Hey, I'm looking to get a brand new router.
Hey, I'm looking to get a brand new router.
I'm trying to replace my old Netgear router by switching to a wired setup. Do you know any reliable brands for this? I've seen some good reviews on the TP-Link SafeStream, but I have no idea if new Linksys routers are worth it or not. Any tips on which one to pick?
It all depends on why you are going with a wired only router. Most people choose this because these boxes have features some cheaper routers don't. Things like a firewall or VPN protection. I think from how your post is written that you probably aren't in that group. This kind of router is mostly about the performance specs for those specific features. Since these features use so much power it is hard to tell which one you should pick without reading the details. Companies like microtik sell similar devices for prices home users can afford. There are also many other commercial brands that cost thousands of dollars and if you think about spending that kind of money, you probably shouldn't be here asking questions on this forum. It all depends on what exact feature you plan to use. Simple internet surfing uses the NAT function pretty much only. This function has moved off the CPU into a hardware function so even very cheap routers can handle 1gbit WAN/LAN connections. Cheap consumer routers will actually perform better than these fancy wired routers many times because those boxes are still using the CPU for NAT tasks. If you don't have some specific feature you need, any router with gigabit LAN/WAN ports should meet your needs. Most of the extra cost in consumer routers is for fancy WiFi chips. Just turn off the WiFi radios if you don't want to use them.
My router is more than five years old. It keeps cutting my internet, even though I checked the speed test and it showed 10 Mbps over Wi-Fi compared to 95 Mbps wired. I'm mostly an online gamer who streams TV shows on weekends, so I just need a new home network.
Most brands like Asus, TP-Link, or Linksys should work fine. Just grab a router with gigabit ethernet ports and a WiFi rating of at least 1900 MHz. This combo will give you a dual band router for the lowest price possible. I really like Asus routers that come with Merlin alternate firmware available from https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/.
So you're getting that normal speed through the wired connection. But wireless internet is totally different. Only if your router and computer are right next to each other with no walls in between will you get good results. Your home structure, your neighbors, and where the antenna points can all change things a lot. Is this WiFi slowdown a new problem? Was it actually better before?
i am really happy about how wired things are working right now. For now, i only use my wireless connection for my phone, printer, and tv. Since my neighbors are more than a mile away, that shouldn't cause any trouble. My router has nothing around it to interfere with the signal. I've never had great wifi before, so i guess this is just normal. It used to drop connections a lot when i first tried it, but things have been improving.
I checked my router's online tool and it says there are over 15 firmware updates available. Do routers update their own software on their own, or do i need to download all the Netgear files manually to get them updated?