Alright I am looking for the best router for Streaming HD 1080p content over a large Wifi Degrading Trailer. I have a budget of around $200. The reason I need this is so my dad can stream movies to his TV. I don't know much about routers so I have turned to the Tek Forums to find anyone who does.
You have any spare computers and switches around?
No unfortunately I don't.
First, I will make a huge assumption here and that the "HD" content you want to stream is locally stored and not coming from the Internet. Otherwise, it's a rather moot point since most Internet connections don't even exceed 802.11B (10Mbps) standards! (Your streaming problems are more likely with your ISP, other users, and what you connect to than anything else.)
Therefore, if you can restrict all WiFi access to 802.11n (importance on the "N" suffix) you should be good to go with whatever you get.
Even better would be if you can get a router with "dual band" capabilities which use 2 channels instead of one. However, you will pretty much want line of sight for the 5GHz "N" channels to work at their best. And the reason is because the 5GHz spectrum (which is partly used by the "N" standard) is more prone to interference problems and things like walls and (forgive the pun) windows.
Another huge thing to consider that no one seems to be talking about would be to get a IPv6 capable router too. Your modem and even your ISP need to also support IPv6 for it to work. But I see no reason in upgrading equipment that may soon be out of date should the IPv6 standard start taking off more. Right now, we're all still using IPv4 and the 32-bit IP addressing schemes which you may remember is running out - or has already run out of addresses.
Of course, the other half would be with whatever you have connected to your TV since it too needs to be able to deal with a 802.11n. So if your TV can't deal with a 802.11n standards then don't bother upgrading the router.
But really, hard wiring all connections to Ethernet gigabit 100/1000 (which is pretty much the defacto standard, even for old equipment) would be best. Hardwiring everything is not only faster, it's also more secure. So if you elect to hardwire everything then forget about WiFi.
I agree, try to hardwire it if you can, wireless can be a huge pain for streaming HD video.