As we know many cheap routers slow down and start to falter over time. I have seen routers starts to deteriorate within a year of usage.
Why o why this happens?? But this doesn't happens to expensive routers such as cisco, asus, linksys etc.!!, at least not within 2 to 3 years of usage.
There are two things matter in this ,
1. Hardware : Most cheap routers use cheap Electrolytic capacitors that degrade within a few months of usage!! Also to cut costs they use small size ram chip and tiny flash chip. Which is a constraint on the CPU and surrounding components. Also to cut cost they do not use heat dissipating elements over the tiny cpu's they got, as a result after a while dust build up and cpu gets really really hot and melts other parts, such a tiny VRM components such as SMD Mosfets and capacitors. They use wifi amps but do not use proper antenna, this also puts pressure on the wifi modules and wifi part of the CPU. Ovarall heat buildup really aggravates cpu and other component efficiency and router starts to slow down very quickly after power up.
2. Software : Usually cheap router vendors do not use proper software along with the router hardware. The problem with cheap WiFi routers aimed at consumers is there is no need to write decent software. They only have to appear to work when first turned on so they don’t get returned to the shop. Over time they fill their internal tables, have memory leaks and other failures due to poorly written and tested code. The easy way to work around this is simply to power cycle the router but that sucks in a busy and active environment.
Anyone can buy high quality routers from Cisco and similar companies and they will run indefinitely without slowing down. While the hardware is sightly better quality the real difference is the software. It is properly written and tested so does not slow down.
But anyone can have the best of both worlds with OpenWRT or Tomato or DD-WRT. OpenWrt/DD-Wrt is Linux based open source software designed for routers that will run on some of the cheap routers, so is Tomato(for broadcom). Many cheap routers are not supported due to their lack of memory but some are supported. I have routers that I paid less than $20 for that can run OpenWRT and they are rock solid and will run as long as I want without slowing down. If you do your home work and find a router that supports OpenWRT you will not regret it and a decade later when you replace it get another that runs OpenWRT again and you find you already know how to use it because it has the same core design as the older one.
Router Placement and Interference : Placing a router also has negative effect on it's performance. Always try placing router in the middle of the house or if not possible then add another as repeater. Interference from other wifi routers do effect badly with wifi connection, but good software like Openwrt will help negate that effect!! i.e. very closeby router at the same channel of your wifi router, Openwrt can and do detect it and change channel, but tenda with it's crappy eCos will remain in that channel and Outcry that "Wifi gone", in the house among the children will be heard in the office over the phone!!
Why o why this happens?? But this doesn't happens to expensive routers such as cisco, asus, linksys etc.!!, at least not within 2 to 3 years of usage.
There are two things matter in this ,
1. Hardware : Most cheap routers use cheap Electrolytic capacitors that degrade within a few months of usage!! Also to cut costs they use small size ram chip and tiny flash chip. Which is a constraint on the CPU and surrounding components. Also to cut cost they do not use heat dissipating elements over the tiny cpu's they got, as a result after a while dust build up and cpu gets really really hot and melts other parts, such a tiny VRM components such as SMD Mosfets and capacitors. They use wifi amps but do not use proper antenna, this also puts pressure on the wifi modules and wifi part of the CPU. Ovarall heat buildup really aggravates cpu and other component efficiency and router starts to slow down very quickly after power up.
2. Software : Usually cheap router vendors do not use proper software along with the router hardware. The problem with cheap WiFi routers aimed at consumers is there is no need to write decent software. They only have to appear to work when first turned on so they don’t get returned to the shop. Over time they fill their internal tables, have memory leaks and other failures due to poorly written and tested code. The easy way to work around this is simply to power cycle the router but that sucks in a busy and active environment.
Anyone can buy high quality routers from Cisco and similar companies and they will run indefinitely without slowing down. While the hardware is sightly better quality the real difference is the software. It is properly written and tested so does not slow down.
But anyone can have the best of both worlds with OpenWRT or Tomato or DD-WRT. OpenWrt/DD-Wrt is Linux based open source software designed for routers that will run on some of the cheap routers, so is Tomato(for broadcom). Many cheap routers are not supported due to their lack of memory but some are supported. I have routers that I paid less than $20 for that can run OpenWRT and they are rock solid and will run as long as I want without slowing down. If you do your home work and find a router that supports OpenWRT you will not regret it and a decade later when you replace it get another that runs OpenWRT again and you find you already know how to use it because it has the same core design as the older one.
Router Placement and Interference : Placing a router also has negative effect on it's performance. Always try placing router in the middle of the house or if not possible then add another as repeater. Interference from other wifi routers do effect badly with wifi connection, but good software like Openwrt will help negate that effect!! i.e. very closeby router at the same channel of your wifi router, Openwrt can and do detect it and change channel, but tenda with it's crappy eCos will remain in that channel and Outcry that "Wifi gone", in the house among the children will be heard in the office over the phone!!
Best Wifi Router Under 100 2020
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