D-link DIR-860l or ASUS rt-n66u

[BlueGoldAce]

I currently have an ASUS rt-n56u. It has been a great router, but its wireless range isn't enough for my needs. I owe a house with a basement, and due to the (non-negotiable due to comcast) position of my router, my wireless signal and performance is poor in the basement and parts of the house.

Today I picked up a white Asus rt-n66u on amazon for 110 (plus a $10 mail in rebate). I have enjoyed my previous asus router and thought this would be a great replacement.

I realize that it is a bit dated in terms of the new wifi standard, but I am looking to stick to the $100 range.

I noticed the d-link dir-860l is about 114 on amazon, and am second guessing my purchase. None of my devices support the new ac standard yet, but I am sure I will have devices that due in the future. Most important to me is range and performance. I do a lot of hd streaming and etc.

Which router would be a better bang for my buck?

I really appreciate the responses.

-Blue

 

[BlueGoldAce]

Anyone? I apologize if this is the wrong forum.

 

[jerry6]

I had good signal with the N 66 even in the basement , better than the Negear 6250 I tried and better than theAC 66 I'm using now (bricked the n 66 , Asus replaced it ) . I should not have given the N 66 to my sister .
Basements are trouble for all routers .

 

[BlueGoldAce]

Thanks for the reply.

I picked up a linksys ea6700 brand new for $100 on eBay today. Hopefully It is as good as it has been reviewed. If not, the n66 is coming in the mail as well.

 

[slidermike]

I have the RT-N66u.
It is a great router all around.
Put Merlins firmware on it & its got better enabled features!

Unless you have AC devices now or in the next 6-12 months I suggest you don't worry about supporting it now.
In that time frame I am sure at least 1 more router will come out with the latest greatest.

If you notice, the n66u hasn't really dropped in price since its release; cause it is a great router.

Good luck with whichever one you decide to go with.

 

[zz99mz]

The dir-860l is a great router and has many options though it is more of an industrialized router for business's, but you can flash it with dd-wrt and it becomes a phenomenal router

 

[RogerSC]

I also moved up from an Asus RT-N56U to a RT-N66U, and it was a really good move. I can't recommend D-Link routers due to my spotty experience with them and what I've read, but the RT-N66U was a great router for me. It provides full house coverage for wireless-n, was very stable and reliable once the early firmware problems were fixed. A really reliable and great performing wireless router. And if you're not thinking about wireless-ac at the moment, it is a great product that I can really recommend.

The RT-N56U could just barely reach my living room on 5GHz., the band that I now use the most. When I got the RT-N66U, it had, and continues to have, strong 5GHz. wireless coverage in my living room. That's the farthest room from my router in my house *smile*.

It has gone down some in price over the last couple of years. I paid $179 (as I recall) over 2 years ago, and I see it running about $129 now. Not a big drop, but as the other poster said, it is a great product so it hasn't dropped as much as some.

You can look at the reviews here on this site, #1 for the N900 class!

 

[messerchmidt]

get the asus.

if you can spring the difference for the dlink868L, then it is a better unit