[SOLVED] Wavlink routers anygood or better options in the $30-40 range?

[shafe88]

Currently looking at a Wavlink AC1200 and AC2100 as a budget replacement for my aging WD N900 and wonder how good they are? Or if their are any better options in the $30-$40 that support gig wan/lan.

 

[bill001g]

The main difference is going to be how many fancy software features are in the router OS and how good the warranty service is.

The key thing to know is there are only 2 or 3 manufactures of wifi chipset. No matter whose name is on the plastic box they pretty much all use the chipset from these manufacture. Only intel sells actual product and even they do not sell routers...I don't think.

On very new technology like wifi6e staying with a large brand name is important because of the need for good software updates. On older more stable technology they have most the bug worked out even devices from fairly unknown brands will work well.

So the wifi part of the box will be mostly the same and all have the same coverage no matter what the marketing guys claim. The cheaper brands tend to be very bare bones when it comes to feature say like parental control of QoS etc. Only you can put a value on software features.

I know nothing about that brand. If you dig around what you will generally find is a bunch of routers are made by the same manufacture in china and it will even have the same FCCID. Anyone even you could say order 10,000 units and have your name put on them and then sell them on amazon.
They tend to use some public domain firmware but again since its been out so long it tends to be stable.

If money is a key issue I suspect most these brands will work ok. Your only real worry would be there is some new security exposure you would have to dig around to try to find a firmware patch. Then again some even well known vendors pretty much abandon their product after 2 or 3 years.