Another one of those, which one to get threads...

[maxfly]

well its time to retire old faithful- dlink dgl4500(10yrs oldish). i may have had to reset it 5 times during that time! its been incredibly reliable but its just too friggin old and im afraid it may no longer be secure. i havent had any security issues, that i know of lol but would rather not take any chances.
im no network guru by any means but ive done my due diligence in trying to find a solid replacement for my aged router. im not familiar with the terminology or technology but i like to learn so feel free to teach me up! honestly i dont know what info you need to make a good suggestion. connecting my 2 hardwired rigs to the internet and as for wifi- a laptop and two cell phones is pretty much it. security is my most pressing concern. with solid connectivity with both wired and wireless comes next. something easy to set up. soooo which of these routers do you guys/gals suggest i go with?

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 (R7000-100PAS)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0DD0I6/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_8?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Linksys AC1900 WRT1900AC
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014MIBLSA/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_8?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

ASUS AC1900 RT-AC68U
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FB45SI4/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_9?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

these all reviewed really well with professional sites but ive no idea if they are working for the man or what lol. if you have something else/better in mind in the $150(or less)range please do let me know!

 

[mackerel]

I think I have the Asus, or a very close model as they have so many in the range with slightly different bandwidth support. It worked great for over two years or so, then started playing up. It becomes unresponsive that a reset didn't help. Later suspected of overheating as it seemed to work again if left off for some time. Looks fine physically externally, clear of dust. If I get really bored some day I might take it apart...

 

[habbajabba]

Asus. The newer versions of merlin should run on it just fine. Mesh is cool too as it implies no isp at all.

 

[maxfly]

Asus. The newer versions of merlin should run on it just fine. Mesh is cool too as it implies no isp at all.

ok, just checked out what merlin is. a little overwhelmed by all of the information in the features tab being that i have no idea what most of it means haha. it is definitely interesting and is supposed to help performance, so if i go with the asus ill have to get a bit deeper into merlin before i take the dive i guess.

mesh, what do you mean by it implies no isp at all?

 

[maxfly]

well i went with the D-Link EXO AC2600. it was reviewed well at smallnetbuilder https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/rankers/router/view
that and i kind of felt obligated to find a good d-link router to replace old faithful. man i hope i didnt just jinx myself. it was on sale too haha, routers are friggin expensive!

 

[habbajabba]

"They also want you to know both support DD-WRT." At least you can flash it. $34 less than the asus one. I could still kick myself for not getting an ac one instead of the n900 I have. Funny, I just logged into my router to check for updates and found a setting to disable all the led's. Pretty cool Asus/Merlin.