indiehouse
Occasional Visitor
Hi all, I have been driving myself mad trying to choose the best router for my needs. I'm looking to replace a Linksys WRT1900ACS that, I think, has been giving me dropouts. I've already replaced my modem with an Arris SB8200 (capable up to 1Gbps). I have a family of four, two kids 6 and 11. We pay for 100Mbs. Our home is two-stories and a basement, around 2400 sq/ft, and I'd like to cover both levels and the basement, preferably with a single router. Our speed seems to be doing us fine for now. We don't game and we stream our TV needs. I work from home with occasional video calls. There are 10-15 devices in the house, more when we host family. And a Ring doorbell. We don't have any wired connection needs for now. Everything is wifi.
I could see us needing faster speeds as the kids get older. Our ISP doesn't offer anything above 1Gbps right now.
The routers I am choosing between:
TP-Link AX3000 (Archer AX55) - $100
Asus RT-AX86S (renewed from Amazon) - $130
TP-Link AXE5400 (Archer AXE75) - $150
Asus RT-X86U Pro - $220
Synology WRX560 - $220
I know the RT-X86U Pro is capable of faster speeds than my modem can pump out. Wirecutter named the TP-Link AX55 the 2024 best router for most homes. I don't want to pay for features I don't need. I would like to be a bit future proofed in terms of speed, but don't know when I'd upgrade. Having adequate coverage in our home is important. I'm thinking the RT-86S might be fine? Unless there's a reason I need to think about the 86U or Synology?
1. Do I need to be concerned with a 2.5Gpbs port?
2. What is the RAM and CPU used for in a router? Do I need to pay for a router with better specs?
Any advice would be appreciated.
I could see us needing faster speeds as the kids get older. Our ISP doesn't offer anything above 1Gbps right now.
The routers I am choosing between:
TP-Link AX3000 (Archer AX55) - $100
Asus RT-AX86S (renewed from Amazon) - $130
TP-Link AXE5400 (Archer AXE75) - $150
Asus RT-X86U Pro - $220
Synology WRX560 - $220
I know the RT-X86U Pro is capable of faster speeds than my modem can pump out. Wirecutter named the TP-Link AX55 the 2024 best router for most homes. I don't want to pay for features I don't need. I would like to be a bit future proofed in terms of speed, but don't know when I'd upgrade. Having adequate coverage in our home is important. I'm thinking the RT-86S might be fine? Unless there's a reason I need to think about the 86U or Synology?
1. Do I need to be concerned with a 2.5Gpbs port?
2. What is the RAM and CPU used for in a router? Do I need to pay for a router with better specs?
Any advice would be appreciated.