Hello, first Thank you Troypoint and your great team! I am trying to help my elderly mom buy a new router that is fast? and has good strong long range (at least 2000 square feet single story home) I just don’t know enough now to help her buy what she needs. Right now with her upgrade with Spectrum she’s supposed to get up to 500 Mbps (Ultra package) They gave her a new modem, as I asked her to ask them to because both her modem and router are almost 5 years old and her speed is slow slow slow and drops out all over her home. I put router in the best location I could as she is older and doesn’t like it this way or that way so… Anyway with the new modem connect to same router speeds have not changed and connection to wifi drops out completely once in the den. Which is a dining area, kitchen living room, a hallway to 3 bedrooms away from router… Modem and router are in back part of her home where she uses it most. With her very nice 2018 desktop wired to router she’s doing good to get 60 or 70 Mbps but if VPN is on then she’s getting 7 or 8 all to way to 20 at times. We now have Surfshark and I like it. The testing I tried for different devices standing right next to router speeds are not great on the 2.4 or 5 g. Also she is the only one on her wifi. She does have her phone connected to the 2.4 g and firestick (when she watches it) to 5 g. But that is about the extent of her devices being connected simultaneously. Got her a brand new tablet running 10 about 4 months ago and she might get 70 on 5 g (I think it should be better) but again when VPN is on it goes way down. My phone runs about 150 to 200 on 5 g at my house (we have the same plan and modem ) but at her house I got around 60 -70 and about 20 with VPN on. Firestick 2nd gen at her house gets about 70 on 5 g and a sometimes as low as 12 on the 2.4 g and lower on both with VPN on. All of these tests are being done standing near or at her router. I do have router up as I high as I could so it could stretch the length of her home. (It did when she first bought it in 2018) but now if we are in den on the other end of her home, can only connect to 2.4 g if we r lucky and even then only one wifi bar and slow slow slow, obviously. She has a fire TV in her den and it depends I guess on what time of day it is, if it’s raining, etc…on whether she can watch it at all or even use her phone or tablet in den. My firestick at my home without VPN on connected to 5 g can get 250 or more. Again we are with same ISP and have the same plan and the same modem that Spectrum now provides. She has always owned her equipment (it’s less expensive) which is now why I have suggested she needs new router. I’ve been looking at routers and I’m overwhelmed. What the heck is wifi 6 and all the other acronyms and mesh…? I know my way around but good grief it’s way too much. She (like myself) just needs a faster stronger router with a whole lot better coverage. I pay $5 a month for my router or I’d just have her do that because she then would have what I have and speeds and coverage would be good but she wants her own. I say she is my mom and she shall have it. I hope I gave y’all enough info to help you help me help her. Please 
. Thank you and please advise. Sorry for the book. Modem is Hilton E31N2V1 DOCSIS 3.1 EMTA.
What are you wanting to spend?
Less than $200, but she is probably not going to be happy that amount. I threw out $150 and she kind of faltered. So I guess $150-200?? I know that’s not much but she is on social security now and I am disabled so… Thank you for asking.
1st thing, has she had a tech come over and run checks on the system?
Yes a few times but they don’t really do anything. But in answer to your question yes and they say everything is as it should be blah blah blah. Talking about other stuff that she should not need to do cuz everyone elses internet works just fine even with basic equipment. Me included.
yea typical of hired help now days. As far a a system goes I would look into a mesh system for better whole home coverage. >>> examples here>>> Amazon.com : router mesh wifi 6 system
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=router+mesh+wifi+6+system&crid=84RM53AYJY6V&sprefix=router+mesh%2Caps%2C135&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_11
Find a local nerd you trust, they generally will help more than todays techs.
I am her local nerd. So I’m as good as it gets for her and me. I am learning all the time. I did look at link and will check it closer when u are done or give up on me. Ha.
What is mesh and is it a router?? See, getting into this newer tech, I’m like huh… This is what I was considering TP-Link AX5400 WiFi 6 Router (Archer AX73)- Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Internet Router, High-Speed ax Router for Streaming, Long Range Coverage Amazon.com or TP-Link AX3000 WiFi 6 Router – 802.11ax Wireless Router, Gigabit, Dual Band Internet Router, Supports VPN Server and Client, OneMesh Compatible (Archer AX55) Amazon.com. Sorry I don’t know how to create link like u did. Thank you.
yes you can get it with and without routers, Make sure its compatible with your isp and odds are if the current router came from them you are paying rent on it, so return it to stop that charge if any. When looking at mesh systems check square footage it covers and that its with router.
Thank you. I hope you saw the additional info on previous reply.
What is mesh? Can u explain in layman’s terms?
its addon little satelite units that wired or wirlessly connects to the router to expand coverage. You will see some with 2, 3, 4 and 5 units and prices are all over the place.
Thanks, to be honest they sound a bit like wifi extenders. I do know there’s more to them than that. But for easy understanding on my end to explain to my mom. I can tell u she won’t spend that kind of money because she needs a new router and because she just won’t. She’s on Social security. But I appreciate your suggestions and will still do some research on them. Maybe I will get mesh for myself. 
Thank you TXRon. Can u give your opinion on the two routers I was looking into??? Please???
stick with name brand, Asus, Netgear, TPlink etc. Mesh is not a wifi extender. Read up on it. Personally I use asus routers.
Ok, my mom she likes Netgear. I have been reading and researching to the point I’m confused now a bit. I just don’t want to have her buy something and it not be the “One”, u know??? She has said many times to me in the last few weeks that im the one who picked out router in 2018 and she was very happy with her Netgear until about a year ago. Slowly but surely it’s gone to u know what.
Thank you for making time for me and my long question. I greatly appreciate you.
Have a great evening and Netgear is fine. 
Wifi extenders create their own unique network, mesh wifi uses either an ethernet overhaul or a dedicated band for wireless overhaul to just extend the same network. Overhaul is just how the mesh nodes link together.
Hi Shannon,
Mesh systems are better because they have a dedicate channel that links the main router and the satelite units. Essentially creating its own little Local Area Network. Traffic will be routed on that network to specific devices rather that just rebroadcasted everywhere. A repeater just takes what data it gets and rebroadcasts that data wireless. It works, just not as well.
Hope that helps.
What brand/model router does Spectrum rent to y’all for $5/mo? How is its coverage in your home?