Wireless router??

[pkunk]

I live in the sticks and just got hooked up to Fiber optic internet with phone soon to come. I signed up for 30mbps for $40 a month. This is through the local electric co-op & a government grant. They are all out of routers and suggested I go to Walmart to get one. However, there were no suggestions as to which one to get. I more than realize there many choices out there so I'm asking what to get for the least $$$ and the most range.. I'd like to have wi-fi in my shop which is about 250 ft from the house. My Centurylink & an old Netgear are just DSl routers and can't be used. Any advise?

[Jagtech]

My shop is also about 250' away, and I use a router at the house. But I find I still need a wifi booster antenna on the shop computer.

[pkunk]

I bought a Netgear AC1200 (R6200v2) router for $100 at Walmart. Had to change the location several times but now anywhere in the house I get more than my 30mbps.Only about 6mbps at the shop but that's OK for now.

[joebedford]

Man, I live in the sticks too and only get 6Mbps.

Just reading your questions, I don't think you need to worry about throughput - virtually anything you buy will be sufficient for a (don't take this personally) non-tech-savvy user.

You need to focus on a pair of devices that will give you the RANGE you need. Perhaps a router and a repeater?

BTW, if the cable they gave you is not long enough, just buy a longer CAT5 cable.

[fcooper]

If you want reasonable cost good router, I recommend the netgear WNDR4300. Bought one used from ebay for under $25. Works great, and tripled the wireless response on the wife's laptop. It supports attaching a disk drive for storage, supports printers, runs our ROKU, two laptops, and 2 cell phones.

Here's a link to a new one if you want to look at the specifications.

netgear wndr4300 router

Fred

[JayJones]

pkunk wrote:
I see major speed differences between 11AC routers and 11N. Is there any advantage if I'm only going to have 30mbps? IE 1.2 Gbps over 300Mbps.

The difference is the speed over your internal network in this case, not the external. For example, if you are transferring a file from one PC to another, the 1.2 Gbps is going to be much quicker than the 300. It will also deliver data quicker to the outside source but you will still be gated by that external bandwidth. Now, certain routers and the hz rate can make a huge difference in how they leverage that external bandwidth. I run my wireless in dual bands but primarily use my 5 GHz network where I get much better response. I run an Asus router which is the best I've ever had.

As far as range, the general rule of thumb, A is about 1/3 the range of b/g which is 1/2 the range of N.

Hope this helps!

[AsheGuy]

LittleBill wrote:
sorry use https://www.apple.com/airport-extreme/ - https://www.apple.com/airport-extreme/

In other words, YES.

A link is so easy to insert and save everyone extra effort.

[LittleBill]

sorry use https://www.apple.com/airport-extreme/

[pkunk]

LittleBill wrote:


buy a time capsule, if you want guaranteed reliability

I really don't want to spend on another 3T drive when all I need is Wi-Fi. I have plenty of backup. Am I to understand that AC is backwards compatible?
Please someone answer my questions.

[LittleBill]

pkunk wrote:
Has this post gone already? I've asked several questions and get no answers.

pkunk wrote:
Still looking for some insight here. Would this be a good choice or is there something better/less$$ ?
TP Link Archer
Another missing equasion-The iMac is 2009, MacBook Pro is 2010, iPhone 4, and a newer iPad Air. Compatability?

buy a time capsule, if you want guaranteed reliability

[pkunk]

Has this post gone already? I've asked several questions and get no answers.

pkunk wrote:
Still looking for some insight here. Would this be a good choice or is there something better/less$$ ?
TP Link Archer
Another missing equasion-The iMac is 2009, MacBook Pro is 2010, iPhone 4, and a newer iPad Air. Compatability?

[sljkansas]

I run a Cradlepoint MBR1000 router I can get over 300 ft from mine. The newer models have a better raange. I up dated the software and have 3g/4g. they aren't cheap but are a very good router.

[pkunk]

Still looking for some insight here. Would this be a good choice or is there something better/less$$ ?
TP Link Archer
Another missing equasion-The iMac is 2009, MacBook Pro is 2010, iPhone 4, and a newer iPad Air. Compatability?

[pkunk]

garry1p wrote:

Routers are fairly easy to set up but you do need to setup the security for the wireless I suggest WPA2-PSK.
Don't need security because no one can be in range unless they're invited

The router you buy should depend on your usage lots of wireless devices like tablets, phones and other PC's requires a higher end router.
????

250' is doable depending on where you place the router. Near a window on the shop side is better than trying to go through several walls.
No choice there as from where they came into the house I have about 8 ft of Cat5

[pkunk]

'N' has greater range than AC?