OPINION: Should I throw away my old router?

[Adrianime]

Hello,

I just moved into a new 2-story house from an apartment and I am running into an issue where downstairs Netflix loses connection in the middle of video most of the time. I am trying to solve my connectivity issues.

TL;DR version:
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I am using my trusty Linksys WRT54G router that I've had since around 2007. This router is upstairs in my game room (my gaming machine is hooked directly to it) which is exactly diagonally opposite of the living room downstairs.

I am considering hooking up my girlfriend's old NETGEAR WPN824v3 as a Wireless Access Point downstairs to handle this issue. However, I don't want to string a cord from my game room to the access point if I don't have to.

Are modern routers significantly better than routers from 6+ years ago? The house isn't huge, it is 2 stories and 1700 sq/ft. Would a new router likely be able to cover this situation without the need for an Access point? If so, do you have any recommendations?
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Extended Version (this assumes you read the TL;DR version):
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My ideal solution would be a single router that provided a good enough signal to reach downstairs. I would also want this router to be able to handle storage in some form or another.

The house is not huge, I could touch all 7 corners (Entryway top corner is unreachable) by running through my house in less than 45 seconds. I only want to transition to a new router if routers really have gone up in signal strength, coverage, and speed since 2007.

My internet usage is:
Upstairs: browsing, downloading, gaming, streaming.
Downstairs: Browsing, Streaming

Devices using WiFi: PS3, WiiU, post 2010 devices (laptops, nettop PC, All-in-One PC, android tablet).

I've looked at a few top 10 lists and this router seems like a good option: http://www.cnet.com/products/linksys-wrt1900ac-wireless-router/

I'm fine with paying that much, if the product is really worth it. Overall having a stress/bug free wireless situation in my house is pretty important to me. Feel free to let me know if there is anything I should be aware of, or any products that you strongly recommend!
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Thank you!

 

[abailey]

Technology has come along way since the two routers you have. Wireless G speeds are very slow. Actual signal strength has not changed much but new antenna design and software have helped extend the range on the new class of routers. The main thing that has changed is the throughput. For a given signal level, wireless N or AC can deliver much more throughput than wireless G. First, make sure your devices can use wireless N or AC (AC is the newest and most clients cannot use it yet). If your devices can only do wireless G then you will not see much improvement.

 

[Adrianime]

Thanks abailey. My devices using WiFi are: PS3, WiiU, and post 2010 devices (laptops, nettop PC, All-in-One PC, android tablet). I'll look into if these can use the new AC.

 

[Adrianime]

And please, if anybody else has an opinion, weigh in ASAP. I am strongly considering going to best buy to pick up a router tonight!

 

[Adrianime]

Hi Abailey,

I purchased the Linksys WRT1900AC last night, and it is pretty great as far as coverage, signal, and internet speed are concerned.

I would like to ask you a question though:
Right now, my current devices are limited to 2.4 Ghz wireless N. With my 2.4 Ghz Wireless N connection, When transferring files locally (wired machine to wireless machine) I get between 2 and 5 MBytes/s depending on my proximity to the router. From what you know, is there a way to drastically improve that speed while I am on a 2.4Ghz Wireless N connection? Or is that pretty typical for a 2.4Ghz Wireless N local transfer?

Again, I am copying files from my wired machine to my wireless machine over the network.
Oh, and to avoid the common question: Going from wired device to wired device yields 30+ MBytes/s.

I would be grateful to hear your advice!

 

[abailey]

Yes that is pretty good for 2.4Ghz, especially if you live in close proximity to other houses. Your 2 to 5 Mbytes/s is equal to 16 to 40Mbits/s. For comparison at my house I get 25Mbit/s on my 2.4Ghz channel. On my 5Ghz channel I get 90Mbits/s. A good way to estimate your max throughput is to take the link rate and divide it by 4. So at my house when I connect to my 2.4Ghz I conect at 150Mbit/s. That is the link rate. So the best throughput I can hope for is 37.5Mbit/s if I was close to the router and there was no interference from others in my neighborhood. But because there is interference, I get around 25Mbit/s.
Make sure your wireless is using only channels 1, 6, or 11 on the 2.4Ghz band. Of those, either 1 or 11 is usually best.
Nice router by the way!

 

[Adrianime]

Thanks Abailey!

I'll switch my channel to 1 or 11 when I get home and see if I see a difference (And I am picking up like 10 other networks on my wireless, so I am guessing interference could be an issue). My solution will probably be to set up a "drop folder" syncing service to sync the files I want accessible while I am not paying attention (as opposed to waiting 3-5 minutes to transfer over a file).

And as for the router, I spent about 7 years with my WRT54G, and I figure I may as well get a router that I can spend another 7 years with. Nothing is more annoying that wireless connectivity issues in your own home!