Long-range Wi-Fi: TOP-5 inexpensive routers with a long range

D-Link DIR-815/AC is a long—range "dual-band" low-cost link in a restrained style "suit" made of matte plastic. The glossy stripe on the top panel adds a touch of charm to the image of the model.

According to the "census" of routers, the device is ranked among the models of the AC1200 standard, which provide a total traffic transfer rate of up to 1167 Mbit/s. At a frequency of 2.4 GHz, the router develops a data exchange rate of up to 300 Mbit/s, in the 5 GHz range — up to 867 Mbit/ s. Four powerful antennas of a non-removable design with a gain of 5 dBi act as repeaters of signals from it "over the air". The automatic change of the antenna pattern depending on the location of customers is provided by the TX Beamforming technology.

All the slots on board the wireless router are focused on the rear end. Among them are four LAN ports and one WAN interface of the Fast Ethernet standard (100 Mbit/s), as well as a USB 2.0 port. You can connect a 3G/LTE modem or a network printer to the latter, an external drive with a media library of downloaded content, or "stick" a USB flash drive to write files to it, downloaded using the built-in torrent client.

There are practically no complaints about the model in the work. With the exception of many mentions of the unstable version of the primary firmware of the router. However, it is enough to install a fresh software update and problems with interface lags or the lack of claimed functions are nullified. And with an eye on the price tag of the D-Link DIR-815/AC, this "jamb" of the model is entirely forgivable.

The Tenda brand is responsible for a huge "piece of the pie" of the network equipment market in China. At the same time, the company is increasing its power in the international arena, offering reliable solutions at an affordable price. One of these is the router of the Tenda AC6 home design.

The model deserves the closest attention when deploying a home wireless network with an increased coverage area. The competitive advantage of the device over its peers is the presence on board of additional signal power amplification units for both channels (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz). The total speed of the router's wireless network reaches 1167 Mbit/s. Of this figure, 300 Mbit/s are in the 2.4 GHz band, the remaining 867 Mbit/s are in the 5 GHz band.

With the connection of clients via a twisted pair, the router's affairs are much more modest. The speed in this case rests on the "ceiling" of the LAN bandwidth and is 100 Mbit/s. The device has one WAN port and three LAN interfaces in its arsenal. But let's return to the wireless capabilities of the Tenda AC6, which are the main focus. The model complies with the latest version of the 802.11ac Wave 2 specification, which means MU-MIMO and Beamforming+ technologies are available to it. The first minimizes lags when broadcasting to several wireless clients, the second provides an opportunity to focus data retransmission in the direction of Wi—Fi devices.

In terms of options, the router is able to correctly retransmit IP-TV broadcast streams, has a parental control function, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK and WPA/WPA2 encryption, guest access. Special attention is paid to the Smart mode, which allows you to disconnect the Wi-Fi connection according to a given schedule. We add a futuristic design and support for remote control of a wireless router from a smartphone to the piggy bank of the model's strong qualities — as a result, we see an almost perfectly balanced "Internet distributor" in the context of the device belonging to a low-low-cost segment of network equipment.

TP-LINK's product portfolio includes wireless routers for every taste, colour and thickness of the wallet. One of the brand's suitable offers for covering an apartment of medium-large "quadrature" is a stylish router with the name Archer C6.

This model is a suitable choice for users with a modest low-cost. The router broadcasts Wi-Fi in the 802.11ac band, offering two transmission bands: up to 300 Mbit/s in the 2.4GHz band and up to 867 Mbit/s at 5 GHz. To enhance the signal, the router is equipped with four external non-removable antennas and one internal one. The model has a standard set of ports: one WAN and four gigabit LAN.

As for a home "resident", TP-LINK Archer C6 had a very developed functionality. This is manifested in the support of MU-MIMO technology with the Beamforming function, which ensures simultaneous data transmission to several connected devices and optimizes wireless network coverage taking into account the location of customers. The router is configured and managed via the web interface at 192.168.0.1 and via the TP-Link Tether mobile application.

The stylish design with a relief pattern of the upper panel enhances the pleasant impression of the model. The only "but" is that dust is actively settling on it. However, no one has canceled cleaning in the apartment and if it is done regularly, the router will delight the eye for a long time, simultaneously distributing high-speed Internet to connected devices without the slightest hitches in operation.

Sales of network equipment bring Asus a solid profit. The products of the Taiwanese brand are firmly entrenched in all layers of the wireless router society. Take, for example, the RT-AC1200 model — an affordable network solution for the home with consistently high speed data transmission characteristics.

The appearance of the device can hardly be called original. However, the model does not graze the rear ones in terms of design either. The "diamond" pattern on the top panel makes it more recognizable among colleagues in the shop. The "horns" of four antennas stick out of the router case. Two of them are responsible for communication in the 2.4 GHz band, and a couple more are responsible for transmitting a signal at a less "noisy" frequency of 5 GHz. Movable hinges at the base of the antennas allow you to flexibly adjust the coverage area without unnecessary hassle.

When exchanging large files at a frequency of 2.4 GHz in the direct line of sight of the router, the transfer speed confidently stays close to the stated 300 Mbit/s. In the 5 GHz band, users have the right to count on a transmission rate of about 700-800 Mbit/s from the passport 867s. If there are obstacles in the way of signal propagation (for example, two thin walls), the speed subsides by about a third. But when connecting clients by wire, the speed rests on limiting the bandwidth of the WAN and LAN ports (4 pcs.), which is 100 Mbit/s.

Providing a consistently high data exchange rate, the router's capabilities are quite sufficient for watching streaming video in ultra-high 4K resolution, network gaming, and cloud services. The device also works correctly with VPN traffic, supports the functions of the firewall, DHCP and FTP servers. To connect drives and printers, the model has a USB 2.0 port. Finally, a separate tab "Parental Control" in the settings menu of the router allows you to configure Internet access by time and prohibit visits to certain sites by domain or age limit.

"Latvian" MikroTik hAP ac2 is included in a small cohort of routers of the brand for home use. Having settled in the apartment, the device distributes the Internet to the "clientele" both wirelessly and via twisted pair, providing a consistently high flow rate and a large coverage radius.

The model is assembled in an unremarkable "body" without bulging elements — the antennas are hidden inside the case of the wireless router. The device uses dual-band combined antennas. On the back end of the router there are four gigabit LAN ports and one WAN with PoE power support. In wireless networks, hAP ac2 produces a decent maximum speed of 300 Mbit/s (at 2.4 GHz) and 867 Mbit/s (at 5 GHz).

The device operates under the command of a performant Qualcomm IPQ4018 quad-core with a clock frequency of 716 MHz and a volume of 128 MB of RAM. The conductor of the technological orchestra of the model is the Router OS system with flexible configuration capabilities. It is only necessary to take into account that for an ordinary user, the system menu interface may seem too complicated and confusing.

The router can be placed on the "parking" vertically or in a prone position. Standing on a stand made of transparent plastic, on the upper end of the device you can see a USB 2.0 port for connecting a 3G/LTE modem or deploying using an FTP server router.Also, the operation of the model is possible in bridge and repeater modes. MikroTik hAP ac2 is rightfully considered a favorite of the segment of affordable low-cost wireless routers for home use or "registration" in a small office.