Archer C7 V2 vs my E3000 router....

I just purchased an TP Ilink Archer C7 V2 to replace my Linksys E3000. I also will have the 7260 AC wifi adapter in my laptop. Will i notice much difference in the N category as I still have a few items that run N, such as Xbox, Apple phones and a couple laptops and a desktop..
And of course, the AC side should show significant gains, I hope.

 

No, you won't see any visible improvement with 802.11n devices. E3000 is a good router itself so there is nothing to improve upon.

 

Thanks, But the AC side of the router will be an improvement, correct?

 

It will indeed. I have an Archer C7 (although mine is V1) and an Intel 7260 and it is a lot faster than 802.11n.
I even upgraded my Acer Switch 10 convertible with a single stream nano USB card (connecting @433Mbps) - if you need fast LAN transfers or have very fast internet connection, 802.11ac is a great upgrade.

 

A test performed by Mr Tim Higgins of SmallNetBuilder.com proves otherwise. Would You be so kind and comment? I am very curious about Your opinion on the matter.

The mentioned test available here:

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...oes-an-ac-router-improve-n-device-performance

 

@Marecki_clf
I haven't seen those tests and I find these results surprising especially an improvement of 200% or 400%!

I do have some complaints about this test - for one thing except for Linksys that is based on Marvell the remaining 6 ac routers tested are based on Broadcom chips. It's not like Atheros does not exist - it may skew the results (or it might have not, but we won't know).
Also the "n" on "n" baseline had been created with only one router - if it for whatever reason gave lower results it makes the whole pointless - but that is not where I'm going with this...

The miraculous improvement in throughput is due to low baseline - quote from the article below.

So the reference throughput from 2.4GHz band was around 30mbps and from 5GHz about 16mbps in location D (measured with 20MHz channel width as well).

My point is this - choosing the 20MHz channel and a location very far from the router to conduct test says more about the improved range of 802.11ac routers than about the speed itself. At the limit of range the speeds fade fast and that is why reference throughput of 802.11n router in location D was only about 30mbps while the same router would achieve 80mbps in location A - so 266% improvement...over itself.

If the test was conducted close to the router 802.11ac routers wouldn't have anywhere to go in terms of improvements. Maybe up to 90mbps or so (which is what ASUS RT-AC68U achieved). If the baseline was 80mbps you would be looking at very low improvement over baseline and even more so if the test was conducted with 40MHz channel width.

So as I see it, speed improvement is possible (contrary to what I wrote earlier) but only if your lower speed with 802.11n is the result of a significant distance between a client and the router. That is a function of a better range not better throughput though.

 

@downloads
Thank You for Your comment, a valuable insight indeed. In 2.4GHz band 802.11ac routers still offered a substantial throughput increase over a 802.11n router, I wouldn't say that the test was "at the limit of range" in this case. Perhaps a 40MHz channel would have made the difference between the routers smaller, however the ac routers were also configured to use 20MHz.
Please don't get me wrong, I am not trying to argue here or prove anything. I am just curious, that's all.

 

Just got the router running in auto default mode. Any recommendations for setings. So far, the windows network and sharing shows 360-405 as speeds happening, as opposed to e3000 never getting above 130. So, the antennas, newer hardware may be helping the N side out..

 

360-405mbps on 802.11n? It's theoretical connection speed not throughput. What card are you actually using?

 

intel 6300 ultimate agn 3x3 card. That is right next to the router. Downstairs in the kitchen, which is farthest room from router, its 130-160. Still better than the E3000. I need to relocate router to living room as that is where 99% of internet usage is..
Wife says as of late internet has been really slow within the house, hopefully this router and a 7260 card things will change.

 

That is partly because Archer C7 is a three stream router so your 6300 can connect at up to 450mbps (while E3000 is a two stream one so it could only connect at 300mbps).
And partly because E3000 and WRT610 v1 and v2 (these are pretty much identical) were never famous for their range.

BTW if you think that Archer C7 has better range because it uses external antennas - it's not the case. External antennas are for 5GHz range and 2.4GHz ones are internal. And contrary to what you might expect 5GHz range is not particularly impressive and 2.4GHz in rather good. And that is not because 5GHz fades faster - I'm comparing Archer C7 5GHz range to other routers' 5GHz range. In essence nothing makes sense as usually with Wi-Fi

 

Thanks. I am learning. Using Inssider, I lose 25 DB going from router upstairs to downstairs in kitchen. Distance is a problem I need to fix, overcome too.