Please help selecting a Correct Router for my Needs ?

[marcusalwayswins]

Hi Guys,

Please help me by recommedning a Wi-Fi Router, along with the standard requirement that everyone has that the Wifi Router should have good coverage and should give optimum speed. One of my other requirement is it should have MDNS Multicast(Bonjour) and if not, that it should have atleast have the below things in its settings.

Enable Multicast routing (IGMP Proxy), Airfairness, IGM Snooping

My Home is around 600 Sq.Ft, is Square shaped, My Internet speed is 50MBPS Broad Line and it gets connected via PPOE using the ethernet cable from the ISP getting connected into my router.

Also should I be looking at WIFI-6 as a criteria in my Purchase decision ?

Most importantly I need a Router which can make my Homepods play without any hassles, with my Last Router I had to make a lot of changes in the Router Settings page for the Homepods to work in tandem and I was told that if the Router does not use MDNS Multicast it is gonna be difficult for the Homepods to work on sync. And when I checked I did not come across any Router which uses this atleast they don't publish it in the specs sheet. What do I do guys ?

Please suggest guys.

TIA !

 

[mfram]

I've used several generations of the Linksys Mesh routers and never had an issue using MDNS on my network between the different machines. There is no setting for it, it just works. I'm currently on the Linksys Atlas 6E routers. But it sounds like you don't need a mesh system for only 600 ft^2. You can get the single-node versions of those routers, too.

 

[marcusalwayswins]

I've used several generations of the Linksys Mesh routers and never had an issue using MDNS on my network between the different machines. There is no setting for it, it just works. I'm currently on the Linksys Atlas 6E routers. But it sounds like you don't need a mesh system for only 600 ft^2. You can get the single-node versions of those routers, too.

I was thinking something from TP-Link can you suggest something from the TP-Link Product range ?

And for a 600 Square Feet is Mesh not really required ?

So you are saying if I get even a single stand alone Router without the Mesh Capabilities that would still suffice my needs ?

Also what about Wi-Fi 6 ? I have heard that Wi-Fi only works if you have a certain speed of Internet ? Like 500 MBPS and above is it true ?

 

[Bigwaff]

So you are saying if I get even a single stand alone Router without the Mesh Capabilities that would still suffice my needs ?

Your house is small enough for a single node (the router itself)... but... what is the construction of your home? Are the inside walls brick, plaster, drywall, etc? The answer may lead to a different recommendation.

Also what about Wi-Fi 6 ?

That is up to you. Because your ISP connection is only 50Mbps, your internet speed won't be any faster but all the devices on your internal WiFi network will talk to each other super fast. Do you care? If not, save a ton of money and buy a WiFi 5 router (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac).

I have heard that Wi-Fi only works if you have a certain speed of Internet ? Like 500 MBPS and above is it true ?

No.

 

[Bigwaff]

I was thinking something from TP-Link can you suggest something from the TP-Link Product range ?

I have come to really like GL-iNet products. They are solid and well supported. This one is $50 one sale right now. It is expandable into a mesh system.

Velica (GL-B2200) Tri-band Wireless Mesh Router | OpenWrt | Gigabit | AdGuard Home

Velica (GL-B2200) is the best tri-band Wi-Fi mesh router which gives your home a high-speed, stable network for all your smart home devices and leaves no dead zones in your home.

store.gl-inet.com

If you have kids and need strong parental controls, I like Gryphon products. The parental controls are the best on the market in my opinion. The little Guardian is on sale for $71 after 10% discount. It is also expandable into a mesh system.

Gryphon Guardian Parental Control Mesh WiFi Router

Gryphon Guardian is our most affordable option for those looking to add parental controls and greater security to their existing system. A single Gryphon Guardian router covers up to 1,800 sqft, with each additional router adding up to double the coverage. The Gryphon Guardian 3-pack provides...

gryphonconnect.com

 

[marcusalwayswins]

but... what is the construction of your home? Are the inside walls brick, plaster, drywall, etc? The answer may lead to a different recommendation.

Yes it is a Brick/Mortar-Cement/Plaster made House.

That is up to you. Because your ISP connection is only 50Mbps, your internet speed won't be any faster but all the devices on your internal WiFi network will talk to each other super fast. Do you care?

This does matter, don't you think that will make devices like a Stereo Paired HomePods and Apple TV send and receive data much faster resulting in smooth functioning of the devices ?

I have had problems with my HomePods playing in Stereo either they would cut playing from each other or just randomly pause for a sec and I have been made to understand in the past that it is because of my Router Settings and also because My HomePods were not able to talk to each other efficiently. So this will make a difference? Don't you think so ?

 

[Bigwaff]

This does matter, don't you think that will make devices like a Stereo Paired HomePods and Apple TV send and receive data much faster resulting in smooth functioning of the devices ?

Sounds more like signal interference than your WiFi needing to be “faster”. Is the router in the same room with the ATV and HomePods? How many brick-walled rooms away from the router?

 

[marcusalwayswins]

Sounds more like signal interference than your WiFi needing to be “faster”. Is the router in the same room with the ATV and HomePods? How many brick-walled rooms away from the router?

Router is placed in a Passage which leads to the Living Room where the ATV is.placer and the other end to the Bedroom where the Homepods are placed would be 5 steps both ways.

 

[marcusalwayswins]

Sounds more like signal interference than your WiFi needing to be “faster”. Is the router in the same room with the ATV and HomePods? How many brick-walled rooms away from the router?

How would this Router be as a choice ?

AX3000 Dual Band Gigabit Wi-Fi 6 Router

Featuring a 160 MHz bandwidth and 1024-QAM, Archer AX50 delivers true gigabit speeds of up to 3 Gbps. Enjoy faster streaming and gaming like never before.

www.tp-link.com

I want these things to be there in the Router Settings for the HomePods to be able to communicate with each other properly.

• Enable Multicast routing (IGMP Proxy)
• Airfairness
• IGM Snooping

 

[Bigwaff]

I want these things to be there in the Router Settings for the HomePods to be able to communicate with each other properly.

• Enable Multicast routing (IGMP Proxy)
• Airfairness
• IGM Snooping

How many and what type of devices (computers, phones, tablets, IoT, etc.) will you have connected to the network?

 

[marcusalwayswins]

How many and what type of devices (computers, phones, tablets, IoT, etc.) will you have connected to the network?

2 iPads, Mac, HomePods, Mac Mini, Apple TV, iPhone

Can you tell me between these two which would be a better choice.

I can't seem to find out which router uses Multicast Bonjour ?

AX3000 Dual Band Gigabit Wi-Fi 6 Router

Featuring a 160 MHz bandwidth and 1024-QAM, Archer AX50 delivers true gigabit speeds of up to 3 Gbps. Enjoy faster streaming and gaming like never before.

go.skimresources.com

AX1800 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System

The AX1800 Whole Home Mesh WiFi 6 System boosts your WiFi speed up to 1800 Mbps.

www.tp-link.com

 

[Bigwaff]

2 iPads, Mac, HomePods, Mac Mini, Apple TV, iPhone

Can you tell me between these two which would be a better choice.

I can't seem to find out which router uses Multicast Bonjour ?

You have so few devices connecting to your network that the features you are looking for probably won't matter. Those features help on crowded networks w/ lots of devices. Based on your earlier posts, your issues are likely due to signal interference.

Between the two options you linked, the AX3000 would be a better choice. However, in my opinion, you are spending way more than you need. Don't fall for the marketing nonsense. Your needs (so few connected devices) and your ISP connection (50Mbps) will be more than satisfied with WiFi 5 (802.11ac) router product. If you must have TPLink product -

AC1900 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System

Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System AC1900 Dual-Band Wi-Fi

www.tp-link.com

 

[marcusalwayswins]

You have so few devices connecting to your network that the features you are looking for probably won't matter. Those features help on crowded networks w/ lots of devices. Based on your earlier posts, your issues are likely due to signal interference.

Between the two options you linked, the AX3000 would be a better choice. However, in my opinion, you are spending way more than you need. Don't fall for the marketing nonsense. Your needs (so few connected devices) and your ISP connection (50Mbps) will be more than satisfied with WiFi 5 (802.11ac) router product. If you must have TPLink product -

AC1900 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System

Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System AC1900 Dual-Band Wi-Fi

www.tp-link.com

I want to future proof myself by buying a. Mid-level Wi-Fi 6 Router what things did you see in the recommendation that you have posted above ?

Also how would this be as a choice ?

AX1800 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System

The AX1800 Whole Home Mesh WiFi 6 System boosts your WiFi speed up to 1800 Mbps.

www.tp-link.com

 

[Bigwaff]

I want to future proof myself by buying a. Mid-level Wi-Fi 6 Router what things did you see in the recommendation that you have posted above ?

All WiFI routers will be backward compatible w/ previous 802.11 version specifications unless you specifically purchase a WiFi router product which does not support older 802.11 versions. If you do, then most of the IoT devices (doorbells, cameras, appliances, speakers, etc) on the market today will not work with it.

Opinion: There is no real "future proofing" when it comes to WiFi. The $250+ WiFi 6/6e router you buy today will cost less than $100 in several years because market will have WiFi 7 products available. Again, unless you are moving around TB's of large data files between wireless clients on your network, clients won't see much difference in day to day network traffic "speed" between WiFi 5 or WiFi 6 or WiFi 7. HomePods use 802.11n (that is WiFi 4) so why spend money on a WiFi 6 router?

HomePod (2nd generation) - Technical Specifications

High-fidelity audio. Intelligent assistant. Home hub that works across devices. HomePod is a powerhouse speaker with the privacy of Apple built in.

www.apple.com

If you want latest greatest WiFi, the AX1800 is a good choice.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

The TPLink Deco you posted the link to in reply 13 above looks to be pretty good.

HOWEVER... with a 600sq.ft. home, you probably only need one of them.

At the maximum, two (but one ought to do the job for now).

More could be added later at some point, if you end up in a place with more square feet...

 

[marcusalwayswins]

OP:

The TPLink Deco you posted the link to in reply 13 above looks to be pretty good.

HOWEVER... with a 600sq.ft. home, you probably only need one of them.

At the maximum, two (but one ought to do the job for now).

More could be added later at some point, if you end up in a place with more square feet...

What would you think about this model ? Over the earlier one I am seriously confused between these two

AX5400 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi 6 Unit

The AX5400 Whole Home Mesh WiFi 6 router boosts your WiFi speed up to 5400 Mbps.

www.tp-link.com

AX1800 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System

The AX1800 Whole Home Mesh WiFi 6 System boosts your WiFi speed up to 1800 Mbps.

www.tp-link.com

 

[Populus]

I’ve been thinking about going WiFi 6 just for a good coverage. Currently I’m using an old b/g device, and now that I can, I want to jump into WiFi 6 to get better coverage and future proof the purchase.

I got the Asus RT-AX57 and I’m not sure it’s a good election… most of my devices are WiFi 6 by the way.

 

[fibercut]

I’ve been thinking about going WiFi 6 just for a good coverage. Currently I’m using an old b/g device, and now that I can, I want to jump into WiFi 6 to get better coverage and future proof the purchase.

I got the Asus RT-AX57 and I’m not sure it’s a good election… most of my devices are WiFi 6 by the way.

What is size you want to cover? if you are condos, apartment or dorm I highly suggest Synology RT6600ax. If you cover a whole house that if that is the router if you want!

 

[CharlesShaw]

As long as there's a thread to get recommendations, I've been thinking it would be a good idea to have a replacement in mind if/when my 4th gen Airport Time Capsule must be replaced (which is more than adequate for my needs). I'm looking for something about the same footprint and similar low height with no vertical antennas (the size of Mac mini), a couple lan ports, and a guest network. I don't use the hard drive.

Edit: I've avoided researching Eero --for Amazon reasons-- but it checks all the boxes except for connecting two wired devices.

 

[Populus]

What is size you want to cover? if you are condos, apartment or dorm I highly suggest Synology RT6600ax. If you cover a whole house that if that is the router if you want!

Thanks for the suggestion, a really gorgeous router, though it is not available in my country. I finally settled on the ASUS RT-AX58u V.2 with 512MB of RAM and a quad-core Broadcom chip (BCM6756). It is compatible with OpenVPN and WireGuard from what I’ve read, and it seems to have good performance.