Xmas is just around the corner....

[rrosendahl]

... and prices are dropping. I'm looking to make the jump from 802.11n to ac.
With recent upgrades, my clients include
- new MacBook Pro with AC
- MacBook Air with AC
- iPhone 6
- iPad Mini 2
- iPad Air 2
- Apple TV
and some legacy (n) iPhones and laptops. Apart from my cable ISP (60 mpbs), I'm connecting my clients to an Ethernet connected Synology NAS.
Some of the higher-end router choices obviously include ASUS RT-AC87U, NETGEAR R8000 Nighthawk X6, etc.
What's the best router to get good performance now and "future-proof" my network?

 

[Pierino]

If you like the option of 3rd party firmware, as of right now your best choices would be the rt-ac68 or the netgear r7000.

 

[sfx2000]

If you're Apple-centric, and it appears that you are...

- new MacBook Pro with AC
- MacBook Air with AC
- iPhone 6
- iPad Mini 2
- iPad Air 2
- Apple TV

Santa has a TimeCapsule AC 3TB ready for you...

Go with someone else - and he might have a lump of coal that he'll shove so far down that you'll be spitting diamonds for a year (just kidding...)

Seriously though - if your gear is predominately Apple oriented, the answer is pretty simple - either AirPort Extreme AC, or the TimeCapsule with AC. Dealing with AirPlay, AirPrint, TimeMachine, iCloud - you're probably better off with either an Airport Extreme or a TimeCapsule.

Plug it in, just works there...

The ASUS RT-AC87U, NETGEAR R8000 - they're bags full of hurt for the moment - the current edge/tip of the sword is also the bleeding edge.

The ASUS RT-A68U and Netgear R7000, along with the Linksys WRT1900ac - they're pretty decent...

sfx

 

[sfx2000]

If you like the option of 3rd party firmware, as of right now your best choices would be the rt-ac68 or the netgear r7000.

And it would include the caveat with 3rd party firmware - if you desire a sharp pointy object/stick in your eye, then feel free to flash 3rd party firmware into any device. Third party firmware can extend capabilities, not a doubt there, but it can be a hot mess when things don't work, and you need someone's spare time to fix it. And they're not on the hook to do anything at all... they're not paid - and their contributions are appreciated.

I don't mean to depreciate the contributions of rmerlin/kong/tomato-shibby, etc... just saying that 98 percent of people shouldn't go there unless they know what they're getting in to..

Always have a backup plan if/when you go down that path - and a backup device just in case things take a while...

sfx

FWIW - I actually do appreciate the efforts of a few folks - their hard work has improved things for the users - outside of the companies that sell the hardware.

 

[Trip]

Regardless of how you proceed, save your money and avoid the AC2350 stuff for the time being. Like those above have said, the simple answer is the Apple AE base station. Alternatively, if your skills are up to it, an EdgeRouter Lite + a AC1750/1900 all-in-one set into AP-mode will get you way more robust routing and virtually identical wi-fi bandwidth and range, plus an easier upgrade scenario in the future (just yank whatever APs you want replaced, as they're now separate from your wired core router).

 

[rrosendahl]

Thanks for all the thoughts.
While I'm mostly a Mac guy (I admit to it!), I have some Dells and non-Apple devices as well. I currently use an Asus RT-N66U and am quite comfortable with it.
I guess I'm struggling with: instead of going for an AC1900 class router, for $70 more I can get into AC2350. Admittedly, they're still working on f/w and other stabilizations, but should I invest a little more now knowing these new routers will likely stabilize soon and provide additional benefits?

 

[bbb0777]

I don't mean to depreciate the contributions of rmerlin/kong/tomato-shibby, etc... just saying that 98 percent of people shouldn't go there unless they know what they're getting in to..
.

I agree...but would exclude rmerlin from that list. I don't know of his firmwares ever causing problems, or changing the UI even - so I think it's totally fine for an average person, if they're up for the hassle of flashing it.

 

[sfx2000]

Thanks for all the thoughts.
While I'm mostly a Mac guy (I admit to it!), I have some Dells and non-Apple devices as well. I currently use an Asus RT-N66U and am quite comfortable with it.
I guess I'm struggling with: instead of going for an AC1900 class router, for $70 more I can get into AC2350. Admittedly, they're still working on f/w and other stabilizations, but should I invest a little more now knowing these new routers will likely stabilize soon and provide additional benefits?

Well the Airports will support the other devices (non-Apple) perfectly fine... what was good is that Apple pretty much nailed 802.11ac within three SW releases (4 builds). Compare that to the other OEM's...

I just can't recommend going with anything in the AC2350 class at the moment - reading thru the threads, there are issues with all vendors...

the class of AC1900 - there's a few good candidates - Linksys with their WRT1900ac, ASUS' 68U device, Netgear has finally sorted the R7000 - they might still have some lingering issues with TurboQAM (QAM256) in 2.4GHz 802.11n space, as this is non-standard, but easy enough to disable.

sfx

 

[L&LD]

Assuming fully refundable products with no restocking fees, at this point I would get an RT-AC87U, an RT-AC68U and the apple offering.

Yes, the ae will be a good fit for your mostly mac network, but will give the least performance and options if my previous experience with these devices are any indication of what apple thinks we want.

The RT-AC87U seems to be the highest performing wireless router right now. Easy to test if this is also the case in your environment.

The RT-AC68U would be the lowest end router I would buy with my own money at this time.


Both Asus routers recommended to be used with RMerlin's firmware, of course.