AC vs N

[MrGrim999]

I see that the new Amazon Fire Stick with alexa now supports AC band wifi. I'm using the old one and just wondered if it might perform better since I have an Asus AC1900 router.

 

[JackMDS]

It will perform better.

That said, the real issue is what is not performing well Now that you need it to perfrom better.

 

[John Connor]

Perform better? Do you need gigabit speeds?

 

[Makaveli]

AC will give you 500Mbps real world not even close to gigabit speeds.

 

[MrGrim999]

I get the occasional buffering or out of sync probably just like anyone else and just wondered if that might help at all.

 

[UsandThem]

AC is faster than N, but also does not travel through obstructions (walls, floors, etc) as well.

But to answer your question, it depends on your setup (is router in same or different room)? And do you have internet service fast enough to exceed what your current router offers? It depends on the model, but your router should offer somewhere in the neighborhood of 450 - 600 Mbps over N. Real-world performance is always less than what is stated on the box, but most people don't have that fast of internet service yet.

Does your current router give any problems streaming video on your Amazon Fire stick? If not, and like JackMDS already stated, there is probably no reason to replace your router. Regardless if you are connected on AC over N, you are still limited by your ISP speeds.

 

[UsandThem]

I get the occasional buffering or out of sync probably just like anyone else and just wondered if that might help at all.

Have you correctly configured your current router by changing wifi channels, turning on QoS, or using a free phone app to see what the best wireless channels are to use in your location?

 

[MrGrim999]

No, the most I did when I got the router was just turn on both 2.4 and 5Ghz bands. I'll start reading about it online but if you have any instructions I'd love to hear What phone app are you talking about?

 

[UsandThem]

No, the most I did when I got the router was just turn on both 2.4 and 5Ghz bands. I'll start reading about it online but if you have any instructions I'd love to hear What phone app are you talking about?

I use this one, but there are lot of other ones out there. For example, Netgear has a free one as well.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en

It will show which signals are in your location from neighbors, and it will recommend the best channel so you can change it in your router.

Each router's interface and settings will be slightly different, but overall they feature the same settings (sometimes called different names).

But here is a good generic article you can look through:

http://www.itbusiness.ca/news/how-to-configure-your-router-for-blazing-speeds/14224

Your best bet is to Google your router model number and "configure for video streaming", or something along those lines. You will get tips and tricks from people who have hands-on experience with your particular unit.