[SOLVED] Modem Router & WiFi ? I Need Speed

[ccfonzie]

Ok I have a great speed from my ISP (250mps) on the main LAN line to the PC. But my wife’s Roku, kids Tablets, abd cell's are lagging and have to be reset almost daily. At least once every 2 days. Our speed download on the wifi is ranging on average (20-35mps) N300/300, which I believe is unacceptable for a Docis 3.0 setup. I have a SBG6580 which has HORRIBLE reviews and sucks. Our Data usage is 200-400gb per month.

I ignorantly bumped my speeds up from 150 to 250mps $10 to compensate for faster speeds. Obviously the modem is trash and that’s where it’s going.

Should I buy a Docis 3.0 “standard modem”, and buy a standalone AC1200 wifi router? Or should I get a combo unit again, or are they just trash.
If anyone has economical recommendation on a solid product I’d appreciate the feedback. I’d like wifi to be fast and trouble free. Thanks for any help!!!!

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

not sure about the modem, but should be fine if it's properly rated for the speeds you are paying for.
And as for the router, sure, an AC1200 should work just fine.

Depending on the device being connected through WiFi, and your distance from the router, 2.4Ghz may not provide the best possible speeds, whereas the 5Ghz band will, but only if you're close enough because while the 5Ghz band can deliver more speed, it's range is lesser than 2.4Ghz band.

 

[kanewolf]

I would ALWAYS recommend a discrete modem and router. Use the list of approved modems your ISP provides. Purchase your own modem and router. AC1200 or AC1900 are the value points right now. I have always been happy with Asus routers. There are lots of used AC68U routers on E-Bay for around $60. I use two of them as access points in my home with Merlin firmware.

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

The AC router I've been using for a long time now without any issues, is a Tenda router.
This one specifically for $45.99

Amazon.com: Tenda AC1200 Wireless Wi-Fi Gigabit Smart Router (AC9): Computers & Accessories

Buy Tenda AC1200 Wireless Wi-Fi Gigabit Smart Router (AC9): Routers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Bonus is that you can remotely control your network using an app on your smart phone if you're someone who wants to be able to do that.

 

[ccfonzie]

Thank you guys for the info. I also learned that my modem was dual switch, not dual concurrent (1 band at a time).

 

[bill001g]

Your "modem" should have the option to convert it to only a modem and not use the router part.

As long as the modem will run the speed your ISP provides there likely is not reason to replace it. The modem part of arris devices are fairly solid.

The other reason to not replace the modem is you can avoid dealing with the ISP. You would have to contact them to change the modem since that is how they keep people from stealing their service by just hooking up a modem to the cable without paying.

After that it is hard to say how good performance you will get on wifi. Your house and your end device are as important if not more than the router. Many end devices have tiny antenna and low power transmitters to save battery. Replacing a router can not fix that.

Any router from well known manufactures will perform more or less the same. The wifi radio chips inside routers are not made by the companies selling the routers so many times they are the same. The key difference will be customer support and firmware updates.

 

[ccfonzie]

I went to Best Buy got the SBG7400AC2 $158. 24 Channels up tp 1GHZ speeds in future? The main reason why I bought it it was longer range wifi. Kids Tablet, Roku all streaming about 100mbps on 5GHZ. My Honor 7x is getting 65MBPS on the 2.4GHZ.

The thing I did notice was there was little to no buffer/no blur on the Roku when streaming Amazan Prime Video. HUGE differeance. Thanks for all the help you guys. Toms Hardware community is great!!!!

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/arris-...ij-8lITbA_loGqArzvBoCywIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds