Asus Wireless AC3100 Gigabit Router (RT-AC3100) (Renewed)

It had been close to 10 years since I purchased my last router. While my old one still worked fine, I knew I was limiting myself on performance and features. My old one lacked an app, and the user interface was complicated. So, I began my search for a replacement. Being someone who isn't very up-to-date on the latest technology and trends, I did some research to try and figure out what it was I needed and wanted.I came across the Asus AC3100 by means of a review of top routers for 2019. It seemed to meet my limited expectations, and it also received many positive reviews. I liked what I read, so I found one here on Amazon refurbished for a great price. A year ago, I would have steered clear of anything with the word "refurbished" next to it. However, I have previously purchased a refurbished product from Amazon, and you would never know it - it works and looks brand new. So, I did the same with this router, and it was another smart decision.The router arrived in very limited packaging - there were no instructions, either (I'm guessing due to it being refurbished), but a quick Google search led me to the instruction manual, and after downloading the app, I was up and running in less than 5 minutes. It is large, and looks like something out of Star Trek - not quite what I expected from the pictures, but not an issue for me, either. If anything, it makes for a nice conversation piece!This router has been wonderful - my internet speeds have increased, it is super easy to navigate through the settings, and connecting devices is simple. If you're looking for a basic router that won't let you down, I don't think you can go wrong with the Asus AC3100!

Recently we upgraded to the 1GB speed internet package, and found that the older ASUS router we have had become the bottleneck, to the tune of only about 350-400Mbps on speed tests. It had been a really reliable and great router, but couldn't hack it at this speed anymore. I've liked the ASUS routers for reliability/range and I think they have the best features and user interface of any of the many other routers I've worked with.In testing before purchasing a new router, I tested a Nighthawk X4S. The results were only marginally better. So I decided to purchase this one, I recently bought a phone off Amazon as "renewed" and swear it is brand new, as does seem the case with this, doesn't show signs of being used at all. So had no reservations to buying this as "renewed".I have attached a screen shot of the speed test performed on the 5G band from my phone on this router, remember this is on the WiFi.... not bad to say the least. The cabled connection gets 960Mbps consistently on speed tests. I like some of the new features on this one compared to the older ASUS I had. The WiFi range on this one is also superior to the Nighthawk and anything else I tried, I purchased another one recently to try at work as an AP and it also outperformed the Nighthawk that it replaced. I am soon going to test the 1024QAM "NitroQAM" support once the PCIe adapter arrives to see if the hype behind it holds true. It is disappointing that there seems to be only one adapter that actually supports NitroQAM, and it is expensive compared to other WiFi adapters including WiFi 6 adapters.This one unfortunately doesn't have WiFi 6 support. Something I was looking for, but not a deal breaker since we don't have any WiFi 6 enabled devices yet, and the good routers that support WiFi 6 right now are expensive. If anything I'll wait a year for prices to come down. There is one brand that has a very inexpensive WiFi 6 router, but have had mixed results with some of their routers.

I purchased this unit to use for AiMesh and it integrated in no problems. I have a constant strong signal throughout my house and do not ever experience any latency or drop off issues as my devices move from one router to the other. Smart connect is not easily set up and something an average user would be able to complete accurately and my reason for 4 stars instead of 5. Port forwarding, firewall, VPN connection (better to use on device, bottle necks entire network to about 50 mbps) are all straight forward and easy to get going.

I have three Asus Routers setup in a AI Mesh Network. All three of the routers (2 AC3100 and 1 Blue Cave) I purchased were renewed and I haven't experienced any issues. They arrive in a plain cardboard box with bubble wrap. The power supply and antennas are of course included however you won't get a CD or literature (not needed). This router is very easy to setup and I believe these are better devices than a lot of the mesh systems that are popular right now. There is an Asus App you can use to administer the routers from your phone or you can utilize a web browser. This particular model provides a very strong Wi-Fi signal. Initially I had only one of these routers covering my 3300 sq ft house. I purchased additional routers to create redundancy and provide greater download speeds in remote parts of my home. I considered purchasing one of the newer Wi-Fi 6 routers however I don't have any devices that are capable of connecting at the faster speeds at this time. I have been very pleased with the performance of the system overall. I will say that at times it doesn't make sense that a device will connect to a particular router however I can imagine there is signal interference that I may not be aware of. Asus has a great Admin interface and includes free Trend Micro network protection with this router. I've noticed other brands include security software with their router that includes a one year subscription and you're stuck paying after the introductory period expires.