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Forum Discussion
Libertas1
Feb 05, 2019Aspirant
AC2200 vs AC3000
I am new to mesh wifi.
Costco is offering the AC2200 for $169 as there is a coupon. I saw that there is also an AC3000 and watched a tutorial for that.
I have a single story, 3 bed 3 bat...
Chuck_M
Feb 06, 2019Mentor
I recommend if your ISP has NOT installed your equipment yet, you ask them to install only a high speed modem (without a router) built into it.
ISPs (like Cox) will actually provide that for free.... I am not sure if Comcast will provide for free. They do, however, love to rent you modem/router combinations which then make connecting another router downstream problematic.
Back to your original question about AC2200 Vs AC3000... These two routers will provide the exact same performance between the router and the WAN (the outside internet via the cable modem). What is different is how these routers communicate internally -- or downstream to your devices in terms of speed and broadcast power. If you believe yourself to be a "power user" with many devices and a big footprint... and plan on moving a lot of data, go with the AC3000.
If $$ are tight and you think your are more of a basic user with a relatively normal sized home, go with the AC2200.
As mentioned above, several manufactures make AC3000 and AC2200 class routers. The folks on here are typically Netgear fans, so they would recommend a Netgear product like Orbi.
Installation -- when you have a cable modem installed as described above is incredibly simple and something you can do by yourself if you can follow simple instructions. The folks on here stand by to assist you.
I would inquire as to the ability of getting a normal "routerless" cable modem installed and then decide what kind of router you will want to put in. In the meantime, you can connect one device directly to the cable modem via an ethernet cable so you wont be without internet.
Please let us know if this makes sense.