TP-Link Archer C8 / ASUS RT-AC66U / TP-Link Archer C7

[ALee7]

I'm about to have Sonic.net install their Sonic Gigabit Fiber in my house in a few weeks as they are now offering this in some districts of San Francisco.

So I need a new Route with gigabit WAN connection.

Based upon the my devices and their capabilities, an AC1750 type Gigabit Router will meet my needs.

The top 3 ranked AC1750 routers on SNB are:

TP-Link Archer C8, ASUS RT-AC66U, TP-Link Archer C7 (ranked #1, #2, #3 respectively)​

Also in the same price range (up to about $120) SNB has the following AC1900 routers:

Linksys EA6900 / TP-Link Archer C9 (ranked #3, #8 respectively)​

so I'm open to buying one of them if one of them stands out even better than the AC1750's.

I need it to cover just one floor of a fairly small house (1500 sq.ft. 25' x 60') where the router would be located at one end of the 60' but in the middle of the 25' width.

I'm hoping that since these 6 routers have been around for a while, they should have reached a firmware level that is very stable (if they are ever to reach a stable version).

Also trying to find one that stands a higher chance of not getting a lemon upfront as I'm trying to avoid the RMA process. I figure if its bad or dead right from the start I can send it back to Amazon but if I start having problems after the first 30 days then I'll have to deal with the manufacturer.

I'm concern about the RMA process with the manufacturers after reading a couple of reviews on TP-Link RMA. I've been fortunate so far of never having to send a unit back to the manufacturer and I'm not sure if any of them (TP-Link, Linksys, or ASUS) stands out as a lot better in their customer service for RMA's than the other ones.

Any one or two of these 6 routers that really stand out to you that you strongly recommend (and any manufacturer that stands out in terms of support and handling RMA units?)

thanks in advance for any recommendations/feedback you can provide.

 

[microchip]

I don't have experience with any of the brand's RMA service, but if I had to choose from the above routers, I'd go for the C9 AC1900 class one. That class is still the sweet spot and the C9 offers the most configurability

 

[pete y testing]

So I need a new Route with gigabit WAN connection.

you wont find one in the domestic router world as the wan to lan is just not fast enoughas many who have got this giga internet will attest

see

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/router/view

the tests are done with all qos and router features disabled , once enabled most are much lower

so knowing that dont expect any router to give you the full giga internet speed one wan never mind wifi or lan

and i agree with microchip above when it comes to coverage the C9 is by far your best bet as most of the older 1750 class come no where near the wifi coverage or performance within the lan / wlan environment ( understanding what i said above about the wan capability )

rma wise just buy from a reseller that is known to support the products and has a direct relationship with the manufacturer as the rma process is easy that way as you just return to the reseller and not the manufacturer , eg dont buy it online or from a chain store , buy from a reputable dedicated seller aka a computer shop or computer parts reseller