Router Thoughts - Apple Not in the Game - 802.11ax Coming Up - What to Pick?

Hi All - I'm really in a 'hardware state of mind' -

My iPad Air 2 battery is dying - probably will just replace w/ the new 'iPad'; my MBPro is 5 years old; my wife's iMac is a fusion drive and still on Sierra, so thinking about getting her an iMac w/ SSD and going to High Sierra or even Mojave depending on the purchase date? That's all clear to me.

BUT, I have an older Apple AirPort Extreme router dating to 2013 (and likely 2012 technology) on 802.11n - 802.11ax will likely become official early next year, so two standards behind (thinking about replacing my HDTV w/ a 4K model and will need high streaming speeds - my internet is coming into the house @ 60 Mbps); some of the current 'ac' recommendations HERE -Apple low on the list since their discontinuation and only old technology available (and expensively outdated).

SO - the Apple AirPort technology has worked well w/ my Apple machines/network but a different brand seems to be in my future - obviously, this is an 'information gathering' request - any thoughts, comments, etc.? Thanks - Dave

SO - the Apple AirPort technology has worked well w/ my Apple machines/network but a different brand seems to be in my future - obviously, this is an 'information gathering' request - any thoughts, comments, etc.? Thanks - Dave

Click to expand...

With all the talk about speed, many seem to get caught up with the big numbers and yet don't always understand the difference between download speed and bandwidth.

IE: What’s The Difference Between Internet Bandwidth And Speed?
https://fossbytes.com/whats-the-difference-between-internet-bandwidth-and-speed/

or:
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=download+speed+vs+bandwidth&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Bottom line, many pay way too much for something they may not even need, or can even use efficiently.




- Patrick
======

pm-r said:

With all the talk about speed, many seem to get caught up with the big numbers and yet don't always understand the difference between download speed and bandwidth.

IE: What’s The Difference Between Internet Bandwidth And Speed?
https://fossbytes.com/whats-the-difference-between-internet-bandwidth-and-speed/

or:
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=download+speed+vs+bandwidth&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Bottom line, many pay way too much for something they may not even need, or can even use efficiently.

- Patrick
======

Click to expand...

Hi Patrick - thanks for responding - read the links but already know the information - plus, the first link has a mistake - see quote below in bold, i.e. Mbps means Mega bits per second and not Megabytes (8 bits = Byte) - currently, I'm getting 60 or so Mbps which is fine for my streaming needs at the moment - my question concerns upgrading my router - if my 5+ y/o Apple Extreme decides to go 'south', then what are my replacement options, especially w/ 802.11ax about to be standardized? Dave

However, there can be situations when you have a higher bandwidth, but your internet connection still works like a snail. Let’s say your ISP has allocated you a bandwidth of 50Mbps – means 50 megabytes of data can be downloaded in one second on your machine. You start downloading a file from a web server, and the download manager maxes out somewhere at 18 Mbps.

Click to expand...

Jaiman said:

https://www.asus.com/Networking/Wireless-Routers-Products/

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link to the Asus routers - I've not owned one (Linksys - many, Cisco, & Apple Extreme are my experiences so far) - does not appear in my previous link of 'ac' router reviews, so not sure of their reputation? Plus, as w/ many of these newer routers, the multiple antennae remind me of an octopus - a reason that I love my current 'old' Apple Extreme, i.e. nothing projecting - tough decision but likely will wait for the 'ax' standard to be finalized, unless my current 'oldie' decides to die? Thanks again - Dave

Not a router expert, but here is my experience.

1) Started with Linksys, worked well but tended to die rather quickly. Went through 4 of them in 5 years, plus frequent reboots needed to recover from Network lockups
2) Apple routers, worked well, only had one die unexpectedly in the 8 years I used them, and reboots weren’t as frequent
3) Actiontec (current router). I got this one because my DSL Modem needed replacing and Centurylink (my service provider) is persnickety on their hardware requirements. The Actiontec seems to work well and has been going strong for almost 2 years now, but I have to reboot it almost every day (though that may be the modem interface)

Anyway FWIW that’s my 2 cents worth

The Actiontec seems to work well and has been going strong for almost 2 years now, but I have to reboot it almost every day (though that may be the modem interface)

Click to expand...

Yikes!!

Do you have some rather strange or unusual setup that so many resets are required?

That seems crazy that such would be necessary in a normal situation and what happens to make any need to reset ???




- Patrick
======

pm-r said:

Yikes!!

Do you have some rather strange or unusual setup that so many resets are required?

That seems crazy that such would be necessary in a normal situation and what happens to make any need to reset ???




- Patrick
======

Click to expand...

Internet locks up . . . only recourse is a hard reset. As far as crazy setup, if so it must be in Centurylink’s DSL feed.

RavingMac said:

Not a router expert, but here is my experience.

1) Started with Linksys, worked well but tended to die rather quickly. Went through 4 of them in 5 years, plus frequent reboots needed to recover from Network lockups
2) Apple routers, worked well, only had one die unexpectedly in the 8 years I used them, and reboots weren’t as frequent
3) Actiontec (current router). I got this one because my DSL Modem needed replacing and Centurylink (my service provider) is persnickety on their hardware requirements. The Actiontec seems to work well and has been going strong for almost 2 years now, but I have to reboot it almost every day (though that may be the modem interface)

Click to expand...

Thanks RM for your comments - have not heard of that router brand, and have not had the reboot needs you mention - we're on Spectrum cable and I rent their modem (Arris) which 'plays well' w/ my AirPort Extreme router - rarely have to reboot, and when we do lose the internet, usually a temporary Spectrum issue. I guess that I could just buy the 'newest' AirPort Extreme w/ 802.11ac, but my 'bottleneck' is the modem bandwidth from Spectrum, about 60 Mbps on my current plan - however, my internal network speeds are max at 217 Mbps & 450 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz & 5.0 GHz bands (as in the pic), respectively, so jumping to an 'ac' or an 'ax' router (when official) will increase my 'in house' speed but not my modem's bottleneck. I'd have no problem going w/ Apple but old technology at an overvalued price - Dave

.

Our current router is a Netger model. I never thought I would say that given my issues with the first one I had years ago. Basic setup is pretty easy and you have access to some more advanced features. There setup functions are not as easy as Apple but it is close enough I doubt you will have troouble figuring things out. A lot of their models are the multi antena designs though.

Try going to the site and taking a look at some of their manuals.

Slydude said:

Our current router is a Netger model. I never thought I would say that given my issues with the first one I had years ago. Basic setup is pretty easy and you have access to some more advanced features. There setup functions are not as easy as Apple but it is close enough I doubt you will have troouble figuring things out. A lot of their models are the multi antena designs though.

Try going to the site and taking a look at some of their manuals.

Click to expand...

Hi Sly - thanks for your comments. As I read more, home networking is changing dramatically, not only w/ the 802.11ac to ax issue in the near future, but w/ the introduction of the 'home mesh network' concept, a different approach to how a home network operates - some good articles HERE1 and HERE2 - the Netgear Orbi models seem to be getting good reviews - at the moment my 5 y/o AirPort Extreme is still working fine and is fast enough for my needs - think that I'll just wait to see how the 'ax' standards evolve and when? Also, I need to learn more about 'mesh networking' which seems to be evoking a LOT of excitement; e.g. the eero mesh network 2 part system looks interesting although not cheap! . Dave
.

When I got the current Netgear router I was in a bit of a hurry since the previous roouter was failing. At that point I had not begun looking into the whole mesh networking idea. Our place is small enough that our current setup provides pretty good coverage and speed so I wasn't in a hurry to spring for mesh networking.

I'll probably be looking at that soon. I'm likely to get a few questions from non-techie friends.