Help picking modem/router

[Alec57]

Hey Guys,

 

I need help picking out a modem/router however I dont know entirely what to look for.

I am moving to Perth WA but dont want to rent my ISP's modem/router because it seems I can get it cheaper if I buy my own.

I am getting Naked DSL (copper ADSL2+) with iiNet I suspect we will be getting speeds around 16Mbs down because we are around 1.5km from the nearest exchange which is similar to my current address. We will have 2 802.11AC and 2 802.11n PCs using the network and and then sometimes a fifth laptop 802.11g as well and then 2 tablets and a few phones occasionally connected. Currently we sometimes have 3-4 of us online gaming at the same time and our internet slows down a lot, If anyone is downloading anything everyone else cant really keep gaming until the download is finished. I need a reasonably priced solution that is reliable and gets the job done

 

A WA supplier

http://www.msy.com.au/wa/cannington/61-modem-modem-router

 

1) So should I get a modem/router all-in-one or get them separate? I can't seem to find many standalone modems  so should I set up a modem/router as a bridge and connect that to another router?

 

2) Should I get a 802.11AC compatible router?

 

3) Dual band sounds pretty good, do I need it?

 

4) Anything else I need to look for when picking out a modem/router?

 

We also have quite a big house so we need a good wifi range, currently we hardly get any wifi in our living room because the signal strength is too weak

I should point out that I don't have very much experience with networking at all so if we could find a product that isn't super hard to install that would be great

[failblox]

1. Don't get a modem/router combo. Pretty much all of them are terrible in my honest opinion. You could get a modem/router and use that as a bridge to connect that to another router, but that basically defeats the purpose of getting the modem/router combo.

 

2. Yes. If you have AC compatible devices definitely go with that.

 

3. If you're going to be doing multiple things at once on different computers, you'll definitely want to look into dual band. From the description of how you use your internet sometimes (e.g. multiple people gaming at once), I'd recommend it.

 

4. Look for features you might want such as the ability to create/connect to VPNs, or you might want USB on it to plug hard drives into for a cheap NAS (I do this), or maybe you want to set up a DDNS really easily, etc.

 

Personally I'd recommend the RT-AC66U. It's a great router with tons of features and is super easy to set up.

[Alec57]

Does anyone know if you can even get standalone modem's anymore? I can't find any online in western australia.

 

If I can't find a standalone modem you would suggest going with a modem/router as a bridge and then a router?