WIreless routers are usually thrown in with home-broadband packages, but extra performance and features can be had by upgrading this usually basic model. The routers we test over the following pages should offer faster connections, longer wireless range, and neat extras, such as the ability to add a USB drive and share its files over the network. All can simultaenously operate on both 2.4- and 5GHz frequencies, allowing you to avoid the more crowded former band.
Performance
Today’s top-end models support a brand-new wireless protocol, known as 802.11ac. You may also see them marketed as 5G Wi-Fi or gigabit wireless routers, although the latter is misleading, given that you’re unlikely to see speeds greater than 500 megabits per second (Mbps). See also: Group test: what's the best wireless router?
The discrepancy lies in part between the numbers quoted for the sync speed and the true data throughput. Whereas traditional wired gigabit ethernet, for example, performs at close to its promised 1Gbps, wireless data technology encodes the bits in a less efficient manner, and requires additional spare capacity to ensure data integrity when whizzing bits through the fickle aether. See also: Group test: what's the best modem router?
The most popular Wi-Fi standard is still 802.11ac’s predecessor, 802.11n, which is now standard on most devices. Routers supporting this standard may be sold as 300Mbps-capable, but remember this is only the sync speed – real-world delivery is often slower than 100Mbps.
Some wireless routers now use a three-antennae system and may be labelled N450 or N750. These aerials may be hidden inside, so it won’t always be obvious what hardware a device is packing.
With 802.11n technology, the theoretical sync speed for a single datastream is 150Mbps, and 300Mbps for two streams (using two aerials). This leads to a nominal 450Mbps figure in a full three-stream system, otherwise known as 3x3 Mimo (multiple-in, multiple-out). To take advantage of all three streams, your connected device must also have a three-stream wireless chipset and antenna array. This arrangement is still rare in even high-end laptops, and unknown to phones and tablets. The Surface RT is in a minority by including two-antennae Wi-Fi, whereas most such devices are fitted with a single aerial.
Those routers broadcasting simultaneously on the 2.4- and 5GHz radio bands may have their nominal ratings summed in the manufacturer’s product description, with the 2.4GHz band’s 300Mbps added to the 5GHz band’s 450Mbps, to justify an impressive-sounding N750 name that paints performance far above reality.
In the new world of 802.11ac, you’ll also see routers labelled 1750, which is an optimistic addition of 802.11n’s 450Mbps to 802.11ac’s 1,300Mbps.
New features
Besides measurably better transfer speeds, 802.11ac routers use other tricks such as beamforming. This helps them maintain performance at long range by channelling the radio beams at specific devices in space.
At present, all 802.11ac routers follow much the same wireless design, and use chip maker Broadcom’s radio chipsets. Other chip specialists are also developing technology for the emerging 802.11ac standard, which is still in draft form, but likely to be ratified in early 2013.
Marvell has indicated that it’s 802.11ac chips, likely to appear in consumer devices around the middle of the year, will be able to deliver close to the vaunted gigabit transfer speed by offloading more of the high-speed data juggling to a dedicated ARM processor. The next generation of 802.11ac may also make use of 4x4 Mimo setups, with added antenna diversity to aid consistent performance.
By then, laptops should be available with 802.11ac Wi-Fi built in. Until then, you’re limited to using a static wireless bridge unit as a remote relay to jack into, or a USB dongle in your laptop. The latter is hardly ideal, though, since it will be throttled by USB 2.0 restrictions to 280Mbps.
Whether you want to take the plunge as an early adopter of the next-generation wireless, or just need the best 802.11n performance available today, read on to discover what this assembly of top-spec 802.11n and 802.11ac routers can offer.
What's the best 802.11ac wireless router
Price: £200 inc VAT
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Belkin AC 1200 DBPrice: £180 inc VAT
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Price: £200 inc VAT
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Price: £140 inc VAT
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How we test
Hardware.info (uk.hardware.info) tests performance using the IxChariot tool by Ixia, the industry standard for measuring transfer rates over a network. They install a so-called endpoint on all the systems on the test network. This software uses a test script to measure the number of megabits that are sent per second from one endpoint to another.
Wireless speed is measured in both directions, from LAN to WLAN and from WLAN to LAN. They use a system that is connected to a LAN port on the router that is being tested. To wirelessly connect with the router they use a BTO laptop with an Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 WLAN chip and three antenna connections.
They run a 10m line-of-sight test, and one from 3m to simulate real-life scenarios. They also connect three BTO laptops (all with Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 chips) to the router. This gives an impression of how the router fares when it is in heavy use, and what the bandwidth is for the different laptops. They test the wireless speeds at two different time intervals, reducing the chance that transitory environmental factors influenced the router’s test results.
With 802.11ac routers it’s also important to measure how fast a router is on the new standard. They perform the 802.11ac test from the same distances as the other tests, and also in both directions.
Conclusion
Before getting too excited about 5GHz and 802.11ac, don’t overlook the fact that it won’t necessarily improve the maximum range of the Wi-Fi signal your current 2.4GHz 802.11n delivers. The speeds you’ll see will be determined by the construction of your walls, and the distances involved. Use the speeds in the table below as a guide.
Although there are a few 802.11ac routers to choose between, it’s still early days for the standard. No devices have built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi, so you’ll need to buy a router and an 802.11ac bridge.
As well as decent performance on the new standard, then, it’s important for an 802.11ac router to have good 802.11n speed. This is one reason why the Asus RT-AC66U is a good choice. Plus, it has an easy-to-use interface and can double up as a NAS if you attach a USB hard disk. Add to that the potential for decent cloud-based features, and it wins our Recommended award.
From our experience, the RT-A66U isn’t as stable as the Cisco Linksys EA6500, though. The EA6500 offers fantastic 5GHz performance, and is also impressive at longer distances on 2.4GHz. It’s reliable, has a great administration interface and an interesting NFC feature. It’s also available online at lower cost than the Asus, and easily deserves our Best Buy award.
