Recommend wifi router

[r9]

I've been looking to update my trusty ole Tp-link AC1750 router even though it does the job with multiple firesticks and ipads and phones around the house when you add things like Steam link on top of it it starts to choke up.
So beside throughput I'll probably need something with beefier cpu/ram specs to handle that for now and future but I don't want to spend $500 for a router either.
Not looking for RGB or some fancy features I just need wifi router that does the wifi router things right range, speed, stability not necessarily in that order.
From what I was able to google it looks like toms and pcmag the authorities on routers but many times they'll have opposite reviews on an item and sometimes they'll give good score on same one but I go on Amazon and it has like only 3.5 stars.
Let me know if there is some other place where they do proper testing on routers and not make recommendations based on what's on the box.
The router that seems to have good around score is TP-Link Archer AX11000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 Router but costing $250 it's a bit pricey.
Another one is this one Reyee WiFi 6 Router AX3200. Sounds like no nonsense router.

PROS​

• Reasonably priced
• Easy to install
• Excellent throughput performance
• Strong signal performance

CONS​

• No USB ports
• Lacks multi-gig WAN/LAN
• Does not support WPA3
• Lacks 160MHz channel bandwidth

And after coupon is only $100 on Amazon.
Let me guys know what you think.

 

[dgianstefani]

TechPowerUp

www.techpowerup.com

List of routers on there. Refine as desired.

 

[dirtyferret]

Let me know if there is some other place where they do proper testing on routers

smallnetbuilder forum is pretty much the place to be for router questions, information, and recommendations. @TheLostSwede and I (under a different name) hang out there as well


Asus AC86U (currently using with multiple clients and rokus) and AX86U/S are often recommended.

 

[mechtech]

Check snbforums

$100 in the router department doesn’t get you much. As long as you’re fine with that.

check out Asus ax55u/56u perhaps?

 

[dirtyferret]

$100 in the router department doesn’t get you much

renewed but $120

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K1QC9FX/ref=dp_cr_wdg_tit_rfb

otherwise it's $130, probably worth if for the extra $10

 

[r9]

TechPowerUp

www.techpowerup.com

List of routers on there. Refine as desired.

I didn't know TPU did those I'm not really into routers I just want to make sure they work so probably just skipped over it.
But this time around is different, I'm on a mission to make Stream link work buttery smooth.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Anything supported by Merlin.

Home | Asuswrt-Merlin

www.asuswrt-merlin.net

That said, Asus has used a lot meh Broadcom chips in their cheaper AX routers, so they're not all equal.
For example, the RT-AX68U uses a dual Core Cortex-A9 SoC, whereas the RT-AX86S uses a triple-core Cortex-A7 SoC, while the RT-AX86U uses a quad core Cortex-A7 SoC.
The first two, as well as several other models are gimped and can't do 160 MHz channels. Also check the antenna specs, as just because a router has four antennas, doesn't mean it can do 4x4, but instead it has two 2.4 GHz and two 5 GHz antennas, rather than using dual band antennas.

Forget about TP-Link, unless you install a third party firmware like DD-WRT or OpenWRT, as their software support is crap. They seem on average to release three firmware updates per model, then they do a new hardware revision and stop supporting the older revision.

Personally, I'd say 4x4 on the 5 GHz band matters more than 160 MHz channel support, simply because you can better advantage of MU-MIMO this way, if you connect a lot of devices simultaneously to the router.