Low budget router advice

[mohorab]

Hello,

I would like to change my old D-Link Dir 600 router which started to have some wireless issues when connecting devices.

What i need is a router with wireless power and range because i live in an apartment with 3 rooms separated by concrete walls.

Till now i have 2 choices:
D-Link DIR 850L - which i can get it for a price of 49$ at discount
TP-Link Archer C7 - which sells for a price of 95$

Right now i don't have any AC devices but i believe this will be changed in about an year, an year and a half.

Please feel free to make any other recommendations but to stay in a budget of 100$.
Thanks.

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

If wireless range is an issue, consider buying a range extender.

 

[mohorab]

It's not the only issues, the router that i have is very old and i would also like to increase the download and upload rates.

 

[bill001g]

First you can not increase the download/upload rates beyond what you buy from your ISP. Most times even poor wireless can exceed most people internet connection.

If you have range issues you need to be sure you use 2.4g because it has the best chance to penetrate walls. Since 802.11ac only runs on 5g it may perform poorly in your house.

Range is mostly a function of radio output power. This is regulated by the government and most router manufactures transmit very close to this limit. There is not a lot of difference between major manufactures products. In many cases it is the end device that is the problem because they trade portability and battery life for less transmit power and range.

I suspect any mid point dual band router will work fine for you.

 

[mohorab]

I see, i have more from my ISP that my current router can handle.

Between the two routers that i've mention which one should i take it? Is it worth to pay extra and get the TP-Link Archer C7 or just grab the D-Link Dir 850L?

 

[bill001g]

It depends if the software meets you needs the tp-link ones tends to have more features....but they have no value unless you have a use for them.
If you want to load third party firmware you need to check, again many (but not all) tplink routers support third party firmware.

The major different is the tplink support 3 overlapping channels and the dlink only does 2. In general this is not a huge issue because most end devices also only have the ability to run 2 overlapping streams so the third will be unused in most cases. Also even thought they claim it is 150m extra for the extra stream it tends to only be a tiny fraction of that.

If you do not know why you need the more advanced device I would save the money and go with the cheaper one. Both companies have pretty good customer support so if you have issues it should be resolved.

 

[mohorab]

Thank you, I've bought the D-link and saved some money, till now I'm pleased with it.