What’s The Difference Between AC1200, AC1750 and AC1900: Router AC Meaning Explained

Do you want to buy a new router and you see AC1200, AC1750, AC1900, and even AC3200. As a casual buyer and non-tech person, you already have a question.

What does this AC followed by a number mean?

Don´t worry, you´re on the right because, in this article, we will explain (simple as possible) what AC and the numbers next to the router name mean.

Unless you are a tech person, you’ll need a short explanation of some terms we will be used.

Understanding Some Router Tech Terms

Wireless standards – Wi-Fi is a global standard, and to ensure that different smart devices can connect without issue, there are specifications that are very important. Every router has a numerical classification of “802.11”, which is the international Wi-Fi standard, and the letters a, b, n, or ac. The versions are all compatible with each other, but connecting to an earlier version means your device will be capped at a slower speed.

Technically, 802.11ac is supporting simultaneous connections on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands. It offers compatibility to 802.11b/g/n and bandwidth rated up to 1300 Mbps on the 5 GHz band plus up to 450 Mbps on 2.4 GHz.

Single-band, Dual-band, Tri-band Router By default, older devices connect using the 2.4 GHz band, so you can run into signal distortion.

Single-band router uses only one 2.4 GHz band, on the other hand, dual-band routers can broadcast a 5 GHz signal and a 2.4 GHz signal. Devices that support modern 5 GHz Wi-Fi will connect to the faster one, while older devices will connect to the slower, but more compatible 2.4 GHz signal.

Tri-band routers broadcast three different signals – a 2.4 GHz signal and two separate 5 GHz signals. This offers more speed to share among your devices in a modern smart home.

Jump To…

What Router AC Ratings Mean?

It´s really simple. If your router supports the latest 802.11ac networking standard, then it has AC in its name. Almost all modern routers have support for this, but you should know, not every AC router is created equal. Here is how the “ACxxxx” specification was born. The number after the AC actually refers to the sum of all the bandwidth that can theoretically be delivered by each band that the router uses.

Do you need more details?

Every router has a numerical classification of “802.11”, which is the international Wi-Fi standard, and the letters a, b, n, or ac. The versions are all compatible with each other, but connecting to an earlier version means your device will be capped at a slower speed.

Technically, 802.11ac is supporting simultaneous connections on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands. It offers compatibility to 802.11b/g/n and bandwidth rated up to 1300 Mbps on the 5 GHz band plus up to 450 Mbps on 2.4 GHz.

The newest home wireless routers are compliant with the – 802.11ac.

If you have a dual-band router (2.4 GHz and 5GHz), one of the bands may claim a maximum of 450 Mbps (2.4 GHz) and the other 1300 Mbps (5GHz). This is 1750 in total – AC1750.

So, the higher the AC numbers are, the higher the speeds router is capable of?

Not exactly.

The AC numbers refer to how many megabits per second (Mbps) you can theoretically get from the router.

It is a sum of all the bandwidth that can be delivered by each band and these speeds are a slip up amongst two or even three signals is you have a tri-band router.

  • Routers up to AC1000: They use a single band at 2.4 GHz
  • Routers up to AC2900: They use 2 bands (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz)
  • Routers of AC3000 and above: They use 3 bands (1x 2.4 GHz and 2x 5 GHz)

How Fast Is 802.11ac

Two of the most popular model of routers are AC1750 and AC1900. Both of these are dual-band routers and offer up to 1,300 Mbps on their one 5 GHz bands.

Here is a quick comparison of AC1200, AC1750 and AC1900 routers.

AC1200 vs AC1750 vs AC1900

  • AC1200 Router: Dual-band 2.4GHz (300 Mbps) + 5GHz (867 Mbps) – AC1200
  • AC1750 Router: Dual-band 2.4GHz (450 Mbps) + 5GHz (1300 Mbps) – AC1750
  • AC1900 Router: Dual-band 2.4GHz (600 Mbps) + 5GHz (1300 Mbps) – AC1900

Should You Buy An AC1750 Or AC1900 Router?

With all the knowledge you already have, you probably think, then the AC1900 router is better for you. It offers faster speeds on both bands. Right?

Futureproofing. This word is important here. The 5GHz band is used by most modern devices like smartphones, laptops, and PCs. Devices that need to have good transfer speeds too. 5 GHz is newer, faster and more stable than 2 GHz band, and it’s better in smaller spaces.

Great!

Not exactly, the shorter waves used by the 5 GHz band have an issue to penetrate walls and solid objects. In addition to that, these ways have a shorter effective range than the 2.4 GHz band.

So, the 2.4GHz band is the solution!

The 2.4GHz band is a pretty crowded place because it’s used by more than just Wi-Fi. Old cordless phones, garage door openers, baby monitors, and other devices tend to use the 2.4 GHz band.

So, AC1750 or AC1900 router? The answer is simple. You should always buy the best you can afford. For the average user, there is no significant difference between an AC1750 and an AC1900 router, but if you plan to have heavy traffic at your home in the future, get a router with faster 5 GHz speeds – we suggest you go with AC2300 and above.

AC2300 vs AC2600 vs AC3000

As we mentioned above, if you aren’t on a budget and want to buy a router for your smart home, models with higher AC and faster 5 GHz band speeds are better for you.

  • AC2300 Router: Dual-band 2.4GHz (600 Mbps) + 5GHz (1625 Mbps) – AC2300
  • AC2600 Router: Dual-band 2.4GHz (800 Mbps) + 5GHz (1733 Mbps) – AC2600
  • AC3000 Router: Tri-band 2.4GHz (400 Mbps) + 5GHz (866 Mbps) + 5GHz (1733 Mbps) – AC3000

These Wi-Fi speeds are ideal if your internet speed is at least 300 Mbps and above and you are enjoying Full HD video streaming, online gaming, etc.

Hopefully, this article gives you the information you need to make a decision about whether you need an AC1750 router or an AC1900. You know that the main difference between these models is mostly with the speed levels.

Here are two of the best routers in these AC categories:

Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 (R6700)

Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 (R6700)
Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 (R6700) / Image credit: Netgear

This is a nice and cheap Wi-Fi router for daily use at home. The Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 (R6700) is fast and easy to use for most people and most small homes. Powerful enough to deliver smooth video streaming, online gaming, and web surfing at the same time, there is no surprise that this model is one of the best selling routers overall. View on Amazon

TP-Link Archer C9

TP-Link Archer C9 router
TP-Link AC1900 Smart Wireless Router / Credit: TP-Link

Press play and forget about buffering. The TP-Link Archer C9 is an excellent router powerful enough to handle 4k streaming or online gaming without lag. It is equipped with Beamforming technology which helps its dual-band antennas locate Wi-Fi devices and focus the wireless signal towards them. This creates a stronger and more reliable Wi-Fi connection. View on Amazon

Because Wi-Fi is getting better, we are enjoying the move from 802.11n to 802.11ac, and soon, we will see 802.11ad which is even faster. There is already a device on the market with the faster 802.11ad standard, but what does AD stands for?

What Exactly Is 802.11ad

Also known as WiGig or 60 GHz Wi-Fi, this wireless standard is created for multigigabit speeds (sans wires) and high-performance networking.

WiFi 802.11ac Vs 802.11ad

Compared to 802.11ac which operates at 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands, the AD standard is using 60 GHz Wi-Fi – ideal for very high data rate, very short-range communications. In theory, AD should be a fiber optic replacement that can achieve speeds 50x faster (up to 8 Gbps) than 802.11n.

Unlike the AC standard, the market for devices with AD is still limited. There is no need for it, the speed of videos or data sent over normal Wi-Fi is good enough for the majority of consumers. But the main disadvantage is the short-range. The AD provides a very short range of communication, so if you need to penetrate walls, you’ll need additional routers.

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