The Best Wireless Routers 2017

Best New Wireless Routers in 2017

 

Most of us don’t think much about our routers. If your internet connection is through your cable company, it is easy to assume that the provided router will provide all the range and speed we need. And for a lot of people, it does just that. But if you have slow response time, or you have to connect directly to the router, which makes your laptop more of a desktop, you should consider buying a new router.

New wireless routers offer faster speed, a larger range, and awesome new features. To assist you in getting started on finding the right router for you, here are what we consider to be the top new wireless routers to buy in 2017.

Device Name	LAN Ports	Wi-Fi Speed	Price
Netgear AC1900 Dual-Band Router	4 LAN, 1 WAN and 2 USB	up to 1900Mbps	$175
Asus RT-AC3200 Tri-Band Router	4 LAN, 1 WAN and 2 USB	up to 1300Mbps	$200
Amped Wireless RTA2600 Athena	4 LAN, 1 WAN and 2 USB	up to 1733Mbps	$200
TP-Link Talon AD7200 Multi-Band Wi-Fi Router	4 LAN, 1 WAN and 2 USB	60 GHz up to 4600Mbps	$349
Linksys WRT1900AC Wireless Router	4 LAN, 1 WAN and 2 USB	up to 1300Mbps	$170
D-Link DIR 880L Wireless Router	4 LAN, 1 WAN and 2 USB	up to 1900Mbps	$140
Asus RT-AC88U Wireless Router	8 LAN, 1 WAN and 2 USB	up to 2167Mbps	$270
Apple AirPort Extreme	3 LAN, 1WAN, 1 USB	up to 1.3 Gbps	$180
Netgear Nighthawk R8000 X6 AC3200 Tri-Band Router	4 LAN, 1 WAN and 2 USB	up to 3.2 Gbps	$175
D-Link AC3200 Ultra WiFi DIR-890L Wireless Router	4 LAN, 1 WAN and 2 USB	up to 3200Mpbs	$250

 

NETGEAR AC1900 Dual-Band Router

 

If you are looking for a kickass wireless router that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, this NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 has all of the quality you expect, and it comes at a friendly price at around $175. Like all new friends, once you get to know it, you will appreciate the value it brings. This next gen Gigabit WiFi router comes packed with a 1GHz dual-core processor, calling this router fast is an understatement, with speeds up to 1900 Mbps, you can enjoy less lag and buffering.

Designed to manage all of your high-bandwidth online streaming the Nighthawk AC1900 is perfect for gaming and streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu. Its high-performance antennas and Beamforming+ gives you super high speeds in every room in your house.

It needs some room, its a bit bulky and heavy so you will need to give it some space. But what it lacks in physical appearance it more than makes up with performance. It has mad skills when it comes to speed; you may forget what lag even is. It also comes with Cloud storage, just plug your USB hard drive into the NETGEAR Nighthawk and enjoy free unlimited storage.

Asus RT-AC3200 Tri-Band Router

 

Not all routers are created equal, some of them are smarter than others, and the Asus RT-AC3200 is one smart cookie. Its Smart Connect features are designed to select the fastest bands for all devices based on their data usage and requirements. This Tri-Band router also sports the latest 802.11ac 3X3 technology, this allows for maximum throughput and a wide range of coverage.

The RT-AC3200 will maximize the performance of all of the wireless devices in your home. You can stream movies in one room while someone else is playing games in another room with no lag. By using two 802.11 networks that each have a three transmit with the 3X3 antenna set up, you get faster speeds and better connectivity.

While there are a lot of positive attributes to the RT-AC3200, there are a few awkward things as well, the first being that it only has four LAN ports, which is a bit low for a router with this much muscle. The other issue is price, at $200 it can be expensive if you are just looking for a router to stream Netflix. But for serious gamers or active homes with lots of users, this router is worth every penny.

Amped Wireless RTA2600 Athena

 

If you are in the market for a nice, friendly household wireless router, the Amped Wireless RTA2600 Athena is a solid choice. It comes packed with a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Dual Core Processor and with 16 high power amplifiers and four antennas it can deliver the speed and consistency your home network needs. It also employs MU-MIMO technology which will let you stream data to several devices at the same time. This means you can catch up on old episodes of Gilmore Girls while your kids are playing Madden in another room with no lag or latency.

The router provides four Gigabit LAN ports and is surprisingly compact, which means you may find the LAN and WAN ports a bit crowded. However, its compact design means you won’t have to worry about finding space for it. Easy to set up it comes with a network cable already plugged into the WAN port. Plug it in and connect it to your Internet source and you are good to go.

With an average price around $200 the RTA2600  is a solid router, but a bit pricey when it comes to other routers in this price range. While the MU-MIMO technology is great at managing data distribution, if the connected device doesn’t support MU-MIMO it is pretty much rendered useless. Currently, there aren’t many devices that support the technology, if you own MU-MIMO friendly devices, it might be worth the price, but if you don’t, you can find less expensive routers that will deliver better results.

TP-Link Talon AD7200 Multi-Band Wi-Fi Router

If you don’t currently have 802.11ad, or you don’t know what it is, the TP-Link Talon AD7200 wireless router may not be for you. But if you are aware of the new Wi-Fi standard that is designed to operate on a 60GHz frequency band (yep…60Ghz) and you have been waiting for routers to catch up to your 802.11ad connection, then you should consider the Talon a more than viable option.

To say that 802.11ad routers can provide faster speeds is an understatement, the Talon AD7200 can reach speeds of up to 4.6Gbps, which is wicked fast, and still a fraction of the full speed of 802.11ad. So if your next step is to figure out how you get to 802.11ad speeds, you should know it has speed but not range.

So, can it do things in the blink of an eye? Sure. Can it provide superfast speeds over long distances? Not really.  802.11ad lacks the ability to penetrate through walls, it currently works best as a behind the scenes backhaul technology, but that could change. If you aren’t concerned about how far your signal goes and all you want is speed, then the Talon AD7200 and 802.11ad is for you.

Linksys WRT1900AC Wireless Router

 

If you are willing to spend some money on a quality wireless router that delivers, then the Linksys WRT1900AC would be a great wireless router to spend it on.  If you own the EA6900, you shouldn’t let that keep you from looking at the WRT1900AC as an option. The issues that plagued the EA6900 have been largely resolved in this model.  It is one of the fastest Wi-Fi routers around, and it when it comes to network storage, it can surpass some of the most high-end dedicated NAS servers.

With a 1.2Ghz ARM-based dual-core processor, and 128MB of flash storage the WRT1900AC is a strong contender when it comes to DD-WRT routers. While it sports four antennas, it is still a three-stream router. You can expect speeds of up to 1300Mbps via the 5GHz band and up to 600 Mbps on the 2.4Ghz band.

Typical to most wireless routers the WRTAC1900 has four Gigabit Lan ports and one Gigabit WAN (internet) port. It also provides one USB 3.0 port and an additional port that can work with a USB 2.0 or eSATA connection. These ports can be used to add additional storage devices.

D-Link DIR 880L Wireless Router

 

 

As another addition to the AC1900 line of wireless routers, it could be easy to overlook the D-Link DIR 880L. But that would be a mistake; the DIR-880L offers a balance between range and Wi-Fi speed. With a consistent signal, this router provides the best of both worlds for users.

One of the first square routers, the DIR 880L may seem odd to users familiar with the cylinder style routers they have become accustomed to. With the standard four Gigabit LAN ports and one Gigabit WAN port and a USB 2.0 and another USB 3.0 on the side,  there is nothing special about the modems design. The USB ports can be used to add other options like additional storage, scanners or printers.

The Web interface is also new, which may cause some confusion for previous D-Link customers. There is a short wizard that will help you get started, but it still may require a bit of time to become

Asus RT-AC88U Dual-Band Wireless Router

 

What makes this wireless router a bit better than some of the other 802.11ac routers is found both in its design and its performance.  The Asus RT-AC88U delivers both speed and range, which means you don’t have to choose which one is most important, you can have both in one stealthy package.

Beyond just the Batman like appearance of the router, it is also packed with eight Gigabit LAN ports, and an easy to use Web interface that is smarter than the majority of routers. It also comes with a built-in VPN server, which allows you to create a separate and more secure connection that will help protect your network from hackers and malware attacks.

The RT-AC88U also supports MU-MIMO, which makes it one of the most diverse and feature-rich routers you could buy. While it has a higher price than some of the other 802.11ac routers, what it brings to the table regarding speed, security, capability, and features make it more than worth the price. If you want what is considered to be one of the best routers ever, it’s worth the investment.

Apple AirPort Extreme

 

Keeping to the elegant and thoughtful design style of the Apple brand, the Apple AirPort Extreme is as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside. Its three-stream 802.11ac technology provides users with speeds that are three times faster than traditional routers (or base stations).  It also doubles your channel bandwidth by providing 80MHZ-wide channels which increases the data transfer speeds.

And no 802.11ac? No problem, AirPort will work to maximize connections to all of your802.11a/b/g and 802.11n devices. Its just that nice. By transmitting at both 2.4GHz and 5Ghz frequencies simulationously you will always connect to the best available band.

The base station is equipped with an array of beamforming antennas that are smart enough to find all of your 802.11ac devices on the network. Which is impressive since I lose my keys more than once a week. AirPort Extreme wants to give you the WiFi that is clearer, stronger and the faster than fast. And it does it all this while still looking amazing.

 

Netgear Nighthawk R8000 X6 AC3200 Tri-Band Router

 

If you are looking for a powerful Tri-Band Gigabit Wireless Router, you have found one. Hyped as the best home router Netgear has ever launched, it has had a few struggles since the initial launch. However, it is still a solid router with a lot of great qualities, it has a new sleek modern design, and it can legitimately boast about having a total Wi-Fi bandwidth of up to 3200Mbps. With six antennas it excels when it comes to range, it also has a user-friendly web interface.

It also have some pluses on the set up side, it can be configured manually, and the router can serve as an access point. You can also customize it, you can give each of the three operational bands its own name, and you can adjust the speed and security settings.

The R8000 can be a little pricey for users who just want a fast connection. While it is packed with some intriguing and thoughtful features, it doesn’t surpass the performance of any of the other AC1900 wireless routers. If you are looking for fast WiFi, there are several less expensive routers with great features on the market that are comparable to this wireless router.

D-Link AC3200 Ultra WiFi DIR-890L Wireless Router

 

The D-Link AC3200 Ultra WiFi DIR 890L looks like a race car and a spaceship had a baby. But this baby has the muscle to match its pretty face. This wireless router provides a stable, fast WiFI signal and is super easy to set-up and use. But pretty and smart comes with a cost, and with a pretty hefty price tag $250-$310 , is the D-Link AC3200 worth the money? It could be if you are looking for a fast, reliable wireless router with some serious range.

Powered by a Broadcom dual-core 1GHz processor, it has the customary number of LAN ports, four Gigabit LAN ports, and one Gigabit WAN port, with two additional USB ports that you can use to connect additional hardware like printers and other storage devices.

A tri-band router the DIR-890 comes equipped with three built-in access points, a 2.4Ghz AP that provides support to 2.4Ghz 802.11 WiFi clients which taps out at 600Mbps, and two 5ghz APs that provide support to 5GHz 802.11ac WiFi clients that cap out at 1300Mbps individually. If you could combine them, the total bandwidth would be 3200Mbps, but clients can only connect to one band at a time, which results in the highest attainable speed being 1300Mbps.

In Conclusion

The good news is that with the addition of 802.11ac provides us with internet speeds that are faster, like way faster, than anything we have seen before. It also standardizes beamforming which increases throughput, building more consistency and reducing energy use.

Faster WiFi is here, but the downside is not everyone will get to enjoy these new superfast speeds. It requires an 802.11ac router (see ALL of the above routers) but it also needs the device connected to the router to also be 802.11ac to recognize the blistering WiFi speeds.

However, your dreams of faster and longer WiFi aren’t completely lost, with new technology comes new laptops, tablets and smartphones. While it may be hard to wait, be patient grasshopper, it will all payoff in the long run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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source https://www.homesecuritylist.com/best-wireless-routers-2017/

Amazon Echo vs. Google Home

Amazon Echo vs. Google Home

A new challenger to Amazon Echo has entered the ring, Google Home. So before we get started on the pros and cons of these two titans of smart home device management, we thought we should give them each a short introduction.

Google Home

Google Home is a recent entry into the smart home management arena, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a strong contender. Google Home has several features that are clear winners when it comes to smart home device management.  And it comes loaded with what is arguably the most used search engine around. The Google Home Controller has a far range which allows you to communicate with Google Home from most rooms in your home.

While Google is a well-known brand, it’s natural to wonder what it is doing in the Smart home automation realm. As it turns out, it’s doing a lot. Google Home can manage your entertainment, answer pretty much any question you have, keep you on time for appointments, provide you with driving directions and flight information, get you an Uber and manage most of the smart devices in your home.

It can also connect to streaming devices that include Vizio, Philips, Sony and more. This allows you to watch movies streamed from your iPhone or Andriod device, YouTube, and other streaming services. Google Home also has a silly side and on occasion may ask you random questions or even make a joke. It’s always listening, so be prepared for some unexpected interactions with your new controller.

Amazon Echo

Amazon Echo has been enjoying some pretty solid press as of late, largely due to its hands-free speaker, Alexa, you can ask Alexa questions about the weather, your calendar or what movie you want to watch next. Alexa can provide you with news, weather, and music, all you have to do is ask. Amazon Echo also connects to a variety of entertainment options that include Pandora, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Spotify. It can also play music through your smartphone; Echo comes equipped with a downward firing speaker system that is designed to fill any room with sound.

The more you interact with Echo, the more it gets to know you. It adapts to your speech patterns and preferences which allow you to manage your smart home devices with simple voice commands. Echo can manage a variety of devices including SmartThings, Wemo, Hue, Insteon, tp-link, Nest, ecobee and Wink. Echo can turn your lights on or adjust the temperature in your home, and when you aren’t home you can manage Echo using iPhone and Andriod Apps.

What Can and Cannot be Done

Before we do a side by side comparison, let’s dive deeper into what Google Home and Amazon Echo can do, and what they cannot do, when it comes to smart home device management, entertainment, and calendar (and pretty much life) management.

Smart Home Device Control

When you take away the cool factor at the end of the day, what you have are two great companies with dueling smart home controllers. We will get into all the sexy stuff in a bit, but first, we need to know how they connect with the devices they control, and what exactly what providers can connect to each controller.

Google Home

Since they are the new kid on the block, we will start with Google Home.  Currently Google Home connects with Nest, SmartThings, Philips Hue and IFTTT, this gives the controller the ability to manage your lights, thermostats and other home switches. Google Home is still young, so you should look for a continuous stream of partners in the short term. While its current partners aren’t at the same depth as Echo, you can rest assured that Google is focused on bringing in new smart device companies.

There is good reason to have faith in Google Home, what they lack in partners, they more than make up for in functionality. The assistant feature can answer difficult questions, and its recognition software is superior to Echo. Google Home is a narration pro; it understands what you are trying to say even if it’s inarticulate. So even when you are speaking clearly, it will do its best to understand you. It also benefits from Chromecast, which allows connections to your smart television and speakers. These are some of the best smart devices that are compatible with Google Home:

• Chromecast Audio: belonging to Google this audio component is obviously compatible, but it is also pretty cool, it can turn almost every speaker in your house into a smart speaker. And while the streaming options are limited at the moment, as more music services are added Chromecast Audio will be the best way to get the party started.
• Ecobee: You may not know much about this smart thermostat, but you will soon. Similar to Nest Ecobee gets the win when it comes to energy efficiency and design. With an innovative touch screen, this thermostat is definitely worth checking out.
• LIFX: These easy to set-up light bulbs are becoming more and more popular among smart device owners. They require no hub, you just connect them to the network, and that’s it. If they have a downside, they are pricier than competitors like Philips. While Philips requires use to purchase a smart bridge, LIFX is pretty much plug and play.
• Wemo: If your smart devices aren’t quite as smart as they used to be, or maybe they aren’t smart at all, Wemo has a way to help. Their smart outlets allow you to connect your not so smart devices to the network, which allows you to turn them on or off with Google Home or a smartphone.

While Google Home is still relatively new, they are growing quickly. They have a lot going for them, and it is a guarantee that they will continue to build new relationships with smart device providers. While this version of Google Home may seem focused on entertainment more than home automation, it is important to remember that it is two years behind the Echo. And while some may see this as a repeat of Google TV, given time the home automation components will become more robust and perhaps even surpass Google Home’s entertainment value.

Amazon Echo

For the last few years, Echo has dominated the smart home automation scene; it hasn’t had any real competition until the release of Google Home. This by no means indicates that Echo is old technology, at two years old it still enjoys the benefits of its youth. There are some things that Echo excels at, and then there are some opportunities when it comes to its smart device management skills.

Echo has been the pioneer in far-field voice recognition; it is designed to work even when there is a lot of noise in the background, which makes it superior to computer voice recognition and even Siri. Since its inception, Amazon has kept the Echo focused on smart home devices and automation. Echo’s personal assistant Alexa can now be found in refrigerators, and soon she will be in several Ford models.

Unlike Google, Echo cannot manage smart devices on its own; it relies on a smart home hub to create a centralized command center. Samsung’s SmartThings Hub is a good place to start if you aren’t that familiar with smart home hubs around $75 its worth the investment if you have several smart home devices. Wink is another good option, it’s not as powerful as the SmartThings Hub, but it is compatible with almost every device.

Once you pair the Echo with a smart home hub, there are lots of compatible devices. Here are just a few (it’s a long list) of the smart devices you can connect:

• Philips Hue Starter Kit (lighting)
• LIFX Smart LED Bulbs (lighting)
• Haiku Home Smart Ceiling Fans
• GE Link Starter Kit (lighting)
• WeMo (outlets)
• TP-Link Smart Plug (outlets)
• Nest (thermostat)
• Lyric T5 (thermostat)
• Honeywell Smart Thermostat

These are just a small percentage of the smart home devices that you can connect. While Amazon has had more time to build relationships with smart home device providers, it has also made that its primary focus. As a smart home device manager Echo is currently outpacing Google Home, Amazon’s decision to prioritize the home automation leaves Google Home playing catch up.

Entertainment

While Echo has the edge on smart home device management, Google Home is a master at keeping you entertained. While both have in house music options, Amazon has Amazon Prime Music, and Google has Google Play Music, Google Home is better at searching for the songs you want. Even if you do not know the name of the song, Google can find it with just a few words in the lyrics.

Google Home can also access all of your playlists; which includes lists on both iPhones and Android devices; it also allows you to access music from a variety of both paid and free music services. Google Home also owns YouTube, which provides endless music and video options and it excels at finding music that you have never heard of.  The Allcast App for Andriod and iPhone will allow you to stream music, movies, and photos on your Chromecast.

Amazon has a more limited list of music services to choose from; these include Amazon Music, Prime Music, Spotify Premium, Pandora, TuneIn, iHeartRadio and Audible. While their list of streaming music options is larger than Google Home, its YouTube that makes Google Home the winner when it comes to music and video.

When it comes to TV it becomes a cage match between Chromecast Ultra and Amazon Fire Stick, while both are designed to stream content, they operate in very different ways. Amazon Fire Stick used to have a fatal flaw in that it didn’t respond to voice commands. But Alexa came to the rescue; now you can purchase a new voice remote that will allow you to speak the title of the show or movie you want to watch.

Chromecast Ultra has a unique design that works with the majority of smart TVs, but it lacks a controller. However, when connected to Google Home, you can use voice commands to play a variety of shows and movies.  Both Amazon Echo and Google Home now have the ability to stream shows and movies using voice commands, but Echo has a slight edge here as the commands to Alexa are easier to execute, Google Home requires a few extra steps to start your favorite show.

Personal Assistants

Google has been managing most of our lives for years now, so it is to be expected that their Personal Assistant would be superior to Amazon Echo. Google Home knows more about you than some of your closest friends. It knows where you need to be and when you need to be there, what roads to take to get there, and what weather and traffic you may encounter along your way.

Don’t have a car? No worries, Google Home will get an Uber to your house and provide instructions on where you are going. Google Home also remembers your preferences, so if you always stop at Starbucks, it can show you the closest one. Google Home is also smarter, it benefits from, well, being Google.

But Alexa is no slouch, with over 3500 skills it can manage your schedule, book your flight and tell you the weather. While Alexa has a lot at its disposal, Google Home knew you before you knew it, and the knowledge of your patterns and its ability to get to know you makes it the winner in this category.

	Amazon Echo	Google Home
Wake Commands	Alexa, Echo, Amazon	Hey Google, Ok, Google
Voice Activated	Yes	Yes
Current SmartHome Partners	SmartThings, Wink, Insteon, Philips Hue, IFTTT, Nest, Wemo,LIFX	SmartThings, Philips Hue, IFTTTT, Nest, LIFX
Adjust Appearance	No	Yes
Music Options	Amazon Prime Music, Spotify Premium, iHeartRadio, Pandora, TuneIn	YouTube Music, Google Play Music, Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn
Output to Stereo Speakers	Only available with Dot	Only available with Chromecast
Audio Synced on Multiple Devices	No	Only to Google Cast devices
Personal Assistant Features	Calendar Management, shopping and to-do lists, flight status, Uber, package tracking report, traffic, news and sports scores	Personalized daily briefings, calendar management, traffic report, flight status, package tracking, email reader, shopping lists
Price	$180	$130

In Conclusion

The truth is that either of these options is great, and both have the potential only to become greater. In this battle it really comes down to personal preference, while Amazon Echo is a master at smart home device management, Google Home excels at language interpretation and entertainment options.

In its first two years, Amazon Echo had no real challenges, which made it the clear front-runner in the home automation field. Without challenge you can start to become stagnant, now with a true competitor in Google Home, both Amazon Echo and Google Home have the drive to grow and change the way we use and manage our Smart home devices. Competition is not only good for Amazon and Google, but it’s also great for consumers. Which makes this an exciting time for all of us who love our smart devices.

Amazon has already made adjustments the way their Fire Stick works by adding voice controls, and Google Home has made some significant strides in the few months since its initial launch. So get your popcorn ready because smart home automation is about to get real.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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source http://www.homesecuritylist.com/amazon-echo-vs-google-home/