Current state of routers, any good ones?

[mkenyon2]

I'm shopping around to replace my D-Links. I used to like the brand, but now I'm not so happy. I thought it was just because it was at the end of my house, so I added a second one on the other side of my house, but still have issues. Sometimes it works great, sometimes it doesn't work at all.

I'm looking for a wireless router to do NAT, 4 Gigabit ports, and at least N if not AC. A USB port or two would be nice also.

Today I was looking at the NETGEAR R6050 and the ASUS RT-AC66U models. Amazon has a bunch of good reviews, NewEgg seems to have more bad reviews. A lot of people seem to post about having to reboot the router every so often. Is there such a thing as having a router just sit and do it's job without rebooting? I've banged around with networks since before wireless, but I'm sure there's holes in my knowledge, things I should know but don't. Any thoughts?

 

[Mr5oh]

This is the one I chose several months ago. WRT1200AC

I wish more routers would have the scheduled reboot option. So far my WRT1200AC has had no problems, no reboots needed.

I know my in-laws had problems with both the router and cable modem freezing requiring a reboot, so I just put both on a vacation timer and set it up to shut them down in the middle of the night, come back on a minute later. No problems since.

Most people don't take the time to sort out wireless problems and leave negative reviews. Many times it's interference from other devices, or poor placement of the router to begin with.

At the moment the 5 GHz band is pretty much interference free in my area, as not many people use it.

 

[mkenyon2]

This is the one I chose several months ago. WRT1200AC

Looks like a beautiful router. A little more cost, but I guess that is to be expected.

 

[Mr5oh]

This is the one I chose several months ago. WRT1200AC

Looks like a beautiful router. A little more cost, but I guess that is to be expected.

Yeah routers have jumped in cost quite a bit since I bought my WRT400N, which that WRT1200AC replaced. However since I started buying higher end routers, I haven't had problems (knock on wood). I never buy the most expensive out there, but generally try and get one that is a "nicer" one.

I wouldn't let having to reset the router every now and then really bother you. A $10 digital vacation timer from WalMart can be set to kill power to the router every night for a minute, if the router you have doesn't have an scheduled reboot option.

For what it's worth, when I was researching for my new router, I found one thing common among all the Asus reviews, was the range was excellent.

 

[ChronicleMe]

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!

I am currently using a Linksys EA8500. It is the first router that I have had in years that has worked for 60 days straight without some sort of hiccup. However it is also the most expensive router that I have had priced around $260.00 It uses a Qualcomm MU/EFX Wi-Fi technology, which promises better performance for a crowded mixed network. I had anywhere from 2-15 devices running at a time and it was consistent and fast.

I previously owned an Asus RT-N66U Dark Knight Double 450Mbps N Router which was pretty good but I had to reset it every 30 days or so to keep it running clean. It was around $200...

And even before those I used to run the Belkin series (several of them) all under $100 and all I had were problems problems problems... I will never go cheap on a router again!!