Question AC750 Or 450mbps N Router?

[ljcool_17]

I’m planning on upgrading my old Linksys router now that it’s starting to struggle to keep up with our networking demands.

Would getting an AC750 Router with 300mbps on 2Ghz and 433mbps on 5Ghz better than getting a 450mbps N router?

We live in a 2 bedroom apartment and at anytime there could be 5 devices connected to the internet at the same time through WiFi.

 

[bill001g]

It depends on many things. You will never be able to go faster than the internet connection you buy so if your old router can run that fast you will see no improvement. Next your end devices must be able to use the new features. Does no good to buy say one of those fancy routers that can use 4x4 mimo when your end device only has 2 antenna and can only do 2x2.

In general a dual band router is going to have more total capacity because you are splitting the bandwidth over 2 radio frequencies. The problem is more how do you get your end device connected to those 2 radios in the most optimum configuration. This is complex since it depends on which devices have what abilities and what device are going to function at the same time. Even the fanciest router can not really solve this issue. It is you the user that needs to connect to the proper connection for best results.

Generally the best price/performance point are 802.11ac routers with the 1200 number. These use 2 radios running 2x2 mimo on both the 2.4g and 5g band. This matches most end devices. You should be able to find large name brand routers for under $50.

 

[kanewolf]

AC1900 routers are the sweet spot for performance and price. Especially if you are OK with used. There are lots of Asus AC68U or Netgear R7000 routers on E-Bay as people believe they "must" upgrade.