need help narrowing down options for upgrade

[thehardwarehacker]

hello, my dad and i are looking to upgrade our main router. we currently have a 1st gen. apple base station, and we need something a bit more modern, though we have a list of requirements: it needs a gigabit switch, with at least 4 ports, and it needs to cover the ENTIRE wireless spectrum, from a to ac. we're both cheap skates, and dont want to spend alot,

[thehardwarehacker]

19 minutes ago, mcraftax said:

mikrotik is low cost but still good but not brilliant.

if i found the routers you are talking about, yes their cheap, but they dont support AC.

[thehardwarehacker]

1 minute ago, mcraftax said:

ok. What is your a budget? ik you want to spend the least possible

or 

what do you want minimum?

the router needs a gigabit switch with at least 4 ports, and needs to support wireless a through AC, so basically the whole spectrum. router that im looking at currently is $200, so that would be the price range im looking at.

[thehardwarehacker]

Just now, mcraftax said:

can you link the router?

http://www.microcenter.com/product/443759/RT-AC3200_AC3200_Tri-Band_Wireless_Gigabit_Router

[thehardwarehacker]

1 minute ago, mcraftax said:

probably one of the best options at $200, I'm not the best with asus networking equipment but it looks good for the price.

Or another option could be ubiquiti kit. An edgeRouter and a UniFi AC AP

https://store.ubnt.com/edgemax.html

https://store.ubnt.com/unifi.html

ok, ill take a look at those, lucky we dont have to buy rite now, so im looking at all options. 

[brwainer]

18 hours ago, thehardwarehacker said:

if i found the routers you are talking about, yes their cheap, but they dont support AC.

Mikrotik is a company that makes many, many things. It is true that they were rather late in getting their AC wireless offerings out, but the specific router you would be looking for is the "hAP AC" (not the hAP AC Lite). It's available between $140-$160 depending on the distributor. However Mikrotik routers really aren't plug and play simple (neither is Ubiquiti but I think Ubiquiti has a bit of an edge for average users doing first time setup)