So after recent frustration with my sturdy ol' Netgear WNDR3400 N600 routers I believe it is time to make the move up to an AC router.

I think based on price and features I've narrowed it down to the Netgear R7000 and Asus RT-AC68U. Both have been out about a year now I think, so I'm hoping some folks here might have some experience with them hands on.

The router will have a USB external hard drive attached for network storage.

Wireless devices include

Desktop PC with Asus AC1900 PCI-e wifi adapter
Macbook Air with AC1300 wifi adapter
iPhone 5s
Playstation 4

various other laptops, tablets, media devices, etc

Most of the reviews I've read seem to put them dead even in just about everything.

My vote is for the nighthawk. Have it and love it. Run 3x rokus , 1xPS4 , 1x Amazon FireTV, 3-4x laptops, dishnetwork slingbox, 2x NASes, 3x AC Gateways.

I know plenty of people who love the nighthawk. But, I bought one a couple months ago and it promptly broke within a week. One of the ports just plain died. I got the Asus RT-AC66U and I'm much happier with it.

My house has been very difficult to get consistent WIFI to all parts of the house and I noticed that the Asus has a better signal. Also, the UI is a lot better as well.

You might want to consider getting the tmobile version that was just released. It's basically the RT-AC68U but only costs $99. You can read up on it all over the Internet.

So I did go with the Nighthawk R7000 after all.

wow, talk about an upgrade.

Browsing is faster, as domains seem to resolve much more quickly

My devices connect to the network noticeably faster. This is especially apparent on my MacBook Air, which are notorious for having unstable connections. On the previous router it would constantly drop the connection, refuse to pick it up, or any other number of frustrating problems.

No more. I now pick up the 5G network from over 100 feet away through 2 walls instantly and don't ever lose it.

Facetime on the iPhone is now clear and lag free throughout the apartment.

Still haven't tested the NAS capabilities, but I'll likely get to that today or tomorrow.

flintdragon, thanks for the headsup about the Tmobile router. I was looking to buy the RT-AC66U but since I am a T-mobile customer, I ordered the AC68U from them last night. I had read that it required a $25 deposit but it was free. A great router at no cost? Yes, please. I will let you know how it works.

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flintdragon, thanks for the headsup about the Tmobile router. I was looking to buy the RT-AC66U but since I am a T-mobile customer, I ordered the AC68U from them last night. I had read that it required a $25 deposit but it was free. A great router at no cost? Yes, please. I will let you know how it works.

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yup, I got my router in yesterday. I had to pay $99 because I'm on prepaid. For your free one, just realize that you don't actually own it.

True. But I have been with T-mobile for several years. If I ever change companies, I'll probably need a new router by then anyway.