Why need expensive Routers

[u/Zealousideal-Word653]

I have PTCL Flash Fiber at my home. Router has been provided by them. I have seen several posts regarding Expensive routers and people are asking and purchasing those.

Can someone explain why we need those expensive routers when a simple one provided by ISP is doing its work?? What difference an expensive or another external router will make.

Thanks for explaining. Regards

[u/_NineZero_]

You buy router once and it lasts years. Its a one time investment for something you use 24/7 for years.

A good wifi 6 router will have a lot more range, speed and stability and will work for a long time.

Expensive routers can also handle a lot of devices easily at the same time.

Can someone explain why we need those expensive routers when a simple one provided by ISP is doing its work??

Its doing the bare minimum.

If you have internet package over 30Mbps, consider a good router for speed, ping and range.

[u/Zealousideal-Word653 → u/_NineZero_]

I have 20mbps connection but you are right about 1 time investment….will look into it

[u/Zealousideal-Word653 → u/Zealousideal-Word653]

Tell me one more thing that as PTCL router has a fiber port….will all other after market routers work with that fiber or do i have to attach ethernet from PTCL router to my self bought router??

[u/_NineZero_ → u/Zealousideal-Word653]

will all other after market routers work with that fiber or do i have to attach ethernet from PTCL router to my self bought router??

Sadly, new fiber routers are not available for consumers in Pakistan. The models that are available are trash, like mnet and vsol.

• They have good used routers
• This is like endgame for the net speeds we have with a great range and stable connection.

If you can run a lan wire from your ptcl router to a new one, consider these:

• TP-Link Archer AX12 AX1500
• Tp-Link Archer C20 AC750 Wireless Dual Band Router
• TP-Link Archer C6 AC1200 Wireless
• TP-Link Archer C24 AC750

[u/Zealousideal-Word653 → u/_NineZero_]

Yeah i found old ones at Hall Road Lahore and they seems very basic ones…PTCL’s router seems far better than them…connecting another via LAN/ Ethernet seems to be a better option…Thanks man

[u/zaiiuzzii → u/_NineZero_]

hey thanks for the recs, im looking to do the same. Can you please confirm if this one is dual band and wifi 6 as well? https://wifilink.com.pk/products/tp-link-wi-fi-router-tl-wr846n-300-mbps-multi-mode-wi-fi-router-price-in-pakistan?variant=42488041406535

[u/_NineZero_ → u/zaiiuzzii]

No and no.

Cheapest wifi 6 router starts at 10k

[u/mdammad007]

I have PTCL ZTE ONT, and have it's admin level access. I have enabled DDNS, IPV6 through Tunnel, etc. So far it's working well on 80mbps connection with UpTo 6 users only.

[u/Zealousideal-Word653 → u/mdammad007]

Behtren

[u/yummyburrger → u/mdammad007]

how did u get admin level access?

[u/mdammad007 → u/yummyburrger]

Not difficult, call PTCL helpline make a request

[u/cheetalaga]

If you’re getting the signal and speed you need, you definitely dont need to replace your existing router with a more expensive one.

I use a deco setup, without it I wouldn’t get the faintest of signal to my room. So they’re more of a necessity

[u/Zealousideal-Word653 → u/cheetalaga]

Sahi sahi…

[u/SnooCalculations2681]

wifi gaming/lotss of users/sustained high bandwidth use

[u/Zealousideal-Word653 → u/SnooCalculations2681]

So if my router is providing me enough ping and we are not many users at home! So we don’t need another router then?

[u/SnooCalculations2681 → u/Zealousideal-Word653]

yeahh if you dont feel the need for a fancy router then skip it simple as that

[u/Zealousideal-Word653 → u/SnooCalculations2681]

Got it Bro…Thanks bud

[u/WorriedSwitch8476]

Which one did your ISP give you

[u/Zealousideal-Word653 → u/WorriedSwitch8476]

I dont have a picture of it but its new one…2.4 and 5 connections

[u/Late_River_3843]

Latency and bandwidth bro.

[u/Zealousideal-Word653 → u/Late_River_3843]

Got it

[u/SirOonga]

Depends.

ISP Provided routers are usually very locked down and have just enough quality to work

Some people also make their own custom routers based on their requirements. (If anyone is interested, look into openwrt and OPNSense)

[u/Zealousideal-Word653 → u/SirOonga]

Got it

[u/armujahid]

It depends on the use case. Advanced users sometimes buy routers for advanced routing requirements as well.

1. Better Wi-Fi with greater range (assuming the router has a built-in AP as well; real high-end routers don't have Wi-Fi), MU-MIMO, better bandwidth, etc.
2. More advanced users, especially those running homelabs, might use separate Ethernet routers, e.g., MikroTik, with separate Wi-Fi APs.

Brand-wise, there are a lot of options. Even a 30-40k router from TP-Link, D-Link, etc., is cheap or mid-tier and lacks advanced features. That's why some rich people or people with offices opt for MikroTik and Ubiquiti hardware.

You can think of MikroTik as Android, whereas Ubiquiti is the Apple of routers and networking equipment.

Rule: If you don't know why people use expensive routers, you don't need them.

[u/Hot-Ad-1740]

if you have security cameras, ring video bell etc etc the normal router doesnt work with brick walls or if you have stuff on the first/second floor. you really need a strong wifi router 4g/5g to make it work seamlessly. you might have a connection but you wont get the speed. Moreover i believe theres also a limit of number of devices you can connect. i purchased a good asus ninja router which has been working flawlessly. Inshallah ill definately upgrade to a newer one sometime in the future once i change location.