RT-AX88U Pro

I have been doing Asus AI Mesh since they put it out... It has been buggy in the way back past but its solid now. I only use 2 routers and my house is lit up quite well. RT-ax88u and RT-ac88u. The AC used to be my primary but upgraded to the AX and moved the AC to secondary. I like the 8 ports so I don't need a switch at my wiring panel.

I use ASUS routers configured with AiMesh using Ethernet for backhaul; absolutely rock solid and all the configuration I need. They're a hodge-podge of devices that I've either upgraded over the years, or picked up from FleaBay. My main router is an RT-AX88U Pro, with Ethernet connections to a pair of ZenWifi AC's, and a wireless connection to an RT-AC86U. The ZenWifi units were purchased for £50 second-hand, and the RT-AC86U was repurposed when I got the RT-AX88U Pro. Whatever route you go, if you can possibly run Ethernet to the mesh nodes, do it.

I have been using the Asus AI-Mesh system for years. Seems very robust, to me. Devices seemlessly switch between the nodes. It handles 2.4ghz and 5ghz fine. Sonos works without a hitch. I am definitely using wired ethernet backhaul, however, from the remote node. Currently two of the Asus RT-AX55.

Netgear isn’t who I’d recommend. Not only are they expensive but they need a specific base station router rather than all the satellites being capable of running the whole thing. ASUS with AImesh is the most versatile as it will work with any of their own products even older ones and you can mix and match freely. I don’t think you can mix and match TP link but at least they don’t require a specific base station so you can use the routers in any location/configuration and extend/replace as needed without a worry that it’s not compatible because it’s only a satellite/base station. TP-Link/Netgear software and features are worse than ASUS and far more basic/limited. Eero requires a subscription for stuff you get for free/default on ASUS, also MerlinWRT is a god send.

Unifi is not the way for WiFI mesh and even if you don’t need mesh it’s not for the average joe either. They are expensive but the easiest setup and most feature rich for the average consumer is ASUS.

Older ASUS AiMesh user here, and similar story. Portal plays shockingly well, and my PS5 isn't even hardwired.

if you insist on wifi i personally love asus ai mesh. i’ve had nothing but great experiences with it so far. speeds are consistent through my entire house. eero on the other hand i personally have had very, very bad luck with. Devices that don’t roam properly across the nodes correctly, hit or miss connection drops during hand offs, poor speeds on satellite nodes (even with the pro models with tri band) and half of the good features being behind a stupid paywall. i personally wouldn’t ever touch eero again.

Most mesh systems will support as many nodes as you wish. But not all nodes are created equal. You’ll obviously need fewer nodes with a high powered node vs a cheap node with little range. I would HIGHLY suggest wired backhaul if possible, no matter the hw you ultimately decide upon. Ubiquity has a good solution for your use case at attractive price points. Asus’ AIMesh setup also works well, allowing you to easily tailor the hw for your home’s needs