Looking for Future Proof Wireless Router

[Jose_49]

Hello :D. 

 

I should've posted this earlier, but it was just now that it occurred to me. I've been living in the US for almost 3 years and now I'm heading back home. 

 

Back home I had a good ol' WRT-54g from Linksys, but it kind of died.  It also didn't support anything newer such as802.1n, 802.11ac. Last time I visited I was using the ISP's router and it was utter garbage. 

 

 

We now have so many devices that it puts a lot of strains into the systems. I'm looking for something (Willing to pay up to $450) that should future-proof the number of devices that get connected to the Internet. 

 

 

I'm bringing with me: an echo, phone, PS4, Xbox, PC, Tablet. And many of those passively use the Internet all the time. 

 

What is a good recommendation? Should I go with 802.11ad routers even if they're more expensive? 

 

While I'm not planning on doing 4k streaming anytime soon, I do plan to stream from the Xbox and PS4 directly to the PC, and vice-versa. 

 

I expect many more devices to be connected in the future. What would be a good future-proof  Router? 

 

Note: I'm in a buying position right now. (I need to have something for Thursday, probably Friday at the latest). I'm returning on Tuesday. I'm also not worried about features such as: IP scanning, traffic monitoring, etc.

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

Where are you? Saying you been in the USA, where are you going to?

 

The way most people think of routers here, any plastic consumer part isn't cutting it.

[adrynalyne]

9 minutes ago, Jose_49 said:

Hello :D. 

 

I should've posted this earlier, but it was just now that it occurred to me. I've been living in the US for almost 3 years and now I'm heading back home. 

 

Back home I had a good ol' WRT-54g from Linksys, but it kind of died.  It also didn't support anything newer such as802.1n, 802.11ac. Last time I visited I was using the ISP's router and it was utter garbage. 

 

 

We now have so many devices that it puts a lot of strains into the systems. I'm looking for something (Willing to pay up to $450) that should future-proof the number of devices that get connected to the Internet. 

 

 

I'm bringing with me: an echo, phone, PS4, Xbox, PC, Tablet. And many of those passively use the Internet all the time. 

 

What is a good recommendation? Should I go with 802.11ad routers even if they're more expensive? 

 

While I'm not planning on doing 4k streaming anytime soon, I do plan to stream from the Xbox and PS4 directly to the PC, and vice-versa. 

 

I expect many more devices to be connected in the future. What would be a good future-proof  Router? 

 

Note: I'm in a buying position right now. (I need to have something for Thursday, probably Friday at the latest). I'm returning on Tuesday. I'm also not worried about features such as: IP scanning, traffic monitoring, etc.

https://unifi-hd.ubnt.com/

[Dysphoria]

Any new router will work... but dont think there is such a thing as future proof ... sooner or later there will be something new out-there doing the job better or more efficient...

[Jose_49]

12 minutes ago, Euphoria said:

Any new router will work... but dont think there is such a thing as future proof ... sooner or later there will be something new out-there doing the job better or more efficient...

I agree. 

 

Does it make sense to spend more than $200 for a Wireless Router?

21 minutes ago, adrynalyne said:

https://unifi-hd.ubnt.com/

Looks Cool :). I'm going to check it out...

[BritBronco]

We use this at work https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-pro/

And i use the LR version at home. Great devices, though they are not firewalls, you will need to add that to your order, Edgerouter X SFP is what i am currently using and its great.

[+BudMan MVC]

You do understand that WPA3 is coming "SOON" but good luck buying anything currently that supports it, or that will is the question.. So yeah not really possible to "future" proof..  What ad router are you looking at?  nighthawk x10?  I have not bothered to look what their statement of wpa3 is on that hardware..

[majortom1981]

Asus routers are pretty good. They have regulary been giving my model updates still . it also accepts third party firmware and has openvpn build in.

[Jose_49]

32 minutes ago, BudMan said:

You do understand that WPA3 is coming "SOON" but good luck buying anything currently that supports it, or that will is the question.. So yeah not really possible to "future" proof..  What ad router are you looking at?  nighthawk x10?  I have not bothered to look what their statement of wpa3 is on that hardware..

Thanks everybody so far for your feedback! 

Yes, it was the NightHawk x10

Arrgh, I seem to have committed a noob mistake, as I didn't express myself correctly. I have also been disconnected from the router world for a very long time. When I'm saying future proof, I'd like to get the latest standard (802.11ad preferably) + a router that will be able to hold at around 50 devices simultaneously. In addition, I should be able to at least do 1080p local streaming with my gaming devices. 

I know it's impossible to keep up with all the specs (Heck, I didn't know WPA3 was coming out of the door). And I don't have a lot of devices that even support 802.11ac (Only my tablet and laptop). Of course, there's always the option to replace the router when it's needed. 

Maybe I'm just getting too paranoid, as I like to buy devices that can hold at least 5+ years. 

I could always spend $150 now, and then down-the-road spend another $150 (I

 

[Astra.Xtreme]

I bought this OnHub router last year and really like it:  https://www.amazon.com/Google-WiFi-Router-TP-Link-Managed/dp/B013ALA9LA

It has a lot of antennas (internal), so the range is fantastic.  It also works with Google's WiFi app, so you can set it up and monitor it remotely.

It's not really an "expert" router, but it's reliable, pretty cheap, and can handle a lot of bandwidth.  I'd recommend it.

[Jose_49]

11 hours ago, Mindovermaster said:

Where are you? Saying you been in the USA, where are you going to?

 

The way most people think of routers here, any plastic consumer part isn't cutting it.

Heading to the Dominican Republic. My house is made of concrete, and Wireless Signals aren't the best when it comes to going through the walls.

[Jose_49]

1 hour ago, BudMan said:

You do understand that WPA3 is coming "SOON" but good luck buying anything currently that supports it, or that will is the question.. So yeah not really possible to "future" proof..  What ad router are you looking at?  nighthawk x10?  I have not bothered to look what their statement of wpa3 is on that hardware..

Just checked, the specs are WPA, and WPA2. 

 

I've kept doing some research. I think it's safer to go with an ac router and spend around $150. AD routers are still in their infancy, and in case I need something more powerful I'd just spend another $150 in the next 3 - 5 years.

 

I'm looking between the Unify AC Pro As @adrynalyne and @Bronco have suggested, and the OnHub from @Astra.Xtreme

 

I'm more concerned with the number of simultaneous connected devices and the local stream capabilities. 

[+BudMan MVC]

30 minutes ago, Jose_49 said:

Wireless Signals aren't the best when it comes to going through the walls.

You do understand that ad wifi is per room anyway.  It not designed to go through any wall no matter what they are made of... Maybe if your in Japan when a house made of paper   .ad is 60Ghz band.. A "router" that has ad is kind of pointless unless your devices are all going to be in the same room as the router.

 

If your going in a house with think walls, your far better off making sure you can wire between rooms and running AP in the different rooms.  This will allow ad to function and with the speeds of ad well over gig your going to need 10ge between or at min 803.11bz which can allow for 2.5 or 5mbps..

 

Maybe look at something does ac now - maybe even wave2 and is mesh capable.  Uses a wireless band for uplink and does not look overall bandwidth because clients don't actually connect to the band used for uplink.  Its another radio.  You might want to look at the new unifi ap.. the ac-hd models but they are bit pricey.  While the ac-nanohd is more price friendly.

 

You could go to any store and pick up a $20-40 router and it would be better than a wrt-54g   Who even runs g anymore?  It's been dead for many years to be honest.

 

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

arent we looking at 802.11ax pretty soon? idk when it'll be released to market, but i'd be waiting for that before buying a new router.

 

https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/5/17429032/asus-80211ax-routers-announced-rog-gaming

[Jose_49]

55 minutes ago, BudMan said:

You do understand that ad wifi is per room anyway.  It not designed to go through any wall no matter what they are made of... Maybe if your in Japan when a house made of paper   .ad is 60Ghz band.. A "router" that has ad is kind of pointless unless your devices are all going to be in the same room as the router.

 

If your going in a house with think walls, your far better off making sure you can wire between rooms and running AP in the different rooms.  This will allow ad to function and with the speeds of ad well over gig your going to need 10ge between or at min 803.11bz which can allow for 2.5 or 5mbps..

 

Maybe look at something does ac now - maybe even wave2 and is mesh capable.  Uses a wireless band for uplink and does not look overall bandwidth because clients don't actually connect to the band used for uplink.  Its another radio.  You might want to look at the new unifi ap.. the ac-hd models but they are bit pricey.  While the ac-nanohd is more price friendly.

 

You could go to any store and pick up a $20-40 router and it would be better than a wrt-54g   Who even runs g anymore?  It's been dead for many years to be honest.

 

I'm starting to understand more my situation and the more I read, the more I realize that I won't probably use any of the "computing power" these networking devices have.

 

I just read this article (Opinions on that?)

https://www.networkworld.com/article/3193058/mobile-wireless/why-2x2-wave-2-access-points-make-no-sense.html

 

The highest-end of my devices have 2x2 MIMO. (Probably in the future there will be 4X4)

https://pakedge.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/2x2-3x3-what-does-it-matterfind-out/

 

I also checked this out:

 

 

I'm inclining myself with the Unify router. Now the question is, which Unify version should I go with?
 

 

 

 

20 minutes ago, Jason S. said:

arent we looking at 802.11ax pretty soon? idk when it'll be released to market, but i'd be waiting for that before buying a new router.

 

https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/5/17429032/asus-80211ax-routers-announced-rog-gaming

Interesting about the .ax router. Probably it makes sense to go for a cheaper route now, and then make a reasonable upgrade in the next 2-3 years. I don't think I won't have a device with those capabilities until then.

1 hour ago, BudMan said:

You could go to any store and pick up a $20-40 router and it would be better than a wrt-54g   Who even runs g anymore?  It's been dead for many years to be honest.

 

Heheheh, That I know. In my house we've been using the ISP's Huwawei router that come with it.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

2 minutes ago, Jose_49 said:

Interesting about the .ax router. Probably it makes sense to go for a cheaper route now, and then make a reasonable upgrade in the next 2-3 years. I don't think I won't have a device with those capabilities until then.

werent you looking to future proof? why buy an ac router now and then spend the money again to upgrade to ax?

[Jose_49]

1 minute ago, Jason S. said:

werent you looking to future proof? why buy an ac router now and then spend the money again to upgrade to ax?

The problem is that I  need something now. I can't properly connect all of my devices without the Internet falling apart (Through the ISP's Router). And I thought on investing some money so it could serve for the years to come. But if we're in this transitioning state (Which I didn't know at the time of writing the OP post), then I rather not spend too much, and wait for 2 years, and then make a good purchase.

 

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

makes sense. fwiw, i've been very happy w/ my Netgear 'ac' router, the R7000. cant be too expensive these days...

[Jose_49]

Considering all the info stated above. I think I'm going to get a Ubiquiti Unifi Ap-AC Long Range - Wireless Access Point - 802.11 B/A/G/n/AC (UAP-AC-LR-US)

 

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Ap-AC-Long-Range/dp/B015PRCBBI/ref=sr_1_2?tag=crosstalksolu-20&s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1531973021&sr=1-2&keywords=uap-ac-lr

 

Close to $100. I'll then, sell it off eBay (Probably around $60) next year, and get a proper .ax Router or Access Point.

 

 

Any last thoughts? It's either the Long Range or the Lite one from Ubiquiti! (And it's only $17 from one another)

 

 

[Brandon H Supervisor]

1 hour ago, Jose_49 said:

Just checked, the specs are WPA, and WPA2. 

 

I've kept doing some research. I think it's safer to go with an ac router and spend around $150. AD routers are still in their infancy, and in case I need something more powerful I'd just spend another $150 in the next 3 - 5 years.

 

I'm looking between the Unify AC Pro As @adrynalyne and @Bronco have suggested, and the OnHub from @Astra.Xtreme

 

I'm more concerned with the number of simultaneous connected devices and the local stream capabilities. 

was just about to comment saying AD is still very new and almost no devices support it yet; being rather new the AD routers are still overly expensive as well.

 

Here are my 2 recommendations; both of which support great custom firmware if desired (recommended as OEM firmware sucks most the time and doesn't get updated as often as it should)

 

Linksys WRT1900ACS - Can run OpenWRT

 

Asus RT-AC3200 - Can run Merlin

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

I have the ASUS RT-N66R. Been better than my D-Link, or Netgear models.

[Circaflex]

If you want future proofing, why not go with a gigabit router and add access points for the wireless feature. you can always replace just the access point down the road if you need whatever new technology comes out.

[+BudMan MVC]

Future proof is separation of router and your wifi.. These really never belong together anyway.  Your router is going to be located where the internet comes into the building.  Ie the edge.. Then is almost never going to be the best place for the AP..

 

Unifi makes good AP at a decent price point.  I have a lite LR and a PRO...  Pro is in the center of the house, lite is in the guest room back of the house and the LR is in the kitchen that also covers the outside patio area.

 

I would love to get a new shd version to play with.  But next purchase w8ll prob be one of their nanoHD models.  So if you have decided on what you want to do for your wifi, you now need to figure out what you do for your router and prob want/need a real switch that can do vlans..  This sort of setup is future proofing..  Where you can swap out parts at a time, not the whole thing at once.  And expand and grow.. If you need more  coverage for wifi or new feature of wifi you can just get another AP and still leave your other AP in play for older devices, etc.  Putting all your eggs in one basket is not the way to go..

[Jose_49]

14 minutes ago, BudMan said:

Future proof is separation of router and your wifi.. These really never belong together anyway.  Your router is going to be located where the internet comes into the building.  Ie the edge.. Then is almost never going to be the best place for the AP..

 

Unifi makes good AP at a decent price point.  I have a lite LR and a PRO...  Pro is in the center of the house, lite is in the guest room back of the house and the LR is in the kitchen that also covers the outside patio area.

 

I would love to get a new shd version to play with.  But next purchase w8ll prob be one of their nanoHD models.  So if you have decided on what you want to do for your wifi, you now need to figure out what you do for your router and prob want/need a real switch that can do vlans..  This sort of setup is future proofing..  Where you can swap out parts at a time, not the whole thing at once.  And expand and grow.. If you need more  coverage for wifi or new feature of wifi you can just get another AP and still leave your other AP in play for older devices, etc.  Putting all your eggs in one basket is not the way to go..

Excellent, I have learned quite a bit from this forum post (the whole thing). Now I know I had to do more research for the future.

 

I'll go with the Lite LR and then get something decent. I need to understand where the possible bottlenecks are in my house, once I get there!

 

Thanks everyone for all the help!!!

P.S: I checked previous posts! Thanks for the consideration

[+BudMan MVC]

There is no lite LR   There is a lite model and a LR model... hehehe

 

Lite is prob fine for your first purchase to be sure.. What you going to do for your "router'?  To be honest you could prob still leverage your wrt54g for the wired routing depending on your internet speeds.. If less then 25mbps your good for it running your wired connection prob... But I don't think those things can really handle more than say 15-25mbps max on the nat/firewall point anyway...

 

What you looking at for switch and or router?  Netgate/pfsense got some new appliance coming out soon - rumors hearing that could be game changer for price point and netgate..  But if your going to go unifi route - you might want to look at their switches and USG.. not really a fan to be honest - but the price point is good.. And the USG does move packets without a problem...  I have one on shelf let you have for good price before you move.. It for sure handles 500/50 without issue.. But it was only place holder till I could get my pfsense sg-4860 online.  After move to 500/50 internet that the vm pfsense could not handle.