One of our two teenage boys is complaining about internet speeds and QoS. When I set up our home network I was on a tight budget and went with a TRENDnet 8-port Gigabit GREENnet switch. The switch is unmanaged, but since we're on direct-fiber gigabit service, hasn't given us much trouble in a couple years.
Fast forward to now and we have four computers (wired) in daily use, two wired streaming PCs (wired) in occasional use, a Ubiquiti WAP for coverage in my studio (a concrete block building 30' from the main house) and countless tablets, laptops, game consoles, phones, smartwatches etc all connecting via WiFi. We've been experiencing buffering and lag although any speed test shows we're getting full bandwidth. I can only think the issue is management and I'm ready to upgrade to a good router.
I asked this question on a Facebook computer enthusiast group and was given a dismissive link to router ratings. The top listed router, the Netgear Nighthawk X4S, touts the whiz-bang WiFi capabilities for gaming, yet hardly even mentions that it only has four ethernet ports. It also has some horror story ratings.
Even an amateur schmuck like me knows that wired is always preferred over WiFi so I've done the belly crawl under the house to pull CAT6. I even pulled cable out to the studio (gotta dig in a conduit in the Spring) to run the WAP because I couldn't get a signal through the concrete block. The real issue is...I'm far from done pulling cables and need room for future expansion as well. The studio has an apartment behind it that once remodeled will be a rental unit and needs internet, I may want a touchscreen PC in the kitchen for looking up recipes, smart TV boxes, a NAS, etc.
My preference would be to upgrade the wired router capabilities and management, then add another WAP for coverage. I am willing to learn more about networking to make it all happen, but selecting the equipment isn't my area. I was looking at a 14-port solution, but one review says it's at end-of-life for support from Cisco. Any help from you helpful souls?
