# Need opinions on router **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 14, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-opinions-on-router/922966 "2020-10-14T21:38:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-opinions-on-router/922966/1 "2020-10-14T21:38:41Z")
We have a router that we got years ago from Verizon when we upgraded to Fios. We’re having connection issues now, and Verizon wants $15 a month for an upgraded model (we could get another like our old one free, but there could still be compatibility issues because our devices are much newer). Seems to me it would be more economical to buy a new, top of the line router rather than rent one from Verizon. ---
**Author:** ![Acierocolotl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acierocolotl/32/6241_2.png) [@Acierocolotl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acierocolotl)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-opinions-on-router/922966/2 "2020-10-14T21:45:59Z")
There shouldn’t be compatibility issues, but if you’re keen on wireless, a newer router will have newer wifi protocols. Routers that can be reflashed to run the DD-WRT software (my loose standard of “good”) can be had for $150 USD or less. You’ll recoup that cost in no time, and they’ll be great for reasonably typical home use. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Earl\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-opinions-on-router/922966/3 "2020-10-14T21:53:58Z")
^ Great advice here. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-opinions-on-router/922966/4 "2020-10-14T21:59:56Z")
I’m teaching online, and one of our sons is taking classes and recording podcasts. We also have Netflix. Our other son just left to stay in an AirBnB with some college friends, but he will be finishing up (including finals) at home after Thanksgiving. Our wifi was fine until a month or two ago. My thinking is try the free one, and buy one somewhere if there’s no improvement. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-opinions-on-router/922966/5 "2020-10-15T00:09:14Z")
Do you have any home wiring? Because connecting a second cheap wifi-router somewhere else fixes a lot of connection issues. Old cheap wifi-routers just couldn’t do multiple connections very well. Having two of them doubles the number of stable connections you can get. And of course putting one at the other end of the house fixes other drop-outs. Set up some of the devices to connect to one router, and some to the other: If you can, set up some devices to use the hi-frequency band and some the low-frequency band. Use the hi-frequency band for close devices, and the low-frequency band for more distant devices. Personally, I wouldn’t pay any of my suppliers for a replacement router, because supplier routers don’t have the VPN and scheduling features I need. Sometimes not even all the hardware is enabled: suppliers don’t want to support a full feature set. But my requirements might be different than yours.