I expected this router to just die at some point, but it's still functioning! Still, it's hard to ignore that we have some dead spots in the house and the wireless seems to drop off now and then. I'd like to replace the device, but since the device is so old it's really hard to balance how to think about comparing current options vs. comparing any current option versus my old Netgear.

For instance - the budget AC1750 routers by Netgear and TP-link get blown out of the water in reviews, but will they not be inevitably so much better than what I have now that I will be amazed? Maybe, though, I don't understand how these routers differ from the one I have.

Anyway, I don't want to spend $200 unless I'm really going to regret spending $100.

For reference, I have a one story house, and have an average of 7 devices on the wifi at once (2 laptops, 2 phones, a roku, and 2 google minis. I don't game. One of the laptops is a plex server to the roku. (The roku itself is wired.)