Which wireless router is better?

[random190user44]

I'm in the market for a new wireless router. Spent about 8 hours researching for what the best one would be at a reasonable price and I eventually settled on an Asus RT-N16 and went ahead and purchased it on Amazon. The next day though, I was immediately struck with buyer's remorse as I continued my research and found what some people consider to be better, the Netgear WNDR3700.

Which router is better overall? The Netgear or the Asus?

Dual band is not important to me because I do not have any devices that can use the 5ghz band.
Range is very important to me.

I currently have a Motorola SB6580 which doubles as a cable modem/wireless router. Unfortunately, the wireless aspect is horrible. Range is poor, despite it being "wireless n" and being on the upper floor. I live in a 2500 square ft 2 story house and it is unable to provide reliable coverage on the far side of the lower level of the house. Which is odd, because we had an old Westell 327W router which gave us excellent coverage throughout the whole house, even outside.

My primary uses for a router would be lots of gaming (call of duty, etc.), lots of streaming (netflix, youtube), video chatting, and casual web browsing for a family of 6 heavy internet users that are mostly on their smartphones. We have a 50mb down 2mb up cable connection so I know the internet connection is solid. It's just this crappy motorola wireless cable modem that is ruining things.

I've been looking at the hardware specs of the two routers.
Asus 480mhz cpu vs Netgear 680mhz
Asus 128mb ram vs Netgear 64mb
Asus 32mb flash/rom vs Netgear 8mb flash

From what I've read, Netgear's processor is more or less overkill for the average to even high end house, and that you wouldn't really need that much power unless it were a business or for a retail location or something. Is 480mhz enough for the usage description I wrote above?

As for RAM, I've read that 128mb ram is excessive and unnecessary, because even 64mb ram is far more than good enough for heavy networking house. I read that the more RAM, the better the router is at routing traffic. True or not true?

I'm very interested in knowing which of the two routers I mentioned above has better range. I know that the Netgear has 8 internal antennas, and that the Asus has 3 external antennas. 8 is better than 3, but the whole external vs internal debate confuses me. Which has better range/coverage?

 

[Droid-Xer]

I own the 3700 and it works well for me. I use the 5G band for my xoom and have my Touchpad and 2 laptops connect via wifi. I have a MyBook and Revue GoogleTV connected via Ethernet. Everything runs perfectly. I find the xoom on the 5G nband wifi to not like long distances. Speed is much improved though. I go from full signal within 10 feet of the router to one bar about 40 ft away and through a load bearing wall.

 

[random190user44]

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I still don't know which one is the better of the two.

I was hoping someone who specializes in wireless routers would come and give a detailed description of which is the better of the two.

 

[huskur]

Personally, I have the D-Link RangeMax DIR-655. Wireless N and delivers 2 signals. One you can lock for security for your own equipment and one for guests that want internet access. That way you aren't giving them personal passwords. As far as reliability, I have Comcast cable internet and in my home i have 2 desktops, 1 laptop, 1 netbook, 3 tablets, Wii, Xbox, Droid X and an Iphone that have all been connected at once without any issues. Not to mention a couple of neighbors that infringe on my graciousness of having a unlocked "guest zone". Range is what it is about....hence the name RangeMax. I can pick up my network almost 3 blocks away. Stellar performance all the way around. Nicest feature--- Being able to access the router webpage and seeing who is on your network with device names and credentials with the ability to block them only a click away!! Also tells you how long they have been connected and how much usage they have used! Great router

 

[WilliG]

Hello guys, still pressing question.
Looking for something that isn't too expensive, up to 500$ probably. My router broke and the ones my ISP provides are completely ****.

 

[martinsmith]

NETGEAR R6220 is best wireless router..

 

[kodiak799]

I've had bad luck with routers (and modems).

However, I recently purchased Negear's Orbi, and am very happy. 1 covers up to 1200-1500 sq feet - I've found the speeds 50 feet away through several walls to be very good. And for $200-$250, you actually get a second satellite one to extend range another 1200-1500 feet (although I didn't have much success connecting it - didn't make much of an effort because it's not needed for my apartment).

 

[me just sayin]

most of the main stream routers are pretty good. the question is what are your needs? do you need one with a lot of wire ports? how much coverage do you need? do you need one with a usb port? do you have a lot of devices that will be connected? will more than one person be streaming or playing games at the same time?

I have a cheap n600 netgear wndr3700 router that suit my needs and have almost 30 devices connected to it, maybe more, lost count when I ran out of fingers and toes.

 

[WilliG]

Thanks for the response. I chose Ubiquity router. Works great, have no complaints.