# Do any routers not suck?



## bill5 (Nov 21, 2021)

Two years ago, I bought this TP-Link router. It lasted all of about a year.

Last year I bought a Netis modem/router combo. POFS also lasted about a year.

Has anyone bought one that lasted significantly more?


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## Jdiggity1 (Nov 21, 2021)

I don't think I've ever had one that "died" necessarily, but there have been some cheaper options that struggle with a high number of devices, or needed a factory reset once in a while to un-clutter its mind.
When it comes to routers specifically, going 'cheap' is usually a bad option these days.


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## LamaRose (Nov 21, 2021)

I have an ancient Linksys that's slow as a politician, but still humming. I'm getting one of these because the cats like to chew antennae:


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## dflood (Nov 21, 2021)

I just had to put down one of my Linksys Velops. Of course it was the one connected to the modem. Fortunately, either of the two surviving two mesh units can be configured as the ‘parent‘ node. I sure wish Apple hadn’t stopped making the Airports. Best units I’ve ever used. I’ll be trying Nest WIFI next…


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## Pier (Nov 21, 2021)

I've been using Orbi mesh wifi for about 4-5 years now. Pretty happy with it. Amazing coverage with a base and a satellite.


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## cuttime (Nov 21, 2021)

I went through a bunch of high-end routers and finally settled on an Apple Airport Extreme. Great range and still works great. Only problem - Apple doesn't make them anymore. I needed a router to support a security cam system I installed, and the Apple router didn't reach all the cameras. I finally settled on a first gen Google wifi mesh system (before it became "Nest"). Am really pleased with the results, but I am only about 18 months into this scheme. Check back later.


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## Jett Hitt (Nov 21, 2021)

cuttime said:


> I went through a bunch of high-end routers and finally settled on an Apple Airport Extreme. Great range and still works great. Only problem - Apple doesn't make them anymore. I needed a router to support a security cam system I installed, and the Apple router didn't reach all the cameras. I finally settled on a first gen Google wifi mesh system (before it became "Nest"). Am really pleased with the results, but I am only about 18 months into this scheme. Check back later.


I, too, use Apple routers. I have five of them covering about 50,000 sq ft here on my farm. It makes me sick that Apple quit making them. Range is incredible, and barring lightning, they last a really long time. I buy them used off of eBay when I need one.


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## bill5 (Nov 21, 2021)

liquidlino said:


> BTW even cheap routers shouldn't die. Routers have quite sensitive chipsets, so it could be that you need to put a power conditioner in front of the router if you've had multiple units die.


? "Power conditioner?" Sounds like shampoo lol

Any idea what could cause that? I do have a spike protector I plug into.


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## dflood (Nov 21, 2021)

Jett Hitt said:


> I, too, use Apple routers. I have five of them covering about 50,000 sq ft here on my farm. It makes me sick that Apple quit making them. Range is incredible, and barring lightning, they last a really long time. I buy them used off of eBay when I need one.


My old Airport Extreme took a lightning hit which toasted one of the ethernet ports, but it kept running. Ya, they were pretty bulletproof.


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## rnb_2 (Nov 21, 2021)

I'm in an odd situation, as I have a small house (about 1400 sq ft, IIRC) which should, in theory, be easy for a single unit to cover, but I have a big chimney in the center of the house that is an extremely effective blocker of wifi signals. For logistical reasons, my fiber drop comes in at the front corner of the house, which means the opposite back corner of the first floor and parts of the second floor need some help to get a signal.

I did the AirPort Extreme + AirPort Express thing for a while, but after it became clear that Apple was going to drop the line, and I started having too many issues getting a good signal to my wife's computer at the back of the house, we started shopping around for a new system a few years ago.

I ended up with Ubiquiti's consumer Amplifi HD system in early 2018. They've had some firmware updates that worked better than others, but the system has been pretty bulletproof for the last several months, especially since we upgraded to a 500mbps fiber connection earlier this year. I'm only using the base station and one of the extenders (strategically located just beyond my troublesome fireplace) to solve my coverage issues. To be fair, we were using the other extender for a while, but that unit seemed to develop issues and tended to lock up, which caused more problems than it solved in the end. I do really like the display on the main unit, which allows me to see my download/upload performance from several feet away without having to run a speedtest.

So, is the system perfect? No, but it has lasted a few years and seems to be working better now than at any time since I bought it. The base station is plugged into a UPS, along with my ISP router and my little Mac mini server, which has actually given me functional internet service for a while during a couple of electrical outages over the years. There have been times during my ownership of the Amplifi system when I wouldn't have recommended it, but I've overall been pretty happy with it, on balance, and I like that my wifi system isn't owned by AMZN or GOOG, and the footprint is a lot smaller than Netgear's (by all accounts excellent) Orbi system or LinkSys's Velop units.


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## digitallysane (Nov 22, 2021)

Had great experiences with ZyXEL.
Using one in my studio for some years, solid and good performance.
A bit premium compared to the usual suspects, but that's how it performs and that's why I got it.
They have quite a range for more compliacted WiFi setups as well.


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## Nimrod7 (Nov 22, 2021)

I struggled for many years to build a proper, reliable WiFi network.
Many of the consumer devices failed to satisfy my requirements, getting from random disconnections to slow speeds, unreliability in general.

I found peace with the UniFi access points. They claim to be enterprise grade, and I am not sure if that stands but in my environement they are reliable, especially with a large number of devices, and the UI to setup everything is really good.









UniFi6 Long-Range


High-performance, indoor/outdoor WiFi 6 access point with extended signal range. Features: 5 GHz WiFi 6 band (4x4), 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 band (4x4) 3.0 Gbps aggregate throughput rate Horizontal, downward-tilted antenna pattern to widen coverage area (1) GbE RJ45 port (PoE In) Powered with PoE+...




store.ui.com


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## Ukena (Nov 22, 2021)

I have been using Eero routers since it was the new kid on the block. I am in a NYC apartment, with the kitchen between my office and the modem – the kitchen is a very efficient wifi blocker. I have the main Eero router in the room connected to the router, and an Eero Beacon extender to get around the kitchen issue. It has worked fine for probably 5 years. 

I never had any problem with the Airport routers I had used before that, since they first came out.


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## Pier (Nov 22, 2021)

Here are a couple of BF deals on Wifi routers









Black Friday gaming router and networking deals 2021: the best router and networking deals for any budget


We're sorting through Black Friday router deals to help you pick out the best networking hardware this year.




www.pcgamer.com


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## Tralen (Nov 22, 2021)

liquidlino said:


> I think you might need something more active than a spike protector. Like a UPS style, with a battery in line between source and load. I'm not an electrician though, but I did find that UPS's stopped things dying at certain client sites back when i owned an IT infrastructure outsourced services for small business company.


I stopped having problems with my router after I plugged it into the UPS my computer runs.


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## Paulogic (Nov 23, 2021)

I've been using a TP-Link 7206 VPN router for some time (no WiFi) and it is great.
At home I added 4 x TP-Link Deco M9plus Mesh AP/Routers and my house, front and backgarden
and even the meadow next door, are covered with a very high quality WiFi signal.
They also have 2 UTP connections, so you can use them to connect devices wirelessly.
Example : my Mac Mini is connected to one and has very fast network connection, faster then by WiFi alone - 3 bands together get more bandwidth then only 1 band. My TV box is also connected to
another M9 and I can use it in 4K, no signal problems or dropouts at all.
They are not that expensive and make a very good allround WiFi system with only
one SSID and one Passw. No more switching from one to another WiFi AP.


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## Kabraxis (Nov 23, 2021)

Weird that no one mentioned ASUS, I thought it's widely preferred. I'm using a RT-AX86U for a while now and it's hands down one of the most powerful and reliable hardware I've ever used. Day to day it's handling around 20 wireless and 3 wired devices and never had any hiccups anywhere.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Nov 25, 2021)

bill5 said:


> Two years ago, I bought this TP-Link router. It lasted all of about a year.
> 
> Last year I bought a Netis modem/router combo. POFS also lasted about a year.
> 
> Has anyone bought one that lasted significantly more?


Not sure where you live, but I just use the router that came as part of my internet/TV package (Shaw Cable). I've had the same modem for six years now, and it's still working fine.


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## soundslike72 (Nov 25, 2021)

Kabraxis said:


> Weird that no one mentioned ASUS, I thought it's widely preferred. I'm using a RT-AX86U for a while now and it's hands down one of the most powerful and reliable hardware I've ever used. Day to day it's handling around 20 wireless and 3 wired devices and never had any hiccups anywhere.


I got an ASUS ZenWiFi XT8 AX6600 a while ago, and it's super fast and reliable as well. I suddenly discovered the full bandwith of my connection. It can do two 5 Ghz and one 2.4 Ghz network at the same time, for compatability with older devices. Definitely an upgrade from my 10+ year old Airport Extreme.


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## AcousTech (Nov 26, 2021)

bill5 said:


> ? "Power conditioner?" Sounds like shampoo lol
> 
> Any idea what could cause that? I do have a spike protector I plug into.


Bill5, 

Somewhere along the line I think the answers expanded from “router” to “WiFi”, and while often combined, those are two very separate things. So it might help to tease out what you really need here. Router? WiFi? Both?

Now, if you are finding that these units are failing then the power being supplied to them may actually be the culprit. There is a lot that goes into clean sine wave power. Power Strip != Surge Suppressor != UPS != Online UPS. Where != means not-equal-to. What a lot of people don’t know, or end up learning the hard way, is the dirty power kills equipment over time. Microscopically, if you were to look at the chips that make up the gear you would see literal pitting of the circuitry where dirty power blows small pieces of the chips/solder/boards away. Eventually the equipment fails. It “feels” like it happens all at once, but in actually has often been brewing for some time. Anyway, not to get too deep into the weeds here, but ensuring you have clean power protecting your gear is definitely an important consideration. For more, this may help:






Line-interactive vs On-line UPS Systems


UPS topology is about more than just price. You need to know the differences between line-interactive and on-line models to understand the trade-offs.




blog.tripplite.com





Now, back to your question about routers. Router? WiFi? Both?


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