Wireless AC overview
So what have I found out about Wireless networking in the few days since I have installed the router? Well, there is quite a lot to it, but here are a few of the important things that have a direct influence over your choice of router:
AC Designation
I will only be dealing with AC class information here, as if you are going to be purchasing a new router then getting something fairly modern with an AC designation is a no brainer.
The AC class, e.g. AC1750, shows us the maximum possible bandwidth that the router can support. This is a combination of all its 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz radios using all possible data streams of the widest bandwidth.
All AC comms is done over the 5Ghz radio frequency, but the designation also includes the maximum N speed that the router can achieve simultaneously
e.g.
AC1750 - 450Mbps N (2.4Ghz) + 1300Mbps AC (3 Stream, 5Ghz)
AC1900 - 600Mbps N (2.4Ghz) + 1300Mbps AC (3 Stream, 5Ghz)
AC3200 - 600Mbps N (2.4Ghz) + 2 x 1300Mbps AC (2 radios, 3 Stream, 5Ghz)
As an example, AC1900 is no better than AC1750 for AC clients, but can support more advanced, faster N clients.
Streams
Each Wireless AC product supports a particular Stream Size. The stream size indicates how many simultaneous streams of data exist between the router and client.
This is often shown as 1x1, 2x2, 3x3 etc - the numbers show the number of transmitters and receivers there are in the product (antennas), which is usually the same.
A 1x1 (single stream) product will only need 1 antenna, which serves for both Tx and Rx.
A 2x2 product will need 2 antenna, as is found in most laptops, a 3x3 needs 3 antennas etc.
In AC, each stream can support a maximum speed of 433Mbps. In my laptop, I have an AC 1x1 card, so the maximum bandwidth is 433Mbps. I have just ordered a 2x2 card, which will boost the maximum theoretical bandwidth to 867Mbps.
Router Class
ACxx - e.g. AC750. These are the simplest AC classes and only support a single stream, i.e. 1x1. My Ultrabook has an Intel AC 3165 WiFi card, which can only maintain 1 active stream to the router.
AC1200/1300. These routers support up to 2 data streams, i.e. 2x2 (2 transmitters and 2 receivers). My iPad Air 2 has 2x2 AC WiFi support and can therefore handle twice the bandwidth of my Ultrabook.
AC1600/1750/1900. These routers support up to 3 data streams, or 3x3. There are few products that support 3 data streams, but a Macbook Pro is an example of one that does.
AC2xxx - e.g. AC2600. There are two enhancements to the AC2xxx series - firstly, support for up to 4 data streams (I dont know any normal product that supports this mind you!), and secondly support for a technology called MU-MIMO. MU stands for Multi User and is an enhancement to SU-MIMO (Single User). What this means is that the router can talk to more than once device simultaneously, rather than going in a round-robin fashion, talking to each client in an allocated timeslice. Its complex and only matters if you have tons of connected devices - not something that a home user will worry about!
AC3xx+ - these routers have two 5Ghz radios inside them, so they can talk to two sets of clients simultaneously. Think of it like having an AC router and an AC access point in the same box, with the load shared between them.
Conclusion
For most home users, I think a 2 stream AC router is fine, with a 3 stream one (like my recently purchased TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750) being more than good enough. It seems to me that the only time you need to worry about anything beyond AC1900 is if you have an office type environment with large numbers of simultaneous clients or huge intranet wireless traffic for streaming video etc.
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