Best wireless AC router?

[M A V I C]

silvarios wrote:
I think there is some confusion here. You do need simultaneous dual band to make things work as I described. It isn't marketing spin. Many 802.11n routers can do 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, not both, and there are many lower end 802.11n routers that can only do 2.4 GHz. You want a router that can handle both at the same time.

As an example, I have an older 802.11n Express that can handle 2.4 GHz or 5GHz, but not both simultaneously, a cheap 802.11n CrystalView router that can only handle 2.4 GHz, and a Vizio router (used to have a simultaneous dual band Extreme as well) that can handle both at the same time. That's the difference in specs. Most people assume dual band means simultaneous, but that's not always clear cut.

Here's tidbits discussing the Express become simultaneous dual band and a brief recap of when the 802.11n Extreme and Time Capsule made the same switch over.
http://tidbits.com/article/13058

As the ars article points out, "dual band" means it's capable of doing both 2.4GHz & 5GHz at the same time. I've been searching for dual band routers that are not capable of doing both at the same time, and other than how Netgear is trying to market that there are some, I haven't found them. I just looked for a CrystalView and didn't find one that was marketed as dual band. The only Vizio router I found, is marketed as dual band and can do both frequencies at the same time. http://store.vizio.com/xwr100.html

For the Airport Extreme, the model from 2007-2009 could only do one frequency at a time. Using the wayback machine for 2008, it can be see the model wasn't marketed as dual band http://web.archive.org/web/2008032317053...specs.html