If you can run a cat5 cable to where the other box is, I’d say to turn off google WiFi and buy 2 (or more) of these Ubiquiti access points:
You’ll still need the firewall/NAT/routing that the google network box provides, but if you run your own WiFi, you can have as many access points as you like and put them all over your house. The Ubiquiti access points allow you to broadcast a single SSID (WiFi name) that your phone/Roku/whatever will pick the strongest one and use that.
If you can’t physically run cat5 Ethernet wires to the location you want the WiFi transmitters, you can accomplish the same thing if you get a few of those “mesh” WiFi access points. I use Ubiquiti gear (wired), but I’be heard good things about Eero’s mesh networking equipment. Basically instead of wires, they wirelessly figure out the uplink back to the router (where you have one of the mesh devices plugged into Ethernet). I find the wired solution to be better for my setup (more reliable), but I’ve heard the mesh networking is pretty good as well.
Can't speak for UTC exactly, but I've heard their WiFi "solution" is more of "roll your own" (translation: buy your own router and plug it into the wall for service.) You can find cheap 5Ghz routers secondhand and off of Amazon (i.e. https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1200-Smart-WiFi-Router/dp/B01IUDUJE0/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1535246355&sr=1-3&keywords=5ghz+router) , which should easily support multiple laptops and phones. If you're looking at using the router for multiple years, you could also invest in a slightly higher-end router for your apartment setup. https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Ap-AC-Lite-UAPACLITEUS/dp/B015PR20GY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1535246316&sr=8-2&keywords=ubiquity+ap
On the modem side of things, I think the other comments have more accurate info on that.
If you want cheap but reliable $40 option:
They are a bit outdated though, but they are cheap and will do north of 750Mbps WAN traffic. I've used them for years and installed a lot for friends/family with no complaints.
If you want the full 1Gbps $130ish option:
Ubiquiti ER-X with a separate AP like a UAP-AC lite.
cheap option is very easy to use and set up out the box Ubiquiti route takes a little bit of configuring but is not difficult but you will never have to mess with it ever again.
Here is a screenshot of my Edgerouter's uptime
Alternatively, I do recommend Google Wifi for $130, which can be meshed with more units to provide a large coverage area in a home that works well, as does the $125 Ubiquiti Amplifi Router which also supports meshing and does it well.
I'm only on 60/60 since I'm not the account holder, but my setup is more than capable of handling gigabit. It's way more than you'd need for a basic UniFi setup. All you need for a basic setup is either a UDM (which is an all-in-one device) or a USG, switch (doesn't need PoE, AP includes an injector), AP, and controller (which can be installed on any PC, it doesn't need a standalone device).
This is my network rack. The equipment is, from top to bottom:
Keystone patch panel
US-24
Shelf with Raspberry Pi 3B+ (for Pi-hole), US-8-150W, USG
Cloud Key Gen2+ in its rackmount adapter
Rackmount surge protector
Oh, and this is the rack itself.
The ONT is off to the left and connects to port 1 of the patch panel and port 1 of the main switch. Ports 1 and 24 of the switch are in a separate "WAN Passthrough" VLAN which isolates them from LAN traffic. This wasn't necessary, it just makes the wiring neater. Port 24 on the switch connects to the USG's WAN2/LAN2 (configured as WAN since WAN1 died), and LAN1 connects to the LAN via port 22 on the switch. Port 2 on both the patch panel and main switch goes to the 2nd floor, I was only able to run a single Ethernet cable between floors, so this goes to another PoE switch that powers the 2nd floor AP. The rest of the lines on the main switch go to Ethernet jacks in various rooms. Ports 3 and 4 on the patch panel are connected to the PoE switch, and power the basement and first floor APs. The PoE switch also powers the Raspberry Pi and Cloud Key. Its four remaining ports will be for security cameras. The Cloud Key Gen2+ serves as a NVR for UniFi Protect (in addition to running the UniFi Controller), so everything's all ready for them.
The two switches are connected by their SFP ports in order to not take up any of the normal ports for this purpose. I used two pairs of these transceivers and two of these cables, which actually was cheaper than using RJ45 SFP modules. The SFP ports are set up as a link aggregation group on both switches, so they essentially become a single 2 gigabit link, avoiding any bottlenecks.
The basement AP is a Lite and the 1st and 2nd floor APs are Pros. The Pro has since been supplanted by the NanoHD, which is my main recommendation for heavy-use areas. The Lite is still perfect for light-use areas.
