For the computer guys - what do I NEED in a wireless router?
 

Google and Cnet didn't answer my questions, so I'm going to the experts! My current router is getting flaky so I went to look at Best Buy, they have about 50 options that all claim to be exactly what I need. So the question is, what do I need vs worthless features that are of no benefit? I'm on cable internet at about 30 MB/s download speed, and our home network consists of one laptop, one desktop, one network printer (currently wired connection), one iPad, two iPhone5, and one iPhone4 for kid games/movies. We do stream movies via Netflix, You Tube, etc. The office is downstairs and we have a main floor and upstairs, so I need decent range. I have zero use for cloud storage or similar features, I just need something that will handle our devices and usage. Any recommendations regarding features or specific models that are a good deal is appreciated.

I use a mid-grade Cisco router in N speed. spent like under $60 or something on it last year. Streams video to desktop, handles xbox, and like 3 laptops- no issues, no problems fast.

Stay away from Belkin, don't be suckered in by the price..

This is a great router. We've had a few, and this is the best one by far.

Asus RT-N56U Dual-Band Gigabit Wireless-N Router Review - Watch CNET's Video Review

I've been through a ton of the various cheaper routers and finally forked over the cash for a AirPort Extreme

A Mac mini, two MacBooks, two phones, two apple tvs and an iPad mini.....streamed video all over.....covers the entire house, backyard and garage

Forgot, there are 4 ip cameras running on it as well

If you want the ultimate in speed (currently) get something that supports 802.11ac. But then, you'll have to get wireless clients that talk 802.11ac. It's a never ending arms race...

Depends... How much porn do you want to stream?

802.11N should be good enough; you probably want one that supports both 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz bands. 802.11AC is the next thing but 802.11N is more than good enough.

If you're really unhappy with the consumer grade crap out there then go to Meraki and spend a little more. It's not something you can buy in stores so it might not be easy to buy but it is way easy to configure at home and will give you a lot of control over your home network via their cloud management software.

They are owned by Cisco now but they are not consolidated into the company. It's not consumer grade stuff, not 'Linksys'.

just full disclosure - I am a Sales Engineer but I do not sell Meraki stuff.

You can buy a new router every few years when they burn out, or get one really good one that will last forever. A used Aironet from Amazon will outlast you.

any brick or stone chimneys in the signal path?

no metal girders in the house, right?

Nope. Path is largely vertical, about 1200 sq ft per floor but we have three floors. All conventional wood framing.

I do wireless consulting for a living, but the 3G and LTE kind that makes your smartphone work. Different technology but the principles of RF are the same.

I agree with the statement about Apple. Great products but a bit more expensive.

The primary difference in all the stuff you'll see on the shelf at the local Best Buy or whatever is (a) the network processor and (b) the power level on the Wi-Fi radio. What almost every single company in the consumer space does is make minor tweaks so they can take the same basic product and sell a differentiated low/medium/high version so they can make more money. Give Apple a little credit for just deciding to build a single option.

So the network processor is important as it is ultimately the bottleneck. It handles sending data between devices within your home network and to/from the Internet.

With Wi-Fi, the power level affects the capacity and coverage area. Lower power is worse, higher is better.

So my advice is the following. Don't buy the low-end model from anybody. It's garbage. Most people will be fine with medium level if range isn't a problem. The higher-end stuff is going to cost more but will also reduce the likelihood you'll be frustrated later and will give you a little more future-proofing.

And when I say high-end I'm generally talking about stuff in the $100 and up price range.

I just went through this with my father-in-law. He went cheap and now he's spent more money to add wireless repeaters than if he took my advice the first time.

Also the major feature I would look for is the ability of the device to automatically assign the radio channel based on the channels used by your neighbors home routers. 99.9% of the population don't understand the concept of frequency reuse and channel planning. That's why the 802.11 spectrum is "polluted". Apartments complexes are like radio cesspools. :) Everybody has a cute marketing name for it so it's hard to say what to look for on a box.

And as far as 802.11 versions, you should be fine with 802.11n.

Full disclosure. I work for a company that recently sold off it's consumer products division.

I have Airports and they seem to last a long time (indefinitely, so far) unlike the Linksys I previously used which lasted a couple years.

I check with the DD WRT project to see which routers they support....

I take issue with this generalization. Higher is rarely better. You must find a balance that works best for your particular environment. In general, you want to run at the lowest possible setting that allows the fastest connection. If your antenna’s TX power is set too low, the signal won’t be strong enough for your clients to find throughout your home or office. But if it’s too high, the signal actually overpowers and “blows out” your connection, resulting in lower speeds. This becomes more important if you are using a dual-band router. For that reason, I strongly recommend that you go with a router that allows you to adjust the TX power on both bands.

Also, depending on how many other WiFi networks exist in your area, it may be useful to tinker with manually setting channels and channel widths. If you live in a more “congested” area with lots of WiFi signals, you may want to experiment and find the channels that give you the least interference. The lower the interference, the higher your speeds. Try this free utility inSSIDer for Home to scan for WiFi signals and help determine the best channel(s) for your area.

I agree with most of the recommendations made here regarding 802.11ac. It is not going to benefit you until you start introducing 802.11ac clients into your environment. The cost of these routers is currently high in the market compared to 802.11n devices.

With all of the above said, I would strongly recommend that the OP take a close look at the Buffalo - WZR-600DHP . It is good, flexible, supported and relatively inexpensive. It runs a Buffalo-supported version of DD-WRT that allows you to highly customize the setting that will work best for you. You can also move to the community versions of DD-WRT if you choose to take advantage of new options or improvements. Plus, the device comes with a 3-year warranty. You can pick up one of these from Amazon for $77.

Poop! Where were you guys when I bought my router!

From work I know Belkin sucks so went with a "name brand" (netgear N900) $120(we have some at work and have had no problems here.

It works, but they say 1000 foot range but barely reaches from the bedroom to the living room (60 feet) and when I click on the cool "network wizard" it says it needs a firmware update. Uploaded and ran the firmware update three times... still has firmware error...

But it works so i'm keeping it for now...

All that to say I wouldn't recommend Belkin or netgear

I take issue with you taking issue. :)

My statement was referring to the power level capable of the device. Some of the the low end devices hardware doesn't physically support the higher power levels needed for range and penetration.

Of course the goal is always optimal power level to do the job... but it's not like we're talking about 5 watt radios here.

Unless you live in a relatively isolated area, I would NOT manually adjust the channels. A) most manufacturers support auto channel assignment and B) you can configure a perfect channel plan and all it takes is your dopey no-tech neighbor throwing up a new Wi-Fi to wreck your perfect channel plan. Look, I do this for a living and given the choice of periodically analyzing my local RF or driving the 911, I'm setting that sucker to auto and grabbing the car keys.

so I have two belkin mid grade routers, each one has DDWRT as its firmware. before i put that on there they sucked-
look at the DDWRT website -http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/index

I'd love to have one of the IOS autonomous Aironets, even an older model that is only b/g capable. Although one that supports n would be better, but I don't think we need n at the house just yet.

put it on the middle floor - in the center if possible

be sure you can return if the range is too low (i.e. maybe buy from Amazon)