Router choice?

[nzoomed]

I generally thought that Netgear stuff was pretty decent, although I find that they ask good money for them.
D-Link I wouldnt touch with a 10 foot pole.
TP-Link stuff seems pretty decent from what ive observed. The biggest issue i find with some routers is the complexity of setting them up.
I also hate routers that require you to install an app to configure them, im finding that TP-Link is going down that path for some of their gear, makes it easy to set up at times, but I hate having to set up access points that want you to register and install an app to get the thing going, especially when its a client of mine that doesnt have a smartphone and i need to set it up using mine.

Generally find with TP-Link ( or any other brand) that asks for a Phone setup, if you run an IP Scanner, something Like Advanced IP Scanner, you can locate the IP address the router has given a Device, ( it will name it) like an Access Point, and manually log in Via a browser at what ever IP, change it to a static IP of your choosing, then at any time manually enter the device by its IP.

Yeah, I end up using angry IP scanner to find it if its on an oddball subnet, but running ipconfig usually is enough to tell you the gateway IP.
Although ive seen that some brands are using some real sneaky tricks to force you to use an app and/or register. Sometimes there is fine print in the corner to click on advanced setup to skip all the registration, etc.