Best wireless ac routers recommended please help?

Those are both great routers,

I like to read the Amazon reviews of devices before I buy. Even if I don't buy from Amazon, the actual user reviews will give you a lot of insight on the quality and capabilities of the product.

The RTA 15 was just released so you won't find many reviews.

Amped Wireless RTA 15 high performance router, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DKX0NI8/ref=as...

ASUS ASUS RT-AC66U Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ABOJKS/ref=as...

That being said, a couple of points,

There are various backward compatible wireless standards.

802.11b = 11 Mbps

802.11g = 54 Mbps

802.11n = 150 (300) Mbps

802.11ac = 500 (1000) Mbps

For both Ethernet and WiFi, The connection speed will always negotiate to the speed of the slowest device.

In order to achieve ac speeds, you need to have ac wireless adapters in the WiFi devices, otherwise the connection will negotiate to the slowest standard.

For example, a super fast 1 Gbps wireless ac router can only connect to a wireless g laptop at a maximum of 54 Mbps.

Although WiFi is convenient for mobility, wireless interference can cause it's connection speed and quality to vary wildly.

Wireless signals are affected by many factors including distance, wall density, electrical interference, directional antenna range, etc.

All of these factors will affect your actual wireless range. As wireless connection quality varies the connection speeds are renegotiated. The connection may start at 300 Mbps and end up at less than 20 Mbps or drop entirely.

For serious gaming or video streaming your best bet is a direct Ethernet connection. Ethernet is unaffected by wireless interference and will give you a rock solid, stable network connection.

I don't know what you are expecting. however a super fast router will not speed up your Internet connection.

A wireless router connects two separate networks and manages the traffic between them.

The wireless router typically connects your local group of computers and devices known as the LAN with the Internet, commonly called the WAN or Wide Area Network.

WAN (Internet) speed is determined by your ISP and is measured in Mbps.

For example, If you pay for a 3 Mbps Internet connection, you will get 3 Mbps.

No router or connection type will change your 3 Mbps Internet speed. This connection bandwidth is shared by your entire LAN via your router.

If you have a 3 Mbps Internet plan and one user is utilizing 2.5 Mbps of the bandwidth to stream a Netflix movie that only leaves 0.5 Mbps for all of the rest of the users on the LAN.

Super fast wireless routers and connections are designed to stream large files on your LAN quickly. The high speed routers permit fast transfer of files between devices connected to your LAN, however WAN speed is still limited by your ISP. The only way to Improve your Internet speed is to upgrade your plan or switch to a faster ISP.

You won't go wrong with either of these great routers, just understand their limitations.

Good Luck...

I personally own the AC66U. I got it refurb, and on shell shocker from newegg a few months ago. It is extremely versatile and user friendly, even for a networking newbie.

The wireless range on 5GHz and 2.4GHz is amazing. I was over 300 feet away and I still had barely any packet loss on 2.4. About 100 ft on 5GHz.

Also keep in mind this router has a draft of the AC provision. You need a wireless card that supports AC .