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Best Router for ~$100

Kursah

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I can get an Asus RT-N66U for $100 right now. I have been meaning to replace my cheap Belkin router for a while...it's just been dependable and gotten us through with having the basics covered. It'll be an excellent backup or AP.

I was wondering what you guys recommend at this point for something at this pricepoint?

I want to be able to have some decent management and control options, and a smaller footprint. I wish I could do a small ITX build dedicated to routing, but that's just not in the cards atm. I would like a decent router though!

I just moved to a much more saturated network, but my old lady's phone won't connect to our network with the SSID off...she may have to deal with it as her new phone with 4G LTE does just fine without wifi. Just not quite as snappy.

Regardless...anything have an edge on the N66U? Can I get the same quality for less (I'm on a very tight budget...but just sold off some things...if I can save some cash my basement wiring project can start early!).

Thanks folks! :toast:
 

OneMoar

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get the RT-N66U soild unit,fast,replaceable antenna and DDWRT,tomato,merlinwrt support
if you don't need WIFI AC then the RT-N66u is the one to go with
http://cl.ly/W4Tb/Image 2014-06-15 at 9.20.06 PM.png
if It doesn't have external antenna's then its gonna have exactly no range
 

Kursah

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Ya me Belkin has internal antennas and it does okay in the new place...but it's dependability has been touch and go. It's a good backup or AP but that's about it...I don't want to risk depending on it.

I don't need AC yet...I have no WiFi AC devices in the house as of yet.
 

OneMoar

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Last edited:

Kursah

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Motherboard Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 | Stock Cooling
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v | 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
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Display(s) Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 | 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low | Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s) Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) | Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 | 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse Logitech G502 | Logitech M330
Keyboard HyperX Alloy Core RGB | Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software Windows 11 Pro x64 | Windows 11 Home x64
Ya I looked at it initially...and while my Belkin is okay with its internal antennas for now...I'd have to mod my next router for externals (I'm sure it can be done)...I'd rather just have one that has externals already. I am still debating the AC56U for the price though...I might have to go for it... my$100 option is gone... now it's $129 new. I can get a refurb for $100...but lack of warranty...
 

Solaris17

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wow kursah we actually run n66us at work for the shops. We were on dd-wrt and it was great but the stock firmware is actually fantastic. and the routers themselves are great units. you really couldnt go wrong.
 

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Kursah

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Case Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low | Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s) Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) | Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 | 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse Logitech G502 | Logitech M330
Keyboard HyperX Alloy Core RGB | Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
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We run ciscos and Sonicwalls at work and for our customers...but I have started getting them to branch into Asus products for our home-based users. I'm not sure of the exact models we're using yet...but that AC66R refurb seems awfully tempting....thinking that may be the one! Then at least I'll have AC capabilities in the future.

I won't lie...a quick read of the all the port failures on this AC66R have me kinda nervous that I should just get my first choice...I guess it's always a gamble. I just hate not having at least a 1-yr warranty with a part.
 
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Asus firmware is insecure tho. You hook up a USB drive and the world can see it if you enter a special URL. Also its a bit on the unstable side.

There are also other vulnerabilities reported on reddit and ars as well. Too tired to find em..


If you go with asus than you need to get 3rd party firmware.
 

OneMoar

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Asus firmware is insecure tho. You hook up a USB drive and the world can see it if you enter a special URL. Also its a bit on the unstable side.

There are also other vulnerabilities reported on reddit and ars as well. Too tired to find em..


If you go with asus than you need to get 3rd party firmware.
naa the issue was ASUS had ftp running in anonymous mode by default
you had to manually enabled FTP tho just a cause of bad defaults
 

Kursah

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Case Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low | Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s) Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) | Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 | 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse Logitech G502 | Logitech M330
Keyboard HyperX Alloy Core RGB | Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
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Good to know! Thanks guys! I'm still researching and hoping a sale strikes any moment for a new one closer to my budget! :toast:
 

Kursah

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I'm really debating that Asus AC66u refurb for $109 with 90-day warranty... but seeing that the new N66U is $126 it's tempting to go new and have a 2yr warranty.

I am concerned with all the negative reviews for the AC66U and it's dead WAN ports... I don't want to spend money on something that has a high failure rate...but it makes me wonder how many of those issues are firmware updates and unknowledgeable users.

Both review really really well...it would be nice to have AC for the future too...
 

Solaris17

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Benchmark Scores I dont have time for that.
Just to put it out their our A66U was bout when our 3rd store was opened mroe than a year ago. We do backups on multiple machines everyday throughout the day as well as downloads etc your talking 20+ machines running the network at once. 2 5 port switches are connected to the router as well as a few data drops and our NAS has a direct connection. all the stores have a 66u in shop with the same network infrastructure. except 1. that 1 store also has a 66u but we provide internet to the rest of the plaza as well and not a single one has failed. We keep our firmware upto date however.

To be extra extra fair though I was looking at some asus AC units and drooling.
 

Kursah

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Case Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low | Stock Metal/Plastic
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Power Supply EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 | 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse Logitech G502 | Logitech M330
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Well that makes me lean more towards the N66U... $20 and fewer features, but with a warranty... or save some $$$, shorter warranty by 21 months but more features....like I said if I hadn't have read all the negative reviews I wouldn't be up in the air.

Both rate so well, I just wish I had the $$$ to buy the AC new... I don't have any AC wifi gear yet...who knows when I will...but when I do it will sure as hell be nice to already have a router that supports it! That is never how it works out for me. And maybe it shouldn't this time...I'm happy with N speeds for the Wifi and I'll be connected to the gigabit ethernet for now anyways.

Maybe I should make a poll lol. I just want to make the right decision...I am going to have a tough time swinging the $130 for the new N66US router...it would be easier for me to buy the refurb'd AC66R...but the risk with it...hmm.

:toast:
 

Solaris17

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I cant speak for the R unfortunately and AC sounds fine and dandy but a spool of 1kft cat 5e isnt that bad and I can just data drop my house which would make AC irrelevant not to mention AC wifi gear is kinda pricy N can be had for next to nothing.
 

OneMoar

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wth do you need a warranty for the warranty on mine was good for about 25M after I got it hooked up and then I flashed DDWRT
as for the port issue that was a problem sometime ago asus acknowledged the problem and offered free replacements/repairs
 
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For consumer 802.11ac wait till later this year or early next for the MU-MIMO that bascially is like going from a hub to a switch... it's called Multi-User MIMO and it will be able to handle multiple clients at once rather then everyone "taking turns" and also beamforming will get better as well as even better 2.4Ghz performance.
 

Solaris17

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Benchmark Scores I dont have time for that.
For consumer 802.11ac wait till later this year or early next for the MU-MIMO that bascially is like going from a hub to a switch... it's called Milti-User MIMO and it will be able to handle multiple clients at once rather then everyone "taking turns" and also beamforming will get better as well as even better 2.4Ghz performance.

really even 2.4? im excited.
 
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Keyboard Logitech K740
Software Linux Mint 20
Benchmark Scores Network: APs: Cisco Meraki MR32, Ubiquiti Unifi AP-AC-LR and Lite Router/Sw:Meraki MX64 MS220-8P
Improved signalling and radios
 

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
28,472 (4.25/day)
Location
Indiana, USA
Processor Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory 32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super
Storage 500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s) Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s) Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
I can say that every ASUS router I've bought has been a refurb, and not a single one has failed.
 
Joined
May 13, 2010
Messages
5,632 (1.11/day)
System Name RemixedBeast-NX
Processor Intel Xeon E5-2690 @ 2.9Ghz (8C/16T)
Motherboard Dell Inc. 08HPGT (CPU 1)
Cooling Dell Standard
Memory 24GB ECC
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Nvidia RTX2060 6GB
Storage 2TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD//2TB WD Black HDD
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster P2350 23in @ 1920x1080 + Dell E2013H 20 in @1600x900
Case Dell Precision T3600 Chassis
Audio Device(s) Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 // Fiio E7 Amp/DAC
Power Supply 630w Dell T3600 PSU
Mouse Logitech G700s/G502
Keyboard Logitech K740
Software Linux Mint 20
Benchmark Scores Network: APs: Cisco Meraki MR32, Ubiquiti Unifi AP-AC-LR and Lite Router/Sw:Meraki MX64 MS220-8P
What firmware do you use?
 

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
28,472 (4.25/day)
Location
Indiana, USA
Processor Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory 32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super
Storage 500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s) Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s) Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
Shibby Tomato
 
Joined
May 13, 2010
Messages
5,632 (1.11/day)
System Name RemixedBeast-NX
Processor Intel Xeon E5-2690 @ 2.9Ghz (8C/16T)
Motherboard Dell Inc. 08HPGT (CPU 1)
Cooling Dell Standard
Memory 24GB ECC
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Nvidia RTX2060 6GB
Storage 2TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD//2TB WD Black HDD
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster P2350 23in @ 1920x1080 + Dell E2013H 20 in @1600x900
Case Dell Precision T3600 Chassis
Audio Device(s) Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 // Fiio E7 Amp/DAC
Power Supply 630w Dell T3600 PSU
Mouse Logitech G700s/G502
Keyboard Logitech K740
Software Linux Mint 20
Benchmark Scores Network: APs: Cisco Meraki MR32, Ubiquiti Unifi AP-AC-LR and Lite Router/Sw:Meraki MX64 MS220-8P
Yeah I've heard better things about using 3rd party firmware instead of the default on those.
 

Kursah

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 15, 2006
Messages
14,666 (2.30/day)
Location
Missoula, MT, USA
System Name Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition | Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor R7 5800X @ Stock | i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 | Stock Cooling
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v | 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB | CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage 4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD | 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s) Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 | 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low | Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s) Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) | Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 | 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse Logitech G502 | Logitech M330
Keyboard HyperX Alloy Core RGB | Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software Windows 11 Pro x64 | Windows 11 Home x64
Well...I'm getting the AC one then. I might not need it or even use it..but it's cheaper than the N. Thanks guys! I'll report back. :toast:

Edit: Order placed. I did the 3-day shipping for $5. Gonna be nice to have a decent router. I wish I got better deals on Sonicwalls at work...but this Asus should fit the bill at home perfectly. Thanks again guys.
 
Last edited:

Kursah

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 15, 2006
Messages
14,666 (2.30/day)
Location
Missoula, MT, USA
System Name Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition | Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor R7 5800X @ Stock | i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 | Stock Cooling
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v | 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB | CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage 4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD | 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s) Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 | 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low | Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s) Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) | Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 | 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse Logitech G502 | Logitech M330
Keyboard HyperX Alloy Core RGB | Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software Windows 11 Pro x64 | Windows 11 Home x64
Router in, hooked up, firmware upgraded, setup was quick and easy...amazing router! Uber happy so far. Signal is sooooo much better! I expected that, but it's something to truly appreciate too. Thanks for all the help folks! :toast:
 
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