My Linksys, that I replaced Verizon’s crappy router with 3.5+ years ago, died. Made the call to Frontier (who bought out Verizon locally) and they sent a tech around who gave me a new router. Well, it works. Although I had to reset it a couple of times the first day. But I am reminded as to why I bought my own in the first place. This thing is slow, as in, it times out if I try to open more than one site at a time, and some times it can’t even manage that. It times out on my e-mail (eudora) even.
Devices that are cabled directly into the router, (one computer and Dish’s Hopper), do okay, but anything that depends on wifi struggles.
So I went looking for reviews on the current crop of wifi routers, but every site has their own list of preferred devices with little, if any, overlap. 
So then I did what I usually do. Looked on amazon for routers with 4 or more stars, so I could read purchasers’ reviews. (Yeah, I know some of them are bogus) A common theme seems to be “It’s a great piece of equipment, but their customer service is shiite.”
So I’m asking you, my fellow dopers; what routers do you like/have positive experiences with? And have you ever had to utilize their customer service?
Thanks muchly.
I’ve been happy with the eero system I got a few months ago. One “pro” base unit and one “beacon” extender is over your budget at $299, but keep an eye out for Black Friday deals. (I got it as an Amazon “Deal of the day” for $150.)
One feature I wasn’t expecting is the app lets me know whenever something new gets on the network, and if it doesn’t belong, I can disconnect it. I’ve had no need to call for help - it worked out of the box, and moving between the base and the extender is seamless. I’ve had other “extenders” in the past that required manually selecting the closer signal.
TP-Link Archer A20.
I have a ~4000 sq ft, 3 story house with plaster interior walls and brick exterior walls. I get good 5Ghz signal everywhere inside the house and a decent 2.4Ghz signal within 50 feet of the exterior.
Band steering alone has made my life easily 3% less annoying. No more separate SSID’s for 2.4 and 5 Ghz!
The Wirecutter likes it:
It would help if the OP would tell us a little about his house, how big it is, where the router will be in relation to key locations, etc.
If it’s as big as gotpasswords’ house, the one he recommends may be fine, but if it’s much smaller that one may be overkill. My house is about 3,000 sq. ft., and I have the budget pick in the Wirecutter review, which I bought on their recommendation a few years ago. It’s placed on the top floor of our three-level house, and the signal in the basement, about as far away as you can get inside the house, is fine. There are no dead spots, and I’ve had no problems with it. And if costs less than one third the price of the top recommendation.