What are the best suggestions for choosing a new router?
What are the best suggestions for choosing a new router?
Hi, I recently purchased a Starlink Mini and it functions properly, but the Wi-Fi is problematic because it gets blocked by the roof. I currently have a direct Ethernet connection to my PC, but I’m considering buying a router to fix this issue or to connect devices directly via Ethernet. I’m interested in a budget-friendly router—it should work well, though I’d like to invest more if possible. My main goals are to eliminate bufferbloat and avoid the risk of flashing the router with third-party firmware, even though I have some confidence in it. Since I’m out of pocket, this is my best option right now.
There are some older routers that should function well. One of my top picks is the Netgear R7900 or R8000. There are several sub models available, so choose carefully if you plan to install OpenWRT. I've tried both versions with and without OpenWRT, and they perform reliably. You can usually find them at a reasonable price on the used market.
Yeah, Starlink Mini has its own Wi-Fi, but you can switch it to a different router from a third party. Thanks for the suggestion—I’ll look into it and stay open to other ideas!
Don't worry about bufferbloat it is mostly old information back from when people used DSL lines.....I suspect that is the site you are running the tool from. They like to pretend they are still relevant.
Bufferbloat only occurs when you are at 100% utilization. Back it the DSL days it was very easy to spikes you utilization to 100%.
The so called bufferbloat test will overload even a 5gbit internet connection and claim there is bufferbloat. The so called solution is to use special QoS software. The problem is on very fast internet connection this QoS software has so much overhead it casues more problems than it pretends to solve. Even in best case you will lose 10-20% of your bandwidth because of how the software is configured.
As to a router decide on your wifi needs. After that pretty much even very cheap off brand name routers can run 1gbit wan/lan.
Thanks for the bufferbloat explanation. I really need some assistance because my old router didn’t work properly. I had to reset Starlink manually since there was no Wi-Fi, and now I can’t connect through the phone app. I was worried about that situation.
I recommend checking online and visiting the manufacturer's site directly to locate and review the router's User Guide before purchasing. Exercise caution: appearing in a website's URL doesn't guarantee it's the official site. Avoid generic manual pages.
You may need an AP or repurpose your old router as an AP. This involves disabling the DHCP server on it, ensuring it doesn’t share the same IP as the Starlink router, and typically avoiding using the WAN port altogether. The term "not compatible" might simply indicate a configuration issue. The Starlink routers already support fq_codel, but standard solutions for bufferbloat don’t effectively resolve problems with wireless WAN connections like Starlink or 5G cellular. Therefore, it’s best to use the Starlink device as your gateway router since switching to another isn’t beneficial.
Well yeah, that's exactly what the access point is meant for. I was just reminding you not to rely on the second router as a router since the Starlink unit already supports strong QoS settings, making it unnecessary. Keep in mind though, even Starlink's claimed 20ms latency would still fall short compared to cable internet using only DOCSIS-Pie in the modem and without any QoS in the router. They haven't achieved that yet but typically hover around the mid to high 20s most of the time, with about 65ms during peak usage—similar to DSL but still quite acceptable for wireless connections, and you're unlikely to see significant improvement by switching routers. It's better than 5G, where home hotspot users only get extra bandwidth when higher-priority users aren't using it, which likely explains why such high bufferbloat times are common in busy areas instead of the more stable Starlink performance.