I'm going to replace my home router, and I am trying to decide between getting a rather beefy single unit or getting something more like a mesh network. I'm also open to finding an old desktop to turn into a router then using an 8-port switch if that will fit my situation better. I'd like to keep it under $250 to $300 depending on the solution.
The area I need to cover is a little over 2,600 sq feet for the house alone, but I wouldn't mind if it extended into the backyard and garage a bit, just not out into the street if that's possible with the placement of the router. I have two desktops and a 1U server that need to be hard-lined in, I currently accomplish this by having them all feed into a single switch that connects directly to the router. I have two Rokus that also have wired connections to said router. A third is using the wireless option to connect. There are two laptops and two phones that my wife and I use. Then there are about half a dozen tablets that are used by the kids at different times. If I'm on my desktop, someone is streaming something from the server, my wife is on her laptop, and some kids are watching something on one TV while the others are on tablets, it can strain the system to the point where everyone is getting grumpy about it. It doesn't happen that often, but it has happened enough times we know what the current system's limits are. Once a week we have family over and that adds an additional 10 people that sometimes bring various devices that all drain the system to the point where people are just getting knocked off the network. So, what do you recommend? I've got my eye on either Netgear Nighthawk or Netgear Orbi. I'm not especially particular on the brand, just those two seem to be highly recommended based on reviews I've found. /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
