Buying Advise

[Internetuser957]

It It worth Getting a Netgear X4S R7800 for $100 (Or Rather Keeping as I Already got it)
to upgrade from my Asus 68U?

 

[rk8531]

It It worth Getting a Netgear X4S R7800 for $100 (Or Rather Keeping as I Already got it)
to upgrade from my Asus 68U?

I would straight away say no. It drops WiFi frequently. The last stable firmware from Netgear was a year ago. Moreover, QOS is shirt on this router. Even Voxel firmware can't fix these issues because Netgear doesn't let him do it .
If you want a trouble free WiFi then avoid Netgear. They abandon their router unlike Asus.

 

[Internetuser957]

I would straight away say no. It drops WiFi frequently. The last stable firmware from Netgear was a year ago. Moreover, QOS is shirt on this router. Even Voxel firmware can't fix these issues because Netgear doesn't let him do it .
If you want a trouble free WiFi then avoid Netgear. They abandon their router unlike Asus.

Right, But I Did hear that with Voxel the router preforms as it should (and its THE router SNB recommends)
Do have any Suggestions on what i should get (or for that matter if I should even upgrade in the first place as it seems that the Asus 68U is still a decent router)

 

[rk8531]

Right, But I Did hear that with Voxel the router preforms as it should (and its THE router SNB recommends)
Do have any Suggestions on what i should get (or for that matter if I should even upgrade in the first place as it seems that the Asus 68U is still a decent router)

I guess Kamoj and Voxel are the right people to ask this question because I am not using R7800 any longer. I don't know if they would still advise you to buy R7800 in 2019 because I think it has reached its EOL. I am tagging them .
@kamoj @Voxel

 

[microchip]

I use an R7800 with latest stock firmware .63 (hot fix) and have no issues with it. Granted, I don't use fancy things (nor do I have a need for) like QoS, VPN, Traffic Meter, etc. For the rest, the firmware is better than for other models where people constantly complain on the NETGEAR forum, especially about the R7000 firmware

That said, Voxel is a great alternative. You can also use OpenWrt/DD-WRT on this router as it's supported.

 

[Klueless]

It It worth Getting a Netgear X4S R7800 for $100 (Or Rather Keeping as I Already got it) to upgrade from my Asus 68U?

I guess the first question to ask is what you were hoping to "fix" by upgrading? 2nd question; did the Netgear fix it?

(I "upgraded" my 68U last year. Specs were better but the "reality" wasn't really any better. But - it was "cute"! My wife liked the looks and let me move it from a hidden corner of the floor up and out atop a piece of furniture resulting in better range : -)

 

[Internetuser957]

I use an R7800 with latest stock firmware .63 (hot fix) and have no issues with it. Granted, I don't use fancy things (nor do I have a need for) like QoS, VPN, Traffic Meter, etc. For the rest, the firmware is better than for other models where people constantly complain on the NETGEAR forum, especially about the R7000 firmware

That said, Voxel is a great alternative. You can also use OpenWrt/DD-WRT on this router as it's supported.

Interesting, Because I still had issue on .63 and I also did not have any of those features turned on.

Any, I returned it and gonna use my Asus 68U for the time being and will probably wait till Wifi 6 becomes more mainstream.

 

[Internetuser957]

I guess the first question to ask is what you were hoping to "fix" by upgrading? 2nd question; did the Netgear fix it?

(I "upgraded" my 68U last year. Specs were better but the "reality" wasn't really any better. But - it was "cute"! My wife liked the looks and let me move it from a hidden corner of the floor up and out atop a piece of furniture resulting in better range : -)

I was having issues with Intermittent connection and slow speeds and am working with my ISP and I was wondering if upgrading my WIFI Router would help
(Also Was having some issues with "Bufferbloat" and I heard that the Negear had SQM).
So No, The Netgear actually was way worse (The WiFi but wired was fine).

Did you find the performance better? More reliable? Also What Firmware were you running on the Asus 68U (Stock,Merlin etc)?

 

[Voxel]

It It worth Getting a Netgear X4S R7800 for $100 (Or Rather Keeping as I Already got it)
to upgrade from my Asus 68U?

R7800 for $100 is a good choice IMO. I am still using Ac68u and I have R7800. So I can compare.

Voxel.

 

[Klueless]

I was having issues with Intermittent connection and slow speeds and am working with my ISP and I was wondering if upgrading my WIFI Router would help

For many to most things just work. Then there's the rest of us. Sounds like you've gone from the ISP's router to an Asus to a Netgear all with less than stellar results.

So let's break it down:

• Wired only
• 2.4 GHz only
• 5 GHz only

and:

• Same room
• Next room over
• Far room

If you're lucky you might be able to fine tune where your problem lies.

Jumping ahead you've suggested wired works great which tends to rule out your Internet connection. You've played with three wireless routers which tends to rule out the ISP wireless, Asus wireless and Netgear wireless routers as all being bad so you may be looking at an environmental issue? You know, the usual cast of characters; old cordless phones, baby monitors, neighbors.

To check out neighbors load up a WiFi analyzer (e.g., Acrylic for Windows), look for channel conflicts, resolve as needed. More likely over the 2.4 GHz band. Also, for 2.4 GHz problems, consider turning off B/G.

Or, sometimes, you'll find you have a crappy / distant device that pulls everyone down. (There are several ways to systematically identify such possibilities.)​

"Bufferbloat": You don't mention your Internet service speed. If it's less than, say, 100 Mbps you'll want to play with QoS. If greater than 100 Mbps you might want to play with no QoS. In either case you might want to try setting bandwidth limiters to somewhat less than actual service speeds. (I'm assuming you saw "bufferbloat" over wired as well?)

 

[LeKeiser]

I've been using a 7800 for a year at least (if not more) and I have zero problem with it, using the latest Voxel firmware.
Nothing fancy also, no VPN, I don't use the QOS. I have something like 30+ WiFi devices connected. My Internet link is 1GB/60MB and that's what I get on my desktop all the time. Netflix/Prime work like a charm. I stream videos from my NASes 4K H265 with no lag, using cable with my Shield or WiFi with my iPads.
Really a great router
I've owned 2 Asus routers, had to return them. One had poor WiFi coverage. The other one bugged quite a bit the GB interfaces.

 

[Internetuser957]

R7800 for $100 is a good choice IMO. I am still using Ac68u and I have R7800. So I can compare.

Voxel.

Already Returned due to the issues I was having-Any other Recommendations (For around $100) or do you think I should just stick my Asus 68U?
Any (Performance) Differences Between the R7800 and the 68U?

 

[coxhaus]

Personally I think buying multiple wireless APs and running only 5Ghz is the way to go for the fastest wireless network. The slowest 5Ghz speeds are still pretty fast compared to 2.4Ghz. But you need a fast internet pipe to utilize the faster 5Ghz speed.

 

[Internetuser957]

For many to most things just work. Then there's the rest of us. Sounds like you've gone from the ISP's router to an Asus to a Netgear all with less than stellar results.

So let's break it down:

• Wired only
• 2.4 GHz only
• 5 GHz only

and:

• Same room
• Next room over
• Far room

If you're lucky you might be able to fine tune where your problem lies.

Jumping ahead you've suggested wired works great which tends to rule out your Internet connection. You've played with three wireless routers which tends to rule out the ISP wireless, Asus wireless and Netgear wireless routers as all being bad so you may be looking at an environmental issue? You know, the usual cast of characters; old cordless phones, baby monitors, neighbors.

To check out neighbors load up a WiFi analyzer (e.g., Acrylic for Windows), look for channel conflicts, resolve as needed. More likely over the 2.4 GHz band. Also, for 2.4 GHz problems, consider turning off B/G.

Or, sometimes, you'll find you have a crappy / distant device that pulls everyone down. (There are several ways to systematically identify such possibilities.)​

"Bufferbloat": You don't mention your Internet service speed. If it's less than, say, 100 Mbps you'll want to play with QoS. If greater than 100 Mbps you might want to play with no QoS. In either case you might want to try setting bandwidth limiters to somewhat less than actual service speeds. (I'm assuming you saw "bufferbloat" over wired as well?)

Right, But the Netgear which I bought as an "Upgrade" and what I thought Might help was Definitely worse (It had issues Way More Frequently then My ISP'S or the Asus one and also it had issues over WIFI while wired was fine).

As for the Breakdown it's pretty Simple:
Wired: Has Issues (So I know it's not Only WIFI) But is Generally the best and always gets the full Speeds
2.4: Usually Around 100Mbps
5.0: Usually Around 250Mbps

Does not matter with location because
1. its an APT does there's not really a "Far room"
2. the issue happens no matter how Close (or far) the Device is located from the Router -It could be right next to it and still have the issue while at a different time it can be a few rooms over and perform just fine.

Sorry for the Confusion but what I meant was Wired worked Fine (Compared to WIFI) on the Netgear R7800 but it still has issues that at this point I think is due to my ISP. With that in mind Environmental issues can still be a cause (especially since It's a APT).

My issue was that I'm Fairly new to this and after some researching I saw that there's something called "Bufferbloat" And I was getting A low mark on DSL Speed test (Under the "Bufferbloat" Category. Also Saw On Wired though not as constantly) So I found that the Netgear 7800 has something called SQM which should help.

As Of now I'm Back with the Asus 68U and in touch with my ISP who they say that they see and issue on their end and are working on fixing it.
My Speeds are 300Mbps down and 35Mbps Up

 

[Internetuser957]

Personally I think buying multiple wireless APs and running only 5Ghz is the way to go for the fastest wireless network. The slowest 5Ghz speeds are still pretty fast compared to 2.4Ghz. But you need a fast internet pipe to utilize the faster 5Ghz speed.

Right, Not sure what your point is though.
To get Multiple AP (Even in a APT)?
I Do Need 2.4 for some Legacy Devices.

Not Sure really speed is my issue (Don't see the need for 300MBps) rather it's Consistency/Reliability.

 

[coxhaus]

I only run 5Ghz on my Cisco WAP371 wireless APs. I dumped all my 2.4Ghz stuff or put a wire on it. My Cisco WAP371 APs never are rebooted by me except to upgrade firmware. They run 24/7 month in and month out.

I have roaming in my house. An iPad doing FaceTime will not drop a call all over my house roaming across 3 Cisco small business APs. Using a voice call there is only a spilt second delay of a few missed words when the voice call roams. I think this is about as good as it gets at home unless you run a pro system which will handle voice calls.

Your title is buying advise under wireless.

 

[Internetuser957]

I only run 5Ghz on my Cisco WAP371 wireless APs. I dumped all my 2.4Ghz stuff or put a wire on it. My Cisco WAP371 APs never are rebooted by me except to upgrade firmware. They run 24/7 month in and month out.

I have roaming in my house. An iPad doing FaceTime will not drop a call all over my house roaming across 3 Cisco small business APs. Using a voice call there is only a spilt second delay of a few missed words when the voice call roams. I think this is about as good as it gets at home unless you run a pro system which will handle voice calls.

Your title is buying advise under wireless.

I hear you, I Also Heard good thing about Ubiquiti but Don't you think It's a bit overkill Especiallly since I'm In a APT and My Asus 68U has worked perfectly for 3+ Years?

I'm Just Hoping that my ISP fixes the issue and I'm good to go.
(As It Seems that my 68U is still pretty decent and WIFI 6 Specs are not Finalized)

 

[coxhaus]

If you live in an apartment I would turn off 2.4 Ghz and try to run on 5 Ghz only. It will be faster and penetrate less walls into other's apartments. Your 2.4Ghz channels have to be overloaded in an apartment.

 

[Klueless]

Wired: Has Issues (So I know it's not Only WIFI) But is Generally the best and always gets the full Speeds
2.4: Usually Around 100Mbps
5.0: Usually Around 250Mbps

100 & 250 respectively sound quite reasonable. If you're having intermittent problems with all three (wired, 2.4 & 5) over three different routers it is likely it's an ISP problem. If you're having more trouble with wireless than wired then it might be two problems; ISP and, secondarily, wireless (or it could be you simply use wireless more thus that's where you notice it more).

It actually sounds like your ISP is giving it an honest effort. Good luck with that.

Sometimes users will plug a PC directly into the ISP's modem (eliminating the router all together). If that shows failures it's a strong indicator towards an ISP problem.

Does it tend to happen at certain times? Like does it work perfect at 3AM but fail during "peak" hours? It might suggest an over subscription problem?

Sometimes I'll use a product called "Ping Plotter" on my PC. It's a continuous barrage of "pings" and "tracerts" shown as a graphical summary. I've gotten lucky and been able to not only demonstrate it was an ISP problem but exactly which of their routers was overloaded.

Continuing with @coxhaus suggestion:

If you live in an apartment I would turn off 2.4 Ghz and try to run on 5 Ghz only. It will be faster and penetrate less walls into other's apartments. Your 2.4Ghz channels have to be overloaded in an apartment.

It's a valid point! You could also;

• Check it out with a WiFi analyzer.
• Or set up separate SSIDs for 2.4 and 5 GHz then put as much as you can on 5 GHz.

But, as per you, it does sound like an ISP problem with a possible secondary problem on wireless likely on the 2.4 GHz band?

 

[Internetuser957]

If you live in an apartment I would turn off 2.4 Ghz and try to run on 5 Ghz only. It will be faster and penetrate less walls into other's apartments. Your 2.4Ghz channels have to be overloaded in an apartment.

Right, But I Have a couple of Devices (Such as Printers and Iot Devices) that while don't require fast speeds they only have a 2.4Ghz Radio.