Replacing an E4200, R6250 or R6300?

[Sanken]

Hi

I have an Linksys E4200 (v2) that is having some problems,
so I'm gonna get i replaced in the near future.
I have been thinking about upgrading to an AC-router at the same time.

I have narrowed it down to Netgear R6250 or Netgear R6300.

I know the radio on 2.4ghz is only 2x2 on the R6250 in comparison to 3x3 on the E4200(and R6300). So I'm aware that I will downgrade in that aspect if I choose the R6250.

The questions are:

1: Will I get the same/better/worse range on R6250/R6300 compared to the E4200?

2:Because of the extended customer laws in my country I don't have to pay anything to replace the E4200 with the R6250. But if I want to upgrade to the R6300 I need to pay about 50 USD. Is the R6300 worth the extra 50 bucks?

Thanks for any replies.

 

[stevech]

are you sure the current modem hardware is broken? Usually not.

I would not bother with 11ac yet. Maybe in a year or two, and where there are more *good* 11ac client devices.
But only if you want faster intra-WiFi transfers - like WiFi laptop to NAS for big files.
Or if you have 50Mbps or better ISP speeds.

 

[thiggins]

Are you looking for better 2.4GHz or 5GHz range?

Remember AC provides higher throughput only in 5GHz and only if you have AC devices.


What kind of devices are you using?

 

[Sanken]

My ISP line is a 100/10.

I have a the following connected at this time:
1 Desktop (Gigabit ethernet)
1 Laptop with N card on 2.4. But going to upgrade the wifi card with 5ghz. And to AC if I get an AC router
1 Samsung tablet with N card, only 2.4 ghz(Considering replacing this soon)
1 Samsung GS3. N card with 2.4 and 5ghz. But going replace this with a AC phone soon.
(And an Xbox360, but that one is connected by ethernet)

Speed on both 2.4 and 5ghz are good on all units when I'm in the living room, where I have router. But when I'm in the bed room speed and signal strength is an issue.

Bedroom stats:
Tablet:
I get 2, sometimes 3 out of 4 bars. I get connection issues at times

Phone:
Worthless on 5ghz,1-2 bars out of 4.Unstable.
Stable on 2.4 ghz, 3-4 bars.

Laptop:
Stable connection at 3-5 bars. But want more speed. Hence the AC

I see both the R6250 and the R6300 has beamforming, I thought that might improve the signal in my bedroom?

........................
The problem with the router is that it drops the wifi signal. I have to kill the power to get it online again.Once it's first up it's good. That's why I'm gonna replace it.

 

[thiggins]

Thanks for the details.

Beamforming doesn't extend range. It improves throughput with medium strength signals. The beamforming in 802.11ac requires a client that also supports beamforming to see any significant performance improvement.

Matthew Gast's 802.11ac Survival Guide has an excellent summary of what beamforming does and doesn't do.

Until you change to AC clients, any performance gain is going to be due only to radio performance differences.

You can compare the performance of the R6250 and R6300 using the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz profile plots. Note these tests use a 3x3 ac (AC1750 class) client. Here's a link to start you off.

The 2.4 GHz differences you see are heavily influenced by the different class radios (N300 vs. N450 or 2x2 vs. 3x3).

On 5 GHz, both radios are same class (AC1300 / 3x3). Looks like the R6250 is the better performer.

That said, it's really tough to get a 5 GHz signal where you don't have one now by switching routers. 5 GHz signals just die off too quickly and manufacturers can't boost power enough to compensate.

Bottom line, the R6250 will probably serve you just as well as the R6300 and save you some money. But neither is guaranteed to improve the wireless signal in your bedroom area.