Which router to get in an apartment?

[13a13bo]

Hello everyone,

Like the title said, I'm looking for the best wifi router to have since we are all gamers. We play games like CSGO, dota2, GTA and watch stream everytime, thus would require the wifi to be strong and stable. So I would really appreciate if someone could tell me more about the best router to have for this and any other tips that would help. The router I have at the moment is from comcast and I can tell that the wifi signal is really weak (we have to plug in the ethernet cable in order to play). I'm moving to a 2-floor apartment with 4 other friends, so I think we would need a wifi router that can support long range too since 1 floor is the basement.

 

[boosted1g]

Well before I make any actual suggestions know first that nothing beats an Ethernet connection. For gaming, a wifi connection (no matter how fast) is always going to have higher ping/latency, that is just physics for any wireless signal. That can be the difference between if the gaming server says you got the shot off first or your opponent.

A good router is only as good as the devices it connects to. There are some good wireless AC routers that get improved range but all of that is useless if you don't have a newer mid-high range wifi chip in your computer to support it.

Also, since you are in an apartment you are going to be saturated with wifi networks in the 2.4 ghz band and thus (unless you are a corner apartment) you are going to get a lot of wifi interference from your neighbors. Using the 5ghz band helps reduce this, the only problem is that the 5 ghz band signal gets weaker much faster then 2.4ghz and thus 2 walls/celings away and it is significantly lower.

I would suggest get one of the following 3 routers for your wifi, but use powerline adapters for any gaming PC/consoles.
$50 level - wireless N - TP-Link WDR3600 (or WDR4300 whichever is on sale for better price)
$100 level - wireless AC - TP-Link C7 Archer
$150 level - wireless AC - ASUS RT-AC68U (THE AC68R and AC68W are the same specs, and AC68P is the same router but with faster CPU).

 

[capt_taco]

By far the strongest and clearest signal I have ever gotten from an ordinary router is this one made by Microtik:
http://www.amazon.com/Mikrotik-Routerboard-RB2011UiAS-2HnD--Port-Ethernet/dp/B00BGIXOHQ/

I can detect the network on my phone about a sixth of a mile up the street, and it simply overpowers any interference at home. The limiting factor is how far/loud the connected devices can "shout" back to it.

A lot of the reviews say it's super-complicated to set up, but if you're just looking to use it for a home network, it pretty much works right out of the box, and the advanced networking features are there if you want them.

Using this thing in an apartment, I would probably go tell your neighbors on either side which channel you are on and suggest a different one, just as a courtesy. Other than that, I would recommend this device to anyone.

Just to clarify: *if possible*, using a direct wired connection is always better than wifi, but it sounds like that may not be possible for all machines in your setup.

 

[13a13bo]

Well before I make any actual suggestions know first that nothing beats an Ethernet connection. For gaming, a wifi connection (no matter how fast) is always going to have higher ping/latency, that is just physics for any wireless signal. That can be the difference between if the gaming server says you got the shot off first or your opponent.

A good router is only as good as the devices it connects to. There are some good wireless AC routers that get improved range but all of that is useless if you don't have a newer mid-high range wifi chip in your computer to support it.

Also, since you are in an apartment you are going to be saturated with wifi networks in the 2.4 ghz band and thus (unless you are a corner apartment) you are going to get a lot of wifi interference from your neighbors. Using the 5ghz band helps reduce this, the only problem is that the 5 ghz band signal gets weaker much faster then 2.4ghz and thus 2 walls/celings away and it is significantly lower.

I would suggest get one of the following 3 routers for your wifi, but use powerline adapters for any gaming PC/consoles.
$50 level - wireless N - TP-Link WDR3600 (or WDR4300 whichever is on sale for better price)
$100 level - wireless AC - TP-Link C7 Archer
$150 level - wireless AC - ASUS RT-AC68U (THE AC68R and AC68W are the same specs, and AC68P is the same router but with faster CPU).

I just searched google about the powerline adapter and I don't quite understand it so I guess I'm going to ask you here. If what I read is right, then we can have one powerline connect to the router, the others we can plug it to power sockets in every room and it will work just like ethernet connection. Am I correct? Can I use it to connect 2 different routers in each floor?