Recommend Router decent 5Ghz performance?

[cohen87]

Dear Colleagues,
I have the older Asus N66U and AC66U routers which run too hot for my liking - I don’t want the hassle of usb fan modifications.
I have wireless N clients ( but laptops have AC cards in them - but none of my clients are Wi-Fi 6 ). Although I will consider a Wi-Fi 6 AX Router. My budget is $50 /60 dollars.
These are my requirements for my next router:
1) Preferably good thermal design - doesn’t run hot
2) Decent 5Ghz performance ( over 2.4Ghz performance)
3) Separate SSID’s for 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz channels.
4) Preferably Broadcom chipset
5) Preferably wireless router only (no modem)
Thanks guys.

 

[L&LD]

Your budget is not realistic in today's economy. Either save up or increase it/wait for sales.

RT-AX68U.

 

[Deleted member 84281]

Your gonna have to triple that money amount for anything good in todays standards. Unless you consider buying used.

 

[coxhaus]

I would buy a separate wired router and at least 1 wireless AP. More APs if you live in a house.

You can use an old PC with pfsense and a Cisco 150ax wireless AP. Cost is low as the Cisco AP is $102 the last time I bought one and of course pfsense is free you just need a NIC with 2 ports. Intel will be the best choice.

 

[Tech Junky]

Shut off the WIFI and add an AP for ~$130 like the NWA210AX.

 

[sfx2000]

Gl-inet Flint

Flint (GL-AX1800) Wi-Fi 6 Home Secure Router with US plug

Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 home router with high-speed VPN. Enjoy blazing-fast speeds up to 600Mbps (2.4GHz) + 1200Mbps (5GHz) and host VPN servers for secure mass device connection. Strengthen security with WPA3, IPv6, and Cloudflare DNS. Customizable with OpenWrt OS for tech lovers. Upgrade your home...

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It's a bit above your budget at $90USD, but it's a solid device...

 

[cohen87]

Thank you for the suggestions, but I don’t mind buying used.
After some searching on the internet, a few older but more ‘reliable’ (in regards to firmware) have popped up, within my price bracket:
1) Tp Link Archer C8 / C9 - both have dual band wireless N ( 5Ghz ). Use as access point only.
2) Tp Link AX73 - decent 5Ghz performance - but a significant number of users talk about dropouts and restarts and overheating. A poster on the internet said there is a hardware version that doesn’t suffer these problems, but did not mention which version?.

 

[Tech9]

My budget is $50 /60 dollars.

Nothing better AX-class than entry-level TP-Link Archer AX10 fits in this budget.

We had this conversation before:

Please advise which router?

Dear Colleagues, I have had FTTP internet ( Fiber to the property) installed (in the UK), with a 150Mbps max package. The ISP has provided a separate modem and wireless router Linksys Velop Tri-band AC2200. All of the clients ( including the TV) have the old WPA2 encryption and wireless N...

www.snbforums.com

Nothing much changed in few months. The budget is still too low for a good home router.

 

[coxhaus]

I would say the Cisco 150ax wireless APs would be better in all ways compared to the TP-Link.

 

[Christos]

Since none of your clients have wifi6 and your budget is limited, why are you looking for a WiFi6 router and not a wifi5 that are cheaper and more than enough for home use?

 

[cohen87]

Since none of your clients have wifi6 and your budget is limited, why are you looking for a WiFi6 router and not a wifi5 that are cheaper and more than enough for home use?

Dear Christos, good point. I can understand some members future proofing for Wi-Fi 6, but it’s way beyond my budget and I don’t have those clients yet.
Can you recommend a Wi-Fi 5 (AC) access point/ router only that runs cool, has great 5Ghz performance and that I can connect directly to my fibre modem via Ethernet cable?.
I’ve looked on the internet and Zyxel, Engenius appear to get good reviews.
I’ve probably jumped the gun a bit, as I’m assuming you can put multiple SSID’s for 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz on an access point?.
Thanks

 

[Tech9]

TP-Link Archer C80 is a basic AC Wave 2 router with good Wi-Fi range. It's around $50 usually.

AC1900 Wireless MU-MIMO Wi-Fi Router

Archer C80 transmits and receives data on three streams to pair flawlessly with your 3x3 clients, making full use of the potential of mainstream WiFi devices.

www.tp-link.com

It has 3x3 radios, Gigabit ports, Access Point mode in GUI and is listed as OneMesh compatible.

 

[Deleted member 84281]

TP-Link Archer C80 is a basic AC Wave 2 router with good Wi-Fi range. It's around $50 usually.

AC1900 Wireless MU-MIMO Wi-Fi Router

Archer C80 transmits and receives data on three streams to pair flawlessly with your 3x3 clients, making full use of the potential of mainstream WiFi devices.

www.tp-link.com

It has 3x3 radios, Gigabit ports, Access Point mode in GUI and is listed as OneMesh compatible.

And probably no longer being supported. TP-Link has very poor lasting support for there routers.

 

[coxhaus]

As soon as you replace a laptop or phone you are going to have Wi-Fi 6 as they have been out for at least a couple years. I don't think you can slow it down and freeze at Wi-Fi 5 AC. To me it is a bad plan, but everybody gets to decide their own. I don't us an all-in-one any way because you have to upgrade the whole unit when you want say newer Wi-Fi. If you are going to use Wi-Fi 5 then run separates and only upgrade the Wi-Fi in the future.
Plus I don't think 1 AP is enough unless you live in a tiny apartment.

 

[Tech9]

And probably no longer being supported.

It has a firmware from Aug 13, 2023. Nothing else new fits in the budget. For a little more basic Archer AX10.

My budget is $50 /60 dollars.

 

[Christos]

Huawei AX2 and AX3 are $50-60 but I don't know if they are sold in the US.

 

[cohen87]

TP-Link Archer C80 is a basic AC Wave 2 router with good Wi-Fi range. It's around $50 usually.

AC1900 Wireless MU-MIMO Wi-Fi Router

Archer C80 transmits and receives data on three streams to pair flawlessly with your 3x3 clients, making full use of the potential of mainstream WiFi devices.

www.tp-link.com

It has 3x3 radios, Gigabit ports, Access Point mode in GUI and is listed as OneMesh compatible.

Thanks for the recommendation.
The C80 has a mediatek chipset. I am willing to increase the budget to $100.
Is there a Broadcom based router only with 3*3 radios / Wave 2 / AC that has excellent 5Ghz performance? - one that comes to mind is the Tp-Link VR2800.

 

[Tech9]

This is a second conversation going nowhere. I can’t help you further.

 

[Christos]

Is there a Broadcom based router only with 3*3 radios / Wave 2 / AC that has excellent 5Ghz performance?

If I am correct, Asus routers have Broadcom chips.