Two or three times a week, sometimes more often, my iPad would inform me, that despite an apparently strong signal, it couldn’t connect to my Wi-Fi. The distance from my office to the master bedroom is 300 feet or so, as the Wi-Fi crow flies. Downstairs, the family room where my recliner resides, is almost as far. So I figured I should get a Wi-Fi extender. I started with the extender in a central place in the house. I configured it for both 2.4 and 5 GHz. bandwidth networks using WPS—which means I didn’t have to configure it, it configured itself. This particular Wi-fi extender created new networks with the name of the original network, followed by EXT. This set-up was designed to max out at 802.11N.
At first, it appeared that this solution was going to work, but then the Wi-Fi extender started losing its connection to the Wi-Fi router. I moved the extender. I reset it and configured it again via WPS, but still my Wi-Fi network just keep acting weird. I downloaded and applied all updates. And still my new Wi-Fi-enabled home thermostat, a member of the Internet of Things, spent most of its time “searching” for a connection. The HP Airprint printer never connected.
At this point I was into the configuration for about $160. This was a combination of D-link and Netgear products, which should make a difference given Wi-Fi standards.
So I reached out to Belkin, the owner of the previous Cisco brand, shared my issues, and asked for a Linksys EA6900 AC1900 Dual Band Smart WiFi Router($229.99). They accommodated.
When the router arrived, it came as a central unit with three adjustable external antennas. I attached the antennas, powered down the old router, disconnected the power and the wired ethernet cables in its router ports, and pulled the plug from the cable modem. I then put everything back into the correct ports and turned on the power.
Rather than configuring the router through a PC browser talking directly to the router, this router used the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi system, a cloud-based service that interacts with a router from the outside in. If you worry about a cloud service configuring your router, you can also connect to it directly. To keep you router configured the way you want it, the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi app (Free) can access it from anywhere at anytime.
I used the service, which walked me through several screens to name the network, change passwords, select encryption levels, and assign keys. Within minutes, my new Wi-fi network was established. It had only one name, not two (one for each assigned bandwidth) and not four (as was the case with the extender). And it reached everywhere. No issue in the master bedroom and no issue in family room recliner. The thermostat connection is steady and I can control my home heating and cooling from an app, even when away from home. And the HP Airprint is now always at the ready.
I have also seen a marked improvement in Wi-Fi video streaming performance as the Linksys router included a prioritization feature, to which I assigned my iPad. What this means is that when I’m streaming video to my iPad, the router will prioritize my video packets over other packets on the network, like e-mail traffic or MP3 downloads.
It has been weeks now since the Linksys router was installed. Besides a couple of power outages, the router has stay connected to everything. It’s even been joined by an Apple TV running in wireless mode; and the Apple TV is performing flawlessly, with nary a hesitation in its 1080p output. I have tested, but not yet implemented, personal network storage via the available USB ports. These ports provide shared access to a storage device connected directly to the router.
So the advice that comes from this: buy the best router you can afford. Piecemealing components won’t improve performance or solve issues. Sometimes the routers are designed for smaller, less complex situations. Sometimes they may have design flaws. Networking experts may know, but for those of us just trying to get a Wi-Fi network up and running, why they fail or frustrate doesn’t really matter. High power, good support, and great software make the difference.
I have not evaluated a wide range of higher-end routers, but after several years of experience with lesser models going back to Microsoft’s 802.11g WiFi router, I can say that the Linksys EA6900 AC1900 is the first flawless router I have experienced. Once setup it just runs, and that’s what you want in a Wi-Fi network. You may find equal luck with Asus, Buffalo, or Apple. Whichever brand you do choose, buy the best you can afford, because the time you spend adding on or resetting it is time you aren’t using your network to be productive or to make your leisure time meaningful.