Recommendation for new routers

[al2813]

My current setup is composed from 2 Apple Extreme routers with the first one (a newer AC model) connected to my cable ISP modem/router (setup in bridge mode), and acting as DHCP + wireless AP on the ground floor. it is than connected to my main switch (D Link DS -1016). From the switch I have a wired connection to my second Apple router (an older N model) sitting in my second TV room on the first floor. It is used there to provide a wired Gigabit connection to the STB and game console upstairs as well as extend my wireless coverage using Apple's roaming network setup (so effectively in bridge mode with the same SSID).

The setup is generally working quite OK, but I am suffering from low wireless bandwidth upstairs as well as a relatively low throughput on the wired network (checking the numbers in SNB I see indeed the wired throughput of the Apple routers is not the best). I really struggle when I stream HD TV from my Sat PVRs to my IPADs when in my bedroom (first floor).

So I would like to a major refresh and buy two new routers. It is important they have good throughput on the wired connection, but also allow me to keep my wireless roaming (so one WIFI SSID across the house).
I have seen the advertising for the new Linksys seamless WIFI, and thought of getting two Linksys EA7500, but I get the impression that the seamless wireless is best setup to work with one router and one (or more) range extender. Can you recommend me a pair of routers for a reasonable price that will do the job? Also happy to get recommendations for improving my setup as a whole

 

[thiggins]

How are you measuring wired throughput? Do you mean low wired throughput for local transfers or to/from Internet?

"Seamless" roaming has been discussed many, many times here. The bottom line is that the key factor is your clients. Some are "sticky", while others will roam easily. You are likely to have more success with "seamless" roaming on the 5 GHz band than 2.4 GHz due to newer standards implemented there.

Your AC Apple is probably fine if it is the latest model. Swap out the N Extreme for another AC model the same as you have.

 

[L&LD]

As Tim already said, we need numbers to quantify what is 'low' throughput for you.

How many devices are connected to this network usually? Are they 'N' class or 'AC' class clients (or other)?

What is your ISP rated speeds? Are you achieving these speeds from all your wired computers?

Your reasons for wanting a new setup are exactly why I dumped my AE based network so long ago. If a new AC capable AE doesn't fix the issues for you, then you may need to do the same.

The reasons I changed were not only for greater throughput and lower latency on my wired and wireless connections, but also for more control than apple gives to the user over their router too.

 

[al2813]

How are you measuring wired throughput? Do you mean low wired throughput for local transfers or to/from Internet?

I mean low wired throughput for local transfers. on the ground floor traffic (going via my main switch and a small GB switch I have in the living room) is pretty OK. But when I go via the Apple router upstairs (eg. stream HD TV from my upstairs sat box to my Mac downstairs), I struggle.

"Seamless" roaming has been discussed many, many times here. The bottom line is that the key factor is your clients. Some are "sticky", while others will roam easily. You are likely to have more success with "seamless" roaming on the 5 GHz band than 2.4 GHz due to newer standards implemented there. Your AC Apple is probably fine if it is the latest model. Swap out the N Extreme for another AC model the same as you have.

I hesitate as the Apple AC is no less than 170 EUR , for which I can buy a Linksys EA7500 or a Netgear R7000. The only roaming clients I have are Ipads.

 

[al2813]

As Tim already said, we need numbers to quantify what is 'low' throughput for you.

How many devices are connected to this network usually? Are they 'N' class or 'AC' class clients (or other)?

What is your ISP rated speeds? Are you achieving these speeds from all your wired computers?

Your reasons for wanting a new setup are exactly why I dumped my AE based network so long ago. If a new AC capable AE doesn't fix the issues for you, then you may need to do the same.

The reasons I changed were not only for greater throughput and lower latency on my wired and wireless connections, but also for more control than apple gives to the user over their router too.

Unfortunately I am a bit of an amateur and I don't know how to measure exactly the traffic. i only judge based on the streaming I do around the house (which I do a lot of - both from my NAS and my 2 Linux SAT receivers). I am pretty convinced about replacing the Apple routers, also as they have a good reselling value, but I am not sure yet with what. I am even considering dumping inside routers all together - move all LAN connections to switches, and get two Linksys RE7000 with the new seamless wireless feature to do the AP stuff.

 

[L&LD]

Unfortunately I am a bit of an amateur and I don't know how to measure exactly the traffic. i only judge based on the streaming I do around the house (which I do a lot of - both from my NAS and my 2 Linux SAT receivers). I am pretty convinced about replacing the Apple routers, also as they have a good reselling value, but I am not sure yet with what. I am even considering dumping inside routers all together - move all LAN connections to switches, and get two Linksys RE7000 with the new seamless wireless feature to do the AP stuff.

If the $50 (on sale) RT-AC56U is available where you are, then you can try replacing the upstairs N class AE with it. It won't be as seamless as your current all apple network (sfx2000 should have some good advice here), but it will be much, much faster.

I don't think you need to replace the AC AE (yet). Try to fix what needs fixing and go forward from there.

 

[System Error Message]

the key to good wifi is placement and good RF design. Try moving your APs about. If you find that they arent able to provide the coverage you need, go with something that has external antennas.

 

[L&LD]

the key to good wifi is placement and good RF design. Try moving your APs about. If you find that they arent able to provide the coverage you need, go with something that has external antennas.

WiFi in this case is not the main issue. Read entire thread.

 

[al2813]

If the $50 (on sale) RT-AC56U is available where you are, then you can try replacing the upstairs N class AE with it. It won't be as seamless as your current all apple network (sfx2000 should have some good advice here), but it will be much, much faster.

I don't think you need to replace the AC AE (yet). Try to fix what needs fixing and go forward from there.

I would like though to keep my single SSID across the house. Would it be possible to put the RT-AC56U in bridge mode and give it the same SSID and pwd?

 

[System Error Message]

WiFi in this case is not the main issue. Read entire thread.

The reason why i didnt talk about the throughput was because with hardware acceleration the airport with wireless AC is as fast as other wireless AC routers for WAN.

As for wireless throughput obviously upgrading from N to AC will be better. Im just saying place it in a good place and choose a router with good RF design.

 

[L&LD]

The reason why i didnt talk about the throughput was because with hardware acceleration the airport with wireless AC is as fast as other wireless AC routers for WAN.

As for wireless throughput obviously upgrading from N to AC will be better. Im just saying place it in a good place and choose a router with good RF design.

You are still missing the point of this thread?

 

[L&LD]

I would like though to keep my single SSID across the house. Would it be possible to put the RT-AC56U in bridge mode and give it the same SSID and pwd?

The ability to have a single ssid across the house is mostly up to the client devices.

You would use the RT-AC56U in AP mode, directly wired to your main router (the AC AE).

 

[TonyH]

You are still missing the point of this thread?

IMO, OP needs to overhaul his home network. Doing it he will learn a lot about networking. Do it right and enjoy it long time. Time to bite the bullet and plan and execute. Draw everything on the paper to get the whole picture.

 

[L&LD]

IMO, OP needs to overhaul his home network. Doing it he will learn a lot about networking. Do it right and enjoy it long time. Time to bite the bullet and plan and execute. Draw everything on the paper to get the hole picture.

That may be what is needed in the end. But right now, it seems like the N class AE is the main issue.

 

[al2813]

Many thanks for all the advice. After reading the posts here and reading some more - I realize I do need to look at the overall network and design, but will start with a couple of steps to improve things:
- Refresh cabling. I realized today that I have a lot of older CAT5 cables running around. I will replace them all of newer CAT6 cables.
- Replace one of the routers. The newer AC Apple will go upstairs and retire the older N one. I will than buy a new router for my main ground floor gateway, DHCP and AP. I am very tempted by the Asus models because they have a dual WAN feature which I would like to use (I have two internet connections - one main and one backup which for now I plug in manually when I fall back on it). I almost pulled the trigger on an RT-AC87U on sale, but pulled back when seeing a lot pf posts on issues with this model. I am also a bit concerned with the Asus routers for their WIFI coverage.

So question now - any other good wireless routers that can do the dual WAN feature? If not and Asus is the way forward, do I go for the AC68U? I do not want to spend more than 200 EUR if possible.

 

[L&LD]

I believe Asus is the way forward.

If you have access to a BestBuy RT-AC1900P, that would be the 'version' of the RT-AC68U that I would buy. It has newer power amplifiers, a much higher performance dual core 1.4GHz processor and is still supported by RMerlin's firmware (unsurprisingly, the RT-AC68U firmware works directly with it).

 

[al2813]

I believe Asus is the way forward.

If you have access to a BestBuy RT-AC1900P, that would be the 'version' of the RT-AC68U that I would buy. It has newer power amplifiers, a much higher performance dual core 1.4GHz processor and is still supported by RMerlin's firmware (unsurprisingly, the RT-AC68U firmware works directly with it).

Thanks for the feedback! I live in Belgium and I can only get the AC68U. The AC1900P seems to be a model sold only in the US.

 

[sfx2000]

My current setup is composed from 2 Apple Extreme routers with the first one (a newer AC model) connected to my cable ISP modem/router (setup in bridge mode), and acting as DHCP + wireless AP on the ground floor. it is than connected to my main switch (D Link DS -1016). From the switch I have a wired connection to my second Apple router (an older N model) sitting in my second TV room on the first floor. It is used there to provide a wired Gigabit connection to the STB and game console upstairs as well as extend my wireless coverage using Apple's roaming network setup (so effectively in bridge mode with the same SSID).

Actually, your layout as it is, it's probably ok - swap out the N-class airport for another Airport Extreme AC, and you'll be good to go - no need to go and swap everything out...

AP Extreme AC's are occasionally on the Apple Refurb store at $129USD - not sure what happens overseas, and how the tax/VAT changes things...

Keeping with the Airports, you'll have pretty decent roaming across the two AP's...

If you're primarily an Apple oriented household (Macs/iPads/iPhones/AppleTV) and use AirPlay/AirPrint, you'll likely want to avoid Asus - they're known to be not very Apple friendly for these features... Netgear and Linksys will do a better job there, but Airports do it best...

 

[sfx2000]

the other thing I would consider - is maybe swapping out the D-Link 1016 switch - from what I've found on a quick google search is that it's FastEthernet (100Base-T) - moving over to a GigE switch helps out - LAN traffic will be faster due to the bandwidth, but the latency improvements with GigE will make everything better...

Don't have to go all crazy with a managed switch - 8 port unmanaged switches from any of the leading vendors are less than $60USD, and a good investment...

 

[al2813]

the other thing I would consider - is maybe swapping out the D-Link 1016 switch - from what I've found on a quick google search is that it's FastEthernet (100Base-T) - moving over to a GigE switch helps out - LAN traffic will be faster due to the bandwidth, but the latency improvements with GigE will make everything better...

Don't have to go all crazy with a managed switch - 8 port unmanaged switches from any of the leading vendors are less than $60USD, and a good investment...

Need to check the exact ref on the switch but it's a 16 port GigE switch.