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I just reset my Netgear Wireless Router WPN824 v.2 to WPA 2 for greater security. I use an Arris Surfboard modem.Now only 2 or 3 devices can access Wifi at a time-need advice please! . It's an older model so probably need a new router. Any recommendations? Orbi was suggested by a friend, but it's $500. We live in a two story home and have about 9 devices, mostly Apple and one PC.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful input. I decided to pay the $ and go with Orbi as you agree it will cover my two story house with 1 satellite. Better to go with it than chance a new router that may not reach the whole house. It's an investment in peace of mind. I thank you for your advice, it helped me make my decision.
Orbi with 1 satellite costs about $380 (current US Amazon price) - which is expensive, but it should deliver excellent whole-house coverage.
How fast is your internet service?
Are you using WiFi mostly for internet (and perhaps printing), or do do you frequently use it locally (for instance, streaming a video on the PC to an apple TV)?
Can you give us a rough idea of the square feet per floor?
Thanks for you reply. I don't know how fast my Xfinitiy service is- but can try to find out. We use internet for info, printing, and streaming via Apple TV. Our house is about 2600 sq feet and is two story. The main area is upstairs where the router and modem are currently place, and there are users in two rooms downstairs. Orbi is highly rated but still pricey.(Best Buy $379 w 1 satellite)
Orbi would likely give you about 300 mbits of wifi throughout the house with 802.11ac clients. It also doesn't require ethernet cabling to the satellite - which is makes it easy to install. Placement of the satellite does matter, and if your ISP connection is at the edge of your house it is possible that you'd need two satellites. Ideal placement with one satellite is to have the router about 25% along the long axis of the house, and the satellite about 75% along that axis.
Orbi's speed could be overkill - typical 1080p streaming is usually 15-20 mbits, and ISP speeds that Infinity offers in my area are 25 mbits and 100 mbits. And you might not need great wifi throughout the entire house.
A less expensive option is the Nighthawk R7000 (about $160). It's a excellent router, but you likely will see a WiFi speed dropoff as you increase the distance from the router, especially in the 5 Ghz band.
The R6300v2 is much less ($70) and gives reasonable speeds. But the R7000 is quite a bit faster.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful input. I decided to pay the $ and go with Orbi as you agree it will cover my two story house with 1 satellite. Better to go with it than chance a new router that may not reach the whole house. It's an investment in peace of mind. I thank you for your advice, it helped me make my decision.
FWIW, my home is 3 stories (~3500 sq feet total) - similar size to yours if you ignore the third floor. I get very consistent high-speed WiFi throughout my house with one satellite.
I used to use an R8500, located near the center of the house on the 2nd floor. The R8500 was faster than Orbi when I was close to the router, but there were dead 5 Ghz spots in some areas of the house, and plenty of areas where 2.4 ghz was faster than 5 ghz. With Orbi i get good 5G everywhere.
Router/Satellite location do matter, and of course the details of the house construction do too. But I find Orbi works very well.
