802.11ac- Where are we?

[Comdrpopnfresh]

A bunch of my neighbors must have changed internet provides, and gotten shiny new wireless APs. Unfortunately, the result in my home is channels 1, 6, 11 being overloaded on the 2.4gHz band. I have an adapter that is 5gHz capable, and inSSIDer reports that band is free and clear. Rather than buy old 802.11n tech, I now have my eyes set on AC. But what is the current state?

Are the current routers, specifically the higher rate ones (1.6 - 1.9Gbps) wave2 AC devices? Are any of the consumer AC routers wave2? I do not want to buy high-end wave1 devices with wave2 coming soon (if that is the case). It seems like what is being sold is wave1; high bandwidth, beamforming, etc. But I want mu-mimo and beamforming for mulitple clients at the price of what is being sold....

Where are we... wave1, or wave2?

 

[JackMDS]

Where are we... wave1, or wave2?

Marketing wise we are are Not at 1 or 2, we are always at Wave Infinity (Aka take the max. advantage over the Wishfully Thinkers Ignorant Consumers).

In reality at the moment there is No real use to the ac because 99.9% of client Wireless are No ac capable and are not going to be so very soon.

I would get a regular Dual Band. based on this Router.

http://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-B.../dp/B006QB1RPY

Read this too.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2380224

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I have an 802.11ac laptop and router, but the link speed is still <200Mbps when I'm not standing in the room next to it.

I'd assume it's a combination of the house being the house, and the router having to switch modes back and forth to accommodate the older -n and -g devices on the same network, in the different frequency bands.

That said, when it's actually sitting there next to the router, the connection is very, very fast. (About double what it is for -n clients in the same room, and triple what you see from the other end of the house regardless of connection type.) Actual real-world use, such as backups and large file transfers, sees a corresponding boost, although they never hit the theoretical maximum.

Since the basic tech is there and works fine, I'm assuming a combination of better antenna placement, removing the sources of interference, and reducing the number of non-ac clients on the network - or even getting a dedicated AP for non-ac clients - would improve my speeds.

 

[Muse]

Marketing wise we are are Not at 1 or 2, we are always at Wave Infinity (Aka take the max. advantage over the Wishfully Thinkers Ignorant Consumers).

In reality at the moment there is No real use to the ac because 99.9% of client Wireless are No ac capable and are not going to be so very soon.

I would get a regular Dual Band. based on this Router.

http://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-B.../dp/B006QB1RPY

Read this too.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2380224

Would that Asus router be a good choice for a 2 story house with Mac (i.e. Apple) systems?

 

[JackMDS]

There is No Holy Grails in the WIFI world.

Depending on the specific environment and specific way of usage there might be some "2 story houses" that will do with one unit placed in a central open place. Many common places would not.

You start with One Good Dual Band Wireless Router and then you expand with additional APs as needed.

Currently my preference is to start with the Asus N66U, if I need more APs for coverage and they have to Dual Band I use more N66U configured as AP.

Otherwise, this is a good choice to enhance coverage - http://www.wlanparts.com/ubiquiti-unifi-uap-ap-wifi-system-802-11n/?gclid=CObW9M7-gL4CFU4aOgod8ngAkg (Not dual Band).

As for Apple. We have few MacBook pros in the family in Dual Booth Camp (OSX 10.8/9 and Win 7). They perform very well with the above hardware. In my experience the Apple WIFI hardware is overpriced and provides No technical advantage.

 

[Comdrpopnfresh]

Does that ASUS linked-to have the bug/vulnerability for accessing drives connected to it via USB? I do not know enough about that issue to know if it only impacts ASUS's AC devices.

I also saw something on the Amazon listing, in reply to a question, that the guest SSIDs are not walled off from the base network. I hate the current FIOS router currently at home, because it does not allow for guess networks; I hate giving anyone the keys to the kingdom. I am looking to replace the current Actiontec device; not run something new in tandem with it.

 

[JackMDS]

Does that ASUS linked-to have the bug/vulnerability for accessing drives connected to it via USB? I do not know enough about that issue to know if it only impacts ASUS's AC devices.

From http://www.techspot.com/news/55708-asus-routers-exploited-connected-drives-easily-accessed.html

The hacker group in question posted nearly 13,000 IP addresses of people with vulnerable Asus routers two weeks ago, along with a torrent containing 10,000 complete or partial file lists detailing data on connected drives.

Affected Asus router models include the RT-AC66R, RT-AC66U, RT-N66R, RT-N66U, RT-AC56U, RT-N56R, RT-N56U, RT-N14U, RT-N16, and RT-N16R. Luckily, firmware updates for the routers that patch the exploit have been available since last week, however many potentially vulnerable users are yet to install the patch.

If you do have an Asus router, we strongly recommend you install the latest firmware updates, change the router's default password, and disable cloud and FTP options that could allow external access to your drives.[/QUOTE]

I also saw something on the Amazon listing, in reply to a question, that the guest SSIDs are not walled off from the base network. I hate the current FIOS router currently at home, because it does not allow for guess networks; I hate giving anyone the keys to the kingdom. I am looking to replace the current Actiontec device; not run something new in tandem with it.

First make sure that you know what is the flexibility of your FIOS Actiontech in most cases it has to stay in the picture no matter what.

The best way is to leave the Actiontech as is and add another Wireless Router configured as a an AP.

That gives you the flexibility of two APs with the the capacity to "Play" with SSID channels and security in a way that will stratify you.

Using Wireless Cable/DSL Routers (or Modem/Wireless Router) as a Switch with an Access Point - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html

 

[Ertaz]

My 2 cents, stay away from TP-LINK. I have the AC1750 Archer. I've been through every beta firmware out there. Has compatibility issues with Apple devices along with lock up issues with every other wireless adapter I have. Tech support is no help. Had to go back to my E3000.

 

[ImDonly1]

Does that ASUS linked-to have the bug/vulnerability for accessing drives connected to it via USB? I do not know enough about that issue to know if it only impacts ASUS's AC devices.

The bug was fixed in the latest firmware I believe.
I am using the AC56U and it was patched.

The Asus ac87u is the first wave 2 ac router to be announced and it isn't even ready for release or have a release date planned.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

There are plenty of devices with AC and the list is building fast. Every new laptop we have been buying (T440) have been coming with AC preinstalled.

That being said, most people dont have use for it yet, but if you have the gear to support it and have the cash, go for it.

 

[smitbret]

My 2 cents, stay away from TP-LINK. I have the AC1750 Archer. I've been through every beta firmware out there. Has compatibility issues with Apple devices along with lock up issues with every other wireless adapter I have. Tech support is no help. Had to go back to my E3000.

I think I'm the only owner of the Archer C7 that doesn't have these issues. The only Apple device that we've ever used with it is my daughter's iPod but it has no issues, either.

In case you didn't know, they released the 20140402 firmware as official last Friday. You may want to give that a shot.

A lot of people have had good luck in getting them to replace v1 with a v2 when they pressed tech support.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I just purchased the Asus AC68U and it is a HUGE improvement over my old, reliable DIR-655. Let me give a little background.

Around 2 years ago, we started losing connection to the DIR-655 in my living room (downstairs and southwest of the router by 30 to 40 ft; signal was going through several walls and a floor). The issue appeared to be a combination of several new 2.4 Ghz networks coming up in my neighborhood and, in all likelihood, the router losing power as it aged. It was also unable to cover my patio as well (through one wall and 20 to 30 ft east in the main seating area on the patio).

My solution at the time was to buy an Amped Wireless SR10000 repeater/bridge and place it in the entertainment center, replacing the DAP-1522 bridge that was there. It fixed the issues in most of the house, but still wouldn't cover the whole patio for some devices such as my iPad and it was glitch and seems to have weird firmware issues. I ended up redeploying the DAP-1522 in a window overlooking the patio as a 5 Ghz network to cover it. I HATED having all those devices and different networks.

I bought the AC68U for a variety of reasons and uses, but I won't go into those. What I will say, however, that placing it in the same room where the DIR-655 was at results in FULL coverage of the entire house and patio and with good connectivity as well. I'm very, very impressed so far. Note that all my clients are N clients (except my Galaxy S4, which is an AC client) and it definitely seems to help with their range.

With that being said, if you can wait a little longer, the AC87U and a couple other AC2300 routers are supposed to be released in a few months. I'm not advocating that you should buy the AC87U, but the release of that unit will surely drop the prices on the AC68U and the AC66 as well. I personally wouldn't buy an N router now unless money were an issue and you just needed something cheap and reliable.

 

[Ertaz]

I think I'm the only owner of the Archer C7 that doesn't have these issues. The only Apple device that we've ever used with it is my daughter's iPod but it has no issues, either.

In case you didn't know, they released the 20140402 firmware as official last Friday. You may want to give that a shot.

A lot of people have had good luck in getting them to replace v1 with a v2 when they pressed tech support.

Thank you for the heads up. I will load that firmware this evening and see where it gets me.

 

[Ertaz]

Went home at lunch, upgraded it, and then swapped it out with the E3000. Everything I tested connected right up to it. It's on the clock now. If we have issues then I will get an RMA setup. Again thanks for the heads up.

 

[smitbret]

Went home at lunch, upgraded it, and then swapped it out with the E3000. Everything I tested connected right up to it. It's on the clock now. If we have issues then I will get an RMA setup. Again thanks for the heads up.

Make sure that if you do RMA that you ask specifically about getting it replaced with a v2.

 

[tinmann]

I recently upgraded from a Linksys E4200v.1 and a Asus USB N66U wireless adapter to a Asus RT-AC68R and a Asus PCE AC68 and I'm seeing a noticeable improvement on the 5GHz range and speed. I keep my gaming desktop upstairs and with the Linksys router the 5Ghz signal would drop inadvertently at different times during the day and I would never see more than 3 bars with a top connection speed of 192-300Mbs. I now have full bars and a connection speed of 702Mbs. Before I was starting to experience lag in games and attributed it to the games ( Well COD Ghost is still laggy no matter what) but I don't see the lag I was experiencing in BF4, MW2 and MW3 anymore so happy am I.

 

[Ertaz]

Make sure that if you do RMA that you ask specifically about getting it replaced with a v2.

Stable so far. They may have truly fixed the firmware bugs. New work laptop has 802.11ac so I will test file copy performance across it.

 

[Muse]

I received my Asus RT-N66R router today (still in box). I saw some mention in a thread the last few days (don't remember where) about vulnerabilities with it that were addressed in a very recent firmware release. How can I go about getting this firmware and how can I flash it? A quick search reveals that there are several firmwares out there for it, including Tomato and DD-WRT. Would I do well to investigate those or is the Asus firmware pretty adequate? Sorry if this is a little OT.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I received my Asus RT-N66R router today (still in box). I saw some mention in a thread the last few days (don't remember where) about vulnerabilities with it that were addressed in a very recent firmware release. How can I go about getting this firmware and how can I flash it? A quick search reveals that there are several firmwares out there for it, including Tomato and DD-WRT. Would I do well to investigate those or is the Asus firmware pretty adequate? Sorry if this is a little OT.

Just go to Asus' site and download the latest firmware for the router (or the router should be able to check for the latest firmware from the web gui). Flashing it is pretty straightforward from the web gui, just make sure you use a wired connection (not wireless) to upload and flash the firmware.

The vulnerability was that the admin password was exposed as plain text in the source of one of the router admin pages -- at least, that affected my AC68U and a few others and I'm assuming yours is affected as well.

 

[Ertaz]

I loved tomato on my e3000.

 

[azazel1024]

From http://www.techspot.com/news/55708-asus-routers-exploited-connected-drives-easily-accessed.html

The hacker group in question posted nearly 13,000 IP addresses of people with vulnerable Asus routers two weeks ago, along with a torrent containing 10,000 complete or partial file lists detailing data on connected drives.

Affected Asus router models include the RT-AC66R, RT-AC66U, RT-N66R, RT-N66U, RT-AC56U, RT-N56R, RT-N56U, RT-N14U, RT-N16, and RT-N16R. Luckily, firmware updates for the routers that patch the exploit have been available since last week, however many potentially vulnerable users are yet to install the patch.

If you do have an Asus router, we strongly recommend you install the latest firmware updates, change the router's default password, and disable cloud and FTP options that could allow external access to your drives.

First make sure that you know what is the flexibility of your FIOS Actiontech in most cases it has to stay in the picture no matter what.

The best way is to leave the Actiontech as is and add another Wireless Router configured as a an AP.

That gives you the flexibility of two APs with the the capacity to "Play" with SSID channels and security in a way that will stratify you.

Using Wireless Cable/DSL Routers (or Modem/Wireless Router) as a Switch with an Access Point - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html



[/QUOTE]

Leaving the actiontec is the easy way.

It is not the only way.

When I moved I switched my actiontec in to bridge mode and I've been running a Netgear 3500L as my router since. A month ago I ditched it completely...granted with another actiontec product. Actiontec ECB2500c. Itty bitty little thing that consumes 3.5w compared to the 11.5w that my actiontec router was using (in bridge mode) and it works great as a PnP MoCA bridge for my Verizon FIOS DVR.

Me personally, I know they can look at my traffic almost whereever they want, but I don't need Verizon having a direct line in to my internal network (actiontec has Verizon backdoor. Arguably just for tech support, but if you think they can't snoop LAN traffic if they wanted to, I have some Manhattan real estate I am willing to sell you cheap).

that and frankly the actiontec management page sucks and is limited in a number of ways.