Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Best router for new rMBP
- Thread starter Woodbags
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Not sure who is the market leader now a day. I got NetGear R7000 few weeks ago replacing my good old Apple Xtreme. There was nothing wrong with my Xtreme. I just want to replace it with AC one. I pretty much double the WiFi speed on my rMBA using AC. Extremely fast! I also have Seagate GoFlex NAS connected to it via 1gb LAN port. I got a very good access speed as well.
Well, Airport Extreme is slower. Then again, each router which is faster than Airport Extreme is in a similar price range.
This link has a direct comparison of a bunch of routers.
The review of the AEBS mentioned that its range wasn't as good, antennas weren't as directional, and it has much less config options (which is not always a bad thing).
Basically a router should be something that you plug in and configure once then leave alone. Due to that I prefer something that will let me enable things like QoS.
Basically a router should be something that you plug in and configure once then leave alone. Due to that I prefer something that will let me enable things like QoS.
It does better than the Airport Extreme in both range and transfer speeds.
Unfortunately, if you want 802.11ac, you're going to have to spend a decent amount. At this time, it is reserved for the high-end routers. There may be some cheap 802.11ac routers out there, but they're probably pretty bad. Either way, always check the reviews before you buy.
Should I spend $200 on a really good product with lots of features, or do I spend $200 on an average product that's more limiting in what I can configure?
The Asus RT-AC66U is a really great router. Fast with PC and Mac, reliable, does everything I could want it to.
I have a dual band Asus router - the "N" kind, since I bought it before AC came out. I'm very satisfied with it. bought it about 1 1/2 - 2 years ago now.
I'd look on amazon at different types of routers and read the reviews -- that's what I did! Asus seemed like the best option for me at the time.
Kind of wish I could justify buying a new router now so I can experience the new "AC" thing, but my router will probably last me another few years at least and be just fine. By then there could be a new standard, anyway.
I'd look on amazon at different types of routers and read the reviews -- that's what I did! Asus seemed like the best option for me at the time.
Kind of wish I could justify buying a new router now so I can experience the new "AC" thing, but my router will probably last me another few years at least and be just fine. By then there could be a new standard, anyway.
Since it's the new standard, manufacturers would be quite stupid not to bring new products using it to the table.
And honestly, Wi-Fi routers from your ISP usually suck balls, no range and quite slow. I use a Time Capsule at my appartment building, I'm on the 4th floor, by the time I drop the signal with my iPhone, I'm 4 floors down and over 100 feet away, at my car.
The router I received from Frontier FiOS is on-par with the modded Linksys with DD-WRT I had been running previously. Both are OK, but not great. The ISP router is "good enough" to replace my existing one and cut a device out of the network.
That being said, ideally I want to switch to using a home-built router with a separate AP, with the FiOS router just acting as a MOCA bridge. Eventually. That way I can upgrade / expand my wireless and not have to redo my whole router.
There's a lot of negative comments on the ac AEBS/Time Capsule here, but I have to say my ac Time Capsule is giving me *excellent* service on all my ac/n/g (and even a b) equipment.
The Asus 66 is certainly faster and has more user-configurable features, but (i) its not faster by leaps and bounds (the AEBS/TC is nearly as fast), and (ii) the "limited" feature set on the AEBS/TC is not that "limited," and in any event is only a concern if you are one that uses a lot of advanced features.
To each their own, but I went with the ac TC because it in the real world the performance difference is hardly noticeable, and it keeps my MBP and router in the same "ecosystem" of Apple -- i.e, known-compatible software, easy set-up/use of Time Machine, and no opportunity for two separate companies to point at the other as the source of any problem that crops up.
My primary point is there's more to router choice than performance specs -- be sure to consider your entire use situation before choosing!
The Asus 66 is certainly faster and has more user-configurable features, but (i) its not faster by leaps and bounds (the AEBS/TC is nearly as fast), and (ii) the "limited" feature set on the AEBS/TC is not that "limited," and in any event is only a concern if you are one that uses a lot of advanced features.
To each their own, but I went with the ac TC because it in the real world the performance difference is hardly noticeable, and it keeps my MBP and router in the same "ecosystem" of Apple -- i.e, known-compatible software, easy set-up/use of Time Machine, and no opportunity for two separate companies to point at the other as the source of any problem that crops up.
My primary point is there's more to router choice than performance specs -- be sure to consider your entire use situation before choosing!