Router Upgrade

[Cataclyst]

Hey guys! I don't know much about routers so.....I am planning to upgrade our Router here at home. Currently,we own a Edimax 3G-6200N and its range is pretty terrible.....We live in a Condo so we have a fairly small home and the signal is only strong in the Bedroom,when you go out of the bedroom and go to the living room or the kitchen,the signal disappears..even when you go inside the closet(which is one room away) the signal disappears. So...we were planning to upgrade our router. We have like 1+mbps speed(I know...its very slow...we live in the Philippines sorry ) and I stream movies from the router to our TV and sometimes game on the TV. So...I would like to know if you guys have any suggestion for a good router . And you can also teach me in the process . Thank you!!

[Bluethulhu]

My setup is an ASUS RT-N66R (same as N66U) for the main router, and I have an ethernet cable going from the top floor to the basement leading into a Linksys E3200 to extend the wireless range. I would highly recommend the ASUS. An extender may be a good option for you if you want to spend a little extra.

[Cataclyst]

My setup is an ASUS RT-N66R (same as N66U) for the main router, and I have an ethernet cable going from the top floor to the basement leading into a Linksys E3200 to extend the wireless range. I would highly recommend the ASUS. An extender may be a good option for you if you want to spend a little extra.

We only have 1 floor . So....an extender isn't needed?

[Bluethulhu]

We only have 1 floor . So....an extender isn't needed?

You could put one on the left side of your house and another on the right, or spread them accordingly so you can get the best possible signal.

[Cataclyst]

You could put one on the left side of your house and another on the right, or spread them accordingly so you can get the best possible signal.

Hm...it costs $200 :OO. Are routers really that expensive?

[rufee]

From my experience decent routers start at about ~100$ with a few cheaper exceptions, but usually anything below is real crap and you will end up spending more as time goes on. Anything above $200 is overkill for a normal user with the exception for wireless AC if you really need it.

[Bluethulhu]

Hm...it costs $200 :OO. Are routers really that expensive?

Decent routers float at about $150-200, it's pretty normal. I would recommend a high-end router for main, and a cheap-ish (~$75) router for an extender. Buy some Monoprice ethernet cables to bridge them for full speeds. Prices might be higher in the Philippines than here in the US, so keep that in mind.

[Cataclyst]

From my experience decent routers start at about ~100$ with a few cheaper exceptions, but usually anything below is real crap and you will end up spending more as time goes on. Anything above $200 is overkill for a normal user with the exception for wireless AC if you really need it.

 

 

Decent routers float at about $150-200, it's pretty normal. I would recommend a high-end router for main, and a cheap-ish (~$75) router for an extender. Buy some Monoprice ethernet cables to bridge them for full speeds. Prices might be higher in the Philippines than here in the US, so keep that in mind.

Oh alright,thanks. Hm..whats the perks of this RT-N66U? And whats a Single band and Dual Band? Sorry Noob at this

[Larrivee013]

the Asus is reputed to have really good speeds and range. as for dual band what it means is that the router can use the normal/more crowded 2.4ghz band (microwave is on this and wireless phone and everything else) and the 5.0ghz band which is almost empty so less interference. however, 5.0ghz tends to have shorter range based on my experience even though it's less susceptible to interference. normally in radio bands, the lower, the further you can go/pass through objects. both bands have benefits and its fun to have them both.

[Cataclyst]

the Asus is reputed to have really good speeds and range. as for dual band what it means is that the router can use the normal/more crowded 2.4ghz band (microwave is on this and wireless phone and everything else) and the 5.0ghz band which is almost empty so less interference. however, 5.0ghz tends to have shorter range based on my experience even though it's less susceptible to interference. normally in radio bands, the lower, the further you can go/pass through objects. both bands have benefits and its fun to have them both.

Ohhhhhh,i see. Thanks! Btw,can this router control the people connecting on the WiFi? Like,I can kick an Device that is connected to it?

[Wheelzz]

Decent routers float at about $150-200, it's pretty normal. I would recommend a high-end router for main, and a cheap-ish (~$75) router for an extender. Buy some Monoprice ethernet cables to bridge them for full speeds. Prices might be higher in the Philippines than here in the US, so keep that in mind.

How do you use 2 routers but have one connection?

[Bluethulhu]

How do you use 2 routers but have one connection?

Modem -> cable -> WAN in on RT-N66R (primary router) -> ethernet out on RT-N66r -> cable -> WAN in on second router -> wireless distribution. I run TomatoUSB on both routers. Having multiple routers is really handy especially when I stream Netflix from the basement all the time 

[Wheelzz]

Modem -> cable -> WAN in on RT-N66R (primary router) -> ethernet out on RT-N66r -> cable -> WAN in on second router -> wireless distribution. I run TomatoUSB on both routers. Having multiple routers is really handy especially when I stream Netflix from the basement all the time 

I assume the 'cable' bits are referring to a cat cable being run? Also, can this still easily be done if the network uses a switch?

[Bluethulhu]

I assume the 'cable' bits are referring to a cat cable being run? Also, can this still easily be done if the network uses a switch?

Yes, the cable is just a cat cable. I used some bulk cat5e cable at Lowe's and made custom ends because that was pretty cheap to do. I wouldn't see a problem using this with a network switch as well. 

[CAKEwasTRUE]

Well if you have wired cat5e in the house's walls you can always get 2 routers and set them as same info but different channels and have it as like a range extender!

 

Also i have a Dlink dir-665 and its works great in my 2 story house!

[Larrivee013]

Ohhhhhh,i see. Thanks! Btw,can this router control the people connecting on the WiFi? Like,I can kick an Device that is connected to it?

Hmm I  don't know if you can kick someone, but you surely have parental control so if you want to disable internet for computer x from 8AM to 7PM or something you surely can. Or if you want to completely remove internet access for a device, you can. Or you can use MAC address filtering, so if someone connects to your network that is not in the list you made of MAC addresses, the router will not assign him an ip. Hope that answers your question.

[Cataclyst]

Hmm I  don't know if you can kick someone, but you surely have parental control so if you want to disable internet for computer x from 8AM to 7PM or something you surely can. Or if you want to completely remove internet access for a device, you can. Or you can use MAC address filtering, so if someone connects to your network that is not in the list you made of MAC addresses, the router will not assign him an ip. Hope that answers your question.

Oh,thanks! That's great,thank you

[Larrivee013]

Your welcome!

Have a nice day!