Help me choose a router!

[Culinia]

Previous router was excellent - Netgear 854 but retired due to slow wireless speeds for demand downstairs...Currently hate my router. (TP-LINK)
It doesn't seem to manage more than 1 person even browsing the internet. Goes slow like if I type in website nothing happens until 10s later or something...Sometimes it times out...I have to press refresh to load the page...disconnects me from CS:GO, etc etc.

I'm looking for a good router. Don't really care how much at this point. Must be reliable (on ADSL/G.DMT I think it's called thesedays).

Must be fast, minimum 150Mbps 802.11 n compatiable, ideally much faster (is .11ac new or something? We've only just beginning to see n devices surfacing in the household!)

Previous router was Netgear 854 but has retired to this trash.
Currently looking at reviews, having hard time deciding between these followings. Does anyone have any input?

Netgear N600
Netgear WNDR4000
Netgear R6300
Asus RT-AC66U
Asus RT-N66U

 

[ArchAndroid]

I can vouch for the RT-N66U by saying that is an amazing router and has to be one of the best pound-for-pound routers. It has also changed the way I use my computers at home. But first the basics:

Wireless coverage is excellent. The concurrent 2.4GHz and 5GHz means I can attach printers and legacy peripherals to the 2.4GHz band and all the laptops and mobiles to the less congested 5GHz band. On a typical day, there can be anything up to 12 devices attached the RT-N66U and it will not miss a step.

My broadband tops out at 73.5Mbps. Obviously over Ethernet this is rock solid and stable. However, where other routers flounder is the wireless speed and stability - some routers are peaky; they will give you that high SpeedTest score but won't be able to sustain that speed. The RT-N66U is not one of them. It usually gives a constant connection of >70Mbps even though it's located centrally in my living room and I'm upstairs in one corner of the house (bedroom). If for whatever reason, I feel like orienting my laptop away from the router, I can still receive speeds of about 50Mbps.

Another benefit of this router is the USB ports. I have connected my external drives to it so now I can stream all my media files to any device. They are also 'overpowered' USB ports meaning they are able to power USBs. No more going downstairs to watch a film on one television only; now I can stream it to any room or watch it on my PlayStation 3.

IMO, there is no reason to get the AC66U unless you can saturate any of the N66U's 450Mbps channels. AC has just hit the market meaning their is a price premium and there are hardly and devices which support it yet. Also, I'm not sure of the AC66U's support of 802.11a/b/g so this may cause compatibility with legacy devices.

I am (openly) biased in this regard, but I can't see any downside to picking up an RT-N66U.

 

[ArchAndroid]

I just forgot to add that despite the general praise for the Netgear routers, I was put off by all of them having internal antennae. I think that the external antennae help you tailor the router to your situation i.e. if you put the router in one corner of your house, you can change the angles to give best coverage rather than having the internal left-up-right antenna layout where one of the antenna is sending a signal in a direction which is unused.