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Help chosing a Wifi Router please
- Thread starter pdxmatts
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Definitely go with the ASUS. I've used 2 ASUS RT-N66Us for the past few years and love them. If I were buying today, I'd get the ac version, no doubt.
I am getting some stuttering while browsing and also the spinning beach ball a lot while using the Airport Extreme on my MBP. I don't have 2.4 or 5ghz assigned to different names. Should I do that? Is that causing the issue? Is it constantly switching from 2.4 to 5ghz?
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I have not seen this issue causing that effect. Easy way to tell what band you are on is to option-click the Wi-Fi/AirPort icon in the menu bar.
OP wrote above:
[[ I am getting some stuttering while browsing and also the spinning beach ball a lot while using the Airport Extreme on my MBP. I don't have 2.4 or 5ghz assigned to different names. Should I do that? Is that causing the issue? Is it constantly switching from 2.4 to 5ghz? ]]
Just wondering, do you have a lot of OTHER wireless networks operating nearby (i.e., other apartments, homes, etc.)?
Could you be using the same wireless channels as they do?
If so, you can manually change the channels the AE broadcasts on with Airport Utility.
BUT -- you have to know which channels are "busy", and which are "free".
You can determine this with a free piece of software called "iStumbler".
Very useful to have around.
[[ I am getting some stuttering while browsing and also the spinning beach ball a lot while using the Airport Extreme on my MBP. I don't have 2.4 or 5ghz assigned to different names. Should I do that? Is that causing the issue? Is it constantly switching from 2.4 to 5ghz? ]]
Just wondering, do you have a lot of OTHER wireless networks operating nearby (i.e., other apartments, homes, etc.)?
Could you be using the same wireless channels as they do?
If so, you can manually change the channels the AE broadcasts on with Airport Utility.
BUT -- you have to know which channels are "busy", and which are "free".
You can determine this with a free piece of software called "iStumbler".
Very useful to have around.
Your WAN speed is set at the speed you purchase from Comcast. Your LAN speeds depend on your router, (switch if you have one) cable categories, 802.11 standards you are using.
I am thinking it might be the Firefox Browser. I switched over to Safari and it has been faster and smoother and I haven't had the beach ball spinning yet. I am on the latest Yosemite OS on a late model 2011 MBP.
Firefox is notorious for that on OS X.
You say you bought the router used - I assume you did a factory reset to clear out all the previous settings? If you didn't, that would be a good idea to make sure there aren't any previous settings that might be messing things up.
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I'll admit that I'm having a hard time deciding between a 6th gen Airport Extreme and the Asus U68.
I currently have the 5th gen AE now, and it's okay, but I need the faster local wireless network speed. I like nice looking gear in general, and especially since it's in my living room, and the AE is simple and clean and white which will blend into my white bookshelves. And it gets excellent reviews as an all-around great router, though not really aimed at "power" users. Frankly, I don't find it any "easier" to use than a "regular" router (if it was any router other than Apple's, I would never buy a router that required special software to access), and sometimes I get frustrated with the way the Airport Utility works. Just let me edit settings in the browser.
The U68 is garish by comparison, IMO. The photos make it look like the front of it is black "plaid" - does it really look like that in person? And all the antennas sticking up. However, the stellar reviews and outstanding performance appeal to my "I want the bestest fastest" side.
I'll probably end up getting the AE just because of its looks. I'm so shallow.
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Firefox is notorious for that on OS X.
You say you bought the router used - I assume you did a factory reset to clear out all the previous settings? If you didn't, that would be a good idea to make sure there aren't any previous settings that might be messing things up.
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I'll admit that I'm having a hard time deciding between a 6th gen Airport Extreme and the Asus U68.
I currently have the 5th gen AE now, and it's okay, but I need the faster local wireless network speed. I like nice looking gear in general, and especially since it's in my living room, and the AE is simple and clean and white which will blend into my white bookshelves. And it gets excellent reviews as an all-around great router, though not really aimed at "power" users. Frankly, I don't find it any "easier" to use than a "regular" router (if it was any router other than Apple's, I would never buy a router that required special software to access), and sometimes I get frustrated with the way the Airport Utility works. Just let me edit settings in the browser.
The U68 is garish by comparison, IMO. The photos make it look like the front of it is black "plaid" - does it really look like that in person? And all the antennas sticking up. However, the stellar reviews and outstanding performance appeal to my "I want the bestest fastest" side.
I'll probably end up getting the AE just because of its looks. I'm so shallow.
Oh yes, definitely did a reset before using it
So far so good with using Safari instead of Firefox. Yosemite update did improve the Safari speed. It's pretty smooth and fast now. The AE is working well over our previous router on all of my sons many gaming consoles, so that is a plus. If you did get an AE 6th, you could bridge your two routers together, I suppose. IDK, lol.
id go with either asus /net gear/linksys
bought the apple router air port extreme 2 tb nothing but issues with xbox live i got nat to open but randomly disconnect and couldn't figure out why.
got the linksys wrt1900ac yesterday great range,great speeds getting my full 300/20 on my main pc and great 5ghz speed on every other device at home
bought the apple router air port extreme 2 tb nothing but issues with xbox live i got nat to open but randomly disconnect and couldn't figure out why.
got the linksys wrt1900ac yesterday great range,great speeds getting my full 300/20 on my main pc and great 5ghz speed on every other device at home
Another vote for the Apple Airport Extreme
I was getting 26Mbps from my Netgear WNDR3400 and my service is 50Mbps so I enabled the Cat5 run from my modem and router (2nd floor) to my family room (1st floor) which is pretty much at the center of our house. I searched for a suitable wireless router that would give me better range and speed around the house.
I was trying to decide between the Apple AE, the Asus 68U and the Netgear R7000. It was a tough decision but, in the end, I got the Apple AE. I don't need all the bells and whistles of the Asus and Netgear routers although I am a techie. I also had to keep in mind that my wife considers a router in the family room an eyesore and the Apple AE looks like art next to her vase and tapestry.
Setup was quicker than I expected! It detected that the router next to my modem is the DHCP server and, aside from me setting up the wireless name and password, it pretty much set itself up. All told, less than 5 minutes! Range is excellent around our house and I'm getting the full 50Mbps of my Internet service. I did have an earlier gen AE until it failed and I had forgotten how solid they are. Another happy AE user here!
I was getting 26Mbps from my Netgear WNDR3400 and my service is 50Mbps so I enabled the Cat5 run from my modem and router (2nd floor) to my family room (1st floor) which is pretty much at the center of our house. I searched for a suitable wireless router that would give me better range and speed around the house.
I was trying to decide between the Apple AE, the Asus 68U and the Netgear R7000. It was a tough decision but, in the end, I got the Apple AE. I don't need all the bells and whistles of the Asus and Netgear routers although I am a techie. I also had to keep in mind that my wife considers a router in the family room an eyesore and the Apple AE looks like art next to her vase and tapestry.
Setup was quicker than I expected! It detected that the router next to my modem is the DHCP server and, aside from me setting up the wireless name and password, it pretty much set itself up. All told, less than 5 minutes! Range is excellent around our house and I'm getting the full 50Mbps of my Internet service. I did have an earlier gen AE until it failed and I had forgotten how solid they are. Another happy AE user here!
Yes, I went there today from here, for the first time, and found a wealth of info. Great site.
I just (one hour ago) got my Time Warner cable internet service (yes, they installed on sunday). I got the 300Mbit package and speed is just short of what was advertised (296 Mbit) via a CAT 5 cable. However, my 3rd gen AE can only push out about 96 Mbs to one active device which is right next to the AE. Is there a firmware upgrade I can download for my 3rd gen AE so I can get 300Mbs or do I need to look at a new router? The Linksys AC1200 is on sale over the Memorial Day weekend for about $70.00 USD off.
Is that 296 Mbps figure coming from Ethernet from modem or AirPort? You are referencing a third generation AirPort Extreme correct?
296Mbps is coming directly from the cable modem via a CAT 5 cable to my late 2013 MBP. It is not a wireless modem. The much slower speed comes wirelessly from the 3rd gen AE. I just updated the firmware to the newest version, resulting in no change in speed. I'm using the internet speed test from https://www.speakeasy.net.
Try running an Ethernet cable from a LAN port on the Extreme to the MacBook Pro. This could be a simple configuration issue or something as serious as a failing antenna in the AirPort. Could you post screen shots of your settings in AirPort Utility for the "Internet" and "Network" tab?
The connection speed running a CAT 5 from my AE LAN port to my MBP was at about 210 Mbps. Here are the pics from the Airport utility.
BTW, thanks for your help! It is much appreciated. And FYI to everyone, the new gen AE is available as a refurb from Apple for $129.99.
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Try doing a full reset of the AirPort and manually set it up again. Do not reimport a settings profile and report back.
That was the first thing I did. I take it you don't see a problem with the setup as evidenced in the attached pics in the previous posting. Either way, I've thrown it into storage as an emergency backup router. Not wanting to wait on shipping of a refurbished AE from Apple, I picked a new one up from BestBuy yesterday evening. It's a great router. I actually get over 300 Mbps when hooked up to a ethernet cable and less than a 5% drop in that when wireless in the opposite corner of the house (about 60 feet/30 meters).
Thanks again for all your feedback.
Jerry
The only thing questionable was the link local IPv6 setting. I think that AirPort was just on its way out from age, but if you'd like you can try changing the IPv6 settings. I know with some areas with Comcast for instance, you had to set up the AirPort to use the 6to4 Relays to get full speed.