Dad needs a good wifi internet router

[KT 💣 KλBoƠM]

Dad needs a good wifi internet router.

He doesn't know anything about computers (as Dave knows) but keeps complaining that the range on his is so poor (close range homes and other homes having wifi routers as well doesn't help I assume?). I keep telling him this is not MY area of expertise but Dave's. So I decided to post this thread on here to get a better idea of what would be good for him.

Remember his budget isn't the best as he has medical bills to pay and debt from what was left to him when his brother passed away so please remember that quality is important but within a budget. He can't just full splurge on the best.

So looking at which have the best range despite proximity to other houses on a budget.

https://rank-it.ca/tech/wifi/wireless-router/

[KT 💣 KλBoƠM]

Okay going to lay down but just looking at realistic ideas.

Preferably local.

Staples

Best Buy

PC Outlet

Orange PC

Walmart (CA)

RONA (Was Lowes)

The Source

Kijiji

[Sandman[SA]]

Sometimes just changing the routers broadcast frequency range can provide a huge boost in performance when you are with-in a highly congested wifi zone.  I suggest that check out a google play store app called "WIFI Analyzer" to see if you have a bunch of overlapping frequencies in the area.  Another tip is to locate the router in a more central location with-in the house.  And away from other electrical appliances.  Lastly, make sure your router and patch cable can match the modems ethernet port speed.  If the modem has a 10/100/1000 port and the router is only 10/100, your router / patch cable will be the bottleneck.

[One Eyed Wonderweasle]

 TP-Link makes some good routers, not extremely expensive. but there are also 2 parts to WIFI. router (send) and device (receive) upgrading one might help but you need to upgrade both ends to take full advantage. Sometimes location of the router is the prob too. but if it's been 4 years or more fore the router go newer. preferably WIFI 6 if he's doing fiber go a gigabit router on the LAN side like he said to prevent bottle necking it.
 Maybe we can see what can be done after your re-inspection.

[KT 💣 KλBoƠM]

Thanks for the advice guys! Yes Dave I will take you with me to my dad's after I miss the next re-inspection of my apt. I think having you there at my dad's will be an advantage as I don't know this stuff but it is nice that he has reconnected with me over something finally and I do feel useful finally which is nice.

And thank you both of you as he has it in his computer room which is the closest to the backyard. It is a small house and just below the back of the house the main floor has the TV. I believe he just has cable internet. Him and his girlfriend both use cell phones as well. They do not have anything else on wifi such as Alexa or the such. But not sure what neighbours have.

[Sandman[SA]]

As I was saying, you need to configure what channel your router is broadcasting on if you're in a congested wifi area.  Simply put, if you have a lot of overlapping wifi signals, you will get limited speed or poor connection range.  Usually both.

The best way to get started is with an app like this.  WIFI Anilyzer  This will let you see what channels have the least activity in the area and change them in your router control panel.  I have a modern ASUS AX router.  So, my control panel looks like the image below.  This is the setting you change.

[KT 💣 KλBoƠM]

As I was saying, you need to configure what channel your router is broadcasting on if you're in a congested wifi area.  Simply put, if you have a lot of overlapping wifi signals, you will get limited speed or poor connection range.  Usually both.

The best way to get started is with an app like this.  WIFI Anilyzer  This will let you see what channels have the least activity in the area and change them in your router control panel.  I have a modern ASUS AX router.  So, my control panel looks like the image below.  This is the setting you change.

That is great! Thank you!

How expensive was your Wifi router?

[Sandman[SA]]

How expensive was your Wifi router?

Here is my current router.  ASUS RT-AX86S  And I paid about $150 USD

It's 2.5 Gb in and 1 Gb out on all 4 out ports.  It's very easy to configure and setup.  The software is very intuitive.  Even WiFi 5 has impressive range and it's chock full of useful features to explore.

I can't configure WiFi 6 at the moment with my current setup as I need all 4 out ports and my current modem would require 2 port connectivity to reach 2.5Gb speeds.  I would need a 2.5Gb or faster capable ethernet hub to reach this setup's full potential.  But it's not a priority at the moment as only my Galaxy S21 is WiFi 6 ready.

[KT 💣 KλBoƠM]

How expensive was your Wifi router?

Here is my current router.  ASUS RT-AX86S  And I paid about $150 USD

It's 2.5 Gb in and 1 Gb out on all 4 out ports.  It's very easy to configure and setup.  The software is very intuitive.  Even WiFi 5 has impressive range and it's chock full of useful features to explore.

I can't configure WiFi 6 at the moment with my current setup as I need all 4 out ports and my current modem would require 2 port connectivity to reach 2.5Gb speeds.  I would need a 2.5Gb or faster capable ethernet hub to reach this setup's full potential.  But it's not a priority at the moment as only my Galaxy S21 is WiFi 6 ready.

Ya a lot more expensive in Canada

Asus RT-AX86S $299.99 CDN

[Sandman[SA]]

It's no wonder why you Canadians have a hard time making ends meet.

[One Eyed Wonderweasle]

 Computer parts are not cheap over here, but KT's dad doesn't likely need a $300 dollar router. I might get 2 of these(one for me one for KT's dad), no WIFI-6 but there are hardly any devices that use it yet.


https://www.amazon.ca/Tenda-AC23-Smart-WiFi-Router/dp/B088K9HCJB/ref=sr_1_25?crid=U8TNBACLQ9G&keywords=router%2Bwifi&qid=1701823696&sprefix=router%2Caps%2C248&sr=8-25&th=1

[Sandman[SA]]

Computer parts are not cheap over here, but KT's dad doesn't likely need a $300 dollar router.

I've been noticing that trend.  And it's not just PC parts that are overpriced.  But I do understand.  He just needs a good router and KT asked what I paid for mine.  I tend to get things that can expand with my needs for years to come.

I might get 2 of these(one for me one for KT's dad), no WIFI-6 but there are hardly any devices that use it yet.

Hopefully it works well and lasts a few years.  There are plenty of devices that can use WiFi 6 now.  But it's all new stuff made in the past 2 years or so.  Then again, we don't have much bleeding edge tech stuff right now, so there is that.

[KT 💣 KλBoƠM]

I just worry that he will complain his internet range still sucks afterwards as I am not there to see what he means. He did try to show me but I did not see any significant drop when he went out of his bedroom into the hallway.

[Sandman[SA]]

As I shouldn't need to remind anyone.  But typically, when you pay quality money for quality things, you usually get quality.  Sadly, the same applies for budget things.  So, keep that in mind.

[One Eyed Wonderweasle]

 Probably better to see what he's working with and do some testing first.