As far as 2.4GHz. wireless goes, a big part of it for me was using "inssider" to find out what channels are less used in my neighborhood. For example, my next door neighbors are using channel 6, other neighbors use channel 1 to a lesser extent. So my main channel is set to 11. Security is the usual WPA2/AES. And I have the channel bandwidth set to 20MHz. here, since 40MHz. isn't useful here anyways, too many neighbors.
For 5GHz. wireless, the picture is different. Of course, the 5GHz. signals don't have nearly the range that 2.4GHz. signals do, but the 5GHz. band is clear around here, no interference at all from neighbors. When I've used it, I've set it for the highest channel (since I heard that the higher channels allow higher power *smile*, although from what I've read here results have been different for different people), and set it for 40MHz. channel bandwidth. This gives really good throughput when the range is usable.
I leave the "Wireless Mode" on Auto, since we have both wireless-g and wireless-n devices here. My devices are all wireless-n, but when my family comes over and I don't put them on a guest network, they have some older laptops, etc. and they use wireless-g.
One important factor in getting the best wireless range and throughput (they are related *smile*) with this router is the external antenna orientation. This is a matter of experimenting for your individual environment. You most likely have one or more areas in your house that are the furthest away, where you'd like to get the best signal that you can, that's where you should spend your time playing with antenna orientation (of course).
The wired settings are pretty straightforward, and depend mostly on your need. If you have specific questions there, just ask.
However, I should mention that I don't stream media over wireless very much, I use MoCA for that. We have nice cable in the walls for the cable TV outlets, the double-shielded stuff, and MoCA gives me a very reliable transfer rate both to the Roku box at the entertainment center and to another bedroom where a computer gets a lot of use. It provides the characteristics of a "hard-wired" connection without having to put new ethernet wires in the walls. Did some throughput measurements, and saw a solid, reliable 85Mb/s transfer rate over time, and our use by multiple users doesn't degrade that. We use wireless for tablet and laptop and smart phone connections, and the heavy-duty streaming is via MoCA. I don't think that the newer, higher-throughput 5GHz. speeds will change that for some time for us, since the problem is the range required. We would need a bunch more hardware to cover that range, and I don't have the need for that for the time being. Although the industry would very much like to sell it *smile*.
I am looking for second generation MoCA, but that's been a long time coming, and we don't really need that yet, anyways.
Not sure if this covers what you're asking about, feel free to ask more detailed questions...
