Wireless router - a/g/b/n bands - Only a single 5Ghz band and 2 2.4Ghz band
£16.78 including free next day DPD Delivery seems decent enough for the prices. Would be good a wireless repeater, extender.
Sadly 100Mb ports not Gigabit
Some Specs:
• Next generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard
• 5-in-1 Router, Access Point, Range Extender, Wireless Bridge and WISP
• Backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n standards
• Concurrent dual-band wireless connectivity for 2.4GHz and 5GHz
• High gain fixed antennas for better Wi-Fi performance
• Supports up to 8 Multi-SSID (2.4GHz x 4 and 5GHz x 4) & VLAN (AP mode only)
• Supports guest network (router mode only)
• Revolutionary iQoS for efficient and effective internet bandwidth management
Latest comments (56)
tomwenn
12 Jan 16#56
Is this worth getting to replace my Technicolor tg582n that came with my home broadband? Would I notice a difference?
Zaxxan
2 Jan 16#55
I have a tenda router and the default is no WiFi security. The router reset itself and left my WiFi network open. How long it had been like that I don't know but I would never use a tenda router again.
celeronmanuk
31 Dec 151#54
Higher gain isn't always better, depends on coverage requirements...
polarbaba
31 Dec 15#53
I put my old buffalo WiFi router into my dads house and its ten times better then the super hub. I put the super hub in modem only mode.
I am willing to spend around 100-150 but not if its not necessary.. I'm not looking for bragging rights... that's why this thread interested me.. been looking at the TP link /archer units for a while... still need help with this as I've been out of the IT game for a few years..
suggestions?
nighthawks also bring considered... they look cool but the tiny antaennas concerned me.
celeronmanuk
31 Dec 15#52
Interested in these Tenda units, but can't find anything when searching Aliexpress. Could you please post a link?
cheekster
31 Dec 15#51
@frownbreaker
Which ASUS model are you referring to please?
frownbreaker
31 Dec 15#50
You might want to look at moving your Access Point (AP) perhaps the floor above. It does not need to be where the modem is. I have 2 sites for Modems (Virgin) and BT and a third location for the AP.
If you are on a budget look at the Tenda units (Quad Ant.) with English firmware on Ali Express. They OEM for NG Nighthawk etc excellent build range. ASUS are the best if you can afford it. I switch ISP every contract even PlusNet to BT etc as the cashbacks / savings are so large pushes the effective cost of internet down significantly. When I switch there is normally just a change on the ASUS cable modem as the CHAPS auth is different between BT / Plusnet.
polarbaba
30 Dec 15#6
what's this like compared to more expensive ones that look like a transformer robot?
I don't need USB ports.. bit would be nice.. no need for anything other than great WiFi...
I have a VM super hub 2 and its crap..
anyone suggest if this is OK for me and my modest requirements?
it will only be used for my phones and tablets...
although I don't mind if I spend more money but need rock solid WiFi with a good range.. so no internal antennas
Torchwood to polarbaba
30 Dec 15#11
I've gone for one. Reviews look pretty good on the whole. And for £17 delivered it seems like a bargain.
snipa to polarbaba
30 Dec 15#18
I've got the original SuperHub. I was thinking of paying to get a newer VM issue one. This is of interest to me only because of the concurrent 2.4 and 5Ghz (which you already have) and external antennas which should increase range and signal strength.
GuruMeditationError to polarbaba
30 Dec 151#22
You may want something with a higher Antenna Gain because the 1.5dBi won't go far for the 5Ghz because I think the signal drop-off is considerably more than 2.5GHz.. If you have lots of devices then the cheaper units can suffer under load and even more so if they only have 100Mbps LAN port if transferring between devices.
But I guess it will really depend on what kind of reliability, range, amount of devices and type of use you are going to want. This edimax unit will probably be ideal for a few devices in a small house.
frownbreaker to polarbaba
31 Dec 151#49
These are fine for locations with no other radio interference / access points but if you want the best range / signal quality the ASUS units are hard to beat. Good radio design and excellent firmware / custom firmware. Worth running a site survey using Wifi Analyser (free on play store) to see if you have other APs in range. Also worth locating your AP near the centre of the house flat for optimal range. Consider the first floor not near the front of the house where the cable comes in from the road. Also remove any Wifi Repeaters (these halve your bandwidth) unless you use 5gHz as back haul and 2.4gHz for clients - best to run cable or mains networking if you need to extend the range. I had 3 APs (dual external ant) replaced with a single ASUS unit. Never looked back. If you are paying for high speed internet remember the units supplied by Virgin . BT / Sky cannot really deliver that speed to your devices. Best to build out your own network at home and use the ISP device as a gateway to the internet and disable the WIFI etc. With Virgin the Superhub is pants, put it into Modem mode and connect to a quality AP I got faster throughput and way better WIFI. BT Home hub is better than a VM Superhub but still cannot hold a candle to a 2 year old ASUS model!
cheekster
31 Dec 15#48
Nighthawks, if within budget, I'd have thought. Get good reviews and lots of positive comments from owners of them here.
polarbaba
31 Dec 15#47
these ones or nighthawks?.. I have a few devices but large house and it seems that we may have a bit or metal content on the bricks as WiFi and 2g/3g/4g doesn't come through either .. but outside its great!..
so looking for range and speed.. yes gigabit Ethernet also required.
hornetsam
31 Dec 15#46
i got one of these a few days back as my brother needed his poor range sorted. easy to set up and working fantastic. best get some for my own house then... (dont think i will like the leds mind you)
cheekster
30 Dec 15#45
Whilst it may be possible to tweak the existing ZyXEL (I didn't set them up btw) AP's, I have not been impressed with them whatsoever (not cheap, neither at £100 a pop!) so my thoughts were perhaps to replace them with one or both of these EdiMax routers that I have ordered and set them up as AP's. The three large external aerials, hopefully will help with transmitting signals?
Thanks for the detailed reply.
cheekster
30 Dec 15#29
Can any of you I.T. guru's advise which would offer the best wifi performance...using this as an access point or range extender? Currently have BT Infinity Home Hub 5 but have the built-in wifi switched off as running two ZyXEL access points (one upstairs and one downstairs) NWA-1121NI (I think is the model number) but there's plenty of dead spots with poor or no signal around the house, hence reason I thought I'd try one or two of these instead.
Thanks.
SamboBambo to cheekster
30 Dec 151#30
Currently using this as an access point with BT infinity via powerline adapters. It's been absolutely flawless so far. The self setup wizard will literally do all the configuring for you to set up as an access point.
Word of advice, replace the God awful homehub with something better too. I've replaced the HH5 with an ASUS DSL-AC68U and it's the best decision I've ever made. The range is incredible and I haven't had a single drop-out since I've purchased it (about a couple months ago). Whereas the HH5 would drop-out almost daily.
Klansimpson to cheekster
30 Dec 151#33
The signal on these are much better. Worth a swap out I reckon for this money, though changing from Smart Wireless as I mentioned in #32 would likely massively improve your HH5 wireless and remove its not so smart dropouts
This guide will also help as you really want to turn off the SMART features altogether as they are really annoying and screw with things like Fire Tv Sticks and such
i would go with another zyxel access point. i would actually remove one and try and see how far one would go from various plugs and just map it on a map of your house, try different wifi channels.. then add the second one
Hootwo to cheekster
30 Dec 152#44
You're buying two? Sounds like you're putting in several APs then?
Get a laptop, Acrylic Pro wifi software and a Dlink DWA182 AC adapter (compatible with acrylic).
First walk-test your location looking for existing 5Ghz networks and frequencies used.
The startup wizard gives you an access point option, then just set up SSIDs on both frequencies.
Start with 100% output power, outermost aerials at 45 degrees, unused 5Ghz frequency and walk test your proposed AP locations.
Reviews suggest the 5Ghz range isn't great, but we have brick inner walls and I'm happy.
Once you have one AP that is looking good, configure another on different frequencies and check they cohabit nicely.
Back off the Tx power if needed to reduce interference.
Sorry that's all a bit sketchy - does that help?
I haven't tried VLANs yet but intend linking these to my Sophos UTM9 in due course...
polarbaba
30 Dec 15#14
what do the ones with multiple antennas do? do they dedicate an antenna per device or something ? just thinking aloud...
dazzadirect to polarbaba
30 Dec 15#43
In radio, multiple-input and multiple-output, or MIMO (pronounced as "my-moh" or "me-moh"), is a method for multiplying the capacity of a radio link using multiple transmit and receive antennas to exploit multipath propagation wiki link clicky
it basically separates aerials into send aerials and receive aerials ,
it can also separate channels for VLANs and 2.4ghz and 5ghz
HTH
cheekster
30 Dec 15#42
Any tips you'd like to share on how to get the best out of these? Have two on their way...
Thanks.
Hootwo
30 Dec 15#41
I've tried and returned several AC-1750/AC-1900 £100-ish 5Ghz access points that don't give decent throughput, and replaced them with 3 of these Edimaxes as access points around the house.
Nice and simple, reliable connection, yes, not AC-1750, but we now get a steady connection that doesn't go up and down a lot.
Nice feature set with VLANs, multiple SSIDs, power output percentage, dual band and AC-750, and dead easy to set up.
Rather Toys'R'Us to look at, but just stick it on the wall with heavy duty double sided tape or hide behind furniture with the grill and blue lights pointing down. Then the white aerials are less intrusive than the more common black ones.
With the money saved, you can afford some AC wifi adapters for your older laptops and tablets.
dorito
30 Dec 15#36
How are you getting free delivery - it's showing as £17.98 for me plus nearly a fiver for delivery... am I doing something wrong?
TheSutt to dorito
30 Dec 15#40
I believe the deal has ended now.
cheekster
30 Dec 15#35
Main reason that HH5 built-in wifi was switched off was so that it wasn't fighting for signal or interfering with the two ZyXEL access points.
taras to cheekster
30 Dec 151#39
go into advanced on the HH, and change maually change the channel .. try 2 and then 12 - then 3 then 11 etc.
taras
30 Dec 15#37
Wifi access point = needs an existing internet connection via the wan point (this)
wifi extender or wifi range BOOSTER .. that takes an existing wifi signal and extends its via WDS tech.
as you said, the edimax its an extender, it isn't! It is a router/wifi access-point . something which i should have said earlier.
SamboBambo
30 Dec 15#34
Had already tried that, along with setting up two separate SSIDs for 2.4GHz and 5GHz on the least congested channels. It did reduce the frequency of drop-outs but didn't solve the issue completely.
Klansimpson
30 Dec 151#32
Change the channel from Smart Wireless to a specific channel like 6 for 2.4ghz, biggest issue with these so called SMART routers is they are thick as pig.... They intelligently scan the Wireless channels looking for one with least traffic, which in theory means it finds a better channel, issue is as weather changes (time of day) etc the neighbours signals strength alters too and as such the SMART scanning detects what was a better channel isnt as good and it tries to change it, hence the drops. Its a big smart idea on paper and a waste of time in reality.
In short - Wireless, select a channel, Smart Wireless is crap and causing drop outs. the HH5 other than this is actually (gonna hate myself for saying this) not that bad, not great but one of the better 'from the ISP' routers out there at least
utd689908_
30 Dec 15#31
Thanks op
cos140
30 Dec 15#28
Well worth it! Just what I was after... thanks op
littlerascalz
30 Dec 15#27
We have Plusnet fibre broadband and I HATE the supplied router. Could we use this instead? Would leave the modem plugged in just wondered if this would work the same as the technicolour router we are currently using. Thanks for any info!
cheekster
30 Dec 15#26
BARGAIN! Thanks OP.
coventgamer
30 Dec 15#21
whats althe best adsl router for under £50?
im on benefits
Klansimpson to coventgamer
30 Dec 15#25
Personally I would likely go for something like this good WiFi and comes under budget
Reviews are generally positive (across the internet) the moaners on Argos are someone who is expecting this to be a full on media server and has no clue and someone who is likely trying to get it to work automatically with sky (need username and password from sky to make these work out the box)
ash2w
30 Dec 151#13
Hi Could I replaceme my sky router with this? If anyone knows?
OBH6UK to ash2w
30 Dec 15#20
ADSL or VDSL?
Klansimpson to ash2w
30 Dec 15#24
No but you could likely use this for your wireless connection and the sky modem/router in modem mode to get the internet to it (the item for sale here is a ROUTER ONLY you would need a ADSL2+ Modem Router for the likes of Sky/TalkTalk etc)
Torchwood
30 Dec 15#23
From the manual:
Seems to suggest it can repeat a wireless signal.
OBH6UK
30 Dec 15#19
That's the opposite to what the Edimax website says!
TheSutt
30 Dec 15#15
How does this work as a range extender? Can it be used to pick up a week wireless signal and boost it? No cable needed (apart from power)
Thanks,
taras to TheSutt
30 Dec 15#17
it does not work as a wifi repeater(extender). you must supply it with a net source via the wan socket. you can use ethernet cable to the original box or use home plugs to do it with a shorter cable.
korting3
30 Dec 15#16
Very bulky, big ugly leds behind the grill, but ordered anyway because of the great price - thanks OP.
Klansimpson
30 Dec 15#12
100Mbps ethernet... my Broadband is twice this so not ideal sadly. Always seems a little silly doing this on a AC device. though if your broadband is 100Mbps or less... boom bargain and as a WiFi router (range is pretty darn good) or a range extender worth every penny
In short bargain for those who need it, personally would rather spend a bit more on the gigabit lan varient
Oh heat given, good find OP :stuck_out_tongue:
OBH6UK
30 Dec 151#10
Unlike ADSL there is no user ID or password in the TT router for VDSL, so I can't see it being an issue. I have previously setup a DrayTek modem / router / switch with an Openreach VDSL modem at another location, that worked fine.
taras
30 Dec 15#9
it has a wan port !!! so pppoe should be there
[edit]
and it does:
Wan
•Supports WISP connection mode
•Supports RJ-45 cable/xDSL modems
•WAN protocol: PPPoE, static IP, dynamic IP, PPTP and L2TP
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Opening post
£16.78 including free next day DPD Delivery seems decent enough for the prices. Would be good a wireless repeater, extender.
Sadly 100Mb ports not Gigabit
Some Specs:
• Next generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard
• 5-in-1 Router, Access Point, Range Extender, Wireless Bridge and WISP
• Backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n standards
• Concurrent dual-band wireless connectivity for 2.4GHz and 5GHz
• High gain fixed antennas for better Wi-Fi performance
• Supports up to 8 Multi-SSID (2.4GHz x 4 and 5GHz x 4) & VLAN (AP mode only)
• Supports guest network (router mode only)
• Revolutionary iQoS for efficient and effective internet bandwidth management
Latest comments (56)
I am willing to spend around 100-150 but not if its not necessary.. I'm not looking for bragging rights... that's why this thread interested me.. been looking at the TP link /archer units for a while... still need help with this as I've been out of the IT game for a few years..
suggestions?
nighthawks also bring considered... they look cool but the tiny antaennas concerned me.
Which ASUS model are you referring to please?
If you are on a budget look at the Tenda units (Quad Ant.) with English firmware on Ali Express. They OEM for NG Nighthawk etc excellent build range. ASUS are the best if you can afford it. I switch ISP every contract even PlusNet to BT etc as the cashbacks / savings are so large pushes the effective cost of internet down significantly. When I switch there is normally just a change on the ASUS cable modem as the CHAPS auth is different between BT / Plusnet.
I don't need USB ports.. bit would be nice.. no need for anything other than great WiFi...
I have a VM super hub 2 and its crap..
anyone suggest if this is OK for me and my modest requirements?
it will only be used for my phones and tablets...
although I don't mind if I spend more money but need rock solid WiFi with a good range.. so no internal antennas
I've heard good reviews about the TP-LINK Archer C9/D9 (Ones for Cable and the other is for ADSL) :-
£95 for the D9 : http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-LINK-D9-efficient-connection-increased/dp/B00LCSOLX6
£90 for the C9 : http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-LINK-C9-Wireless-Beamforming-Efficient/dp/B00PK0JLCI
But I guess it will really depend on what kind of reliability, range, amount of devices and type of use you are going to want. This edimax unit will probably be ideal for a few devices in a small house.
so looking for range and speed.. yes gigabit Ethernet also required.
Thanks for the detailed reply.
Thanks.
Word of advice, replace the God awful homehub with something better too. I've replaced the HH5 with an ASUS DSL-AC68U and it's the best decision I've ever made. The range is incredible and I haven't had a single drop-out since I've purchased it (about a couple months ago). Whereas the HH5 would drop-out almost daily.
This guide will also help as you really want to turn off the SMART features altogether as they are really annoying and screw with things like Fire Tv Sticks and such
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/networks/1403054/bt-home-hub-5-settings-guide-how-to-get-more-speed-and-make-it-less-annoying
Get a laptop, Acrylic Pro wifi software and a Dlink DWA182 AC adapter (compatible with acrylic).
First walk-test your location looking for existing 5Ghz networks and frequencies used.
The startup wizard gives you an access point option, then just set up SSIDs on both frequencies.
Start with 100% output power, outermost aerials at 45 degrees, unused 5Ghz frequency and walk test your proposed AP locations.
Reviews suggest the 5Ghz range isn't great, but we have brick inner walls and I'm happy.
Once you have one AP that is looking good, configure another on different frequencies and check they cohabit nicely.
Back off the Tx power if needed to reduce interference.
Sorry that's all a bit sketchy - does that help?
I haven't tried VLANs yet but intend linking these to my Sophos UTM9 in due course...
wiki link clicky
it basically separates aerials into send aerials and receive aerials ,
it can also separate channels for VLANs and 2.4ghz and 5ghz
HTH
Thanks.
Nice and simple, reliable connection, yes, not AC-1750, but we now get a steady connection that doesn't go up and down a lot.
Nice feature set with VLANs, multiple SSIDs, power output percentage, dual band and AC-750, and dead easy to set up.
Rather Toys'R'Us to look at, but just stick it on the wall with heavy duty double sided tape or hide behind furniture with the grill and blue lights pointing down. Then the white aerials are less intrusive than the more common black ones.
With the money saved, you can afford some AC wifi adapters for your older laptops and tablets.
wifi extender or wifi range BOOSTER .. that takes an existing wifi signal and extends its via WDS tech.
as you said, the edimax its an extender, it isn't! It is a router/wifi access-point . something which i should have said earlier.
In short - Wireless, select a channel, Smart Wireless is crap and causing drop outs. the HH5 other than this is actually (gonna hate myself for saying this) not that bad, not great but one of the better 'from the ISP' routers out there at least
im on benefits
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3623484.htm?CMPID=GS001&_$ja=cgid:12504951290|tsid:59158|cid:200290250|lid:115454340530|nw:g|crid:66128554130|rnd:12163632147996136275|dvc:c|adp:1o4|bku:1&gclid=CPea-ICfhMoCFcLnGwod40QCgw
Reviews are generally positive (across the internet) the moaners on Argos are someone who is expecting this to be a full on media server and has no clue and someone who is likely trying to get it to work automatically with sky (need username and password from sky to make these work out the box)
Seems to suggest it can repeat a wireless signal.
Thanks,
In short bargain for those who need it, personally would rather spend a bit more on the gigabit lan varient
Oh heat given, good find OP :stuck_out_tongue:
[edit]
and it does:
Wan
•Supports WISP connection mode
•Supports RJ-45 cable/xDSL modems
•WAN protocol: PPPoE, static IP, dynamic IP, PPTP and L2TP
http://www.edimax.co.uk/edimax/merchandise/merchandise_detail/data/edimax/global/wireless_routers_dual-band/br-6208ac/
this is a switch/wireless/router
So you will still have to use the tt unit :P