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New Router
am0n
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I am thinking it might be time for a new router. My old WRT-54G has held up well, but with a growing (but still small) number of devices and a larger living space, we're starting to notice more frequent disconnects and drop outs (especially if I game while she is streaming).
I did a little research. Sounds like the TP-Link Archer C7 is a pretty solid model at a nice price point (~$90). It is 1750AC, but lacks beamforming. It generally gets good reviews, especially V2, and I saw some posts on here where people thought it a good buy. There is also the C9 which is 1900AC with beamforming for ~$130. Has anyone done any testing to compare the C7 vs. a router with beamforming to determine just how much of a benefit it provides? Does anyone have any experience with the Archer C9 and would recommend, or advise against, it?
What about the Netgear Nighthawk R7000 or Asus RT-AC68U? I tried a search here and didn't see much. They are also both highly rated, but at twice the price point. Also 1900AC units with beamforming.
My budget would be more forgiving for the Archer C7, but if the features/speed of the C9 or the other 1900AC would be worth the money, I'd swing it. Just trying to get a feel for the need. Right now all we have is me (wired) gaming and my wife on her laptop/phone/fire (but not all at once) or streaming (sometimes while on the laptop or fire). We infrequently, but do occasionally, have guests that use the network.
I did a little research. Sounds like the TP-Link Archer C7 is a pretty solid model at a nice price point (~$90). It is 1750AC, but lacks beamforming. It generally gets good reviews, especially V2, and I saw some posts on here where people thought it a good buy. There is also the C9 which is 1900AC with beamforming for ~$130. Has anyone done any testing to compare the C7 vs. a router with beamforming to determine just how much of a benefit it provides? Does anyone have any experience with the Archer C9 and would recommend, or advise against, it?
What about the Netgear Nighthawk R7000 or Asus RT-AC68U? I tried a search here and didn't see much. They are also both highly rated, but at twice the price point. Also 1900AC units with beamforming.
My budget would be more forgiving for the Archer C7, but if the features/speed of the C9 or the other 1900AC would be worth the money, I'd swing it. Just trying to get a feel for the need. Right now all we have is me (wired) gaming and my wife on her laptop/phone/fire (but not all at once) or streaming (sometimes while on the laptop or fire). We infrequently, but do occasionally, have guests that use the network.
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How is the software on that? I'm still using a Linksys N300, which I'm sure is the Dodge Neon of wireless routers, because it does work and because the software might honestly be the best part of it--I've seen a lot of higher-end routers, at least in the past, came with software that put weirdly arbitrary limits on things like how many characters were in your network's name, etc., and weren't as user friendly as the Cisco stuff bundled with the N300.
I'm pretty sure you can walk through the software at TP-Link's site. I haven't done any digging. I use a TP-Link travel router and I'm quite happy with the software.
FYI, I put one of those in my folks house and had to return it. It was a V2 and they have a problem with dropping connections. I dunno if a replacement would have worked, I just went with a different router.
Has anyone else had any similar experiences with the V2 version?
EDIT: it's a well reviewed router but if you look at the scores on newegg all of the 1 star are dropped connection problems. I'm guessing something in the supply chain has a manufacturing problem that only crops up sometimes. I think that most routers, in this price range, seem to run into problems like this tho.