OT-Talking Tech (Router Recommendations)

Edit: I lied, I think we have the AC1750...but I see on Amazon even that comes in under $100.

Anectdotal but, we have had the Netgear AC1200 for probably 18 months and have been quite happy with it.  By quite happy, I mean it sits there and I rarely, rarely need to address it.

This is a timely post - I just endured a weeklong saga of disappointment with Netgear customer support about a hardware issue on my unit. Long story short, their tech support is not free - it is $90 on an auto-renew subscription. My unit was under warranty - sadly, it took me subscribing to their service just to have their tech confirm what I had been saying, them issuing an RMA, and fighting with a manager offshore about the refund. Still don't think the money has hit my account...

TL;DR - Don't buy Netgear.

Does Comcast have a "free modem" option included that you don't have to pay for? Spectrum does, I was going to use this to build a mesh network in my home (leaning Google) but don't have much experience in that regard.

Good luck, OP.

"The best router" depends on your criteria... area of coverage, speed, cost, built-in-features, etc.

Generally, I tend to go with whatever TheWirecutter recommends ( https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-wi-fi-router/ )... but I do disagree with them at the high end, where I like Asus and they like TP-Link.  Asus in my experience has better features/controls AND 3rd party firmwares, if you really want to customize.

Then again, I paid a stupid amount for my router, am an IT guy, added switches for more wired connections anyway, run multiple wifi networks for kids, VPN, parental controls, auto-changing passwords, etc. 

If you don't nerd like I do.. the TP-Link Archer A7 will probably be fine at $65.

I used to work for a company that refurbished and resold electronics. 

I have played with every kind of router imaginable.  I currently have an Asus AC1750 and it handles all my needs.

My only advice I guess would be dont by netgear unless you're going to buy the top of the line model.

Asus, tp-link and d-link all make a decent product in the price range you're looking at

Thanks for asking... this is on my to do list as well!

Google mesh or Amazon Eero mesh.

I work in tech and have played around with routers for years as a "hobby"(all sorts of traffic rerouting to get around geoblocks). I have tried tp link and found the experience wanting. I have gone the dd-wrt and tomato router  which is great if you want to spend the time configuring them. Honestly I got sick of maintaining all of them and punted and bought a google mesh network. Honestly I know its over the budget but the experience is the best

I just got the DLInk AX1500 a couple of weeks ago and so far so good.  The reason I selected this device is because it runs WIfi 6 (802.11ax). Broad strokes this means that it reduces latency in your home when there are multiple devices connecting to the router at once. In my house we have a minimum of 4 devices connected at once and we were having some latency issues (which is why I upgraded).

So far so good

TL;DR - it depends on a ton of factors, but if you have a bunch of devices that you want to run at once, this is probably your best step. Plus, with it being newer tech, it wont be outdated too quickly

https://www.amazon.com/D-Link-Internet-Network-Assistant-DIR-1950-US/dp/B0872LNT8G/ref=asc_df_B0872LNT8G/?tag=&linkCode=df0&hvadid=430941297054&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5033242360947528853&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9015323&hvtargid=pla-892236010689&language=en_US&ref=&adgrpid=101851250044&th=1

Unlike others, I’ve had good experiences with Netgear routers.  I have an R6400 which is an older dual band AC router.  Like any consumer class router, it’s a good idea to reboot or power cycle the router every 3-4 months to clear out memory fragmentation issues.  It’s probably the fourth Netgear router I’ve owned.  Software updates are easy.  I’ve never had to contact support for any issues.  Their management app is good, but nothing special.  It works well for novices.  Given my years of experience, I tend to just use the router’s web UI.

The new xfi combo router and WAP is much nicer and way more stabler. I got it when I upgraded to 1GB. I tried their mesh setup and it sucked. Essentially cut my bandwidth way down everywhere and was a waste so I returned it. Otherwise my 1 GB service is awesome. I don't have patience to deal with configuring routers anymore. I'm a techie but not worth my time at this point.

Had to up my internet speed to 1000mbps as well at the beginning of stay-at-home due to my work. Long story short, after some back and forth I opted into a two-agreement with Comcast (previously did ala carte with no contract) that includes their modem/router for free for two years. I pay about the same as what I did before. So even though I agree that Comcast blows, it really does make sense to get their promotional rates.  I don’t really plan on switching to another provider so I figured I’d go for it.

Somewhat beside the point but I was just on the phone with them today again. For $25/mo more I got the unlimited data— with wife and I both WFH and my copious TV-watching we blew through 1TB of our 1.2TB/mo of data in 20 days.

I picked up a Craftsman 1-1/2HP 25,000rpm router from a pawn shop.  With table and a few bits.  Does what it’s supposed to do but doesn’t do a damn bit of good with regards to my internet access   

I've got a TP-Link AC1200 and am very happy with it.

I run all of our stuff through it (TV, Tivo, all wireless devices, some wired devices).

Great range, speed, and even has nice controls for managing access if you want (such as if you have young kids and want to disallow stuff for particular devices).

It's $50.

I got a TP-Link Archer AC1750 in 2015 and it's been running continuously for almost 5 years with never a problem. I just have a computer, internet TV, and phone, but it's handled all. Having a 2.4 and 5 GHz ranges is nice. I'm sure there is a newer version that goes up to a gig, but the Archer was at the time at the top of the quality/value lists from the consumer electronics websites I researched. It was $80 in 2015 (I had to wait for the amazon price to drop though). My modem is the Arris Surfboard

I also purchased the Arris Surfboard combo modem/router for my mother and my sister's houses, so they don't have to pay Comcast the monthly fee. On both I've noticed brief, temporary internet disconnections while I've spent time there - I don't know if it's an issue with our hardware or with the Internet coming in on the wire, but it's noticeable. Based on that experience, I wouldn't recommend the combo.

Very timely thread. After hearing "Dad, the internet!" for the last 2 months, I just went out and got a Deco M9 Plus mesh router last night. $200 from Costco; comes with 3 nodes which is perfect for my house; easy to set up; parental controls; works great so far.

I've had a netgear r7000 for the last year and a half that I've had no issues with.  The best upgrade was buying a switch and wiring my house with cat 6 over the winter to all the streaming tv locations and my home office. It wasn't any easy job with a finished basement, but it's definitely worth a few drywall repairs.  I also moved the router to a more central location in the house which was above my kitchen cabinets.  I now get great performance inside my house and over most of my yard.  I really have no need for a mesh system.

I guess my question is how much do you want to future proof your device.   Wifi 6E is coming soon (realistically next year) and it's going to be a game changer for Wifi.  It adds the 6GHz-7GHz spectrum for routers to use which is essentially quadrupling the bands available. However, it'll take time for laptops, phones, etc to get new chips designed in to leverage the new bands.