Good routers?

[TBNRunity]

I was just wondering what is probably the best router for range and performance for under $200.

Linking me to it would also be helpful

[Icefire555]

For a home router, if you're not worried about network attacks. Almost anything will be plenty. Unless you are constantly transferring massive files across multiple computers like 4 file transfers all going at gigabit speeds. any gigabit router should be pretty solid. 

If you wan't good wifi range, your almost better off getting a AP for your router. Most router's wireless is pretty weak.

[kirashi]

I was just wondering what is probably the best router for range and performance for under $200.

Linking me to it would also be helpful

 

Currently rocking a Netgear R7000 Nighthawk Router as an upgrade from a Linksys WRT160Nv3 back in 2008, and I LOVE IT!

I'ma just gonna go ahead and copy paste directly from the official MyOpenRouter.com page into the spoiler below.

 

 

If you are looking for a router you can't go wrong with the Netgear R7000 router. Here is a list of the top 10 reasons you should get one.

1. Worlds Fastest WiFi -- Up to 600 + 1300 Mbps and10/100/1000 Gigabit Wired Ethernet.
2. 1GHz Dual Core Processor
3. Wi-Fi Beamforming+. Boosts speed, reliability, & range of WiFi connections
   • Focuses WiFi signals from the wireless router to WiFi devices like smartphones, tablets & laptops
   • Automatic signal management checks with your device to keep WiFi signal at its optimal strength
   • Designed for home environments to support multiple WiFi device connections for highest quality
   • Extends WiFi coverage, reduces deadspots, & boosts signal strength
   • Beamforming+ boosts speed & range for the newest AC WiFi devices like Macbook Air & Samsung Galaxy S
4. High powered amplifiers & antennas to extend your WiFi coverage
5. Advanced features for lag-free gaming Prioritized bandwidth for streaming videos or music. Using Advanced upstream QoS for optimized game play on consoles like the XBox.
6. Free automatic backup software for Windows PC & Time Machine compatible for Macs
7. Manage your home network with NETGEAR genie app.
   • Makes any printer AirPrint compatible to print from an iPad or iPhone My Media
   • Find and play media files in your network EX Mobile connect
   • Scan QR code to connect to your home network Turbo-Transfer
   • Quickly transfer files within your home network across various devices 40% faster than normal file transfers
8. Custom DD-WRT firmware available. Tweak it as you like!
9. Guest Network Access -- Separate & secure access for guests
10. Looks very cool and will impress your friends!

 

 

Mostly picked it up because of it being one of the best supported routers for DD-WRT on the market currently.

 

Even with the stock firmware, the range of thing thing allows my to stay connected sitting in my car on our driveway, which is about 50ft away, through the house fridge, metal man-door into the garage, a freezer, and a corrugated metal garage door. Sure, I might only have 2 bars, but at least I'm connected through 4 1inch pieces of metal.

 

Also note that we no longer have lag problems when my brother is trying to play League with friends and I'm doing something as simple as watching 1080p YouTube while my parents are enjoying Netflix - the router knows to assign the gaming priority and keep him online, even if it occasionally results in 2-5 second buffering during peak hours in our neighborhood.

 

If you don't know what DD-WRT is, I suggest you check out their wiki page and read up on the benefits.

Basically in a nutshell, it's a custom firmware that allows improvements over the manufacturer's built in firmware:

• more flexible control over the performance of your network and gaming performance
• additional features and functionality for sharing hard drives and media
• torrenting and downloading large files directly from the router (no pc left on overnight)
• super administrative powers to block kids late at night, or throttle bandwidth hogs
• standardized interface and support community over at the DD-WRT forums

Yes, there are definitely drawbacks, such as not being able to phone the manufacturer for support anymore, and with this particular router it does reduce the proprietary speed bursting technology built into Netgear's drivers that increase your Wireless N speeds from 300Mbps to 450Mbps, but really, when you're spending this much on a router that should be the least of your worries.

 

Kong R7000 Configuration Best Practices or Working Solutions

You can find it on sale for between $160-180 down from $200-220 regular price if you know where to look, and hands down it's the best price/performance router you can buy before spending closer to $300 on the next tier of routers.