Good wireless range and 4G USB support?

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Hi,

I'm currently using a Asus RT-N56U that I'm concider upgrading, mainly to hopefully get better wireless range.
The only ISP service available to me currently is via 4G. I'm using an huwaeii modem connected to the old router that I want to continue to use until we get fiber next year.
It seems like most asus routers support this, how is it with other brands?
My network enviroment consist of a few phones with ac, some chromecasts and a few laptops with n connectivity. I have my own house out in the country, so there isn't much inteference, and it's a house built of wood so getting good range shouldn't be a problem, but the Asus RT-N56U doesn't perform very well. How will a modern router perform compared to that?

Thanks,
Tommy

 

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Anyone? Is it only Asus that have general support for USB modems?

 

[L&LD]

I have used a few RT-N56U's in the past and am still using one as a wireless bridge today with the Padavan's firmware. Almost any router you buy today will offer much, much better WiFi (particularly on the 5GHz network, but a significant improvement on the 2.4GHz network too).

You don't mention your budget or location (country), but the BestBuy RT-AC1900P is the 'minimum' router I would buy today (if available in your area). Make sure you install RMerlin's firmware on it (just use the RT-AC68U firmware) for the best experience.

The RT-N56U can then be repurposed as an AP (directly wired) or a Bridge (WiFi connection to the main router, wired connections to the clients) for the most effective coverage area at minimal cost.

Like I said, I don't have too much experience with USB modems with routers, but Asus is the brand that (overall) should be considered, first. Far above all other brands/models when all things are considered.

(Things like; as up to date internal code as possible, continuous security issues fixed for the longest time of any manufacturer, continuous features offered as much as the hardware can support on older models and maybe the best feature of all? RMerlin's firmware which takes the slightly buggy Asus firmware and makes it even more feature rich, while increasing the reliability and stability too).

 

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Thanks for you reply. I live in Sweden, and budget isn't a problem, but I don't want to pay for features that I don't need. Would the RT-AC68U be the best bet if I only need basic ac support then?
Should I install Padavan on the N56u until I get the new router in place?

 

[L&LD]

Thanks for you reply. I live in Sweden, and budget isn't a problem, but I don't want to pay for features that I don't need. Would the RT-AC68U be the best bet if I only need basic ac support then?
Should I install Padavan on the N56u until I get the new router in place?

Knowing that you will be moving to Fibre in the next year or so, I don't think the RT-AC68U is a 'wise' investment today. The 40% to 75% faster processor in the RT-AC1900P (depending which version of the RT-AC68U you end up getting; 1GHz or 800MHz model, respectively) will make a noticeable improvement the faster your ISP service is.

If you'll be using the RT-N56U as an AP or in Bridge mode, it doesn't matter which firmware you have installed (as long as it is stable, of course). Whether you want to put it on today depends on how fast you'll get your new router too.

With effectively 'no budget' to worry about, and the fact that you'll be moving to Fibre in a year or thereabouts, I would be looking at the RT-AC3100, RT-AC88U or the RT-AC5300 models instead. They all offer twice the ram as any other (Asus) router right now and the same 1.4GHz dual processor that the RT-AC1900P has.

The RT-AC3100 offers 4 streams/4 antennae design along with 512MB ram in addition to a more sophisticated and more modern RF design over the AC1900 class routers which may prove beneficial to possibly giving better range and throughput, depending on the client devices, wall/floor construction of the home, and RF environment in your immediate area.

The RT-AC88U offers 8 LAN ports in addition to what the RT-AC3100 offers.

The RT-AC5300 offers an additional 5GHz radio over the RT-AC3100 which may be useful if you have (now, or soon-ish) many 5GHz client devices, or, if you have a mix of 5GHz devices which are markedly slower or faster than the others that you normally use (by grouping the devices, by speed, on different radios, the slow devices won't affect the others).

I think the RT-AC3100 is the best bang for the buck if you only buy routers once every few years (3 to 5). If you plan on buying or upgrading your main router sooner (1 to 3 years), the RT-AC1900P is still the router I would choose today. If you plan on upgrading the router when you move to Fibre, saving the $40 or so by buying the RT-AC68U today may make sense for you (not me though), but then I would be looking at buying something like this (or better), particularly if you'll be capable of 1Gbps u/d ISP speeds:

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/ne...-dual-wan-vpn-router.32839/page-2#post-265829