Which is Better: Multiple WiFi AP's with One as Router or Dedicated Router?

[ericnix]

I currently have a Netgear R7000, but planning on switching to either the R7500 or the Linksys WRT1900ac. The R7000 doesn't provide coverage to the entire house.

I'm planning to place another router as an access point on the main floor and another in the basement (we have a patio that we use frequently and it currently gets no signal).

Would it be quicker to use the R7000, R7500, or WRT1900ac as a router and 2 others as access points, or would it be quicker to use a Linksys LRT214 router and make all 3 of the WiFi routers as AP's?

I'm looking for whatever will give me the quickest transfer times, pings, etc. to access the internet and transfer files between computers.

Thanks!

 

[stevech]

I currently have a Netgear R7000, but planning on switching to either the R7500 or the Linksys WRT1900ac. The R7000 doesn't provide coverage to the entire house.

I'm planning to place another router as an access point on the main floor and another in the basement (we have a patio that we use frequently and it currently gets no signal).

Would it be quicker to use the R7000, R7500, or WRT1900ac as a router and 2 others as access points, or would it be quicker to use a Linksys LRT214 router and make all 3 of the WiFi routers as AP's?

I'm looking for whatever will give me the quickest transfer times, pings, etc. to access the internet and transfer files between computers.

Thanks!

Opinion: buy a low cost WiFi device, 11n is fine, for use as an AP for better coverage for handhelds and other light use devices.
I used an ASUS RT-n12, simple setup. Wired cat5 to main router, RT-n12 in AP mode. Zero problems, runs 24/7 for iPad in next room and Android phone and a Raspberry Pi.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...20168&ef_id=U2lmlAAABM2@4j-j:20140629065422:s

11ac APs would be a costly overkill, IMO.
Speed needs good two-way signal strength. The ISP's speed is usually the constraint.

 

[thiggins]

Unless you have a 300+ Mbps ISP connection and dozens of simultaneous users, any of those routers will be able to keep up with internet routing and wireless traffic.

 

[connorm]

im kinda in the same boat with my rt-ac66u

i use 1 additional DIR-655 for 2.4GHz only to cover the tricky spot but i would like to improve the wifi everywhere so 5GHz is all thats needed....

deciding weather to just upgrade and keep 1 main router (the rt-ac66u works for 95% of my needs, a little bump might just do it) is a hard choice

luckily as it is. with tomato on rt-ac66u and d link fw on dir-655 devices on the 2.4GHz band will inteligantly switch between routers without loosing connectivity, however im fairly sure live feed will be cut, sometimes when it hops aps i see one lost packet, othertimes none, but i think thats just cause its a quick switch, and realtime operations would have been cut off.

if i could just add any AP and know that i could name it the same name for my 5GHz and 2.4GHz, and it would roam properly like my current setup, that would be great, the only thing better would be 100% seemless switching where realtime communications would not be dropped.

if i had all the money in the world, i would jump straight into a 3AP enterprise solution, i would go with AC1750 or AC1900 AP's from Aruba or Cisco, not ubiquiti because there AP-AC doesnt support seemless switching from ap to ap.

edit. i was gonna link u to some enterprise ap's for a good deal but the listing ran out. it was 6 for $500 and there worth about $800 each

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/261502731965