Recommended Posts

Well my lovely isp Cox... decided to start enforcing data caps. So I need a new router to replace my beloved Apple Airport Extreme (have no issues with this). A router that does 802.11n in 5ghz and 2.4ghz mode, so dual band. But one thing that I'm looking for, is one that has a firmware that lets me monitor bandwidth usage, or just tools in general. Sad I have to keep track of things like that, but it seems to be the case now :(.

So if anyone has any suggestions? I really don't care what brand, as long as its good and performance is top. I've been using the Apple routers for years now, so no idea whats the next best thing.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1125730-best-80211n-5ghz-router/
Share on other sites

IMO all consumer routers are rubbish, Go for something like an referb/end-of-life cisco access point like the Cisco Aironet 1250

They're light years ahead of the junk on the market today with vlans + multiple ssid and support the management you are looking for using snmp.

scVyU.png

Well my lovely isp Cox... decided to start enforcing data caps. So I need a new router to replace my beloved Apple Airport Extreme (have no issues with this). A router that does 802.11n in 5ghz and 2.4ghz mode, so dual band. But one thing that I'm looking for, is one that has a firmware that lets me monitor bandwidth usage, or just tools in general. Sad I have to keep track of things like that, but it seems to be the case now :(.

So if anyone has any suggestions? I really don't care what brand, as long as its good and performance is top. I've been using the Apple routers for years now, so no idea whats the next best thing.

I'm in the same leaky rowboat, albeit for a far different reason - my ISP (Comcast)-supplied single-band N router is acting cornflakey (after a milk bath) and needs to be replaced.

Like you, I'm looking dual-band N (though I have only a single wireless-G resident device - Mom's laptop, currently) with all-gigabit LAN/WAN (the current router has that, so why backstep)

My current finalists:

1. Netgear WNDR3700 and all progeny thereof - The NETGEAR WNDR3700 was designed to compete heads-up with the old flagship Linksys prosumer WRT6xxN, and has no less than seven progeny; the latest is the 450mbps bi-directional (by that I mean up to 450 mbps in each direction wirelessly on the 5 GHz band) WNDR4500, which can be found at under $200 both online and brick-and-mortar. The entire family also supports IPv6 (via either factory firmware or third-party optional firmware, such as DD-WRT/OpenWRT). Even better, you can find factory-refurbished versions of the WNDR3700 for under $100.

2. LinksysByCisco EA2700 - No USB support, but all the other features for a growing LAN, including dual-band and all-gigabit LAN/WAN ports; like the WNDR3700, it can be found under $100.

Well my lovely isp Cox... decided to start enforcing data caps. So I need a new router to replace my beloved Apple Airport Extreme (have no issues with this). A router that does 802.11n in 5ghz and 2.4ghz mode, so dual band. But one thing that I'm looking for, is one that has a firmware that lets me monitor bandwidth usage, or just tools in general. Sad I have to keep track of things like that, but it seems to be the case now :(.

So if anyone has any suggestions? I really don't care what brand, as long as its good and performance is top. I've been using the Apple routers for years now, so no idea whats the next best thing.

Your ISP should have a website to log onto to see how much traffic has been used up - I know where I live it is just a matter of logging in and it tells you the amount with only a slight delay between usage and recorded.

Your ISP should have a website to log onto to see how much traffic has been used up - I know where I live it is just a matter of logging in and it tells you the amount with only a slight delay between usage and recorded.

It does, but it doesn't help me manage which device/user is using the most bandwidth. Right now I'm tracking it like a hawk, and noticing insane amounts of bw being used even tho no one is using their computers/devices much. (Yes my wifi is secure :p).

It does, but it doesn't help me manage which device/user is using the most bandwidth. Right now I'm tracking it like a hawk, and noticing insane amounts of bw being used even tho no one is using their computers/devices much. (Yes my wifi is secure :p).

IIRC Draytek's firmware is pretty sophisticated or you could choose a router that is supported by DD-WRT.

I'm in the same leaky rowboat, albeit for a far different reason - my ISP (Comcast)-supplied single-band N router is acting cornflakey (after a milk bath) and needs to be replaced.

Like you, I'm looking dual-band N (though I have only a single wireless-G resident device - Mom's laptop, currently) with all-gigabit LAN/WAN (the current router has that, so why backstep)

My current finalists:

1. Netgear WNDR3700 and all progeny thereof - The NETGEAR WNDR3700 was designed to compete heads-up with the old flagship Linksys prosumer WRT6xxN, and has no less than seven progeny; the latest is the 450mbps bi-directional (by that I mean up to 450 mbps in each direction wirelessly on the 5 GHz band) WNDR4500, which can be found at under $200 both online and brick-and-mortar. The entire family also supports IPv6 (via either factory firmware or third-party optional firmware, such as DD-WRT/OpenWRT). Even better, you can find factory-refurbished versions of the WNDR3700 for under $100.

2. LinksysByCisco EA2700 - No USB support, but all the other features for a growing LAN, including dual-band and all-gigabit LAN/WAN ports; like the WNDR3700, it can be found under $100.

I have the WNDR3700 and it's ok... it's just that the 5 GHz mode is pretty weak and it has to be reset occasionally to work properly. And of course sometimes when they updated firmware they introduced new or older problems.

Asus RT-N66U allows you to monitor bandwidth. Also - you could get router that supports tomato usb firmware which also does this.

I have the N56U and that only lets you see what bandwidth is being used, but not what is using it. With a lot of devices it would get confusing trying to figure out which one is using bandwidth.

That said, the N66U might have improved firmware. Just wanted to point that out anyway :p

Tell you one thing, these routers are like 3x the size of the Airport, and all have stupid antennas sticking out. Is there anything that doesn't have any of those?

Asus RT-N56U is a fairly small black diamond shape without external antennas, but like I said it doesn't show you which clients are using bandwidth. Although you can see whether bandwidth is being used on the 2.4/5GHz bands or through Ethernet.

Another vote for the Netgear WNDR4500. Awesome router. If too expensive, get the WNDR4000.

ASUS are new to routers and their buggy firmware is still a problem IMO. While they look good on paper and speedtests, they have proven to not be very reliable.

I have never found Netgear to be any good until their WNDR3700/4000/4500 series. They really are excellent wireless routers.

Is it not possible to change ISP? I'd be so p**sed if my ISP did that.

If you can get hold of a Cisco Linksys E4200 V1 (Broadcom, v. important) you can stick DD-WRT or another custom firmware on. I've found this to be rocksolid and can highly recommend it!

Here's a screenshot from my ASUS RT-N16 running TomatoUSB+VPN.

Live stats per-device. There's also historical stats (daily & monthly).

routercopy.png

Anything that can run custom firmware (as mentioned, the most popular ones being DD-WRT & Tomato) will give you infinitely more options than those that leave you at the mercy of the vendor firmware.

I have the WNDR3700 and it's ok... it's just that the 5 GHz mode is pretty weak and it has to be reset occasionally to work properly. And of course sometimes when they updated firmware they introduced new or older problems.

That is why I like the option of third-party firmware (such as DD-WRT/OpenWRT/X-WRT - which HAS been known to support features factory firmware lacks).

Another vote for the Netgear WNDR4500. Awesome router. If too expensive, get the WNDR4000.

ASUS are new to routers and their buggy firmware is still a problem IMO. While they look good on paper and speedtests, they have proven to not be very reliable.

I have never found Netgear to be any good until their WNDR3700/4000/4500 series. They really are excellent wireless routers.

That is, in fact, why I recommend the WNDR3700 and its progeny; you aren't tied to factory firmware. Also, you can buy the Netgear routers brick and mortar (you aren't stuck buying online and thereby relying on online for support).

That is why I like the option of third-party firmware (such as DD-WRT/OpenWRT/X-WRT - which HAS been known to support features factory firmware lacks).

That is, in fact, why I recommend the WNDR3700 and its progeny; you aren't tied to factory firmware. Also, you can buy the Netgear routers brick and mortar (you aren't stuck buying online and thereby relying on online for support).

The DD-WRT version's range is worse... Right now I'm using OpenWRT and it's so far the best option.... but 5 GHz still isn't really an option.

Custom firmware or not for a little bit more you could get a referb/end-of-life enterprise access point like Aironet which will do all a consumer device an do and more multiple SSID's VLan SNMP automatic frequency selection etc

Same with switches once they go end of life their cost plummets, One generation old enterprise hardware will own any current gen consumer equipment.

  • 4 weeks later...

Another vote for the Netgear WNDR4500. Awesome router. If too expensive, get the WNDR4000.

ASUS are new to routers and their buggy firmware is still a problem IMO. While they look good on paper and speedtests, they have proven to not be very reliable.

I have never found Netgear to be any good until their WNDR3700/4000/4500 series. They really are excellent wireless routers.

I wouldn't count out the current (v4) iteration of the WNDR3700, either.

I just installed mine (replaced the WNR3500v1) this week (Thursday, in fact), and it is proving itself superior to every other router I've used or had experience with.

First off - they DID apparently fix the over-bright LED problem (it was an issue with older versions of both this router AND the WNR3500v1/v2/L) - the router no longer rivals my lit window case fan for brightest object in a dark room other than the display!

Second - IPv6 support is available; it's disabled by default, though. (The issue is ISP support - not support by the OSes; fortunately, Comcast supports IPv6 here, so I could enable in in the router's Advanced Setup. Therefore, every connection that supports IPv6 can *use* IPv6, which is the Windows 8 desktop [mine], the Windows 7 desktop in the library [Mom's} and even Mom's legacy laptop running XP SP3. Mom's smart TV all the way upstairs is on the completely-separate 5 GHz N band by its lonesome - no idea if it supports IPv6.)

Third - the connection speed (wired OR wireless) is fast. Sync-up speed - even over 100 mbps, rather than gigabit - is decidedly zippier than the WNR3500v1. (That is something that made no sense, as the older router ALSO had gigabit WAN/LAN; however, as it aged, I started having issues with connection timeouts - not just on Mom's PC in the library on the main floor, by my own desktop, which is less than a foot from the router via a wired connection. That means it was either the chipset, the router ports, or both.

Fourth - the still. inexpensive price - it's $90. (For once, Newegg and Best Buy have the same price; both undercut MicroCenter, which has the same router for $10 more. Amazon has the same price as Newegg and Best Buy.)

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Exactly, this is just the beginning. I hope that by that time, our inept politicians devise something like a Universal Basic Income, because unemployment and poverty rates will skyrocket otherwise. And believe me, robots that perform physical work aren't a matter of IF, but WHEN. No career is truly safe from AI/robots, it's just a matter of time.
    • Subtitle Edit 5.0.0 by Razvan Serea Subtitle Edit is a powerful, free, and user-friendly subtitle editing tool designed for creating, editing, and converting subtitles for videos. It supports a wide range of subtitle formats, including SRT, ****, and SUB, allowing users to easily modify and adjust subtitles for accurate timing and formatting. With its intuitive interface, Subtitle Edit provides a variety of features such as waveform audio display, spell-check, subtitle synchronization, and real-time video preview, making it an ideal choice for both beginners and professionals. The software also includes powerful tools for batch processing, translating subtitles, and converting between different subtitle formats. Subtitle Edit features: Create/adjust/sync/translate subtitle lines Convert between SubRib, MicroDVD, Advanced Sub Station Alpha, Sub Station Alpha, D-Cinema, SAMI, youtube sbv, and many more (300+ different formats!) Cool audio visualizer control - can display wave form and/or spectrogram Video player uses mpv, DirectShow, or VLC media player Visually sync/adjust a subtitle (start/end position and speed) Audio to text (speech recognition) via Whisper or Vosk/Kaldi Auto Translation via Google translate Rip subtitles from a (decrypted) dvd Import and OCR VobSub sub/idx binary subtitles Import and OCR Blu-ray .sup files - bd sup reading is based on Java code from BDSup2Sub Can open subtitles embedded inside Matroska files Can open subtitles (text, closed captions, VobSub) embedded inside mp4/mv4 files Can open/OCR XSub subtitles embedded inside divx/avi files Can open/OCR DVB and teletext subtitles embedded inside .ts/.m2ts (Transport Stream) files Can open/OCR Blu-ray subtitles embedded inside .m2ts (Transport Stream) files Merge/split subtitles Adjust display time Fix common errors wizard....and more. Subtitle Edit 5.0.0 changelog: Subtitle Edit 5 is a major new release and a big step for the project. For the first time, Subtitle Edit runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux from a single, modern, cross-platform codebase. The builds are self-contained, so no separate .NET installation is required, and on macOS and Linux the needed media components (mpv/ffmpeg) are bundled in. Please read before upgrading: Subtitle Edit 5 is a new application, not just an update of Subtitle Edit 4. It has been rebuilt from the ground up to be cross-platform, so: It is not 100% the same app. The look, layout, and some workflows have changed. Some things are in different places, and a few behave differently than in SE4. Not every SE4 feature exists in SE5 yet. SE5 covers all the core editing, conversion, sync, video playback, OCR, and online services, but some of the more specialized SE4 tools are not available yet. Features will continue to be added. If you rely on a specific SE4 feature that is missing, please keep SE4 installed alongside SE5. The easiest way to run both side by side is to use the Portable versions of SE4 and SE5, which keep their settings separate and do not interfere with each other. Which version should I use? Subtitle Edit 5: recommended for most users on Windows 10 (22H2) or newer, macOS 12+, and Linux. Subtitle Edit 4: please continue to use SE4 if you are on an older Windows version (Windows 7/8), or on older / slower computers where SE5 may not run well. SE4 remains available and is the right choice in those cases. To run SE4 and SE5 at the same time, use the Portable versions - you can try SE5 while keeping SE4 as a fallback. Download: Subtitle Edit 5.0.0 | ARM64 | ~60.0 MB (Open Source) Download: Subtitle Edit Portable | 103.0 MB View: Subtitle Edit Homepage | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Google Pixel 11 series: Here's what to expect by Hamid Ganji Google Pixel 10 series In recent years, Google has successfully turned its Pixel devices into worthy contenders in the smartphone market. The search giant is now preparing to launch the Pixel 11 series in just a few months, and many Pixel fans are likely wondering what Google has in store for them this year. The next lineup of Google smartphones includes four devices: the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. This year, we don’t expect Google to bring revolutionary upgrades to its handsets, and the Pixel 11 series is likely to receive modest hardware improvements alongside a slew of AI-powered features. Here are the rumored specifications of the Google Pixel 11 series ahead of its official debut: When will the new Pixel phones be unveiled? The last two generations of Google Pixel phones (Pixel 9 series and Pixel 10 series) were launched in August, unlike the previous three generations that debuted in October. With that in mind, we expect Google to unveil the Pixel 11 series sometime in August 2026. The exact launch date has yet to be confirmed. Google Pixel 11 CAD renders - Image via AndroidHeadlines How much will the Pixel 11 series cost? Predicting the final price of upcoming smartphones has become increasingly difficult. As you may know, RAM and memory prices are rising sharply, leading to significant increases in the cost of consumer electronics. Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that price increases for some future Apple products are unavoidable, suggesting that the iPhone 18 series could become more expensive. Google has remained tight-lipped about any potential price increases for the Pixel 11 series. If the company manages to maintain last year’s pricing structure, here’s what the lineup could cost: Pixel 11: $799 Pixel 11 Pro: $999 Pixel 11 Pro XL: $1,199 Pixel 11 Pro Fold: $1,799 Given current market conditions, it may be difficult for Google to avoid raising prices unless it adopts cost-saving measures, such as equipping the base model with 8GB of RAM. Google Pixel 11 series anticipated specs: We expect the Google Pixel 11 series to debut with a new Tensor G6 processor as well as an upgraded camera system. The overall design, however, is expected to remain largely unchanged across the lineup. Specifications Pixel 11 Pixel 11 Pro Pixel 11 Pro XL Pixel 11 Pro Fold Display 6.3-inch LTPO AMOLED / 120Hz refresh rate / up to 3100 nits of brightness 6.3-inch Super Actua LTPO OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, up to 3600 nits of brightness 6.8-inch Super Actua LTPO OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, up to 3600 nits of brightness 8-inch inner screen and 6.4-inch outer display, 120Hz refresh rate, up to 3600 nits of brightness RAM & Processor Tensor G6 / 8-12GB of RAM Tensor G6 / 12-16GB of RAM Tensor G6 / 12-16GB of RAM Tensor G6 / 16GB of RAM Storage options 128GB or 256GB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Camera 50MP main sensor, 13MP ultra-wide, 10.8MP 5x telephoto, 10.5MP front camera 50MP main camera, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, 42MP selfie camera 50MP main camera, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, 42MP selfie camera 50MP main camera, 10.5MP ultra-wide camera, 10.8MP telephoto camera, 10MP front camera, 10MP inner camera Battery 4,840 mAh 4,707 mAh 5,000 mAh 4,658 mAh Software Android 17 Android 17 Android 17 Android 17 The Pixel 11 series won’t be a major departure from its predecessor, with Google instead focusing on subtle improvements and AI additions such as Gemini Intelligence. However, a patent filed by Google suggests the company is working on a removable battery for its smartphones, and we could see this feature make its way to the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Given that nearly all smartphones today lack removable batteries, such a feature would be a welcome addition to future Pixel devices. That said, it may not arrive with this year’s lineup after all, and the final decision is yet to be made by Google. The Pixel 11 series could also face an uphill battle in the market. In the Android segment, Samsung is performing well with the Galaxy S26 series, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 lineup is also expected to launch next month. On the other hand, Apple is preparing to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in September alongside its first foldable iPhone.
    • At least AMD is still taking Windows 10 seriously (after the oops) before it consumer extended support ends. @WaltC - Memories, 2x Voodoo in SLI with a Riva TNT with an Aureal A3D soundcard.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      timbobit earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      nates earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Rookie
      dorf went up a rank
      Rookie
    • First Post
      mike_rumble earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      475
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      172
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      105
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      88
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      70
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!