Okay, so I am going to start off with some food for thought and points for consideration which you can ponder over when you look at new routers and features. 10 years ago most people had a pc or laptop which was connected to the internet and maybe a phone which they tried to use wifi on. Even back then cheapo routers like the shub1 barely managed to cope and if you added any additional devices to the network and started moving data across the network the shub 1 just keeled over and died. These days (and I am using myself as an example here) people have multiple pcs and laptops (wifi), phones (wifi), tablets (wifi), smart tvs (wired or wifi), sky boxes, NAS' and printers (wired/wifi). We ask a lot of our routers and networks; anything from simply checking your emails to streaming the latest movie. It is important that your router meets the demands placed on it and not only meets them but can exceed them because after all, if you are spending money on your own router you want it to last a while so futureproofing comes into. My current router is in its fourth year so it has done well but I know that I am probably going to upgrade to 1gbit next year and will need to invest in a new router.
People use routers for different things and as people become more connected they want to share more. It is becoming increasingly common for people to attach external hard drives and normal printers to the usb ports on their router and share them across the network as a networked resource. When you do things like this you need to make sure that the software side of the router functions as desired and things actually work. Many routers advertise printer sharing for example then but when it comes to actually setting it up and running the service it is a pain in the ass and sometimes just doesn't want to work.
As I mentioned this morning, you get what you pay for. Many people are completely put off by the idea of buying their own router because they think it is the isps responsibility to provide them with a free one and unless you are a techy buying a router isn't something you have considered before. It is like someone telling you that you have got to buy a fuse box for your house. You don't want to do it and just want the cheapest one possible to get the job done. Those people that do want their own router have a reason for it and there is no point having a half hearted approach to it. You can think of routers as the tree trunk of entertainment in your house. They might not be something you look at and play with everyday but if they aren't working properly or doing what you want them to then nothing else works and your day to day living soon grinds to a halt.
When buying a new router you are making an investment and an addition to your household which you are going to want to last you several years so it is important that you buy something which is fit for purpose, works seamlessly in the background, does what you want it to and you know is going to last. As I mentioned above, some people buy routers very reluctantly and as such want to spend as little money as possible on one (£50 or less) and they just doesn't work imho, not unless your needs are minimal. I have listed 3 routers below which each have varying performance levels, wifi coverage and extensive features. Even though the first option is the more basic out the three, I have got it myself and it still kicks ass over the majority of other routers. That being said, the Asus AC86u is a cracking price atm and if I had to buy a new router today the 86u would be the one I would go for unless I had the cash to splash on an RoG router. When you buy an Asus router (like a Mercedes or shopping at John Lewis) you know you are buying a guaranteed level of quality, performance and features.
That brings me to my next point and other forum users are going to chastise me for saying this. I know everyone has their own tastes but I wouldn't touch TP Link routers with a barge pole. They are simple and cheap and for some people might do the job but Asus routers are the bees knees and you can't go wrong with them. I can't remember the exact details (I think it was something to do with port forwarding) but a while ago somebody on this forum had an issue and they said they had a TP Link router. It was a straight forward problem to solve for a proper standalone router and everybody said "all you need to do is ......." and the user came back saying "my router doesn't have that feature"
and I couldn't believe it. Now is the best time of the year to buy a router and make an investment because you haven't got halloween, bonfire night or Christmas coming up and if you need to you can save a little bit for the next two months so you can make the right choice.
Asus AC68u £118 - AC1900, dual band, 4 port switch, 734Mbits wan to throughput
Asus AC86u £135 - AC2900, dual band, 4 port switch, 938Mbits wan to lan throughput
Asus AC5300 £259 - AC5300, tri band, 8 port switch, 937Mbits wan to lan throughput
I have highlighted some of they key differences for you but there are obviously many more features to consider and you can obviously google some reviews to look at. The hyperlinks for each model number will take you to the Asus product page and the hyperlink on the price will take you to Amazon.
Even though I have made several comments and points to consider, buying one standalone router is just the tip of the iceberg. I started off this post remarking on the number of devices I have on my network so you can assess your own needs and the type of router you want to get and what it is going to be used for. You might decide that this is not the path for you and as you have seen above, other users are already advocating alternatives and mentioned wireless access points and mesh networks for example. I have gone for a hybrid network to ensure all my needs are met and have wired connections to the rooms that need them in the house so fixed devices like tvs, pcs, printers and sky boxes are serviced by a switch and have a reliable wired connection for streaming etc. I also have a second router downstairs on the opposite side of the house which is running in wireless access point mode in order to provide fast and reliable wifi coverage throughout the house. This is another fantastic feature of Asus routers and something you might want to consider.
There are lots of options and please come back to us if you need any more advice or have any questions. I haven't listed the three options above the sake of it. They are all great quality routers and will deliver a solid performance. I would have any of them and as I mentioned, I have got the AC68u, would buy the 86u right now if my router died and would seriously look at the AC5300 and consider saving for the AX11000. You can't go wrong with Asus.