What is the best router out these days?

[Reasonable Doubt]

What is the best router out these days? Brand and model please.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

For home use?

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/rankers/router/view

Netgear Nightwak R7000 or ASUS RT-AC68U are #1 and #2.

Internally, they are almost the same router - same SoC and very similar features, and they both support third-party firmware - so I'd buy whichever is cheaper.

 

[Reasonable Doubt]

For home use?

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/rankers/router/view

Netgear Nightwak R7000 or ASUS RT-AC68U are #1 and #2.

Internally, they are almost the same router - same SoC and very similar features, and they both support third-party firmware - so I'd buy whichever is cheaper.

Thanks for the reply.


Is there a reason the Netgear Nightwak R7000 weighs 3.4 pounds and the ASUS RT-AC68U weighs 1.4 pounds if they are almost the same?

Or should I just ignore that?

 

[mxnerd]

Netgear Nightwak R7000 is not getting a good review

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122581

 

[Makaveli]

I own the r7000 its great.

I got mine on sale for $175 and was cheaper than the Asus model you are looking at.

Most of the negative on newegg are from clueless noobs.

I'm running asus merlin firmware on mine and its solid.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Thanks for the reply.


Is there a reason the Netgear Nightwak R7000 weighs 3.4 pounds and the ASUS RT-AC68U weighs 1.4 pounds if they are almost the same?

Or should I just ignore that?

Where'd you get the 3.4 pound number? I'm finding 1.65.

http://www.engadget.com/products/netgear/nighthawk/ac1900/smart-wifi-router/specs/

Anyway, if you're looking at an Amazon or Newegg listing, I've noticed that sometimes they list the weight of the product itself, and sometimes they list the weight of the product in the retail box (including power adapter, manual, and a bunch of cardboard.) Best bet is to find the info on the manufacturer site, usually.

Not really related to this, but this is not atypical, and an unnecessarily large heat sink might be used to accomplish the same thing.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Netgear Nightwak R7000 is not getting a good review

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122581

That's a pretty typical distribution of good/bad reviews. The ASUS is similar:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320174

With the exception of the old WRT54GL (which is, like, 10 years old and was one of the first open-source fanboi recommended routers) Most of the WiFi routers with a lot of reviews seem to have about 40-60% 5-star, 10-20% 1-star, and the remainder in between.

http://www.newegg.com/Wireless-Routers/SubCategory/ID-145?Order=REVIEWS

Probably because computer networks are pretty complicated and WiFi is a very finicky technology which basically never performs as advertised. So there's a lot of room for dashed expectations.

 

[Elixer]

These days, I wouldn't look at routers that don't support 3rd party firmware.
Luckily, both those mentioned do.

As to which one is better? I tend to like Asus products over Netgear's, I also like the fact that it is pretty difficult to brick the Asus.

 

[smitbret]

I have an Asus RT-AC68U and a TP-Link Archer C7 that is little more than half its price. I used the Archer C7 for the better part of two years (might have been even longer) and have noticed no difference in stability, speed, or range. The only reason I am using the Asus now is that if I flash the RT-AC68U to use Asuswrt-Merlin firmware then I can set the router to act as the SMB Master Browser.

If you have a specific need then the Asus is great but for most people the TP-Link will be just as good. Google will give you a ton of hits that say the same thing.

 

[Makaveli]

These days, I wouldn't look at routers that don't support 3rd party firmware.
Luckily, both those mentioned do.

As to which one is better? I tend to like Asus products over Netgear's, I also like the fact that it is pretty difficult to brick the Asus.

You can load a modified CFE on the netgear to have the same brick proof protection as the Asus routers

http://www.linksysinfo.org/index.php?threads/asuswrt-merlin-on-netgear-r7000.71108/

 

[Elixer]

You can load a modified CFE on the netgear to have the same brick proof protection as the Asus routers

http://www.linksysinfo.org/index.php?threads/asuswrt-merlin-on-netgear-r7000.71108/

Heh, nice!

 

[Reasonable Doubt]

Will both the Netgear Nightwak R7000 and the ASUS RT-AC68U allow me to access my media files anywhere in the world where there is a internet connection without a lot of work?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Will both the Netgear Nightwak R7000 and the ASUS RT-AC68U allow me to access my media files anywhere in the world where there is a internet connection without a lot of work?

Define "a lot of work"?

The ASUS will - it has a built in VPN server. The Netgear probably does too, it'd be an odd feature to leave out.

But there are things to consider when setting up something like that, security issues, network and routing behavior to configure, etc. You really ought to have some familiarity first, otherwise you're asking for a config that, best case, doesn't work quite the way you wish it did.

At the other end of the chain, for example, my local community college guest WiFi blocks OpenVPN connections. (It works from McDonald's next door.) There's also client configurations to deal with, which may be harder or easier depending on your devices.

So... there's a lot of variables, and you don't have control over all of them. So good luck!

 

[PliotronX]

Define "a lot of work"?

The ASUS will - it has a built in VPN server. The Netgear probably does too, it'd be an odd feature to leave out.

But there are things to consider when setting up something like that, security issues, network and routing behavior to configure, etc. You really ought to have some familiarity first, otherwise you're asking for a config that, best case, doesn't work quite the way you wish it did.

Heh, reminds me of server class where I went buck wild installing every possible role in 2008 R2 that I could, to which the instructor warned me to read Technet articles about them before installation and to choose wisely. Yeah, wasn't long before I was reinstalling 2008 R2 :sneaky:

 

[boomerang]

I have the Asus RT-AC66U and it has been very unreliable. So much so that I am going to contact Asus today to see what my options are. I have built a number of computers over the years for myself and others and the vast majority have been around Asus motherboards. I like their products, so this is not fanboy bashing by any means.

Out of the box I was losing wireless connectivity. I had to reboot it. I was on the latest firmware and flashed to some beta firmware they had on the site. It was an improvement but not a cure.

We have frequent power outages. When power is restored, I often lose either the 2.4G or 5G band. Sometimes power cycling the router fixes it, sometimes I need to reboot it from within the configuration, sometimes I need to reset it and restore all my settings. It's a crap shoot. Yesterday, I plugged it and my modem into a UPS I bought specifically for them in hopes of minimizing these problems and lost the 2.4G band. When I rebooted it after logging into it, I lost connectivity to the modem. I had to turn off the modem for a few minutes to restore my Internet connection. This is a brief outline of the problems I have had with this router. In all, I have had three firmware versions on this router and none have corrected the problems I am having with it. Researching shows others having issues and they are having them with third party firmware too. When I am 1500 miles away for the winter I cannot have this level of unreliability back at our primary residence.

And, my problems are not exclusive to this router. I purchased an RT-N66U for our second residence 1500 miles away. I lost connection to the wireless thermostat there. Fortunately, I had set up remote administration on the N66U. I logged in, saw that the thermostat had an IP address, was able to ping the thermostat from within the configuration pages of the router, but the thermostat was not communicating to the outside world so I could monitor and control it. I rebooted the router and connectivity was restored.

In summary, I am very unhappy with this line of Asus routers and am looking for replacements but I am pretty much completely unsure of which direction to go.

So, my advice to the OP would be to pay attention to the experiences people are having with a router versus those that recommend them because they either have a high price tag or because they see that a lot of people appear to be buying them.

 

[dailow]

Are you using the stock firmware?
I don't have that particular Asus model, but I thought that it became popular due to some great 3rd party firmware support for it.

I'm using a Netgear r7000 myself and it's great as others have noted. I've been using stock firmware with it since I got it and it's simply rock solid.

Now I'm in the market for an AC router for the girlfriend's place, as she lives in an apartment and could use some reliable wifi. I might wait a bit for more reviews to come out on the new Netgear r8500 to see if that might be worth a purchase.

 

[boomerang]

I don't have that particular Asus model, but I thought that it became popular due to some great 3rd party firmware support for it.

I have done quite a bit of research on this model and as I said earlier, people are still having issues with it regardless of what firmware they're running.

I think this is one of those models that people feel they bought something great because they paid out some fairly big coin for it. Or, I've got a lemon or perhaps two.

I used Netgear for years and years. Various models both wired in the old days and wireless. I recommended them to friends who had no issues. And then, I bought two of the same model about two months apart, one for each residence and they both died almost 11 months to the day after being put in service. I just don't know what to think anymore. My confidence is Netgear plummeted.

Anyway, I called Asus this morning and had a nice conversation. I was given a few steps to take (I'd already taken those steps, but the game must be played) and if I am still having problems they will do an RMA for me. The guy on the phone asked a bunch of questions and I offered some additional information and he said it would be passed on. All in all, it was a very pleasant experience. I have done the reset to factory, re-flashed the firmware and manually changed my settings (this, I had all done before) and I will have to wait and see. It is an intermittent problem.

And really, I have yet again taken a thread off track but one last thing for anyone that should be interested. Here in Michigan I am on acreage and there is not one single wireless network that I pick up here. I'm not fighting interference of that sort at all.

 

[master_shake_]

pfsense.

 

[Zahid Iqbal]

my vote is for Asus AC2400

 

[VirtualLarry]

All I can say to you is, you could possibly have bad hardware (twice in a row though? Hmm..), but I prefer to run third-party firmware as a matter of course. I run Tomato on an Asus RT-N12/D1 router, with the 2.4Ghz wireless disabled, and an Engenius AC1200 router acting as my wireless AP, for both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands.

I just discovered earlier tonight, that I cannot FTP to ftp.mozilla.org on my laptop (2.4Ghz wifi). A bit disappointed, wondering what the issue is exactly. Also found out that the default Win7 FTP client doesn't seem to support PASV mode at all? Scratching my head on that one, thought that the XP client did have that feature.

 

[Puffnstuff]

While I am not willing to recommend a particular model I would advise you to avoid the netgear r7500. I'm still getting random disconnects even with the latest firmware.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

pfsense.

when most people need a router, their top priority is for the hardware to connect wireless devices and thus they associate it as such even though the primary concern with the actual routing is done in the software/firmware

so even if you build a router from old computer parts and use pfsense, you still need to spend money on wireless access points unless you have old wireless routers you can repurpose for such a task, which might not be acceptable if the original desire is to upgrade wireless performance/features in the first place.

 

[mv2devnull]

... if the original desire is to upgrade wireless performance/features in the first place.

True. However, the OP has not mentioned wireless yet, as far as I can see.

It is unfortunate, although understandable, that multiple functions are integrated into same devices and then they are called with names. A modem is a modem, a router a router, a firewall a firewall, and a wireless access point a wireless access point, IMHO. Oh my, I forgot switches and bridges.


In a simple network of: A--B--C--D
there are multiple ways for a client application in D to reach a service in A. Some are less secure and some more demanding for the hardware.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I have the Asus RT-AC66U and it has been very unreliable. So much so that I am going to contact Asus today to see what my options are. I have built a number of computers over the years for myself and others and the vast majority have been around Asus motherboards. I like their products, so this is not fanboy bashing by any means.

Out of the box I was losing wireless connectivity. I had to reboot it. I was on the latest firmware and flashed to some beta firmware they had on the site. It was an improvement but not a cure.

We have frequent power outages. When power is restored, I often lose either the 2.4G or 5G band. Sometimes power cycling the router fixes it, sometimes I need to reboot it from within the configuration, sometimes I need to reset it and restore all my settings. It's a crap shoot. Yesterday, I plugged it and my modem into a UPS I bought specifically for them in hopes of minimizing these problems and lost the 2.4G band. When I rebooted it after logging into it, I lost connectivity to the modem. I had to turn off the modem for a few minutes to restore my Internet connection. This is a brief outline of the problems I have had with this router. In all, I have had three firmware versions on this router and none have corrected the problems I am having with it. Researching shows others having issues and they are having them with third party firmware too. When I am 1500 miles away for the winter I cannot have this level of unreliability back at our primary residence.

And, my problems are not exclusive to this router. I purchased an RT-N66U for our second residence 1500 miles away. I lost connection to the wireless thermostat there. Fortunately, I had set up remote administration on the N66U. I logged in, saw that the thermostat had an IP address, was able to ping the thermostat from within the configuration pages of the router, but the thermostat was not communicating to the outside world so I could monitor and control it. I rebooted the router and connectivity was restored.

In summary, I am very unhappy with this line of Asus routers and am looking for replacements but I am pretty much completely unsure of which direction to go.

So, my advice to the OP would be to pay attention to the experiences people are having with a router versus those that recommend them because they either have a high price tag or because they see that a lot of people appear to be buying them.

That's unfortunate. I have an AC66U and an N12U that have both been solid as rocks. It's been great.

My primary problem has been with client devices - I had to run a wire and put the N12U downstairs because even though we could see a really strong signal from the 66U, even at the opposite end of the house, nobody's laptop or tablet could actually punch a signal back to the darn thing through all that drywall.

 

[boomerang]

That's unfortunate. I have an AC66U and an N12U that have both been solid as rocks. It's been great.

My primary problem has been with client devices - I had to run a wire and put the N12U downstairs because even though we could see a really strong signal from the 66U, even at the opposite end of the house, nobody's laptop or tablet could actually punch a signal back to the darn thing through all that drywall.

I called Asus again the morning. I was told I was going to receive a call from level 2 tech support. I called 4+ hours after the window I was to be called and was put on hold forever. I was then told that the people looking at my problem were waiting for direction from above and that I would get a call back within a week.

I don't know if I am getting smoke blown up my you know what or what.

I left a poor review on the router at Amazon. Not nasty worded, just factual with no drama. Asus responded with the same suggestions that I had received on the first phone call and that if they didn't work, to contact them to start the RMA process.

At this point I don't know whether to wait or RMA or what.

The problems are intermittent. After resetting, flashing and manually restoring my settings (they didn't want me pulling in an exported configuration file) I have not yet experienced the wireless dropout but I am experiencing the no connection issue to the modem. I have been turning off and on the UPS I now have them plugged into to simulate a power failure.

In all my years I have never had a modem and router not link up to each other after the initial pairing was completed. Once the modem has picked up on the MAC of the WAN port on the router, subsequent power outages never resulted in the issue I'm having.

The common denominators are the same model SB6121 modem at each residence, Comcast and an Asus router (different models as I've indicated.)

I'm actually toying with dropping the $10 a month for a combo rental from Comcast again. I don't want to because they don't allow for loopback and it's handy if I need to troubleshoot my Synology and Foscam, etc.

Sigh ...

If you're still there, what firmware are you running on the AC66U? If you're stable and not experiencing problems I will roll back if necessary as a troubleshooting step. I have run DD-WRT on routers before and I am not opposed to running other firmware but I'm looking for easy peasy. I found that definitive instructions for DD-WRT were difficult to find and that the installation was a bit too painstaking for my liking.