I don’t understand how home wifi connection devices keep getting more expensive. Where is Moore’s law when you need it!?
This replaced around $600 of Apple Airports and Expresses. Several Expresses also passed away over time. I’d say my experiential AE MTBF is 3 years.
I’m about to set up a new townhouse, and this is on my equipment list after a bunch of research over at http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/ (if you don’t have this bookmarked, and you ever need to upgrade parts of your home LAN, keep it handy).
I would love to know if Jason has playing with its VPN clients at all? I’m going to need VPN at my new place (zero options besides Comcast) and have been pondering whether to set it up at the device level or just throw my whole network inside PIA.
I have not. Everything about the router’s configuration was and appears straight forward. As to compatibility with various vendors automagic VPN packages, I have no ideas. I am sure it’ll forward ports for you.
As long as I can update the firmware and run the router os of my choice.
7Mbps still sounds a bit slow when my wired home broadband connection consistently delivers 7MBps.
Is there anything significantly faster out there? If LTE can deliver 20Mbps on up for mobile users, surely a home-based solution should be able to compete, right?
You do not live where I do. My ISP does the best it can.
Oh, so that’s a limit on your end and not the R7000’s max? Gotcha gotcha gotcha.
So that 7Mbps is your bandwidth out to the internet, not the bandwidth across your house (e.g. from the DVR to a PC or a PC to backup storage)?
Simple to work with, I simply swapped out the entire old series of router and repeaters
Good to know that Jason is simple to work with. 
Gotta watch those bloody introductory participial phrases - they can make your sentences mean things you don’t mean.
Now, when will we see something like this that’s open source, so we can be reasonably sure it doesn’t have any back doors for spooks, or other security leaks?
Right. My ISP limits me at 7/7 and the router lets me use 100% of it. This is not much of its theoretically max, but it really work.
Device to device via the router I get the much, much higher speeds that gigabit wifi would suggest.
Do not hold your breath.
I recently purchased this model. It performs much better at 2.4ghz than my previous router, but at 5ghz it is so slow as to be unusable. Disappointing, as the 5ghz is why I bought it, but even at 2.4 it solved all the problems which led me to shop for a new router. It is directly over my livingroom where I need the wifi, but on the next floor. The only thing in the way is a standard wood floor with drywall ceiling.
I had so much trouble with this model. Couldn’t hold a connection, wired or wireless. Support had me on the phone confirming that the problem was still occurring as we spoke but insisted I try it out for a week before calling back.
Never again. I’ll go with that nice Asus one or a new Apple.
I’m not sure how easy to get in the US, but Draytek’s routers fit nicely into that spot between home routers, and commercial grade stuff (eg Cisco). They support pretty much every buzzword you could want, including a host of VPN technologies, and aren’t too expensive.
I’ve used one at home, and they work great for small businesses as well, we currently have 20+ in shops all over the country and so far they’ve been rock solidly reliable.
(I’m not affiliated with them in any way, just a very satisfied customer)
Three years MTBF? Yikes! My oldest wireless router is a DLink DI-624; it’s 11 years old and still works (the AC adaptor failed, but I replaced it with generic adaptor for $15). It’s my loaner unit now.
My latest wireless router is a Buffalo WZR-300HP. Very nice router, only $50. Good signal, good speed, came with DD-WRT built-in.
For the sum total of all of my wireless routers (two pocket/travel USB-powered TP-Links (one modified with extra RAM to install Grugq’s Portal), one Cisco industrial/small-business router/firewall, the two DLinks, plus the Buffalo, total cost for these six, about $600 (purchased over a fifteen year period. All of them still work. I guess I’m pretty good at reading specs and test reports…
I see you’ve stopped buying Apple products, Jason, at least as far as wireless routers/switches go… Good move, since, from what you report, Apple products don’t last. ;-p
I’ve got an old DI-624 in a box somewhere as well. I pulled it out last year when I was in a pinch… I remember why I stopped using it. My GOD that thing was terrible at holding a connection. It needed rebooting at least 2-3 times a week.
I’m looking at picking up an R7000 or an Asus AC68U at some point… my aging DLink DIR-655 can’t really push the wifis up to the top floor of my house the way I would like (and also, starting to upgrade to AC devices as well, which I’d like to take advantage of).
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