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Looking for the right router for our home

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Ebichu

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We've been using a budget RT-N12C1 Asus router for many years, but wifi connections often drop down to below a single megabyte or less per second. Resetting the router or enabling a wireless mac filter usually brings the speed up to 30+ megabytes, while we're on a 60 megabyte plan (from Teksavvy, Canada).

The router is situated on the main floor and needs to be able to provide a stable connection both to the floor above and below. Up to ten people may be using our internet connection at certain points during the day, including such activities as streaming Netflix on a large tv, so network congestion is likely something we have to deal with by upgrading to a proper router designed to handle that many devices.

We're also considering upgrading our internet speed, but we're unclear on whether upgrading to 100+ megabytes will make any difference, aside from maybe downloading large files faster, but that's usually limited by the source it's downloaded from anyways.

My girlfriend also wants a good connection for gaming, so that's also something we're considering. While there isn't neccessarily a budget, we are value conscious. She bought a Smart SR515ac, but it seems it's designed for DSL while we're on cable internet. We returned it and now we're looking to get one based on useful feedback we're hoping to receive here.

Thanks in advance
 
My go to bang for the buck recommendation currently is the RT-AC66U_B1 which is essentially a repackaged 68U (same internals except I think the current 68U's come with a 1.4 GHz processor vs 1.0 on the B1) at a lower price point. Don't confuse this somewhat recently released router with the older non-B1 version. Last I checked they were < $100. The AC66U_B1 is also listed as an AC1750. The B1 will easily do 100 Mbps and with NAT acceleration enabled it will do 900+ Mbps.
 
Any ARM-based Asus all-in-one with the latest Merlin firmware loaded onto it (for fq_codel and fewer bugs) should be a pretty decent choice. If you wanted absolute max wifi range you could spring for something like an 86U, but if budget is more sensitive, the 66U B1 is probably the right call @ $95 USD right now.
 
Since there are easily 20+ devices connected to our router wouldn't it make a significant difference if the router is tri-band? Some tri-band routers are around the same price as the 86u. We'll probably move up to 150 Mbps cable.

Thanks
 
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I think dual band will be fine, I doubt you will see much real world gain from a triband. Certain scenarios a triband can help, but just because you have 20+ devices doesn’t mean a dual band can’t perform well, as most clients are probably idle at any given time or doing very little in terms of internet activity. Even with 4 people streaming and 3 Arlo cams running my R7800 did just fine vs a triband R8500.

I’d go with the AC66Ub1 like doczenith1 suggested or an AC86U if you needed VPN performance when using the router as a VPN client.
 
Finally upgraded our router and we went with the 86u as it was on sale for $180 cad. Difference between our old crappy router and this new one is like night a day lol. The connection is stable and I'm getting nearly the full speed of our cable internet provider :D.
 
Finally upgraded our router and we went with the 86u as it was on sale for $180 cad. Difference between our old crappy router and this new one is like night a day lol. The connection is stable and I'm getting nearly the full speed of our cable internet provider :D.

You made the best choice. The 86U has stronger hardware and WiFi coverage, and supports Smart Connect node band steering which generally works and allows using the same SSID for both WiFi bands.

OE
 

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