Wireless Access Point

[tdehan]

I need to replace my existing LInksys Wireless Access point.  What new Netgear Wireless Access points are available and recommended for home use?

Thanks!

[plemans]

whats your goal? 

aka how much area are you trying to cover, how many access points are you wanting to setup, are you wanting mesh setup, etc.

The more you can tell us the better. The little you gave us would leave you open to a lot of devices. 

[tdehan]

Presently, we are using a Linksys Wireless Access Point to cover the whole house.  I've always used just one which works pretty well.  It is located on the main floor of the house in the middle.  My house is wired with CAT5 so the majority of computers and devices are using an ethernet cable,  However, I have 3 tablets that we move all over the house and 3 wireless SlimDevices/Squeezeboxes for music in various areas of the house.  There is only 2 of us and don't have a heavy load on the Wireless Access Point.

I have no idea what a mesh setup is.

I am looking for something that is more robust with newer technology.  Hopefully that answers your questions

[plemans]

How big is your home?

Mesh network is what orbi is. Its a router and satellites that use either a wired/wireless backhaul to talk to each other and use a single ssid for all devices. It allows your devices to roam and the router/satellites to do bandsteering as needed. It allows better coverage as well as higher average throughput because of better coverage and roaming. 

https://www.netgear.com/orbi/

[tdehan]

2500 sq ft

[plemans]

2500 sqft is the max of what I'd use a single AP for. you might see benefits from moving to a mesh network just to eliminate dead spots. 

[tdehan]

We have not experienced dead spots with previous single Wireless Access Points. I'm leaning more towards the RAX200 as a replacement.  I realize that it is a wireless router but I should be able to use it as a wireless access point to my existing wired network right?

[plemans]

yes you can. I've actual used mine as an AP before. Quite a large expense though if you're going to use as an AP. 

[tdehan]

Yes it is.  Is it better however, than other options?

[plemans]

better than what option? 

there's many variables. cost, performance, features, etc. 

Is a $600 wireless AX router going to be better than a mesh system? maybe for peak performance. Is it going to provide better coverage, potentially. Is it going to cost 2-3x as much? yes. 

[tdehan]

I purchased the RAX200 and set it up today.  

I've successfully connected our 2 Android phones, My 3 Logitech Squeezebox Touch units and 3 Microsoft Surfaces to the wifi network. 

However, my Google Nexus 9 says:

     Connected, no internet

My Fitbit Versa2 says:

  Network out of reach

What am I missing?

[plemans]

What firmware do you have on the RAX? 

have you tried disabling AX? AX is pretty new and not all devices have updated their firmware/drivers to work properly. 

[tdehan]

Firmware: v1.0.2.8_1.0.45

No sure about the AX question.  How do I tell?

[plemans]

its under the wireless settings. 

One thing I'd try first? the RAX200 had a lot of firmware changes from when it was first manufactured. If you did them all at once AFTER setup, I'd factory reset the router and try installing again. The changes were quite significant and the RAX devices have responded favorably to resets.