A wireless router is an important centerpiece to a home network, and forms the backbone of distributing the internet broadband connection. The latest standard is the 802.11ac, which incorporates the older 802.11b/g/n standard that works off the 2.4 GHz frequency. It also add additional frequency in the 5 GHz range, which is capable of even faster speeds. The other advantage of the 5 GHz frequency is at least for now, there is less gear there, and hence less congestion and interference.
In order to take advantage of the 802.11ac, a new router is a prerequisite. Today, we take a look at the Netis AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router which incorporates all the latest standards. Netis is a company that makes a wide variety of networking gear. This router currently retails for $89.99 on Amazon.
What's In the Box?
- AC1200 Router
- Power cord
- Quick Information Guide
- Ethernet cable
- Cradle
The AC1200 has theoretical top speeds of 300 Mbps for the 2.4 GHz frequency, and 867 Mbps for the 5 GHz frequency. Both networks run simultaneously, and up to six additional networks can be setup for guests. The router also has 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and supports WPS and WISP. The usual WiFi standards are supported, including WEP (64/128 bit), WPA, WPA2 and TKIP and AES security ciphers. As a general recommendation, the most secure of these is the latest one, which is WPA2 and AES, which is what I used in this setup.
Setup consisted of following the instructions in the Quick information Guide. Using the supplied Ethernet cable, a computer is connected directly to the router. Next, open the browser, and enter the router's direct local address: 192.168.1.1 This opens the settings for the router. From here, it was fairly simple to finish the setup. Under the initial page, which is designated "Quick Setup," both the 2.4 and 5 GHz networks get a name, and a wireless password is entered. I also went into the settings, and upgraded the firmware to the latest off the Netis website.
In actual use, the AC1200 is a powerful, and stable router. It provides a stable signal throughout my entire house, both on the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. It streams HD video with no hiccups. All my wireless devices, including my picky Android 4.0 tablet, connect, and there were no signal drops or reconnects. Speedtest ran at my full 18/5 internet speeds. All this, and anytime I touched the router, it never even got warm.
In use, it certainly seems that the signal is more stable, and stronger than the other 802.11ac router that I have used, the Dlink. I decided to run both routers simultaneously, on 2 different 2.4 GHz channels, a few feet apart. Next, I used a WiFi Analyzer on the Android tablet (I tried an app on the iPhone but it did not provide as much info). I went to different locations, the first a few feet from the routers, and the others two at opposite corners of my house. I would give the victory nod to the AC1200 as in all three locations, the signal is stronger from the Netis.
The downsides to this router were few. The first is that the firmware upgrade has to be manually located and uploaded. While this is fairly standard among routers, this should be an automated process, although I don't know of any company that does this. The next is that there is no USB port for a flash drive or to connect a printer. While this is a useful feature, at this price point it is hardly a deal breaker. The last is that there is no smartphone app.
However, nitpicks aside, for a router under $100 there is a lot going for it. This includes the easy setup, and clean interface. The signal is strong, and easily outguns a competitor that sells at a similar price point. The vertical orientation is ideal, and the Gigabit ports round out the feature list.
In conclusion, the AC1200 is a solid router, at a value price. Users would be well served to choose this device as their home router.
More info
--Jonas
In actual use, the AC1200 is a powerful, and stable router. It provides a stable signal throughout my entire house, both on the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. It streams HD video with no hiccups. All my wireless devices, including my picky Android 4.0 tablet, connect, and there were no signal drops or reconnects. Speedtest ran at my full 18/5 internet speeds. All this, and anytime I touched the router, it never even got warm.
In use, it certainly seems that the signal is more stable, and stronger than the other 802.11ac router that I have used, the Dlink. I decided to run both routers simultaneously, on 2 different 2.4 GHz channels, a few feet apart. Next, I used a WiFi Analyzer on the Android tablet (I tried an app on the iPhone but it did not provide as much info). I went to different locations, the first a few feet from the routers, and the others two at opposite corners of my house. I would give the victory nod to the AC1200 as in all three locations, the signal is stronger from the Netis.
The downsides to this router were few. The first is that the firmware upgrade has to be manually located and uploaded. While this is fairly standard among routers, this should be an automated process, although I don't know of any company that does this. The next is that there is no USB port for a flash drive or to connect a printer. While this is a useful feature, at this price point it is hardly a deal breaker. The last is that there is no smartphone app.
However, nitpicks aside, for a router under $100 there is a lot going for it. This includes the easy setup, and clean interface. The signal is strong, and easily outguns a competitor that sells at a similar price point. The vertical orientation is ideal, and the Gigabit ports round out the feature list.
In conclusion, the AC1200 is a solid router, at a value price. Users would be well served to choose this device as their home router.
More info
--Jonas
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