I need a Router - how do I choose one? (UPDATED)
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I updated with a separate post below.
I upgraded my DSL to 100Mbps and had to get a new modem/router thru CenturyLink (needed bonding capability). The wifi sucks.
I am so confuzzled by routers
I know I want g/n/ac and have a “large” home (3,000sf including basement).
I have young adult males (two that stream); don’tneedwant it for gaming.
Want 2.4 & 5.0GHz
Don’t want to spend $$$ (would prefer $50’ish range if that’s possible).
Our desktop PC’s have Netgear AC1200 wifi adapters.Will the Netgear AC1200 (#R6230) suffice?
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@mom2jel Is t-mobile still giving out those free routers? I’m using one and its pretty great.
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@mom2jel said in I need a Router - how do I choose one?:
I upgraded my DSL to 100Mbps and had to get a new modem/router thru CenturyLink (needed bonding capability). The wifi sucks.
I am so confuzzled by routers
I know I want g/n/ac and have a “large” home (3,000sf including basement).
I have young adult males (two that stream); don’tneedwant it for gaming.
Want 2.4 & 5.0GHz
Don’t want to spend $$$ (would prefer $50’ish range if that’s possible).
Our desktop PC’s have Netgear AC1200 wifi adapters.Will the Netgear AC1200 (#R6230) suffice?
$50-is is PROBABLY not going to cut it. Without knowing the layout and composition of your home, it’s hard to advise. Netgear AC1200 gets good reviews, but people don’t often discuss the size of their home or what their walls are made out of or how many walls/floors the signal needs to traverse. If you have lots of walls, you are going to need a stronger router.
What about buying a router from Amazon or someplace where you can return it if you don’t like the performance? That way, you can try it out and if it works, you keep it, and, if not, send it back and try again? Anyone that makes a specific product recommendation without knowing your home layout and what the walls are made out of and what’s inside the walls is just guessing.
-Z
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UPDATE: I bought a Netgear R7000 from ebay for $55. PITA to set up when CenturyLink gives me the wrong (!) info for the Transparent Bridging, hmph! Egads, everytime I try to get “help” from companies, I find I can do it better myself.
Anyhow, a note about the Disney Circle parental controls on the Netgear… they suck!
I bought a Disney Circle from ebay ($17 “parts only” but it only needed a hard reset, lol) and love it for the different levels and blocking for each family member or device! I’m not paying any extra monthly fees and I get a full range of blocking features (bedtimes, filters, etc).
The Netgear version of Circle is very limited and they want to charge me $5 monthly fee for the options I get for free on the actual device. I was hoping to resell the Circle once I got the router, but it looks like I’m keeping it.
