I'm looking for a new Wifi router for my 700 sqft apartment

[Mad-Baron93]

I'm trying to decide on a new router for my apartment. I currently have the ISP's inhouse modem router combo, which I hate with a passion. I have a Netgear CM1000 on order and I'm trying to debate on which router I should go with.

 

My Current internet Speed is 500Mbps Down and 10 up.

The router is basically going to site in the open front either wall mounted behind the TV stand or sitting front and center on top of the TV stand itself due to the limitation of my coax keystone drop location.

I live alone and have about 10 devices wired and about 10 devices on wifi. I'm currently using 3 8 port Ethernet switches, 2 are daisy changed and one is stand alone. The Daisy chained ones are basically running a raspberry pi, 2 smart TVs and their sound bars, so nothing really major on those switches.  I would personally like to give each switch a home run to the router and take my desktop off the stand alone switch and direct homerun it. I also have a raspberry pi server with a external storage drive connected to it. 

I also do some online gaming like GTAV, Call of Duty, World of Tanks, etc on console and PC. 

What I'm trying to debate on is which router I should purchase. 

If I go with front and center, I'm leaning towards either the Amplifi Alien, mostly due to its looks and reviews I've seen, or the Netgear RAX70-100NAS
If I go with the wall option, I was thinking of going with an ASUS RT-AX88U or Netgear RAX48-100NAS

If you have a better recommendation of a router than what I have listed, feel free to add it. 

[SupaKomputa]

Changing MODEM won't make it faster, go with what the ISP provide for you and just get a separate router that suits you.

It's the ISP job to supply the right MODEM for your service, you paid for it.

[Mad-Baron93]

34 minutes ago, SupaKomputa said:

Changing MODEM won't make it faster, go with what the ISP provide for you and just get a separate router that suits you.

It's the ISP job to supply the right MODEM for your service, you paid for it.

Not paying $15 per month for their panderamic modem router. It's also locked, so I can't just plug in any router I want into their combo. 

 

I also can't buy their router modem combo outright. I have to pay their $15 per month leasing fee until I quit the service . The other option is to buy the Netgear and after 10 months, it pays for itself. 

 

Still, you got to love Cox Communications

[SupaKomputa]

How is it locked? If it has a lan port, you can connect another router to it.

[Mad-Baron93]

6 hours ago, SupaKomputa said:

How is it locked? If it has a lan port, you can connect another router to it.

Basically if I plug another router into it, it doesn't work properly, even if it's in AP mode. 

 

Still a waste of money to keep their provided money. I'm still replacing it. The Netgear cm 1000 is also listed as being fully compatible with their service. 10 months and it pays for itself. 

[SupaKomputa]

3 hours ago, Mad-Baron93 said:

Basically if I plug another router into it, it doesn't work properly, even if it's in AP mode. 

 

Still a waste of money to keep their provided money. I'm still replacing it. The Netgear cm 1000 is also listed as being fully compatible with their service. 10 months and it pays for itself. 

If you can access internet from a lan cable, nothing that the modem can do to stop you from spreading the connection.

 

You can't just buy a cable modem and expect it to plug and play.

you need to register it to the ISP, some of the don't allow having third party modem.

 

[Mad-Baron93]

1 hour ago, SupaKomputa said:

If you can access internet from a lan cable, nothing that the modem can do to stop you from spreading the connection.

 

You can't just buy a cable modem and expect it to plug and play.

you need to register it to the ISP, some of the don't allow having third party modem.

 

Cox Communications does. My Aunt, cousin and sister and brother has the same model. The only reason I'm getting Cox's service is because CenturyLink doesn't have fiber to the home service where I moved to and they can only promise 40mbps down and 3 up over DSL. 

 

And yes I do know that. I call their tech support and give then the S/N and MAC address. Like I said, it's cheaper to buy a cable modem than it is to lease one from the ISP. No added fees no nothing. 

As for adding a router to their router, their system has bridge mode blocked and it screws with the Lamport to limit the speed if I add a second router and use it in AP mode. If I want to do something like that I need to be on a "Business Account," which is another $30 per month. 

 

No offense, but you're preaching to the choir about using their equipment is best. It's not.

 

I was asking on which router I should go with. Is the Amplifi Alien worth it or should I try counseling a cheaper router.
 

I'm not asking if I should get a different modem from Cox's. 

[SupaKomputa]

2 minutes ago, Mad-Baron93 said:

Like I said, it's cheaper to buy a cable modem than it is to lease one from the ISP. No added fees no nothing. 

I don't know if you can opt out, good for you then.

I thought you still have to lease it, so i suggest better to use it.

From my experience they all work the same, there's not much innovation in the cable modem tech.

[Mad-Baron93]

Yeah, I know. I personally hate Cox's Coax internet, but it's better than DSL at a better price. Nothing beats CenturyLink Gig Fiber internet for $65 per month for life but I didn't really get a choice when I moved due to my job.