Revealed! The best and worst 802.11ac Wi-Fi routers of 2013

December 27, 2013

It’s been more than 18 months since the first 802.11ac routers hit the market, and the IEEE still hasn’t approved the draft standard. If you think Congress moves slowly, you haven’t been tracking the pace at which the IEEE has been considering the draft version of 802.11ac. Those engineers could teach our senators and representatives a thing or two about the deliberative process. The Wi-Fi industry, however, certainly isn’t waiting: The leading router manufacturers are already shipping their second-generation 802.11ac routers, and several have introduced 802.11ac client adapters, too. Not sure what all the fuss is about? Here’s a quick refresher: 802.11ac routers and client adapters enable the fastest wireless networks you can buy, but they’re also backward-compatible with older Wi-Fi gear, including 802.11a/b/g/n devices. If you’re looking to stream HD video, the 802.11ac standard is the way to go, even if some of your client devices support only 802.11n. Whereas the previous fastest standard, 802.11n, provides aggregate bandwidth of up to 450 megabits per second, gear based on the 802.11ac standard delivers aggregate bandwidth of up to 1300 mbps. Both of those numbers are physical link rates—real-world data transfers are much lower—but 802.11ac products can be incredibly fast. If you’re looking to stream HD video around your house, the 802.11ac standard is the way to go, even if some of your client devices support only 802.11n. These new routers are backward-compatible, and since they have more powerful radios than previous-generation devices do, they deliver higher throughput and longer range with both 802.11ac clients and older 802.11n clients. If you want a more in-depth look at 802.11ac, read the TechHive explanation.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2082232/revealed-the-best-and-worst-802-11ac-wi-fi-routers-of-2013.html#tk.rss_reviews