Hi SMB members,
Introduction:
I am a new member, so please forgive me for being a total newbie.
I am a young thermal engineer, not an IT expert. I have read a lot of reviews and text online which made me even more confused. However, the methodology for testing and info on SmallNetBuilder seems clear and well tought off, so here I am with the questions.
A while back I bought a wifi router with more than 10 times larger rated data transfer rates than my rated upload and download rates from the ISP. This seamed future proof at the time and worked OK until recently. I also have another new N router unpacked at home.
Problem:
The number of network devices I use had grown (two computers, TV, AVR, hard drive media hub, media player, phones, tablet....), which causes slow response and slow transfer speeds, especially for media devices.
Thinking of adding WD my cloud or my cloud mirror to the setup.
What has been done:
I ditched a router my ISP provided, got a plane old modem and came back to my old one (which seems to be slightly more stable although it was cheap), based on some tutorials I read. By doing this, I got AIRPLAY working
QUESTIONS:
1. Do I need a gigabit switch*?
2. DO I need an AC** router or just N?
3. AC seems more future proof, but if I buy now, will it support some future AC certified devices?
*Most of my devices support gigabit ethernet, the manual for the AVR does not provide this info
** Most of my wifi equipment is rated just N, not sure about 5ghz support.
Considered options:
1. Buy a gigabit swithc - cheapest option
2. Buy a router with Gigabit ethernet- medium cost (Assus RTN18U, D Link 850L)
3. Buy a more capable router - ASUS RT N56U, ASUS RT N66U, LINKSYS EA 6300 or LINKSYS EA 6400 (cca 50% more than option 2)
First thoughts:
2 seems ok, but 3 seems more futureproof. Linksys seem to offer AC and best data transfers on paper compared to the ASUS, but I read that users are not so satisfied ( i.e. EA routers need to be reset frequently, dont operate stability of operation, send usage data to Linksys or something??!! and send spam e-mails?)
D link dir 850l seems to offer similar performance to Linksys EA6300, but is 50% cheaper?
Would someone with more knowledge and experience than me please comment? Also, if someone is using the mentioned equipment a first hand experience is welcome.
Could someone explain what are the benefits of a gigabit switch compared to the router. Should I buy both?
I dont like paying more than I have to for such devices, but again, I dont like the idea of buying new routers each year.
Thanks for the advice!
Introduction:
I am a new member, so please forgive me for being a total newbie.
I am a young thermal engineer, not an IT expert. I have read a lot of reviews and text online which made me even more confused. However, the methodology for testing and info on SmallNetBuilder seems clear and well tought off, so here I am with the questions.
A while back I bought a wifi router with more than 10 times larger rated data transfer rates than my rated upload and download rates from the ISP. This seamed future proof at the time and worked OK until recently. I also have another new N router unpacked at home.
Problem:
The number of network devices I use had grown (two computers, TV, AVR, hard drive media hub, media player, phones, tablet....), which causes slow response and slow transfer speeds, especially for media devices.
Thinking of adding WD my cloud or my cloud mirror to the setup.
What has been done:
I ditched a router my ISP provided, got a plane old modem and came back to my old one (which seems to be slightly more stable although it was cheap), based on some tutorials I read. By doing this, I got AIRPLAY working
QUESTIONS:
1. Do I need a gigabit switch*?
2. DO I need an AC** router or just N?
3. AC seems more future proof, but if I buy now, will it support some future AC certified devices?
*Most of my devices support gigabit ethernet, the manual for the AVR does not provide this info
** Most of my wifi equipment is rated just N, not sure about 5ghz support.
Considered options:
1. Buy a gigabit swithc - cheapest option
2. Buy a router with Gigabit ethernet- medium cost (Assus RTN18U, D Link 850L)
3. Buy a more capable router - ASUS RT N56U, ASUS RT N66U, LINKSYS EA 6300 or LINKSYS EA 6400 (cca 50% more than option 2)
First thoughts:
2 seems ok, but 3 seems more futureproof. Linksys seem to offer AC and best data transfers on paper compared to the ASUS, but I read that users are not so satisfied ( i.e. EA routers need to be reset frequently, dont operate stability of operation, send usage data to Linksys or something??!! and send spam e-mails?)
D link dir 850l seems to offer similar performance to Linksys EA6300, but is 50% cheaper?
Would someone with more knowledge and experience than me please comment? Also, if someone is using the mentioned equipment a first hand experience is welcome.
Could someone explain what are the benefits of a gigabit switch compared to the router. Should I buy both?
I dont like paying more than I have to for such devices, but again, I dont like the idea of buying new routers each year.
Thanks for the advice!