Router & Network Suggestions / Questions

[g8rfn2]

Hi guys,

Many of you have helped me through various updates and changes to my system, so I am asking for some suggestions here... I have an all Araknis network setup right now:

AN-300-RT-4L2W Router 

AN-310-SW-48

(2) AN-500-AP-I-AC

I have been having a ton of problems with the wifi lately (speeds and deadzones), and honestly was never a fan of the way my original installer set me up. We have a 5500sf house with a basement, a main floor, and an upstairs. BOTH of the WAPs are in the top floor ceilings (via PoE), and the switch and C4 rack, etc are all in the basement. But, that also means the basement and just outside in the back yard get nearly zero wifi.

Anyway... we also recently upgraded from 300 Mbit to 1Gbit internet w Windstream and I have been going CRAZY trying to figure out why I can never get anything over about 380 or so from my wifi system (even on 5G at the top level). On 2.4, it's consistently under 50 just about everywhere. For a while, I thought maybe I had the 300 series WAPs instead of the 500, but I have logged in and verified they are both 500s. But, then it hit me.... The friggin ROUTER he installed is only a 300 series??? Sure enough, i found this when I looked it up:

LAN - LAN Throughput: 1Gbps
WAN - LAN Throughput: 492Mbps
IPSec Throughput: 75Mbps

First, who on EARTH would put in a Gigabit switch, and 2 Gigabit WAPs, but choose this level router to run the whole setup???  Second, this still doesn't make complete sense because on my wired pc connection, I do occasionally get in the 600s (well over the 492 it says above)? So, I am completely confused now... 

So, question 1 is... Is my router a problem as i suspect it is? 

If so, I've got a bunch of video switching that happens on my system, etc etc... So, is there an "easy" way to upgrade if i stick with another Araknis router without losing all my settings? How do you guys recommend I tackle this? Also, any suggestions on better WAPs while I am at it? I shouldn't need two of them on the upper floor should I? But, that was the only way he could get the loft area to work at the time. Surely there are better quality / more powerful options to where I could move one of them to the basement (basically at the switch) while I am doing all these other changes?

SO, SO, SO, FRUSTRATING! Not like I had this all installed 10 years ago... it was in 2017!!!

I know it's a lot... but any guidance is much appreciated. 

 

[mujtaba.khokhar]

Hi guys,
Many of you have helped me through various updates and changes to my system, so I am asking for some suggestions here... I have an all Araknis network setup right now:
AN-300-RT-4L2W Router 
AN-310-SW-48
(2) AN-500-AP-I-AC
I have been having a ton of problems with the wifi lately (speeds and deadzones), and honestly was never a fan of the way my original installer set me up. We have a 5500sf house with a basement, a main floor, and an upstairs. BOTH of the WAPs are in the top floor ceilings (via PoE), and the switch and C4 rack, etc are all in the basement. But, that also means the basement and just outside in the back yard get nearly zero wifi.
Anyway... we also recently upgraded from 300 Mbit to 1Gbit internet w Windstream and I have been going CRAZY trying to figure out why I can never get anything over about 380 or so from my wifi system (even on 5G at the top level). On 2.4, it's consistently under 50 just about everywhere. For a while, I thought maybe I had the 300 series WAPs instead of the 500, but I have logged in and verified they are both 500s. But, then it hit me.... The friggin ROUTER he installed is only a 300 series??? Sure enough, i found this when I looked it up:
LAN - LAN Throughput: 1Gbps
WAN - LAN Throughput: 492Mbps
IPSec Throughput: 75Mbps
First, who on EARTH would put in a Gigabit switch, and 2 Gigabit WAPs, but choose this level router to run the whole setup???  Second, this still doesn't make complete sense because on my wired pc connection, I do occasionally get in the 600s (well over the 492 it says above)? So, I am completely confused now... 
So, question 1 is... Is my router a problem as i suspect it is? 
If so, I've got a bunch of video switching that happens on my system, etc etc... So, is there an "easy" way to upgrade if i stick with another Araknis router without losing all my settings? How do you guys recommend I tackle this? Also, any suggestions on better WAPs while I am at it? I shouldn't need two of them on the upper floor should I? But, that was the only way he could get the loft area to work at the time. Surely there are better quality / more powerful options to where I could move one of them to the basement (basically at the switch) while I am doing all these other changes?
SO, SO, SO, FRUSTRATING! Not like I had this all installed 10 years ago... it was in 2017!!!
I know it's a lot... but any guidance is much appreciated. 
 

Hi pal

For sure it seems like your router is the issue. I’m not a fan of akrapnis lol hence the name.

If it was one of my take over jokes I would change the router and the waps out and probably the switches too....

I would start of by changing your router, depending on how techy you are I would go for a mikrotik router. They take a bit of time getting them setup properly but once they are you hardly have to touch them again unless it’s for a software update or if you need to add something. By default they come with multicast disabled so this needs to be enabled for c4 to work at its best.

Look at the RB3011. Have a look at these results for wan to lan and lan to lan https://mikrotik.com/product/RB3011UiAS-RM#fndtn-testresults

You can pick them up for around $180.

And then if this still doesn’t solve your issue I would then look into changing your WiFi access points out.

The good think about mikrotik everything is managed from the router so you don’t need any additional hardware to manage you other devices etc.


Thanks
M


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[Home Theater Advisors]

Hi guys,
Many of you have helped me through various updates and changes to my system, so I am asking for some suggestions here... I have an all Araknis network setup right now:
AN-300-RT-4L2W Router 
AN-310-SW-48
(2) AN-500-AP-I-AC
I have been having a ton of problems with the wifi lately (speeds and deadzones), and honestly was never a fan of the way my original installer set me up. We have a 5500sf house with a basement, a main floor, and an upstairs. BOTH of the WAPs are in the top floor ceilings (via PoE), and the switch and C4 rack, etc are all in the basement. But, that also means the basement and just outside in the back yard get nearly zero wifi.
Anyway... we also recently upgraded from 300 Mbit to 1Gbit internet w Windstream and I have been going CRAZY trying to figure out why I can never get anything over about 380 or so from my wifi system (even on 5G at the top level). On 2.4, it's consistently under 50 just about everywhere. For a while, I thought maybe I had the 300 series WAPs instead of the 500, but I have logged in and verified they are both 500s. But, then it hit me.... The friggin ROUTER he installed is only a 300 series??? Sure enough, i found this when I looked it up:
LAN - LAN Throughput: 1Gbps
WAN - LAN Throughput: 492Mbps
IPSec Throughput: 75Mbps
First, who on EARTH would put in a Gigabit switch, and 2 Gigabit WAPs, but choose this level router to run the whole setup???  Second, this still doesn't make complete sense because on my wired pc connection, I do occasionally get in the 600s (well over the 492 it says above)? So, I am completely confused now... 
So, question 1 is... Is my router a problem as i suspect it is? 
If so, I've got a bunch of video switching that happens on my system, etc etc... So, is there an "easy" way to upgrade if i stick with another Araknis router without losing all my settings? How do you guys recommend I tackle this? Also, any suggestions on better WAPs while I am at it? I shouldn't need two of them on the upper floor should I? But, that was the only way he could get the loft area to work at the time. Surely there are better quality / more powerful options to where I could move one of them to the basement (basically at the switch) while I am doing all these other changes?
SO, SO, SO, FRUSTRATING! Not like I had this all installed 10 years ago... it was in 2017!!!
I know it's a lot... but any guidance is much appreciated. 
 

Several things going on here.

At the time, the 300 series router was the best offered by araknis and it is limited to under 500mbps. That said, you likely don’t need gig speed and likely won’t for many years to come. You may want it because you can get it, but you’re going to spend money l, time and effort to do so. You’ll need a new router and it will need to be reconfigured. The new araknis gig routers are a different architecture and can not take a config from a 300 series.

For the access points. You likely need more than 2 to cover a home of that size, let alone the outside. There really isn’t such a thing as a ‘more powerful’ access point. There is a limit to the broadcast strength any AP can put out. APs have a coverage of about a 20-25’ radius (roughly 1300sf circle). So you should have an AP every 35-45 feet to provide coverage and reduce dead zones. Depending on your home’s configuration you probably need 3-6 APs.


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[g8rfn2]

Great info so far guys, thanks.

Definitely going to replace the router. I've seen mikrotik mentioned several times in other threads as well.

On wifi, it sounds like I should leave the 2 upstairs then, and just add more down in the basement? And. The main floor can be sandwiched between the 2.

2 more questions.

Why is the 2.4 band so much slower currently? I mean, I know it will always be a bit slower (but wider), but it shouldn't be *that* much slower should it?

If I add more WAPs do they all need to be the same type / brand? I will need two that have PoE and mount to the ceiling if that is the case. Mikrotik for those too?

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[mujtaba.khokhar]

17 minutes ago, g8rfn2 said:

Why is the 2.4 band so much slower currently? I mean, I know it will always be a bit slower (but wider), but it shouldn't be *that* much slower should it?

 

Could be a setting on the WAPs, check the channel they are on and try moving it away from your Zigbee channel and or a crowded wifi channel. 

Also check the channel bandwidth it should be (according to Araknis) 2.4 GHz – 20MHz; 5 GHz – 20/40/80MHz

20 minutes ago, g8rfn2 said:

If I add more WAPs do they all need to be the same type / brand? I will need two that have PoE and mount to the ceiling if that is the case. Mikrotik for those too?
 

Same brand is ideal especially if your wifi is centrally managed. Adding other brands just opens up cans of worms. 

Mikrotik routers and switches work fine with other brands of WiFi - I still have some jobs with Older UniFi and Rukus wireless systems and once re setup correctly, never had an issue. 

Thanks 

M

[C4 User]

The experts on this forum can explain this further, but two things to check on your WAP’s. First is MIMO. Some radios allow for more simultaneous users without slowing down. Second, some 2.4 radios will actually slow down speed to the slowest device on the network. This is not good if you have IoT on your WiFi as some of those devices are slow. I can’t explain this any deeper but there is plenty of content if you search for it. I recently replaced my WAP’s to get the latest throughput and it made a huge difference, especially when the kids are at the house with phones, iPads and computers times 5.

[g8rfn2]

What did you replace them with?

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[C4 User]

7 hours ago, g8rfn2 said:

What did you replace them with?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

I upgraded from the Sonicwall Sonicpoint WAP’s to the SonicWave WAP’s. I have 4 wireless VLAN’s (Work, Family, IoT, Guest) (WAP VLAN’s managed by Sonicwall and not switch. The WAP’s are set up to manage the best frequency depending on device and this is where it is critical that your WAP does not reduce itself to the lowest common denominator among your devices. My WAP’s are powered by individual 1gig POE injectors rather then going through my POE switch. By plugging these injectors into my Wattbox, I can also reboot any network device (modem, router, WAP’s, switches) individually or in programmed sequence if necessary - but the truth is my system is very stable.

[g8rfn2]

Yes, mine have individual injectors and are plugged into a powerstrip that is connected to the wattbox as well. Looks like the 231c would be an exact replacement for what I have.

Thanks a lot for this info.

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[g8rfn2]

Wow... Those prices are STEEP though! LOL

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[C4 User]

48 minutes ago, g8rfn2 said:

Wow... Those prices are STEEP though! LOL

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

No cheap, but enterprise level gear. My last setup lasted over 10 years and I expect this one to as well. Speed, reliability, flexibility, and diagnostic reporting matter most to me. But there are lots of options out there so go with what you feel comfortable with.

[lippavisual]

I'll second mujtaba's answer for using Mikrotik for routing.  The best in the business hands down.  Your ISP's use these devices in all of their COLO's.

Switches you can most likely use.

Wifi, I'd change over to Ruckus Unleashed.  But if you want to stick with what you've got, you'll definitely need to add more for the full coverage you're looking for.

[lippavisual]

Also, what is your laptop capable of for wifi. Many users overlook this component.

Ditto on the above about older devices like printers, IoT devices, etc.  Most of those are low bandwidth 2.4 cards and will cripple everything else on the same signal.

[g8rfn2]

Yeah, i think I am probably attacking the problem incorrectly... We are a family of 5 w two teenage boys, so u can imagine the device usage overall. 

Right now, we have admittedly gotten in the (lazy) habit of just using the 2.4Ghz network 98% of the time to avoid the wifi gaps in the house. That way, we never lose our signal completely... But, at the cost of much slower speed (typically between 10-30, max of about 40). To the point that I even make my phone forget the 5G exists because i got tired of it flaking out on me all the time. Basically, I only use 5G on occasion if I am in the living room or the bedroom (the only 2 places it really works reliably).

So, what I'm hearing is... instead of focusing on trying to make the 2.4G better/faster, I should instead focus on getting better WAP coverage for 5G throughout the house, and then make sure ALL IoT devices are on the 2.4 and then we can all use the 5G w our phones, etc?

But, before any of that... I need to first address the wired router issue which is likely crippling everything from the start?  

I assume there is a decent app out there for walking around and checking signal strength throughout the house? The good news is... there is no shortage of wire in this house, so adding additional ones wherever needed seems pretty trivial. But, is there anything complicated about setting them all up to overlap each other? I do have the wifi analyzer app and there is a CRAP LOAD of other networks that show on the 2.4 network. (neighbors, community rec center, etc). It shows a minimum of 6 at any given time, and a max of 10 or 11. But, for each WAP I add I also need to set it to it's own channel to try to limit interference? Is that right?

Last q, does putting all the IoT devices on their own SSID solve anything? Or do they need to be on their own physical connection to help limit the issues?

[Home Theater Advisors]

Your network should be designed around 5ghz coverage.  That means that the APs should be 35-40 feet apart (depends on home layout and obstructions -glass, water, pipes, metal, appliance, etc).  2.4ghz should only be used for devices that can't handle 5ghz.

Your biggest issue is your APs.   Your router is fine.   You can replace it, but you will notice little, if any, improvement going from 500mbps to 1gbps.  Nothing you are using can take advantage of those speeds.

Setting up additional Araknis APs will take a lot of work and knowledge- setting channels to avoid conflict with each other and with competing systems nearby (and staying up to date with it as neighboring devices change), setting transit signal strength to manage overlap, creating SSIDs and passwords to be sure they match EXACTLY on each AP, etc.   You are probably better off replacing your APs completely.  I highly recommend Ruckus.  We have had great success setting up Ruckus APs for clients and shipping them out them, then walking them through plugging them into ethernet ports throughout the home.   Ruckus Unleashed will manage the transmit strength, channel selection, etc automatically.   Once it is setup, adding additional APs is as simple as plugging them into an ethernet port on the same network.

[WholeHomeControl]

On 5/18/2020 at 5:39 PM, mujtaba.khokhar said:

I would start of by changing your router, depending on how techy you are I would go for a mikrotik router. They take a bit of time getting them setup properly but once they are you hardly have to touch them again unless it’s for a software update or if you need to add something. By default they come with multicast disabled so this needs to be enabled for c4 to work at its best.

What multicast setting on the router needs to be enabled for C4 to work at its best?  Why would this setting matter - unless I’m missing something, local multicast traffic gets around the local network based on how the switches are configured, regardless of the routers config. 

[mujtaba.khokhar]

What multicast setting on the router needs to be enabled for C4 to work at its best?  Why would this setting matter - unless I’m missing something, local multicast traffic gets around the local network based on how the switches are configured, regardless of the routers config. 

It’s just one of those things I’ve figured out for myself, mainly for mikrotik.

With multicast disabled Control4 seems slower especially browsing music services and camera streams on t3 touch screens load much slower. I’ve configured my tik switches to relay to the router for multicast traffic. And honestly it’s the way it works best for me. Like I always say everyone’s millage May vary, this is what works best for me so I stick to it.

It’s also recommended by Control4 to enable it in routers and switches. But again what do they know?

Sorry for the confusion

Thanks
M


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[g8rfn2]

On 5/19/2020 at 1:49 PM, Home Theater Advisors said:

Your biggest issue is your APs.   Your router is fine.   You can replace it, but you will notice little, if any, improvement going from 500mbps to 1gbps.  Nothing you are using can take advantage of those speeds.

 

With respect... this makes absolutely no sense to me? But several of you have made a similar comment.

Even forgetting about just the wifi for a moment, this is cutting my wired download speeds in half. I routinely download 2GB folders for work all the time. And, i would've never thought the router was my problem. ESPECIALLY with the word "gigabit" in the name of the product itself?

May not be my "biggest" issue as it relates to the wifi speeds overall... but it is at least AS BIG an issue as the APs, is it not? 

[lippavisual]

ISP speed certainly matters.  Yes, you are doing a disservice to yourself using that router.  The bigger the pipe, the faster it flows through.

Personally, if I am paying for 1GB service, my network better be able to support it.

Not sure how simple math gets overlooked.  1GB is twice as fast as 500mb.

Certainly would be noticed when downloading files, movies or even uploading youtube videos or Google drive docs.  It gets accomplished twice as fast.

[ekohn00]

17 minutes ago, lippavisual said:

ISP speed certainly matters.  Yes, you are doing a disservice to yourself using that router.  The bigger the pipe, the faster it flows through.

Personally, if I am paying for 1GB service, my network better be able to support it.

Not sure how simple math gets overlooked.  1GB is twice as fast as 500mb.

Certainly would be noticed when downloading files, movies or even uploading youtube videos or Google drive docs.  It gets accomplished twice as fast.

OK, this is killing me....   you're so dead on right and anyone else who says change the WAP first should be shot....

ON the  first post he said:

LAN - LAN Throughput: 1Gbps
WAN - LAN Throughput: 492Mbps

So as you already noticed, if the internet is 1G, there's no way to go past 492MB....... No matter what.

And he gave the basic info of why this matters......multiple kids in the house.... gaming/streaming/etc.... yes no one person will hit 1G, but you add them up - and heck, my kids will find long cables to connect directly to the switch.   with out any doubt, he will see a major difference changing the router.

 

 

[Home Theater Advisors]

1 hour ago, g8rfn2 said:

With respect... this makes absolutely no sense to me? But several of you have made a similar comment.

Even forgetting about just the wifi for a moment, this is cutting my wired download speeds in half. I routinely download 2GB folders for work all the time. And, i would've never thought the router was my problem. ESPECIALLY with the word "gigabit" in the name of the product itself?

May not be my "biggest" issue as it relates to the wifi speeds overall... but it is at least AS BIG an issue as the APs, is it not? 

You've got to compare real-world usage.  If you are regularly bogging down, streams are pausing, files are not downloading quickly (on wired connections - we've agreed your wifi needs work), then by all means upgrade your router.   If wired performance is fine, why go through the hassle and expense of changing the router, other to say you did and to be able to say you have 1gig service?  Let's do the math.  A 4K stream from netflix uses 25-50gpbs.  You can currently have 8-15 concurrent 4K streams.     

 

Better yet, let's take a real world example - you download 2gb files for work. How long does that take either wired or on the 5ghz frequency with strong connection?  2 minutes?   OK, now it will take 1 minute if you double your WAN-LAN throughput.  Yes, that is twice fast.  But it is 1 minute.   And don't forget, it isn't just your speed, it is the speed of the server you are accessing, it's pipe to the network, network congestion of the file getting to your home, etc,etc.   

 

Compare that to the difference of downloading that same file wirelessly using your 2.4ghz wifi.  How long does that take? What is the improvement vs 5ghz?  Now you can compare which is a 'bigger' issue - your WAN-LAN throughput or your wi-fi configuration.  My hypothesis is your Wi-Fi is the bigger issue.  Not only that, but I also think it is easier to solve as you don't have to worry about any custom configuration done on your existing router.   Changing the router will have ZERO impact on your wi-fi performance, only wired, as your wi-fi seems to be configured pooly currently.  

 

You also have to factor in quality of life and the frustration factor of having poor wifi throughout.  I guarantee that if you improve your AP configuration your family is going to notice (especially in the far reaches where the currently wifi doesn't reach or is a very weak signal) and is going to shower you with praise.  Replace the router only and I'd venture to say they will barely notice.

That's my $0.02.  That's all it may be worth to you, but that is up to you to decide. 

{EDIT}  One more thing I forgot to mention.  If you are looking to do both router and wi-fi, then that will obviously give you best performance. But if you are looking to prioritize one or the other, then upgrading just the Wi-Fi will give you way more improvement than upgrading just the router would.  I don't know how anyone can argue with that

[g8rfn2]

Definitely looking to do BOTH! And both are equally bad (in my opinion). Admittedly for different reasons.

Dismissing a router that claims to be gigabit but is actually only half that seems like a much bigger deal to me. :-)

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[ekohn00]

1 hour ago, Home Theater Advisors said:

You've got to compare real-world usage.  If you are regularly bogging down, streams are pausing, files are not downloading quickly (on wired connections - we've agreed your wifi needs work), then by all means upgrade your router.   If wired performance is fine, why go through the hassle and expense of changing the router, other to say you did and to be able to say you have 1gig service?  Let's do the math.  A 4K stream from netflix uses 25-50gpbs.  You can currently have 8-15 concurrent 4K streams.     

 

Better yet, let's take a real world example - you download 2gb files for work. How long does that take either wired or on the 5ghz frequency with strong connection?  2 minutes?   OK, now it will take 1 minute if you double your WAN-LAN throughput.  Yes, that is twice fast.  But it is 1 minute.   And don't forget, it isn't just your speed, it is the speed of the server you are accessing, it's pipe to the network, network congestion of the file getting to your home, etc,etc.   

 

Compare that to the difference of downloading that same file wirelessly using your 2.4ghz wifi.  How long does that take? What is the improvement vs 5ghz?  Now you can compare which is a 'bigger' issue - your WAN-LAN throughput or your wi-fi configuration.  My hypothesis is your Wi-Fi is the bigger issue.  Not only that, but I also think it is easier to solve as you don't have to worry about any custom configuration done on your existing router.   Changing the router will have ZERO impact on your wi-fi performance, only wired, as your wi-fi seems to be configured pooly currently.  

 

You also have to factor in quality of life and the frustration factor of having poor wifi throughout.  I guarantee that if you improve your AP configuration your family is going to notice (especially in the far reaches where the currently wifi doesn't reach or is a very weak signal) and is going to shower you with praise.  Replace the router only and I'd venture to say they will barely notice.

That's my $0.02.  That's all it may be worth to you, but that is up to you to decide. 

{EDIT}  One more thing I forgot to mention.  If you are looking to do both router and wi-fi, then that will obviously give you best performance. But if you are looking to prioritize one or the other, then upgrading just the Wi-Fi will give you way more improvement than upgrading just the router would.  I don't know how anyone can argue with that

You're basing real world examples on a few Netflix streams. (BTW ultra HD streaming is about 25Mbps not Gbps - which is an obvious typo above) Not really a "real world". The guy has a house of kids.....  he's going to have gaming and videos and a whole lot of traffic going on.

One of the things a better router provides and faster packet forwarding and lower latency (along with utilizing the BW he's paying for). Gamers love high bw, not because they're saturating a link, but because the packet delays after far less.......     You''d also see major differences in DL'ing apps, torrents, files, etc.   Media streams take less time to cache, and could tend to "pause" less.

Obviously with the size of his home, 2 access points isn't enough for full coverage. Enough said on the number of WAPs and coverage.

Rarely do I condone changing everything.....but in this case....Router needs to be able to service the connections. And WAP coverage is far from ideal......    

 

 

[ekohn00]

23 minutes ago, g8rfn2 said:

Definitely looking to do BOTH! And both are equally bad (in my opinion). Admittedly for different reasons.

Dismissing a router that claims to be gigabit but is actually only half that seems like a much bigger deal to me.

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unfortunately LAN to LAN is 1G......  and some people think for your situation that good.

 

[Home Theater Advisors]

17 minutes ago, ekohn00 said:

You're basing real world examples on a few Netflix streams. (BTW ultra HD streaming is about 25Mbps not Gbps - which is an obvious typo above) Not really a "real world". The guy has a house of kids.....  he's going to have gaming and videos and a whole lot of traffic going on.

One of the things a better router provides and faster packet forwarding and lower latency (along with utilizing the BW he's paying for). Gamers love high bw, not because they're saturating a link, but because the packet delays after far less.......     You''d also see major differences in DL'ing apps, torrents, files, etc.   Media streams take less time to cache, and could tend to "pause" less.

Obviously with the size of his home, 2 access points isn't enough for full coverage. Enough said on the number of WAPs and coverage.

Rarely do I condone changing everything.....but in this case....Router needs to be able to service the connections. And WAP coverage is far from ideal......    

 

 

We're (basically) on the same page.  Yes, upgrading the router will help.  But without doing the wi-fi, it won't help much (will only help wired devices).  And yep, that was clearly a typo :).  

I usually take the approach that if real world performance is there (and I used streaming as an example, I also used downloading files as an example), why upgrade?  Just so you have a BSD?  OK, for some people that is a good reason. But to go spend money on a new router and pay someone to configure and install it, if he isn't experiencing any real-world issues, it may not be the best use of money.  However, he has made it clear he wants to be able to run a speedtest and see that 1gbps.  OK, you'll need a new router for that.  And if he is experiencing any real world issues (as I enumerated earlier), then a new router will definitely help.

I just don't believe in spending money to upgrade hardware if the client isn't going to see a performance improvement (or it will be minimal or undetected in real world). It's hard to tell in this case if he will - we do not know what the current performance is for gaming, downloading, streaming, etc.  Is he experiencing any issues hardwired or on 5ghz with strong signal?  If so, then new router. If not, I personally think it is a waste of money and wouldn't recommend it for my friends. But, as i said, he's the client - his money, his home.  If that is what he wants, that is what we would do.

 

BTW, I have a 4 person household with 2 teenagers, one who games constantly.  I have a 100mbps pipe (with gigabit infrastructure).   We have no issues.  Everything works great with simultaneous gaming, Zoom meetings and classes, downloading files, etc.