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Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 4:45 pm
by Kasey Chang
I have two wifi routers... The N that came with the DSL modem, and the AC I bought refurb later from LinkSys. I ran them side by side no problem. But the dark linksys has a tendency to reset itself every 6 months or so. Then I had to redo the entire network.
it just did so again. Except this time, the LinkSys setup app that worked before cannot detect a router DESPITE logging into the wifi.
Re: Great, my wifi router died... the backup, not the primary
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 4:57 pm
by Kasey Chang
I am back. Had to redo the router setup... AGAIN.
Piece of crap...
Re: Great, my wifi router died... the backup, not the primary
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 5:25 pm
by hitbyambulance
i had a Linksys WRT54G that started spontaneously rebooting after seven or eight years of use (and the frequency of it occurring kept steadily increasing). no amount of factory resetting or installing alternative firmwares fixed the issue, so it appeared to be a hardware issue.
last time i was at Goodwill a couple weeks ago, i saw a TON of routers there. like the most i'd ever seen.
Re: Great, my wifi router died... the backup, not the primary
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:24 pm
by Anonymous Bosch
Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 4:45 pm
I have two wifi routers... The N that came with the DSL modem, and the AC I bought refurb later from LinkSys. I ran them side by side no problem. But the dark linksys has a tendency to reset itself every 6 months or so. Then I had to redo the entire network.
it just did so again. Except this time, the LinkSys setup app that worked before cannot detect a router DESPITE logging into the wifi.
Seems like more trouble than it's worth given that you can buy reliable DD-WRT-compatible routers without necessarily needing to spend an arm and a leg to do so. Or even buy one pre-configured and upgraded courtesy of
FlashRouters.com if you prefer not to perform the upgrade manually.
Re: Great, my wifi router died... the backup, not the primary
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:27 pm
by Kasey Chang
It's alright for now. Money's tight, no time on frivolities like a new router.
Held button down for 30 seconds, and reset the whole thing and setup the SSID again.
But had to do it on the PC. The App doesn't work.
Re: Great, my wifi router died... the backup, not the primary [Fixed]
Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 11:07 am
by Kasey Chang
If I want a replacement, should I stick with a 'better" AC router, or should I go WiFi 6, even though I don't have any devices that talks WiFi 6?
My current AC router is like a cheap LinkSys, probably AC900 or 1200. I can get a decent AC2000/2100 for $80 (Tenda AC23), or one of those AC4000 tri-band quad MIMO blah blah super routers (renewed) for $135. ( LinkSys EA9300 )
Re: Great, my wifi router died... the backup, not the primary
Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 2:08 pm
by stessier
hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 5:25 pm
i had a Linksys WRT54G that started spontaneously rebooting after seven or eight years of use (and the frequency of it occurring kept steadily increasing). no amount of factory resetting or installing alternative firmwares fixed the issue, so it appeared to be a hardware issue.
last time i was at Goodwill a couple weeks ago, i saw a TON of routers there. like the most i'd ever seen.
Mine has just started the random rebooting this past week. I've tried updating the firmware, but the problem persist. Sounds like i need a new one?
Re: Great, my wifi router died... the backup, not the primary
Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 2:32 pm
by hitbyambulance
stessier wrote: ↑Fri Oct 16, 2020 2:08 pm
hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 5:25 pm
i had a Linksys WRT54G that started spontaneously rebooting after seven or eight years of use (and the frequency of it occurring kept steadily increasing). no amount of factory resetting or installing alternative firmwares fixed the issue, so it appeared to be a hardware issue.
last time i was at Goodwill a couple weeks ago, i saw a TON of routers there. like the most i'd ever seen.
Mine has just started the random rebooting this past week. I've tried updating the firmware, but the problem persist. Sounds like i need a new one?
if it supports an alternative firmware (like
https://dd-wrt.com/ ) try installing that. if it _still_ occurs even with that, i would say it is a hardware issue.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 5:06 pm
by infinitelurker
I was running into issues with an ASUS router that I had DD-WRT running on, and ended up getting an Amplifi, this one in particular:
https://amplifi.com/amplifi-hd
I started off getting just the base unit, and figured I'd try it out in our 3500 sq ft home before getting the mesh points. I'm glad I didn't get them, because just that little cube covers our entire home, yard and garage. It has been rock solid, and the speeds are way better than I was getting on my, albeit older, ASUS router.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 9:22 pm
by RunningMn9
I switched to a Google WiFi mesh about a year ago and it's been excellent. 300+ Mbps speeds everywhere in the house. Edit to add, that speed is the internet speed - device to device within the house is faster.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2020 4:54 pm
by Kasey Chang
Okay, I think the router just died AGAIN. That's it. I'm buying a replacement. As I have no ax devices I'm just buying an AC router, and as I only haver limited devices to support (less than 10 total), I'm getting a D-link AC2600 device, on sale from Amazon at about $80. It ought to be enough to last until I REALLY need to upgrade the network. I'll see it by Friday.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2020 3:40 pm
by stessier
RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 24, 2020 9:22 pm
I switched to a Google WiFi mesh about a year ago and it's been excellent. 300+ Mbps speeds everywhere in the house. Edit to add, that speed is the internet speed - device to device within the house is faster.
I was looking at this and my concern is that there is no log. Do you find you miss it at all? I don't check it frequently, but I do like having the ability.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 12:46 am
by hitbyambulance
stessier wrote: ↑Sat Nov 07, 2020 3:40 pm
RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 24, 2020 9:22 pm
I switched to a Google WiFi mesh about a year ago and it's been excellent. 300+ Mbps speeds everywhere in the house. Edit to add, that speed is the internet speed - device to device within the house is faster.
I was looking at this and my concern is that there is no log. Do you find you miss it at all? I don't check it frequently, but I do like having the ability.
there is a log, it's just ... sent directly to Google instead
you think i'm kidding
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 2:53 am
by Kasey Chang
New router is installed within 10 minutes (pretty much plug and play), tested AC throughput via Speedtest and appears to be 1/3 faster all around (10 mbps downstream, 1 mbps upstream, about what I'd expect from crappy DSL). Set it to same SSID and same passphrase, all devices picked it up right away.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 4:54 am
by stessier
hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Sun Nov 08, 2020 12:46 am
stessier wrote: ↑Sat Nov 07, 2020 3:40 pm
RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 24, 2020 9:22 pm
I switched to a Google WiFi mesh about a year ago and it's been excellent. 300+ Mbps speeds everywhere in the house. Edit to add, that speed is the internet speed - device to device within the house is faster.
I was looking at this and my concern is that there is no log. Do you find you miss it at all? I don't check it frequently, but I do like having the ability.
there is a log, it's just ... sent directly to Google instead
you think i'm kidding
Yeah, i saw that. Given I use Chrome, I'm not sure it matters.
Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 11:51 am
by RunningMn9
stessier wrote:I was looking at this and my concern is that there is no log. Do you find you miss it at all? I don't check it frequently, but I do like having the ability.
I have never once looked at a router log, so I wouldn’t say that I miss it, no.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:38 pm
by stessier
hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Sun Nov 08, 2020 12:46 am
stessier wrote: ↑Sat Nov 07, 2020 3:40 pm
RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 24, 2020 9:22 pm
I switched to a Google WiFi mesh about a year ago and it's been excellent. 300+ Mbps speeds everywhere in the house. Edit to add, that speed is the internet speed - device to device within the house is faster.
I was looking at this and my concern is that there is no log. Do you find you miss it at all? I don't check it frequently, but I do like having the ability.
there is a log, it's just ... sent directly to Google instead
you think i'm kidding
So I had read about the log going to Google (as I noted above), but never really looked into it. Today I did and this is from their privacy policy.
Google Nest Privacy wrote:Google Wifi is a router system that works with your modem and ISP to create a whole-home Wi-Fi mesh network. Google Wifi uses data about your network performance (for example, network speed and bandwidth usage) to help provide and improve your Wi-Fi coverage and experience. It also allows you to see which devices are connected and how much bandwidth they use.
For Google Wifi, we commit to you:
• Google Wifi does not track the websites you visit, nor does it monitor the content of traffic on your Wi-Fi network.
• We keep your Wi-Fi network performance data separate from advertising and don’t use it for ad personalization.
• We will only share Wi-Fi network performance data from your Google Wifi with third-party apps and services that work with our connected home devices if you or a manager of your Wifi network gives us permission, and we’ll only ask for this permission in order to provide a helpful experience from an approved partner (such as an internet service provider).
That's not what I would consider a log and makes me feel better about the option. Do you have anything that suggests this isn't accurate?
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 2:49 pm
by hitbyambulance
the 'performance data' was what i was referring to. i haven't looked into this, but that just seems really weird to me.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 3:06 pm
by stessier
hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 2:49 pm
the 'performance data' was what i was referring to. i haven't looked into this, but that just seems really weird to me.
That data has to do with how devices connect, how they switch between units and channels. Seems to be helping them improve the products in the future.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:31 pm
by hitbyambulance
stessier wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 3:06 pm
hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 2:49 pm
the 'performance data' was what i was referring to. i haven't looked into this, but that just seems really weird to me.
That data has to do with how devices connect, how they switch between units and channels. Seems to be helping them improve the products in the future.
i personally am never getting another piece of Google hardware and am currently trying to phase out my usage of Google software (harder than that sounds) so i would not get that, but that's just my opinion.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 9:16 pm
by Anonymous Bosch
hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:31 pm
stessier wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 3:06 pm
hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 2:49 pm
the 'performance data' was what i was referring to. i haven't looked into this, but that just seems really weird to me.
That data has to do with how devices connect, how they switch between units and channels. Seems to be helping them improve the products in the future.
i personally am never getting another piece of Google hardware and am currently trying to phase out my usage of Google software (harder than that sounds) so i would not get that, but that's just my opinion.
Amen. And FWIW, here's a
useful list of deGoogle resources that help cut Google out of your life.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2020 10:47 pm
by Kasey Chang
I was reading stuff about my new D-Link Router and turns out it's got EXO Mesh, which means I can get an extender called DRA-1360 and DRA-2060 that actually works with the main router to form a mesh.
Unfortunately, I don't see them for sale anywhere. If they are not on Amazon and not on Newegg, they probably don't exist.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2020 5:43 pm
by naednek
Picked up a Deco M9 Plus over the weekend for $200 at Costco
https://www.tp-link.com/us/deco-mesh-wi ... o-m9-plus/
Finally have consistent connection throughout the house. Now to buy a better modem and upgrade my plan.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:18 pm
by Kasey Chang
I just noticed my PC was connecting to the router via N, not AC, and via the 2.4 GHz band, not 5 GHz band.
Just changed both preferences in adapter settings. Disconnected, and reconnected, and now Windows report much more solid connection. Doesn't change the speedtest results, but every little bit helps.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2020 2:16 pm
by Lassr
I was looking at these at Costco, one question, my providers modem has built in router, do these connect to the existing router you have, or do you have to de-activate the existing router and these are then the router plus mesh.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2020 5:52 pm
by Kasey Chang
I just chain it to the existing router. I do end up with 2 separate SSIDs though.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2020 6:11 pm
by Daehawk
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2020 10:44 am
by Kasey Chang
Double checked the specs and model. The only "mesh extender" D-link sells that is compatible with EXO Mesh is DAP-1820 (which is $80, same price I paid for my router).
The problem is D-link's own website recommends the DRA-2080 (which is black) under the EXO series, and makes no mention of the DAP-1820. And the REALLY weird part is, the DRA-2080 otherwise looks identical to the DAP-1820 above except the color difference (DRA is black, DAP is white).
I have a feeling that DAP-1820 can work both as a mesh-extender AND a regular WiFi extender, and D-Link basically realized why should they stock two different SKUs and quietly eliminated DRA products... WITHOUT updating their website.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 1:15 pm
by stessier
I got a Netgear Orbi system over the weekend. Pretty easy to setup - got everything up and running and reattached the network in under an hour (could probably do it faster if you knew what you were doing). No drops so far and everyone has been happily streaming. My only complaint is I'm having trouble getting my car charger to connect. The charger only connects on 2.4 GHz and in the ten minutes I had to spend trying to get it to connect - it wouldn't. Not sure what that is about.
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 6:47 pm
by Kasey Chang
Channel congestion? (2.4 GHz only has like 10-12 channels, IIRC)
Re: Suggestion for new home wifi router?
Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 5:09 am
by stessier
Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 6:47 pm
Channel congestion? (2.4 GHz only has like 10-12 channels, IIRC)
The included wifi analyzer doesn't say it is, but possible. The connection process for the charger is a little weird and I probably did something out of order or not fast enough. Work has been crazy so I haven't had a chance to try again.