while.

Long story short, I'd say either Asus or TP-Link would probably be a good choice, but I'd stay away from any "off-brand" or NetGear routers due to lack of reliability.

 

[wtburnette]

Does that TP-Link have built in mesh support by chance? I had recently watched a Linus Tech Tips video (well, ShortCircuit anyway) and Linus was talking about the Asus RT-AX86U AX5700 router. While it's more expensive, I like the idea that it has built in mesh support if that's needed. Of course, either the TP-Link or the above Asus may just provide better coverage than my AT&T provided all in one piece of junk.

 

[eric001]

Does that TP-Link have built in mesh support by chance? I had recently watched a Linus Tech Tips video (well, ShortCircuit anyway) and Linus was talking about the Asus RT-AX86U AX5700 router. While it's more expensive, I like the idea that it has built in mesh support if that's needed. Of course, either the TP-Link or the above Asus may just provide better coverage than my AT&T provided all in one piece of junk.

I've got a pretty small house, so didn't really want/need one with mesh support, so nope not on the one I chose. I have seen multiple references to it doing fine for 2000-2500+ square feet, and that's way bigger than my little house.

And funny you should mention AT&T--their POS modem/router is the very reason I went looking in the first place. I'm tired of my TV dropping/buffering signal when it's literally less than 40 feet (with only 1 wall in between) away from that device. And heaven forbid we have multiple devices (3-4) on zoom when we do the virtual thing with friends!!! Almost a guaranteed that the router will kick some/all of us off at least once.

 

[Ziggidy]

I went with the ASUS rt-ax3000; net gear had too many negative reviews. We’ll see. So far, it’s good....a little overkill for my needs but if I upgrade anything this year, I’ll be good.

Easy set up.


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[wtburnette]

Yeah, my house is ~2450 sq ft, which is why IO was looking into verifying mesh compatibility, in case it's needed. My router is in my loft area with my main computer and my office on the other side of the house upstairs connects just fine. My only problem is the TV and devices downstairs in the living room, which have issues like you were experiencing with buffering and signal issues. I'm hoping that either the TP-Link you have or the Asus I linked to would be sufficient for my needs without needing anything else. I guess I could always test and see.

 

[IndyTim]

How often are you folks upgrading and why?

Sounds as if I might be trying to extend my equipment too long? Maybe I need to invest in the latest and greatest top of the line stuff?

I normally buy the models that have been out for a bit and noticeably discounted.

Upgrading for us is a bit of a hobby, not necessarily making big leaps.
Our latest upgrade was made due to our security cameras in the backyard, they were getting weak signals. So, I did some research and found our ASUS routers were capable of providing a mesh network.
So, configured our media bridge as a mesh node. Of course, now we need a new media bridge. We went with an ASUS AX router to fill this role with plans to upgrade our main router to AX as well.
Just got an ASUS AX11000 which we haven’t got up and running just yet.

All that said, it does appear making the leap to AX is a good upgrade to make. I believe you’ll see improvements as you get new devices capable of supporting AX.