Linksys 1900 AC Router ???

[Cruiser Too]

I'm in the market for a replacement router.

I saw the "Linksys 1900 AC Router" and don't understand all the whistles & Bells.

Firstly:
It's advertised as "Dual-Band 2.4 + 5GHz".
What does that mean to this newbie ?

Am I suppose to choose either 2.4 or 5 GHz.. and connect cables accordingly or does the router automatically handle the switching ?

Secondly:
What is the process to use this new router for wifi processing.
I know I have to disconnect the cables from my old router...
can I simply connect them to the new router ???
(sounds too simple so I'm skeptical)


Thanks Folks !!!

Doug

 

[SMHarman]

There are two wifi frequencies. This has both. That's good. Your device will connect to its preferred frequency.

You should just be able to swap the wire from your cable modem from the old wifi to the new

Power cycle the modem and switch on the router.

Then log onto the router and change the access name, thr SSID and password to be the same as the old one ans everything connects.

It's that simple.

 

[Talent312]

I'm no tech guru and I barely remember setting up my own home network...
Nor did I sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night, but:

Nearly all routers (or modem-routers) on the market are "dual-band." These are radio frequencies (no cables). When you ask your device (laptop, cell phone, net-streamer) to connect to the router, either it or you will select one of the two bands.

The 2.4GHz is older and subject to conflicts with household wireless devices. 5.0GHz was designed to avoid those conflicts and uses the newer "N" protocol. It's supposed to have a better range.

The "ac" in AC1900 refers to the newest wireless protocol (g/n/ac). It has near gigabite wireless transfer rates. AC1900 routers can handles speeds faster than AC1750 or AC1600 routers, but anything "ac" is light-years ahead of wi-fi "n" devices.

Cabled-Connections: Most new routers have 4-Ethernet ports to which you can plug in a Cat.5 or Cat.6 cable. Typically, 2 ports or all are rated as gigabit ports, meaning they can handle up to those speeds. Just plug in your device and the network should recognize it.

The actual speed you achieve either way depends on the device that you connect. Most laptops in use today do not have "ac" wi-fi and use "g" or "n" protocol instead. You may want to replace or upgrade your laptop to make use of the "ac" protocol.

The speed of your connection to the internet will depend on your internet-plan and the modem you use to connect to the internet. You may want to upgrade your plan and modem to take advantage of the router's capacity -- cable modems with 24 channels (Netgear's Nighthawk) can get near gigabit speeds. Do you need those speeds? Unless you're a serious gamer or multi-streamer, not really.

... Just my 2 cents ...
.

 

[Cruiser Too]

There are two wifi frequencies. This has both. That's good. Your device will connect to its preferred frequency.

You should just be able to swap the wire from your cable modem from the old wifi to the new

Power cycle the modem and switch on the router.

Then log onto the router and change the access name, thr SSID and password to be the same as the old one ans everything connects.

It's that simple.

Thanks SMHarman !

Let me digest what you just wrote.
(newbie here)

 

[Cruiser Too]

Talent312:

Thanks for your info.

I think I understand part of your explanation.

My ISP upgraded my modem and connected the cables to my old router.
I enjoy wireless access to the web from my PC and from my Laptop.
Also print wirelessly from both devices.

Thus...
does the following statement pertain to me ???:

• Cabled-Connections: Most new routers have 4-Ethernet ports to which you can plug in a Cat.5 or Cat.6 cable. Typically, 2 ports or all are rated as gigabit ports, meaning they can handle up to those speeds.

 

[SMHarman]

The speed of your connection to the internet will depend on your internet-plan and the modem you use to connect to the internet. You may want to upgrade your pan and modem to take advantage of the router's capacity -- cable modems with 24 channels (Netgear's Nighthawk) can get near gigabit speeds. Do you need those speeds? Unless you're a serious gamer or multi-streamer, not really.

... Just my 2 cents ...
.

Barely even that.

A Netflix HD stream requires 4mb. A Vudu HDX stream requires 8mb. A 4 k stream 8-12mb.

So most people pay their cable provider an extra 5-20 a month for a wider pipe to trickle data through.

Ping times are what matters for gamers. How long the packet takes to travel from a>b>a. The width of the pipe does not dictate that. Thenumber of bends or connection legs does.

 

[Cruiser Too]

Barely even that.

A Netflix HD stream requires 4mb. A Vudu HDX stream requires 8mb. A 4 k stream 8-12mb.

So most people pay their cable provider an extra 5-20 a month for a wider pipe to trickle data through.

Ping times are what matters for gamers. How long the packet takes to travel from a>b>a. The width of the pipe does not dictate that. Thenumber of bends or connection legs does.

ZOOM... way over my head.
But... not a streamer or gamer, so it doesn't pertain to moi,
right ???

 

[Talent312]

My ISP upgraded my modem and connected the cables to my old router.

I enjoy wireless access to the web from my PC and from my Laptop.
Also print wirelessly from both devices.

If you pay your ISP a monthly rental for a modem, you may want to look into buying your own. It will save you $$ in the long-run... kind'a like owning a TS with no MF's (as if). Your ISP should have a list of approved third-party modems.

If you are strictly a Wi-Fi user, do not worry about the wired-ports on the router. I use cables to connect our two blu-ray players, a magic-jack phone & printer.

BTW, many new routers come with 1 or 2 USB ports you can use to attach an external-HD or printer, if you wish.

 

[Cruiser Too]

If you are strictly a Wi-Fi user, do not worry about the wired-ports on the router.

Thanks Talent312 !

 

[Phydeaux]

Most importantly, be certain that you configure your new router to be password protected at the highest security level it offers. You don't want some wacko surfing your wifi.

To make it fun, come up with a creative name for your wifi. Something like

FBI Surveillance Mobile 6

 

[Passepartout]

New routers come with clear instructions for set up. It ain't rocket science. Pretty much plug n' play and with far more capability than a user like Doug (or yours truly) will ever use.

Jim

 

[taterhed]

In fact, if you like to copy music or movies or ??? (other large files) from you computer to a remote drive--think 'computer backup' for instance--the high transfer speeds (from your wireless computer) to the storage drive (plugged into the back of the wireless router or your desktop on the network) will really start to help. Backups and restores can be very fast on high speed AC or N.

Keep in mind: the speed of the connection (wireless) is directly proportional to: 1) distance from laptop to router 2)radio interference 3)materials between computer and router (metal, stone etc...).

So, a fast router in the house may support good connections on the deck, basement or next door (or for your entire neighborhood--NO open wifi!). A slower router may render poor throughput under actual field conditions.

I'm an Asus fan, but also have a nice Netgear nighthawk X6.

Also, for storage or backup, consider a 1TB portable USB (3.0) drive from Costco (or similar). Cheap easy backup for storage, upgrades, movies etc... plugs right into the back of the router and can be given a drive name and accessed like a hard drive located directly on the computer.

 

[TUGBrian]

the biggest change ive noticed in the latest few generations of routers are the number of antennas available.

the newer ones with multiple separate antennas (they all kinda look like upside down spiders now) allow for different devices to connect via different bandwidths so they arent fighting each other for space thru the same antenna.

I noticed an amazing difference with the wife watching netflix and or surfing on the phone on the other side of the house after upgrading my old linksys to an asus ac series.

*note, it appears the one you mention above has 3 separate antennas, so that should be a huge improvement if your old one was an older generation with only 1!

 

[TUGBrian]

another note, for broadband users that have wifi-enabled cable modems (ie comcast)....the wifi setup on those built in boxes is absolutely terrible in both range and speed.

its night and day using a 3rd party wifi router plugged into your cable modem (even one that has wifi built into it).

 

[Cruiser Too]

the biggest change ive noticed in the latest few generations of routers are the number of antennas available.... *note, it appears the one you mention above has 3 separate antennas, so that should be a huge improvement if your old one was an older generation with only 1!

No visible antenna on my old router (Cisco/Linksys E-4200).
The one I'm referring to has FOUR antennas.

 

[Cruiser Too]

.... Also, for storage or backup, consider a 1TB portable USB (3.0) drive from Costco (or similar). Cheap easy backup for storage, upgrades, movies etc... plugs right into the back of the router and can be given a drive name and accessed like a hard drive located directly on the computer.

For Back-Up and extra storage, I use a portable hard-drive, USB connection to my Desk-Top.

Is there an advantage in connecting it to a new router, instead of directly into my CPU ?

Thanks, Doug

 

[Cruiser Too]

New routers come with clear instructions for set up. It ain't rocket science. Pretty much plug n' play and with far more capability than a user like Doug (or yours truly) will ever use. Jim

I would like to think so.
I glanced at the User's documentation and recall reading about setting up numerous user-ids and passwords.

Definitely will read, re-read and re-read before attempting it.

 

[Cruiser Too]

To make it fun, come up with a creative name for your wifi. Something like

FBI Surveillance Mobile 6

In that case.... Mr. Snowden might look into it !!!

 

[riverdees05]

Does anyone know anything about the new NETGEAR Orbi High-Performance AC3000 Tri-Band WiFi System (RBK50)? We have a three story house and have problems with our Linksys Router and have tried adding extenders without success.

 

[Talent312]

Supposedly, its the best thing since sliced-bread.
Netgear's website ( http://www.netgear.com/home/product...rmM3lXS-9CyZH9FT5v-8aPTAsNKYzlbzedBoC7frw_wcB )...

WiFi Everywhere
No more dead zones upstairs, no dropped connections through walls, just WiFi everywhere. The Orbi Home WiFi System reaches up to 4,000 square feet through WiFi barriers like walls, stairs and doors. Need more coverage? Just add an Orbi Satellite to instantly expand your WiFi reach.

How is Orbi different than a WiFi range extender?
Orbi provides a single WiFi network for your entire house. You can connect to one WiFi network, and Orbi takes care of the rest to ensure that you have the fastest possible connection to the Internet.
Range extenders work by repeating the WiFi signal of your router to other parts of your house. As a result, you have two different WiFi networks to connect to: one for your router and another for your range extender.
.

 

[SMHarman]

Does anyone know anything about the new NETGEAR Orbi High-Performance AC3000 Tri-Band WiFi System (RBK50)? We have a three story house and have problems with our Linksys Router and have tried adding extenders without success.

If you are handy with running a few cables in your home and reading some online setup guides then you should get ubiquiti WAPs and set them up. On nearer the top of he house one nearer the bottom and one nearly the back yard. They sell a 3 pack.