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I'm looking for a list of gigabit router recommendations available on Amazon. I figured this would already exist on the board, but perhaps I'm searching wrong. My understanding is we only need a router (no modem). Pls lmk if I'm wrong. Ideally looking for something in the $100-$200 range. Apologies in advance for my extremely limited understanding of what's needed.

I currently have the Pace 5268AC from Sonic — which seems to be used for gigabit fiber too -- of course this would be the easiest solution! https://help.sonic.com/hc/en-us/article ... ace-5268AC But the tech on the phone said Sonic would take what I have and bring something new, which confused me.

I currently get about 11 Mbps download speed and 0.8 Mpbs upload (same wireless MacBook Air + older wired MacBook Pro). I'm not gaming. I do stream movies and would love to be able to text someone a photo and also use the internet (which currently my connection often craps out on). I also can't easily backup to the cloud at home bc it's way too slow and freezes everything I'm doing. Ditto with the Signal app -- something about the wifi has a hard time with this. TLDR: I don't need monster speeds but would be happy to get 300-400 Mbps (or thereabouts). I have a small (one bedroom) apartment and am mostly the only one using this — and generally in the room where the equipment is.

The tech said, if I want to buy my own equipment, I should look for a "gigabit fiber" router — when I search this specific term on Amazon, very few relevant results come up. There are many results that mention "gigabit" — but those mostly don't seem to mention "fiber" (I don't know if these are redundant terms, or if both need to be mentioned).

I did find this list of best gigabit routers — but I can't tell if all of these would be fine or not. I'd love to know if this list is a good (relevant) guide, or how I would know if something on this list would NOT work. https://heavy.com/tech/2018/03/top-10-b ... rs-of-2018

Elsewhere on the board I saw the Netgear Nighthawk X10 R9000 mentioned, but I just don't know that I need that much power. Someone also mentioned the Peplink SUS-SOHO-T Pepwave Surf Soho MK3 Router.

I'd love to know what equipment Sonic is currently using for its own routers so I could compare stats + terminology. It would be great if anyone could say, "search these terms and make sure it's capable of up to ?? Mbps." Also looking for easy set-up (as you can likely tell from this post).

I know folks mention the importance of a wired connection for high speeds but for those of us with MacBook Airs, it's just not an option (unless I'm missing something).

THANK YOU for any help you can provide (or links to other posts that cover this). The more specific the recommendations, the better.

Assuming you're upgrading to Sonic Fiber, the easiest and very reasonably priced option (and also pretty fast option) is the just rent the Eero Pro + Beacon combo for $12 from Sonic. Support included, very fast speeds, easy!

The Sonic Eero solution is the best and most flexible. We can support it remotely, and it can be expanded in future if you want more reach around your home and property. I added a unit in the garage, for example to provide a solid connection for my security camera on the back of the garage. As a bonus, I’ve now got great WiFi in the outdoor space too!

Hey Dane: It's amazing that you weigh in here as much as you do and it's truly appreciated.

Still trying to figure out whether the Pace 5268 will work at the speeds I mentioned, or if there's an option for equipment I can buy vs. rent. Hoping you or someone else can answer this in a clear way.

Sonic provides either a Pace or SmartRG router as a single-point WiFi solution. All of them support line-rate Ethernet at Gigabit speed, and WiFi-AC.

The Eero adds mesh capabilities, which for faster 5ghz WiFi has become really important. Because WiFi AC uses 5ghz frequencies to deliver very high speed, and because 5ghz doesn’t penetrate and carry as far as 2.4ghz WiFi-N, the multi-point mesh solution is really the best fit for the Gigabit service.

If you really want to buy, for context one Eero Pro and a Beacon cost $300 + tax on Amazon (sometimes cheaper on sale). Renting the same from Sonic would be $12/mo, so thats a payback period of 25+ months AND you get Sonic support + "warranty" on the hardware. Its a much better value than Comcast modem rentals that charge $11/month for something that only costs $50-60 used (5 month payback)

With a small one bedroom apartment, you probably wont need an Eero setup. I'd just go with the standard Pace router they give you during the install. You can try it out and if you feel you need more range later on, you can upgrade anytime for just +$2.50/mo more.

Thank you Larns576! This was really what I wanted to know. I appreciate it. I agree it is worth a shot.

I have a small house, 1260 sq ft, and so a mesh system is not necessary. I do have some plaster walls, however, which can impact range. I bought this router at Costco (https://www.costco.com/TP-Link-Archer-C ... 18449.html). My sad little 15Mbps pre-fiber existence is over with Sonic Fiber and this router. I get 600Mbps in the same room as the router, decreasing to the very rear of the house thru two plaster walls to 225 Mbps, all 5ghz. The router has been rock solid.
You will need to be able to troubleshoot your own internal wifi network, as Sonic doesn't service anything after the ONT (the connection box inside your house) if you don't rent their router.