[SOLVED] Most over the top router

[GreenGiant117]

So the title basically says what I'm wondering, what would be the most over the top router, I know my timing is a little crappy given CES is going on right now, but I have been eyeballing some of the higher end AX/Wifi6 routers (TP-Link, Asus ROG, etc AX6000/AX11000 variants)
Reviews are a little limited so far, but they all have similar specs, so which would be the better option for pure performance?

Should I wait a little longer to see if there is something else in the pipeline coming up?
Wifi6 seems like one of the largest leaps in wifi performance in a long time, so I'm really thinking now is the time to sink a little money in and get that upgrade.

 

[Lutfij]

Wait until the coverage of CES ends and then you can see if anything new is popping up around the corner. We often have people who are hasty in a purchase only to learn that they were 2 months too early for an improved experience.

It's also not just the router you will need to worry about, your devices that you wish to pair with the router should also be on the same standard to get the best of your new router purchase.

 

[kanewolf]

Wifi6 seems like one of the largest leaps in wifi performance in a long time, so I'm really thinking now is the time to sink a little money in and get that upgrade.

A 3 year old laptop won't take advantage of WIFI 6 so as @Lutfij said, clients are just as important.
Most people will benefit most from adding additional access points to spread out the WIFI coverage rather than thinking that the latest high $$$ router will cure their problems. A router might get a signal to a device, but the phone has much less transmit power and can't get a signal back to the router. The only thing that fixes that problem is more radio receivers (access points).

 

[kanewolf]

Not totally related to this but if you want an "over the top" router here is some that I have purchased at work -- https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/produ...eries-aggregation-services-routers/index.html Good for 100Gb... If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it ...

 

[DeauteratedDog]

I think for "over thetop" you have to go with 802.11ad (WiGig)...

 

[GreenGiant117]

Wait until the coverage of CES ends and then you can see if anything new is popping up around the corner. We often have people who are hasty in a purchase only to learn that they were 2 months too early for an improved experience.

It's also not just the router you will need to worry about, your devices that you wish to pair with the router should also be on the same standard to get the best of your new router purchase.

That's what I was leaning towards, day by day it seems a little more is released.

I completely understand that I won't have the newest tech on the client end of things for now, but that's why I want to invest in a relatively future proof solution. My computer is almost due for an update, and some of the newer routers have 2.5gb ethernet ports, along with link aggregation I can use with my NAS to increase transfer speeds. Wifi 6 to my understanding will also reduce power consumption of the router while still maintaining signal, including legacy, or is it only Wifi 6 that will reduce power consumption?

A 3 year old laptop won't take advantage of WIFI 6 so as @Lutfij said, clients are just as important.
Most people will benefit most from adding additional access points to spread out the WIFI coverage rather than thinking that the latest high $$$ router will cure their problems. A router might get a signal to a device, but the phone has much less transmit power and can't get a signal back to the router. The only thing that fixes that problem is more radio receivers (access points).

I completely understand that for now I will not be taking full advantage of the capabilities, currently I don't have a coverage problem, and I have hardlined connections where speed is critical, but reduction in power consumption, better handling of multiple clients and faster throughput overall will be beneficial for me.

My big hesitancy with access points is switchover, unless you have enterprise/business class equipment I have found that when transitioning from one AP to another I get interruption in service, I've had such bad experience with using features like 2.4/5 auto select in routers (same SSID and letting the device/router decide which to use), or having my phone able to connect to both 2.4 and 5 and let it decide which to use. I was getting disconnected to often when it saw enough signal on the 5 it would select that, but I was far enough away the 2.4 was faster so it would switch, and back and forth over and over, if I was watching a video I would either get interruptions (data turned off) or my phone would switch to the LTE during the transition causing excessive data usage. All other devices on wifi would experience slow downs and interruptions as well.

 

[kanewolf]

My big hesitancy with access points is switchover, unless you have enterprise/business class equipment I have found that when transitioning from one AP to another I get interruption in service, I've had such bad experience with using features like 2.4/5 auto select in routers (same SSID and letting the device/router decide which to use), or having my phone able to connect to both 2.4 and 5 and let it decide which to use. I was getting disconnected to often when it saw enough signal on the 5 it would select that, but I was far enough away the 2.4 was faster so it would switch, and back and forth over and over, if I was watching a video I would either get interruptions (data turned off) or my phone would switch to the LTE during the transition causing excessive data usage. All other devices on wifi would experience slow downs and interruptions as well.

Switching between APs is a client decision. The 2.4 vs 5Ghz is a power output function of the AP. You turn down the power on the 2.4 and up on the 5Ghz to help bias the device to 5Ghz.
What brand APs have you used in the past?

 

[GreenGiant117]

Switching between APs is a client decision. The 2.4 vs 5Ghz is a power output function of the AP. You turn down the power on the 2.4 and up on the 5Ghz to help bias the device to 5Ghz.
What brand APs have you used in the past?

I have tried the following with the dip in connectivity:
Netgear AC1900 (R7000) trying their "Smart Connect" feature where "Smart Connect selects the fastest WiFi band for your device. " Had constant speed dropouts when switching between 2.4 and 5 when moving around the house.
Netgear AC1900 hard wired to a slightly older Netgear router (don't remember the model off hand) set to AP mode, but because the area I was trying to cover had OK coverage devices would constantly switch back and forth between them, leading to dropout
TP-Link C3150 in their Smart Connect feature, again same issue as Netgear.

Currently I use the C3150 5G band for mostly smart tech in the house and devices that are closer to the router, and the 2.4 for most other things, aside from the odd hard wired devices, mostly either for streaming or at the far fringes of the house.

 

[kanewolf]

I have tried the following with the dip in connectivity:
Netgear AC1900 (R7000) trying their "Smart Connect" feature where "Smart Connect selects the fastest WiFi band for your device. " Had constant speed dropouts when switching between 2.4 and 5 when moving around the house.
Netgear AC1900 hard wired to a slightly older Netgear router (don't remember the model off hand) set to AP mode, but because the area I was trying to cover had OK coverage devices would constantly switch back and forth between them, leading to dropout
TP-Link C3150 in their Smart Connect feature, again same issue as Netgear.

Currently I use the C3150 5G band for mostly smart tech in the house and devices that are closer to the router, and the 2.4 for most other things, aside from the odd hard wired devices, mostly either for streaming or at the far fringes of the house.

I use Ubiquiti access points with a wired only router. Their APs have features like power control on the individual radios, minimum bit rate selection to help your device pick the "best" signal. But it is the device that is in control of what radio to choose.
It is possible that you just had too few APs. Instead of two maybe you needed three to get enough coverage. If you have wired infrastructure, then add APs, IMO.

 

[bill001g]

You can be the sucker...err guinea pig that tries out new technology first .

The primary reason it has more speed is it is using 160mhz of bandwidth rather than 80mhz. There is only 180mhz total bandwidth that is not subject to the rules to avoid stuff like weather radar. This means it is now impossible for you and your neighbor to coexist without interfering.

Maybe they have some magic but this is like putting more cars on the road when you already have massive traffic jams.

I am playing wait and see for a year or so. Anything I really care about performance on I use ethernet and anything I use on wifi is not being limited by the current technology.

 

[kanewolf]

You can be the sucker...err guinea pig that tries out new technology first

@bill001g I know you meant "early adopter/influencer"

 

[TJ Hooker]

Wifi 6 to my understanding will also reduce power consumption of the router while still maintaining signal [...]
reduction in power consumption,

Sort of tangential, but is there a particular reason you're interested in reducing power draw? The power consumption of just about any router is going to be pretty miniscule in the grand scheme of things.

Also, from a quick bit of reading it seems that the touted power savings of Wifi 6 are more on the device end, not the router end. Which makes sense, to try and save battery life for mobile devices.

 

[GreenGiant117]

I use Ubiquiti access points with a wired only router. Their APs have features like power control on the individual radios, minimum bit rate selection to help your device pick the "best" signal. But it is the device that is in control of what radio to choose.
It is possible that you just had too few APs. Instead of two maybe you needed three to get enough coverage. If you have wired infrastructure, then add APs, IMO.

I don't believe that my house has enough space to justify having access points, my one router is centrally located and I have about 50-60% signal strength at the far ends, in fact I can receive enough signal to stream near HD at the end of my driveway (200+ feet long) so rather than deal with that from a setup perspective, and spend about the same as some of the newer 802.11ax routers (cheapest I could find on a quick search for 3 AP's would run about $250 from Ubiquiti) its much simpler to get a single router.

You can be the sucker...err guinea pig that tries out new technology first .

The primary reason it has more speed is it is using 160mhz of bandwidth rather than 80mhz. There is only 180mhz total bandwidth that is not subject to the rules to avoid stuff like weather radar. This means it is now impossible for you and your neighbor to coexist without interfering.

Maybe they have some magic but this is like putting more cars on the road when you already have massive traffic jams.

I am playing wait and see for a year or so. Anything I really care about performance on I use ethernet and anything I use on wifi is not being limited by the current technology.

I understand where you're coming from, I'm not usually one to jump into a new level of tech, I like to wait until it is vetted and reformed, I have just been having issues with my router lately and need an upgrade anyways so why not just ump right in.
Neighbor interference is a virtual non issue, through the whole house I can only see a neighbors wifi at one end and it is a super low signal, even sniffing for hidden signals, there are 3 networks total I can see, a hidden network that shows sometimes depending on the weather at minimal detectable levels, a neighbors network at minimal levels on one end of the house, and that same neighbors "xfinitywifi" network which indicates that they are using an Xfinity provided wireless router which forces this, all networks visible are 2.4GHz and on channel 1, I believe 40MHz bandwidth (if memory serves). So minimal to no interference for the new signals.

Sort of tangential, but is there a particular reason you're interested in reducing power draw? The power consumption of just about any router is going to be pretty miniscule in the grand scheme of things.

Also, from a quick bit of reading it seems that the touted power savings of Wifi 6 are more on the device end, not the router end. Which makes sense, to try and save battery life for mobile devices.

Every bit helps man, once I get to the point of upgrading clients (namely light switches and stuff) there should be a fairly significant reduction in power consumption during idle state, I understand that overall I may reduce power consumption by maybe 50-100W overall, maybe even not that much. Even 25W of continuous usage adds up to about $50 per year worth of electricity, and that's money that could be spent on other things.

 

[kanewolf]

I don't believe that my house has enough space to justify having access points, my one router is centrally located and I have about 50-60% signal strength at the far ends, in fact I can receive enough signal to stream near HD at the end of my driveway (200+ feet long) so rather than deal with that from a setup perspective, and spend about the same as some of the newer 802.11ax routers (cheapest I could find on a quick search for 3 AP's would run about $250 from Ubiquiti) its much simpler to get a single router.

Simpler? Yes. Are there features you won't get? Yes. APs aren't for everybody, but I haven't found anybody that regrets changing from a single home router to the UniFI system. Good Luck.

 

[TJ Hooker]

Every bit helps man, once I get to the point of upgrading clients (namely light switches and stuff) there should be a fairly significant reduction in power consumption during idle state, I understand that overall I may reduce power consumption by maybe 50-100W overall, maybe even not that much. Even 25W of continuous usage adds up to about $50 per year worth of electricity, and that's money that could be spent on other things.

I think you're really overestimating how much power you'll save. Consider that the maximum power a router can transmit (by law) is 1 W. Obviously the entire router will draw more, but I think you're probably looking at single digit Watt savings. And consider how much money you will have spent on new hardware, to save maybe 10s of dollars a year.

Plus I haven't seen any data on how much power Wifi 6 is actually going to save.

 

[GreenGiant117]

Simpler? Yes. Are there features you won't get? Yes. APs aren't for everybody, but I haven't found anybody that regrets changing from a single home router to the UniFI system. Good Luck.

Alright alright, you win, I've been looking into the unifi system and it looks quite tempting, now I just have to figure out how many and of what to get...

Should I start a new thread or just continue this one?
3200 sq ft house (about 30 ft wide by about 100 ft long)
Looking through a few posts and reviews and such it sounds like the AP AC LR's might be the best bet for the AP's themselves, and then I'm not sure what to do for qty, placement and what to do for a router.
This is definitely going to be a long journey and a fair bit of learning to do...

 

[GreenGiant117]

Simpler? Yes. Are there features you won't get? Yes. APs aren't for everybody, but I haven't found anybody that regrets changing from a single home router to the UniFI system. Good Luck.

Alright alright, you win, I've been looking into the unifi system and it looks quite tempting, now I just have to figure out how many and of what to get...

Should I start a new thread or just continue this one?
3200 sq ft house (about 30 ft wide by about 100 ft long)
Looking through a few posts and reviews and such it sounds like the AP AC LR's might be the best bet for the AP's themselves, and then I'm not sure what to do for qty, placement and what to do for a router.
This is definitely going to be a long journey and a fair bit of learning to do...

 

[kanewolf]

Alright alright, you win, I've been looking into the unifi system and it looks quite tempting, now I just have to figure out how many and of what to get...

Should I start a new thread or just continue this one?
3200 sq ft house (about 30 ft wide by about 100 ft long)
Looking through a few posts and reviews and such it sounds like the AP AC LR's might be the best bet for the AP's themselves, and then I'm not sure what to do for qty, placement and what to do for a router.
This is definitely going to be a long journey and a fair bit of learning to do...

Start with a single AP. My recommendation would be a flexHD or a nanoHD. Use a laptop or phone to configure the AP (low power on 2.4Ghz and medium on 5Ghz) and then do a wireless survey -- https://help.ubnt.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037694253-UniFi-Performing-a-Wireless-Site-Survey
Then move the AP around for optimum placement. Then you can figure out what needs additional APs.

 

[GreenGiant117]

Start with a single AP. My recommendation would be a flexHD or a nanoHD. Use a laptop or phone to configure the AP (low power on 2.4Ghz and medium on 5Ghz) and then do a wireless survey -- https://help.ubnt.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037694253-UniFi-Performing-a-Wireless-Site-Survey
Then move the AP around for optimum placement. Then you can figure out what needs additional APs.

What about router solutions?
Given I currently have 300mbps and will be upgrading to 1000mbps in the near future, mostly large sporadic downloads, 4k streaming, and some remote connections to multiple locations.

 

[kanewolf]

What about router solutions?
Given I currently have 300mbps and will be upgrading to 1000mbps in the near future, mostly large sporadic downloads, 4k streaming, and some remote connections to multiple locations.

Ubiquiti has just released a combo unit called the "Dream Machine". It is the best performing router they have in the UniFI line. If you want the single pane management for UniFI then that is the recommended solution. The dream machine has a router/AP/Cloud key in a single unit. The older option is the UniFI Security Gateway (USG). It is cheaper and as long as you don't have to have intrusion protection/detection enabled, it can handle 900Mb.
If you are serious about converting, you should create a login on the Ubiquiti forums -- https://community.ui.com/questions