Find the right wireless router for your needs
Find the right wireless router for your needs
I've been testing wireless routers the past few days and need some help selecting the best option not just for today but into the future as well. Some info: 2 story home. Multiple 5ghz cell phones. Multiple game consoles. Smart TV's. The 3 I'm testing now are the Linksys EA9500, ASUS AC3100, ASUS AC3200 I absolutely love the Asus interface, compared to any of the other's I've tested its the best. I honestly don't know a lot about wifi networking, just enough to be dangerous I suppose. Should I keep the Linksys beast with tri band 4x4 (albeit with maybe 5 clickable options within the router ?) The Asus 3200 with tri-band 3x3 (older hardware) or the Asus 3100 dual band 4x4? How important is it that I hang on to tri band vs dual band? And is 4x4 dual band a better option that 3x3 tri band?
Linksys AC1900 is a dual-band open-source WiFi router with wireless capabilities (WRT1900ACS).
I’d prefer to keep the temperature above AC1900. I didn’t mention that I also have Gigabit Fiber connected to the house.
I believe my main worry lies between Tri band and Dual band, as well as 3x3 versus 4x4, and I need to figure out which pair works best for my equipment.
I believe a dual band with 4x4 will offer superior performance overall versus a tri-band 3x3 setup. If my understanding is accurate, the dual band 4x4 can support four devices using one 1x1 band or two devices with dual-band 2x2 connectivity, or even a single 3x1 device paired with a 1x1 unit without problems. In theory, a 3x3 router might accommodate three 1x1 clients, but it may deliver lower gain and throughput when multiple connections occur simultaneously compared to the 4x4 configuration.
It depends on your needs, but a Tri band 4x4 generally offers more versatility and performance compared to a Dual band 4x4.
Tri-band offers three SSIDs. You can switch between 5GHz and 2.4GHz depending on the situation. I can use 5GHz-1 for my kids and mine, and 5GHz-2 for me and my wife instead of using all on 5GHz. Also, I can place the kids' devices on 5GHz-1 while keeping mine and the PS4 on 2.4GHz.