Recommended new wifi routers

[ramcclain]

I have the new 24" iMac, and looking for updated wifi hardware after using apple extreme with airport expresses almost since first available. Looking for new extenders, and need some help as not sure where to look. My son has the Eero mesh whole house setup with a router and 2 add ons. He says it works great, but interested in options.
Sorry if this is wrong place to post, and will repost correctly if so.

TY.
Ruth

 

[MacInWin]

+1 for Eero. I have a three station setup in my two story house with basement that gives me great coverage throughout.

 

[ramcclain]

TY!! They are having a big sale now too.

 

[pm-r]

I have the new 24" iMac, and looking for updated wifi hardware after using apple extreme with airport expresses almost since first available. Looking for new extenders, and need some help as not sure where to look.

I would suggest you do some Googling on the internet keeping your goals in mind as well as your budget limits and read up on some of the pros and cons of the mesh systems.

Many of the affordable MESH units are missing some basic features that many would be wanting to use or utilize. Others have what I would call unrealistic pricing, especially for what they don't always offer. Check the specs and features.

Write out your wishlist to make sure all your realistic wishes can be fulfilled.

Good luck.



- Patrick
=======

 

[MacInWin]

I got the Eero to replace an Orbi system. Setup was dead easy. You use your iPhone (or Android), to set up the network, the devices connect and you are ready to go. Coverage is good, as I said. And the Eero seems to work better with Apple HomeKit products better than the Orbi system did. That was what caused me to move from the Orbi, my HomeKit stuff didn't always stay connected to the Orbi. The Eero is much more reliable. The one thing that I would like is to be able to manage the Eero through my Mac, but the Eero app on my iPhone and iPad works very well.

 

[jsteave]

I would suggest you do some Googling on the internet keeping your goals in mind as well as your budget limits and read up on some of the pros and cons of the mesh systems.

Many of the affordable MESH units are missing some basic features that many would be wanting to use or utilize. Others have what I would call unrealistic pricing, especially for what they don't always offer. Check the specs and features.

Write out your wishlist to make sure all your realistic wishes can be fulfilled.

Good luck.



- Patrick 10.0 0.0 1 portal
=======

I have a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 (which has an amplifier) that I use in addition to a WHR-G125. Both have been rock solid for me. I also have a few Linksys WRT54G-TM's (WRT54GS V3.0) that are all flashed to Tomato. I used to use DD-WRT, but it killed my routers if I used QoS. They may have gotten better since then. Running Tomato, they have 32MB RAM and stays up forever with no hiccups.

 

[tilt]

One thing I am not happy about with the mesh-routers is that almost all of them require one to set up an account online. This is a very significant reason I am hesitant about moving to one of these from my Airport Extreme.

Is there are technical reason (not data-collection and advertising/spying) that an online account is needed?

The AirPort Extreme works well without one and can be set up or managed from all my devices without an online account.

Cheers

 

[Lifeisabeach]

One thing I am not happy about with the mesh-routers is that almost all of them require one to set up an account online. This is a very significant reason I am hesitant about moving to one of these from my Airport Extreme.

Is there are technical reason (not data-collection and advertising/spying) that an online account is needed?

The AirPort Extreme works well without one and can be set up or managed from all my devices without an online account.

I have Eeros and I don't have an online account. You do have to manage the devices through an app, and the lack of a desktop-based one is a minor grievance of mine. You do have to provide a phone number and email address as part of the setup process, but honestly a throwaway email address should be fine. I've never had a problem with spam and whatnot from them.

One advantage to the Eero over the AirPort is that I can manage my Eeros from anywhere in the world.

EDIT: I should qualify this. I technically have an account, but not one that I can log into from a web browser, nor is there a password associated with it. There is a login portal that can be found on Eero's website and I can log in with my phone number and a 1-time verification code sent to my phone, but it's useless. So, not an account in the traditional sense, but technically there is one.

 

[tilt]

You do have to provide a phone number and email address as part of the setup process, but honestly a throwaway email address should be fine. I've never had a problem with spam and whatnot from them.

There is a login portal that can be found on Eero's website and I can log in with my phone number and a 1-time verification code sent to my phone

The above is what I mean. I have to do some kind of registration on Eero's site. I do not want to do that. Why do they need me to do that? I mean, a technical reason?

I do not have a need to manage my router or anything from anywhere outside my home. So, I want something that will permit me to do that without needing my info.

Cheers

 

[Lifeisabeach]

The above is what I mean. I have to do some kind of registration on Eero's site. I do not want to do that. Why do they need me to do that? I mean, a technical reason?

I do not have a need to manage my router or anything from anywhere outside my home. So, I want something that will permit me to do that without needing my info.

Then buy something else. Look, you don't ACTUALLY register on their website. Technically, I have a login, but it's just my phone number and a one-time PIN they send to my phone, all done via the app. There is NO password! And there's nothing actually IN that account when I log in. In my Eero app. I have the ability to delete my account and data. That would basically mean resetting the Eeros and I'd have to set them up from scratch again. There's nothing nefarious going on here. Just what "info" are you afraid of them having? Your phone number? Oh mercy me! Your name? Use a fake one. Your email address? Use a throwaway one.

 

[MacInWin]

Why do they need me to do that? I mean, a technical reason?

They push updates to the firmware out to the Eero routers periodically. To do that, they need to know where the routers are installed.

 

[pm-r]

tilt said:
Why do they need me to do that? I mean, a technical reason?

They push updates to the firmware out to the Eero routers periodically. To do that, they need to know where the routers are installed.

I believe that is what some refer to as good customer support.

And certainly an excellent way of keeping the equipment properly updated.
Or at least providing the directions to the trough with the water so to speak.


EDIT: and no, for those wondering, such routers do not need water. It was just a figure of speech... Facepalm




- Patrick
=======

 

[tilt]

There's nothing nefarious going on here. Just what "info" are you afraid of them having? Your phone number? Oh mercy me! Your name? Use a fake one. Your email address? Use a throwaway one.

Custom Audiences.​

We may use marketing tools such as Facebook's Custom Audience and Lookalike Audience program that enables us to display personalized ads to consumers with characteristics similar to those of our existing eero customers. To determine relevant characteristics of our existing customer base, we may process your email address and/or phone number through Facebook’s “hashing” local browser application that converts this information to a string of alphanumeric data that is then sent to Facebook to enable Facebook to identify other Facebook users with similar profile characteristics.

The above is from their privacy policy. I do not wish to have any info of mine to be given to FaceBook. I have been avoiding FaceBook all my life - I have never had a FaceBook account or any account on anything related to FaceBook.

However, with the above info, my info (even if false) is still being given to FaceBook. Giving fake info is useless here because they have my IP address, my devices' MAC address, IMEI etc. which they can collate with all other "fake" info I have provided to other services/sites/apps and identify my real info/location/etc.

Yes, the lines immediately following the above quoted text does say I can opt out of this collection later, but the damage is already done. I can opt out of future collection, not the one that was already collected when I set up my "not technically an account or a registration but just a login ID".

You say "Then buy something else." Well, that is where I started my post - almost all of these mesh routers do this online account setup; and I was trying to see if there was that something else that I could buy that does not do this.

You might also counter by saying I have an Airport Extreme and that my info is with Apple with my Apple ID as my "account". I trust Apple more than I trust other corporations. And Apple does give me the option of not sending any info (analytics, trouble-shooting, diagnostics, logs etc.) to them right at the time of setting up itself instead of collecting first and later giving me an option to opt out. And they still provide firmware updates even if I chose not to provide them with that info.

Cheers

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Custom Audiences.​

We may use marketing tools such as Facebook's Custom Audience and Lookalike Audience program that enables us to display personalized ads to consumers with characteristics similar to those of our existing eero customers. To determine relevant characteristics of our existing customer base, we may process your email address and/or phone number through Facebook’s “hashing” local browser application that converts this information to a string of alphanumeric data that is then sent to Facebook to enable Facebook to identify other Facebook users with similar profile characteristics.

The above is from their privacy policy. I do not wish to have any info of mine to be given to FaceBook. I have been avoiding FaceBook all my life - I have never had a FaceBook account or any account on anything related to FaceBook.

However, with the above info, my info (even if false) is still being given to FaceBook. Giving fake info is useless here because they have my IP address, my devices' MAC address, IMEI etc. which they can collate with all other "fake" info I have provided to other services/sites/apps and identify my real info/location/etc.

Yes, the lines immediately following the above quoted text does say I can opt out of this collection later, but the damage is already done. I can opt out of future collection, not the one that was already collected when I set up my "not technically an account or a registration but just a login ID".

You say "Then buy something else." Well, that is where I started my post - almost all of these mesh routers do this online account setup; and I was trying to see if there was that something else that I could buy that does not do this.

You might also counter by saying I have an Airport Extreme and that my info is with Apple with my Apple ID as my "account". I trust Apple more than I trust other corporations. And Apple does give me the option of not sending any info (analytics, trouble-shooting, diagnostics, logs etc.) to them right at the time of setting up itself instead of collecting first and later giving me an option to opt out. And they still provide firmware updates even if I chose not to provide them with that info.

Cheers

Again:

I've never had a problem with spam and whatnot from them.

There are no ads. I repeat... I GET NO ADS! Look, I'm all about privacy where I can and hate ads with a passion. I'd rather be using Apple routers, but they are out of the biz. There is NOTHING nefarious going on with Eeros. So Facebook "may" get info on what router I have and what devices I have are connected? Oh mercy me! They probably already have all that info already. This is all they "may" get. Eero/Amazon is not tracking your actual internet activity.... their policy forbids it and while I don't trust what policies say today, changing to track one's activity would be a HUGE mistake and they would be raked over the coals in every tech and non-tech outlet out there.