Need a router capable of 1 gbps in small apartment

[Jurge92]

Hi,

I'm currently on the lookout for a router that is capable of delivering speeds of 1000/1000 mbps in a small apartment (~ 350 sq ft) with only a living room and bedroom with walls to what seem to be concrete.

Any advice on which router to get would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[coxhaus]

Wireless 5GHz does not penetrate concrete walls very well. Slower 2.4 GHz wireless does go through concrete better. How important is high speed 5GHz wireless? If wireless is the most important thing then 2 wireless units might be required. You will probably need to turn the power on the APs down.

 

[Jurge92]

I would like to avoid having to buy two routers for such a small flat.

I want to have one router where at least the 2.4 GHz wireless signal can reach both rooms. It's not required to have full 1 gbps connection everywhere, don't want to fry my brains out by having a second router in the bedroom. Even something like 300 mbps connection is ok in the bedroom if when the router is placed in the living room.

I'm just looking for a good value router that provide decent wireless signals (don't need too strong as the flat is quite small) that can in the same room provide a 1 gbps connection, either through 5 GHz or 2.4GHz.

For the most important devices such a consoles, PC, TV, etc, I can just use a ethernet cable.

The reason I ask is because I see so many budget routers, but not sure which to get.

 

[thiggins]

https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/rankers/router/ranking/AC/rev10/398

 

[Jurge92]

Thank you!

I saw this one is ranked as #2 and only cost $30 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075TJ8VNH/?tag=snbforums-20

That almost seem too good to be true. For the price it doesn’t seem to have any other alternative that has the same performance.

Oh, and I also have no need for any USB connection to the router.

 

[coxhaus]

You stated 1 gig internet. I would never pay for 1 gig internet using 2.4 GHz. You are wasting money.

PS
My statement is based on a small apartment not a business.

 

[Jurge92]

I said I don’t require 1 gbps connecting in every room through 5GHz if it can’t reach. Then using 2.4GHz is acceptable.

Of course 5GHz would be used when there signal allows for it, like in the living room.

I also mentioned I would be using cables for stationary devices like gaming consoles, PC, TV, etc, so I’ll definitely be taking advantage of the high speed.

Also I couldn’t really choose the speed, it was either 100 mbps or 1000 mbps and I get half price off 1000 mbps due to a discount I’m eligible for, which unfortunately cannot be applied to the 100 mbps line. With the half price discount off the 1000 mbps line, it’s almost exactly the same price as the 100 mbps line, so it doesn’t really makes sense for me not to choose the 1000 mbps line in this case.

 

[thiggins]

Thank you!

I saw this one is ranked as #2 and only cost $30 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075TJ8VNH/?tag=snbforums-20

I don't think Phicomm is in the U.S. market long term. If you are looking for long-term support, choose something else.

I think the $30 is a clearance price...

 

[coxhaus]

Sounds reasonable.

 

[OzarkEdge]

Hi,

I'm currently on the lookout for a router that is capable of delivering speeds of 1000/1000 mbps in a small apartment (~ 350 sq ft) with only a living room and bedroom with walls to what seem to be concrete.

Any advice on which router to get would be appreciated.

Thanks!

If you consider an ASUS RT-AC86U, the current firmware 3.0.0.4.384_45717 again allows adjusting the transmission power in 5 increments from Power Saving to Performance, which you might want to do in your small space.

OE

 

[Jurge92]

I don't think Phicomm is in the U.S. market long term. If you are looking for long-term support, choose something else.

I think the $30 is a clearance price...

I am based in Hong Kong. Do you know if there's any local brands that I can benefit from getting here?

Edit: I ended up getting the D-Link DIR-878 after going through the recommendation on the link provided by thiggins and the review of the DIR-882. I don’t need the USB-connection, so I went for the DIR-878 as it’s cheaper and seemingly offers similar performance.

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[Jurge92]

https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/rankers/router/ranking/AC/rev10/398

Can I ask if there's any custom firmware for the DIR-878 like the Merlin custom firmware for Asus router?

Edit: I found this one:

https://dd-wrt.com/support/router-database/?model=DIR-878_A1

Is there any benefit of using that one over the official one?

 

[Crocodil]

@Jurge92

Can I ask if there's any custom firmware for the DIR-878 like the Merlin custom firmware for Asus router?

Edit: I found this one:

https://dd-wrt.com/support/router-database/?model=DIR-878_A1

Is there any benefit of using that one over the official one?

DD-WRT has far more functions than the original DIR-878 (and DIR-882), for example it allows to use the router as "Repeater Bridge", extending existing wireless network. I'm not yet sure though how it would influence speed and range.

It's best to just try DD-WRT and see how it works for you. You can always go back to original firmware. If you want to try DD-WRT, please follow these instructions: https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1145343#1145343 and make sure to use Internet Explorer (that sucks, I know).