Tell me about a better router.

[PEJ5]

Most people know a lot more about routers than I do. All I know is they are working great or not working great. I have an old Netgear N900 router. It's the third one I've had, each time, one a little more expensive and barely any difference. My problem: My bedroom TV is 35' from my router with 4 walls in between. My TV frequently drops the signal and on some movies is slow downloading. When I put a range extender on it just seems to slow it down more.

If I google "best routers" I get many different web sites all recommending different routers, usually from $500 down. I can't see spending that much money on a router. I can go down a street and pick up a wifi signal on my cell phone when I am hundreds of feet from someones home but have trouble picking up the signal 50' outside my home.

Can I get a consensus on a better router that won't break the bank?

I recommend that you run an Ethernet cable from your router to your TV. If the tv only supports wifi then still run a cable and place a wifi router on the end of the cable. It becomes a wifi extender, but wired together. In this second example, you just have to get close to the tv. Wired networking is always better than wireless.
I use Asus routers and they work very well.

 

[MossRoad]

Most people know a lot more about routers than I do. All I know is they are working great or not working great. I have an old Netgear N900 router. It's the third one I've had, each time, one a little more expensive and barely any difference. My problem: My bedroom TV is 35' from my router with 4 walls in between. My TV frequently drops the signal and on some movies is slow downloading. When I put a range extender on it just seems to slow it down more.

If I google "best routers" I get many different web sites all recommending different routers, usually from $500 down. I can't see spending that much money on a router. I can go down a street and pick up a wifi signal on my cell phone when I am hundreds of feet from someones home but have trouble picking up the signal 50' outside my home.

Can I get a consensus on a better router that won't break the bank?

Before you go and spend money, have you tried moving the TV into the same room with the router and seeing if the problem goes away?

That's what I'd do first.

 

[riptides]

If you are saying the range extender is slowing things down more - then I agree with another poster that you have something else going on with your network.

How many other WiFi networks are available?

How many devices are broadcasting for WiFi? Printers? Other computers somewhere? Your neighbors?

How old is the TV?

Anyone using microwaves in the house? Cooking when your watching TV?

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Move the router closer to the TV.

Or better yet, run a direct wired ethernet cable from the router to the TV.

Stop diddling around with wireless when trying to stream movies.

 

[Ford850]

I opened this thread expecting a conversation about Bosch, Festool, and maybe Dewalt.
But I'm learning a lot anyway.

 

[riptides]

....

Stop diddling around with wireless when trying to stream movies.

My entire place is wireless. Performs better than satellite which had a direct wire to the TV. Weather, sun spots, whatever way the wind blows --- signal loss. Was happy to pull the plug after 10 years of that crap.

 

[EddieWalker]

My internet provider sells routers, but they told us that the best one to buy was the Orbi25, which they did not sell, but it's better then anything that they have for sale. We had a Netgear before. It was supposedly the top of the line model, but I forget it's exact name. It wasn't doing all that great, which is why we where talking to our provider. Since we got the Orbi, it's been night and day better.

 

[KennyG]

Routers are finicky and the good ones seem to have become very expensive. In most cases, it' s pretty easy to route Cat 6 cable and be done with the issues. I have my desktop computer and the TVs hardwired and use a Netgear WiFi router for the notebook computers and phones. Works very well for me.

 

[Oaktree]

In most cases, it' s pretty easy to route Cat 6 cable and be done with the issues. I have my desktop computer and the TVs hardwired and use a Netgear WiFi router for the notebook computers and phones. Works very well for me.

My router doesn't even have wifi capability, don't need it. I paid extra for the Roku ultra that has an ethernet jack on it and it works fine, likewise for the printer. Nothing else we have needs wifi. It was not a big deal to pull cat5 where it was needed.

 

[Carl_NH]

Here are my speeds from tests on Speedtest, Speedguide and Cox Cable which I have.

View attachment 686165

View attachment 686166

View attachment 686167

That's impressive speed - assume this is with a ethernet connection? If these are your wireless speeds even more so. We just upgraded our comcast to 1GB connection and are getting 100MBS wireless, and 300MB ethernet speed. We need to upgrade the cable modem to get more speed.

I installed a Netgear 1900 AC router 3-4 years ago to replace a Netgear N600 + Netgear Extender in the house due to intermittent service, and now we get 50MBS wireless to all devices in the house with the wireless router in the garage 80+' to the TV's etc. thru the roof of the garage and a few walls of the house.

They are about $129 or so now. I would take a laptop or phone and check the wireless speed in the bedroom where the TV is and see what DL speeds you get there.