Windows 10: Need a router!

bro67, could you explain why? My current 5 year old system has had no issues until now. There are no dead spots or signal degradation in my 3000 sq ft house. Most days, I can still get a good signal in my barn that is 90 feet from the house. Will I get less range with the newer routers? I would think it would be a lot less issues and aggravation to deal with on piece of equipment instead of 2 or 3 pieces of equipment to do the same thing.

 

I personally wouldn't see the need to redo your entire network either if you already have the infrastructure in place already to do what you need to do and it's only the router that needs replaced/upgraded. For example, my router/WiFi access point is in my basement and it covers my outside deck and first floor with WiFi signal. I have two cable runs in the basement that run to switches in an office and in my living room. I have wired devices in those locations connected to the switches. On the second floor I have a WiFi extender/bridge that connects to my main router in the basement via both WiFi bands, extends the WiFi signal to my second floor, and has a couple of wired devices connected to it.

If my main router went bad in the basement, I would just replace it and don't see any need to install "a Mesh Network like Google's or Engenius." If I had just a cable running to the office and I needed to connect a computer, printer, and smart TV or DVD player, then I would just add a $20 gigabit switch to the end of that cable.

Now, when purchase a house where my new job is in Albany, OR - if it doesn't have the infrastructure I have here and I am looking at having to build the network again from scratch, then I'll consider more options.

 

Kinda what I thought but was not sure if I was missing something. As I stated, my networking knowledge is very weak.

 

Try looking through this webpage.

 

Cannot say enough nice things about eero!

Elegant Networking - An eero Home WiFi System Review - Qwerty Articles

 

Too bad it isn't what the OP needs. Did you even read the OP?

How many Ethernet ports does the EERO have? Answer: one. The OP has a fully functioning network already. All he needs and wants to do is replace the router that it is all already connected to. He does not need, or want, a new mesh type WiFi network. I'm sitting at my desk right now looking at 8 devices connected to the wired Ethernet portion of my network. If my router dies, I need a new router, not a WiFi mesh network system. In fact, about 2 weeks ago an obsolete router that was "dumbed down" to act as a network switch died and I didn't go out and buy a WiFi mesh network system in a box - I bought a $20 switch to connect my wired desktop computer, NAS, and Sprint AIRAVE box to.

 

If your current setup is working well, then there would not be a need to purchase new equipment. Unless you are going to get Internet with 1000mbps speeds. Your system will work just fine.

Streaming media will also do fine on 100mbps for 720p, even for 1080p at a lower rate. I went with a wired router, a POE Access Point at the time when I redid my network and used a 2.4GHZ 300mbps Wireless-N Access Point, because we did not have a need for storing tv recordings on a NAS or the need of backing up a laptop or desktop, since everything was stored locally at that time. When I went through the assessment that when Wireless-AC Access Points came down for Engenius, I stayed with the brand, that I had originally used for a 2.4GHZ unit, now I have the EAP-1750H for 1300mbps burst. My LAN speeds for Wifi run stable around 867mbps and I have zero issues if I want to stream across the network or even from online of 50mbps down through my provider.

Your question now is like going on a car lot and telling the agent that you are looking for a new car, but your current one works just fine, so you will not be doing anything.

If you want faster LAN speeds and be mobile, go with a Access Point or two of the model that I have, which works flawlessly for me and the price is decent. Everything else runs into a ISP Gateway with the Wifi turned off or you place your own personal Gateway that is wired only behind the ISP gateway through a Passthrough mode.

 

Right, he currently has the switch. I too have multiple devices connected to a switch and all of that is connected to the one port on the eero. I'm no different here and have found the mesh type wireless is ideal. Especially if his grand kids and wife are on wireless devices.

I recommended it, because it works for me quite well and I too have multiple wired devices. Switches are fairly inexpensive IMHO. Another reason I mentioned it is because it is extremely easy to use. You really never need to think about it, perfect for somebody who doesn't know a lot about routers.

 

LOL, I can only dream! Probably won't happen here in my life time! The max in this area is 24!

 

I would not laugh, since we are seeing Fiber replacing Copper, since it is able to stand up to the elements more than Copper. Also our Copper infrastructure for Communications is aging, along with even Coops are running Fiber out to those who wish to become customers.

Internally, you may see a need for it if you are moving around a lot of large data for backups. Otherwise, if you are just going online and not really needing more than say Wireless-G 54mbps or Wireless-N 100mbps, it is really up to you. Especially that Wireless-ac and 1000mbps equipment prices are dropping all of the time as Wireless-N is replacing Wireless-G and 1000mbps is replacing 100mbps.

Sit down and look at what you are doing, how much you are streaming from the Internet to be able to justify redoing your network. I went with the Cisco RV-320, because WAN to LAN is always a choke point. At the time I bought it, I was with Comcast and paying for the 100mbps package, because my wife was working from home and needed the fast speeds and not have the choke point that a lot of consumer gear has.

 

Tell me about it on the Switches. I have two 5 ports for backup and just switched my Netgear GS-105 for the GS-108, due to I ended up pulling the Cisco RV-320 out and just going with the U-Verse Gateway I have, due to the Cisco was just making a nightmare when dealing with IPv6. I do not need that headache, so I turned off IPv6, but the changes that AT&T did recently with Native IPv6, and that Cisco had not been looking at the future of that device, I retired it.

It did pull out a choke point withe Passthrough that I was seeing with the Engenius AP that I have. In the future I may end up moving to the Mesh if it warrants it. I cannot justify it right now as a marketing tool for those I have ask me for consulting, which way they should go. The last one I just dealt with was suggesting the Mesh network, either Google's or Engenius. I push more towards the Engenius, because I am able to better manage it from remote.

 

You are more invested into switches than I am, that's for sure! *chuckle

I somewhat like the eero ecosystem of self managed, one of the reasons I recommended it, so I opted to go with unmanaged switches. I bet I could get better performance like your network by managing them, but I am not a network admin.

 

I had one five port where our TV is, because I had three devices there that needed Ethernet and the U-Verse box. I cannot see a need for managed switches in a home, unless you are working from home and want to have VOIP. I have actually been using Facetime voice on my Macbook more, than using my phone, since it is easier to work and talk.

My thing is that range is a factor when I can walk across the street to the sub shop and still have a wifi connection to get alerts that stay within my LAN.

I have actually been begging people to take some of the surplus gear I have collected downstairs.