Consider budget-friendly routers suitable for a two-story home.
Consider budget-friendly routers suitable for a two-story home.
When funds are tight, opting for a second-hand device is often the smartest choice. Recently, I purchased an older Asus RT-AC66U and installed the AsusWRT Merlin firmware, which lets me customize its settings. Because it handles wireless AC at speeds exceeding 1GBps, it has performed well in my two-story home without issues. There are numerous similar used routers that are a bit outdated yet still functional and deliver solid performance, so I’d definitely check eBay or Craigslist for affordable options.
It seems like you're considering an alternative approach. I noticed the router might be a bit beyond my budget, even used. My worry is that one won't provide enough signal strength to reach through the house's walls. This old home has thick, solid construction, so I'm planning to search for second-hand options. It looks like the best path forward.
I discovered several Dlink gigabit routers on eBay for around $20 each in the United States. Using two used models, connecting them via an Ethernet cable and setting the configuration to AP mode for the second unit and router mode for the main one should work well.