Router

[Enquiries]

Hi,

I got a NAS at home and a high-end audio setup for streaming music and movies. I also use some smart devices and two laptops.

I'm thinking of upgrading my router (got a Tenda AC15 router).

I would like to ask if it is worth the upgrade for such an average home setup or if I shouldn't worry about it. I'm considering the TP-Link AX50, but I could go for a QNAP QHora or Synology RT6600, but I'm not really sure what the advantages are for a user like me.

Thanks for your reply in advance. I got my QNAP NAS after checking your reviews.

[TribalHound]

Making an assumption that your NAS is wired into your router (either directly or through a switch) you're not going to gain any NAS speed, since both the Tenda and TP-Link have 1GB Ethernet ports, and you can't beat a cable network for direct speed & reliability.
Even if the WiFi speed was faster that 1GB cable, by the time you factor distance and walls the drop off / interference.
So your only real gain is for wirelessly connected devices.
In my honest opinion (no facts) - to upgrade your wifi you'd be better spending on some mesh access points (I like Ubiquiti range) that are wired to your router and then switching off your router wifi completely.
Something like the Amplifi Mesh system (https://eu.store.ui.com/collections/ampl...-fi-system) provides cable and mesh extended wifi that would upgrade most average sized homes. However, with ac standards being surpassed with new standards most home users will need to ask themselves: "Do I actually need wifi that fast to check my phone / browse the internet on a laptop ?" Especially when your real usage speeds are governed by the speed of your ISP upload / Download.

If your constantly streaming Gigabytes of data - I'd plan to put in cabling (Cat 6 / 7) before upgrading wifi.

Hope this has been helpful.