AC1200 vs AC1900 Router Comparison

Know the difference between 802.11ac and 802.11n? Then you may be confused about why some 802.11ac routers advertise different max speeds to others.

Well, this is because there are still some differences even among 802.11ac routers. This article will take a look at AC1900 vs AC1200 and try to see what the difference is.

Top AC1900 & AC1200 Routers

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AC1200 vs AC1900: What Are The Differences?

The AC in AC1200 and AC1900 stands for the fact that they are both wireless AC standards. The number quite simply relates to the combined theoretical speed available using the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands.

Therefore, AC1900 routers will run 1.3Gbps second on the 5GHz band and 600Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. Likewise, AC1200 routers will run at 900Mbps on the 5GHz channel and 300Mbps on the 2.4Ghz band.

What this basically means is that AC1900 routers should be faster on both the 5GHz and the 2.4Ghz band. So, the big question is why the difference in speed? Well, AC1900 routers use more wireless channels at any one time, allowing more bandwidth to be available.

For example, AC1900 has 1.3Gbps on 5GHz and 600Mbps on 2.4GHz. Whereas AC1200 has 867Mbps on 5GHz and 300Mbps on 2.4GHz. All these speeds are theoretical, and actual speeds depend on the router, distance the device is from the router, obstacles, environment and the radio on the wifi device.

Of course, while AC1200 routers may be a little slower, this does lead us to the other major difference. They are also often much cheaper! Take a look at some of the best of each kind of router in our list below.

Top Wireless AC1200 Routers

TP-Link Archer C1200

TP-Link Archer C1200 Router

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The Archer C1200 from TP-Link is a great AC1200 router. It has three antennas which combine to give a greater signal throughout your network.

As well as this, it has two USB ports to allow you to connect additional storage and share files over your network (although these ports are not USB 3.0).

There is also a fairly powerful and easy to use management app that you can download onto your smartphone or tablet from TP-Link.

This will give you greater control over your network and allow you do things such as see who is connected to your network and manage your network settings.

Linksys WRT1200AC

Linksys WRT1200AC

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The Linksys WRT1200AC router’s main standout point is the addition of Open WRT. In fact, they were so happy about this that they put it in the name of the router!

For those of you who are unaware of what WRT is, you should know that it is an open source router firmware that gives you complete control over your network.

While other routers will leave you stuck with whatever their firmware offers, the open nature of WRT means that there are loads of extra options. This can allow you to do stuff like monitor your network and add a VPN to your router.

As well as the addition of WRT, this Linksys router has features such as a 1.3GHz dual core processor, a USB 3.0 port, and Beamforming. These features will help you ensure that your router will always run smoothly, allow you to share files on your network, and also ensure an excellent signal throughout your network.

Full WRT1200AC review

Netgear R6220 AC1200

Netgear R6220 AC1200

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This AC1200 is a well-priced router that comes with many of the features you would expect from a higher priced router. It is dual band to give you a faster signal with less congestion for high-performance devices, and it has extra connectivity with USB 2.0, and Netgear’s Genie App to allow you to manage your network easily from your smartphone.

Basically, it is a solid router at an excellent price!

Top Wireless AC1900 Routers

Netgear Nighthawk R7000

Netgear Nighthawk R7000

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The first of our AC1900 routers is a router that backs up its extra speed with a load of high-end features. This should allow multiple users to stream HD content, play online games, and download files simultaneously with very little slowdown in speed.

Most importantly is its 1GHz processor which allows the router to handle multiple users connecting at the same time. As well as this, it has Beamforming and three antennas to ensure a strong signal throughout your home.

The high-end features are finished off with a super fast USB 3.0 port to allow faster file transfers, as well as QoS to ensure apps and devices that need extra signal can easily get it. Of course, all the usual features are included as well including parental control, USB 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet cables, and more.

This is a high-quality, high-performance router, that will serve networks with multiple routers well.

Full review of the R7000

Asus RT-AC68U AC1900

ASUS RT-AC68U AC1900

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Like the Netgear router above, the Asus RT-AC68U is a high-performance AC1900 router with tons of great features.

It has a 1GHz processor to handle multiple devices, USB 3.0, Beamforming, and QoS. These are all high-end features that you would expect of a router in this price bracket.

One standout feature is that this router adds VPN functionality to this already impressive set of features. This means that you can safely log into your network from anywhere in the world and access files and devices on your network. This is all done with the help of secure encryption to stop other people seeing your data.

If you are after a high-end router with VPN functionality, this could be the one for you.

Full review of the RT-AC68U

Tenda AC15 AC1900

Tenda AC15

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The Tenda AC15 offers AC1900 at a much lower price point than the other two routers on the list.

Despite this, it still manages to offer high-end features such as USB 3.0, a dual core processor, and Beamforming.

There is no VPN, and the fact that it only has one USB port and three Ethernet ports means connectivity is slightly less than on the other two AC1900 routers on the list. However, other than this it has pretty much everything you would expect.

While this may not be the best router on the list, for the price it is hard to beat as a way to get AC1900 into your home on a budget.

AC1200 vs AC1900: Wrapping Up

The main difference between AC1200 and AC1900 is the speed you will get. AC1900 will give you faster speeds and as such is best for those who want the fastest possible network for a higher number of users.

However, with these speeds comes a higher price point and AC1200 will likely be good enough for those who just want a decent network or don’t have that many users.

Have you got either an AC1900 or an AC1200 router? Tell us about it below...

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