I am a newbie to this forum, so apologies for providing any unnecessary information or omitting anything important.
I learned about this forum through the NotebookReview forum, thanks to Phoenix, who spent a great deal of time helping me streamline my new MSI GS63 Stealth-061. When he realized that I would benefit from a router that would either connect to my Ubee modem/router (provided by Spectrum, model DDW36C, 300 Mbps download, supposedly) or replace the Ubee, he suggested I come here and ask for advice as to the best router for my particular situation.
First, I guess I’d better give you my situation. And sorry for such a long post!
My husband and I live in a 2-story log cabin, approx. 1,500 square feet (divided equally up and down); he works upstairs in a room one over from the Ubee, which sits on a shelf right by one of the walls that faces the outdoors. On the other side of the Ubee is our large wall-mounted TV. Our Spectrum account is for Internet only; we have a DirecTV account for TV. But I believe the Ubee is used for services other than TV broadcasts (Roku, perhaps, or streaming).
The Ubee supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz, but only our two Samsung J7 smartphones and my MSI Stealth (which has an Internet Wireless AC 8265 card) can take 5GHz. My husband’s Dell Latitude (and older one) and his Acer netbook—both situated in a room next to the Ubee, through a log wall and several yards away on a desk—can handle only 2.4GHz.
I work in the basement. I have an HP Pavilion desktop (not a new one) and a Dell Inspiron 15R (also not new) in different areas of the basement; neither can pick up 5 GHz, only 2.4GHz. The Ubee is on the floor above, and a combination of wooden subflooring, plywood, and concrete stands between my PCs and the Ubee.
My third PC is the new MSI Stealth, which can pick up 5GHz, but not reliably at the moment. It shows it's there, but the Ubee is too far away for the laptop to connect to it with any consistency.
What I would hope to find, in a router, is something that can connect directly to the Ubee via an ethernet cable, then search out those devices that use only 2.4GHz and those that use 5GHz--and provide separate channels, so there's no excessive traffic in the house. I would also need a router that can penetrate the wood, plywood, and concrete that leads to the downstairs, so that my MSI WiFi can connect seamlessly and without dropping the signal, and provide the highest Mbps download the Ubee "promises" (which, according to their manual, should be 300 Mbps).
I've undoubtedly left out some important aspects, but I don't know enough about routers to know to ask about them.
The other day I did a speed test just with the Ubee, to see what my download speeds were on the MSI Stealth, both wired and wireless. With 2.4GHz, wired, I got 118.39 download; wireless, 108.30. With 5GHz wired, I got 118.2 download; wireless, 118.51 download. Very little difference.
At this time--and without knowing enough about how routers work, especially the advanced options, etc.--I have been researching both the Nighthawk X4s and the Synology RT2600AC WiFi (AC 2600). Reviews favor each, with differences in firmware and tech support.
I would VERY much appreciate any suggestions or advice or feedback (esp. if anyone has a living space like mine).
Thank you!
Best, Sona
I learned about this forum through the NotebookReview forum, thanks to Phoenix, who spent a great deal of time helping me streamline my new MSI GS63 Stealth-061. When he realized that I would benefit from a router that would either connect to my Ubee modem/router (provided by Spectrum, model DDW36C, 300 Mbps download, supposedly) or replace the Ubee, he suggested I come here and ask for advice as to the best router for my particular situation.
First, I guess I’d better give you my situation. And sorry for such a long post!
My husband and I live in a 2-story log cabin, approx. 1,500 square feet (divided equally up and down); he works upstairs in a room one over from the Ubee, which sits on a shelf right by one of the walls that faces the outdoors. On the other side of the Ubee is our large wall-mounted TV. Our Spectrum account is for Internet only; we have a DirecTV account for TV. But I believe the Ubee is used for services other than TV broadcasts (Roku, perhaps, or streaming).
The Ubee supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz, but only our two Samsung J7 smartphones and my MSI Stealth (which has an Internet Wireless AC 8265 card) can take 5GHz. My husband’s Dell Latitude (and older one) and his Acer netbook—both situated in a room next to the Ubee, through a log wall and several yards away on a desk—can handle only 2.4GHz.
I work in the basement. I have an HP Pavilion desktop (not a new one) and a Dell Inspiron 15R (also not new) in different areas of the basement; neither can pick up 5 GHz, only 2.4GHz. The Ubee is on the floor above, and a combination of wooden subflooring, plywood, and concrete stands between my PCs and the Ubee.
My third PC is the new MSI Stealth, which can pick up 5GHz, but not reliably at the moment. It shows it's there, but the Ubee is too far away for the laptop to connect to it with any consistency.
What I would hope to find, in a router, is something that can connect directly to the Ubee via an ethernet cable, then search out those devices that use only 2.4GHz and those that use 5GHz--and provide separate channels, so there's no excessive traffic in the house. I would also need a router that can penetrate the wood, plywood, and concrete that leads to the downstairs, so that my MSI WiFi can connect seamlessly and without dropping the signal, and provide the highest Mbps download the Ubee "promises" (which, according to their manual, should be 300 Mbps).
I've undoubtedly left out some important aspects, but I don't know enough about routers to know to ask about them.
The other day I did a speed test just with the Ubee, to see what my download speeds were on the MSI Stealth, both wired and wireless. With 2.4GHz, wired, I got 118.39 download; wireless, 108.30. With 5GHz wired, I got 118.2 download; wireless, 118.51 download. Very little difference.
At this time--and without knowing enough about how routers work, especially the advanced options, etc.--I have been researching both the Nighthawk X4s and the Synology RT2600AC WiFi (AC 2600). Reviews favor each, with differences in firmware and tech support.
I would VERY much appreciate any suggestions or advice or feedback (esp. if anyone has a living space like mine).
Thank you!
Best, Sona