Are AC routers really worth it?

[youcanDUit]

i have wireless devices but none of them use AC or even N for that matter. i use B/G for just about everything. i was looking into the RT-N66U. i've read good reviews about it and i think that's the one to get unless there's something about AC routers that i don't know. my house isn't big but there's always netflix and gaming in the background. the router is located upstairs in a loft. currently the router i have is the ASUS RT-N10+. in N draft it slows down so i've been turned off to trying only N draft on the router. it also bogs down from time to time if netflix and gaming are going on at the same time. i would say in total of 8 devices are on at the same time. 4 of them have heavy usage. so my question really is will the rt-n66u be a good fit or are ac routers cheaper/better performing? thank you in advance.

 

[ballibeg]

What's your connection to the internet like? I suspect that'll be your bottle neck. It doesn't sound like you're shifting vast data around your LAN so the N66u will be ideal.

Dave

 

[System Error Message]

I think the issue is with your internet connection. statistically AC APs do improve performance of wifi N but thats because it uses newer and better wifi chips. Regarding your internet , find out its bandwidth. I'll give a few pieces of data just to freak you out .

Netflix streaming at 720P uses at least 2-5Mb/s, at 1080P it can use up to 10Mb/s
FPS gaming uses very little bandwidth within the kilobits range but sends packets more often requiring a faster router to keep up.
Online gaming such as RTS and MMORPG can be bandwidth intensive and is not unusual to use 10Mb/s in a crowded area with many users/units and also use up your PC CPU at the same time.

 

[thiggins]

With that many devices and the applications used,you would benefit from moving as many of the devices as possible to N. The slower devices limit the speed of the faster ones when both are simultaneously used.

Yes, an AC router can also help.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...oes-an-ac-router-improve-n-device-performance

 

[AdvHomeServer]

i have wireless devices but none of them use AC or even N for that matter. i use B/G for just about everything. i was looking into the RT-N66U. .....

it also bogs down from time to time if netflix and gaming are going on at the same time. i would say in total of 8 devices are on at the same time. 4 of them have heavy usage. so my question really is will the rt-n66u be a good fit or are ac routers cheaper/better performing? thank you in advance.

Wireless G maxes at theoretical 54Mbps, Wireless N at 300, more or less (150 and even 600 are advertised). AC is fast, realistically as fast as the theoretical advertised N maximums. Advertised speeds are said to be fictional. Of course, you need equipment that takes advantage of N and/ or AC to use it.

If you're streaming off the internet, 4 devices at once, and all watching high res video, then you need very high speed internet. Realistically, the internet speed would completely saturate the wireless capacity of a wireless G radio. You would have unused internet capacity coming in and probably pretty bad video inside. N draft is probably at 150 advertised speed ... just guessing.

Wireless AC is a judgement call. I'm only now getting new devices (phones and tablets) that can use AC. It's fast, but only for file transfers on my internal network. My internet speed is slower than AC capabilities. My laptops ... not AC yet and too expensive to replace for a little faster wireless. HP laptops are fussy with non-oem wireless cards and my Toshiba requires major surgery to get at the wireless card, so no replacement parts are on the schedule.

Newer routers have the ability to work as media servers and offer file storage capabilities. They have faster switching and faster circuitry. They can handle more traffic. You don't need the best. In fact, a bleeding edge wireless router is possibly a waste of money. Just find one in your price range that has lots of satisfied users. AC is good for future planning ... don't not get an AC if the price is OK just because it's AC. The world is going to change whether or not you choose to ... and eventually you'll want to take advantage of a new fangled idea that seems a little out there before.

 

[sfx2000]

The Asus RT-N10+ is an N150 class router (single stream, single radio) running a Ralink chipset with 32MB of RAM and a 4MB flash. The Core on the Ralink CPU is a MIPS 24K running at 320MHz.

It was a decent router in it's day, although the single stream design really stretches what one could consider 802.11n. The way folks use their home networks has evolved over time, and the performance issues you've noted might be more the routing performance than the WiFi, but running the N10+ in Wireless-G mode isn't helping - a G54 class AP can get stepped on pretty hard by adjacent N-class AP's around it.

The RT-N66U would provide better routing performance, and would boost your wireless to some degree - along with better 2.4GHz, you'll also get some benefit from a higher performance router CPU (and more RAM/Flash).

Moving to a AC class router - that would future proof you a bit more, but not everyone needs it - Now that 802.11ac has been out for some time, the value chain has worked in the favor on AC1750/AC1900 Wave 1 - and prices have come down to a more reasonable level - so check the tools available on the Main site, and you might find something very capable at a good price.

Last note - Wireless performance is very sensitive to the AP's location relative to where the clients are - so do consider where the AP is located.

 

[sfx2000]

N draft is probably at 150 advertised speed ... just guessing.

No doubt, at best, it might be running N150, but in 2.4GHz, wide channels are getting to be a big challenge these days, so it might actually be running in N72/N65 speeds, esp. if he also has G54 clients on the WLAN.