ASUS - ZenWiFi XD6

A big BIFL advantage of ASUS routers is that their firmware is largely based on open source code, and there are open source alternative firmware options available to add features or maintain support for older devices. While everyone else is trying harder and harder to close their system, and giving up on firmware updates for devices as soon as they can, ASUS’s openness gives me a lot of confidence for the longevity of my devices. I have 2xXD6 in a mesh with a wired backhaul and it’s been excellent. Very stable and performant (though my PCs, tv, etc are via my wired network which is always going to be better than wireless).

Hi everyone. Definitely in need of some current recommendations for mesh routers. PLEASE. Sorry for the long read below, but want to give all of the details necessary. I am an avid gamer. Its what I do on my free time. Unfortunately, I have been having major internet problems gaming lately, lag, packet loss, delay, jittering, rubber banding... the usual stuff. My house is a rectangular half house (pictured). My half of the house is two floors. 3 rooms on each floor. My only coaxial outlet in the house is in the lower right square. My game room is in the upper left square, while my xfinity XB8 gateway and main mesh node are in the lower right square. My xfinity plan is a 1 gig speed plan. Worth noting, the MOST devices that are connected to my network at one time are 10 (phone, TV, girlfriends playstation, etc.) Also worth noting, I experience gaming issues even when removing other devices from the network to test to see if its better when my gaming is the only thing on it (problems even more noticeable at night) I have been using Deco w6000 mesh routers. My main mesh node connects to my xfinity xb8 gateway via ethernet while my gateway is in bridge mode. My other mesh node is in my game room, an unwired connection to the main mesh node. I connect my PC via Ethernet to my game room mesh. My Deco game room mesh had a connection of -50 dbm to my main mesh. So not the best obviously. When running speed tests, there would be noticeable jitter rate, some tests highly spiking, and I would feel the lack of solid connection in my games. Due to these issues, I upgraded to the ASUS XD6 mesh system, doing the same setup. Unfortunately, the problems did not get solved. In fact, they technically got worse, as I still have problems and now my XD6 game room node reads a -72 dbm to my main XD6 mesh. This was also noticeable in games as I still encountered issues. I did try putting a central mesh node in my house (in various spots) and doing a daisy chain, which brought my game room mesh node reading to a -52 dbm, but I still had issues. When running speed tests however, the download/upload speed remains high, eclipsing 600/100. So now is where I am struggling for the next step, as nothing seems to work. I have been contemplating replacing my xfinity xb8 gateway with the Arris S34 modem and giving that a try as well, maybe helping out with network congestion (although would love recommendations for this too), but I figure I also need a more powerful mesh system. My guess is I need a mesh system with more range, as my W6000 and XD6 both struggled to give a solid connection from the main node to the game room node, and lag is still felt even when testing using a 3rd node and daisy chaining them. I do not need something with a bunch of video game-related gimmick features/settings... I am just finally looking to have a stable connection, that will correlate to a better gaming experience. I appreciate any and all help that anyone can offer me, and thank you ahead of time.

I also have the Arris s34 system now, which i have yet to configure to replace my Xfinity xb8 gateway. Kind of as a last resort to see if things improve. Other than that, my ultimate last resort is going to return the Asus XD6 and try the ASUS XT9 mesh system, and the deco xe75 mesh system (since my previous deco performed better than my current Asus mesh). But i know again that the Asus XT9 is objectively better than the deco xe75 mesh system

Luckily i didn’t drop too much. I can return the Asus XD6 since the 5ghz backhaul’s connection is not good in my setup from node to node. I’ll just keep using my deco W6000 on the 2.4 GHz backhaul. In terms of the Arris s34, probably about time to get rid of the Xfinity gateway anyway. Plus will save me money from renting it every month. If problems ever continue to occur, i will absolutely be taking the next steps of getting a coaxial outlet installed in the game room to move my modem there where i need it most.

Asus XD6 with wired backhaul between two units.

You are right they are apples and oranges but they are complementary tech …. However afaik you’ll not get 802.11r on consumer gear unless you can set up a radius service on it. My mesh setup ASUS AX as far as I know uses 802.11k & 802.11v in its implementation. I can actually see in the logs where it boots clients off the network when it detects they’ve a weak signal from their connected AP and I can then see the client reconnecting on another AP. This is all managed from the main node.

I had Netgear (with an external firewall and generic access points) before they acquired Orbi, then tried Orbi which did not have enough info/options. Then went to at least 4 different types of AX Asus units for the longest time (10+ years with plenty of options and info but started to become unstable), then recently switched to Gryphon AX due to the need for parental controls for kids. I am thinking of going to Unifi next in a year or 2, as I miss the options/info that Asus provided, and get more with Unifi.

You can connect mesh nodes through Ethernet. OP has an Asus router, so they can buy more WiFi6 Asus Routers and connect them through Ethernet to set them up as AiMesh Nodes. My house network is set up like that, and I only have issues when streaming to my phone when going downstairs because it changes nodes, so it lags for like two seconds, and then goes back to normal. Other than that, it's a great experience all around.

It's called a wired backhaul mesh. Look it up. The point of using mesh nodes connected through ethernet is to keep the "seamless" transition between nodes without having any network degradation between them.

Asus with Ethernet back haul. Router + 2 APs. Works great, gigabit access all over the house!

Asus Zen wifi is trash. I've tried everything and can't get the node to maintain a connection. I'm not the only one, plenty of people report the same issue.

I've had success with Asus Zen Wifi and Amplifi; but I think Asus is a better product personally. I have Ubiquiti in my home right now and don't particularly like it.

EERO is popular because of cost - that is it. I tested them out and they are HORRIBLE in a highly dense area (ie Lots of neighbors with Wifi). UniFi is the best mesh- its what businesses use, but more complex to setup and maintain; not friendly for the consumer market. Depends on your requirements Out of the others I have tested: Orbi - easy to get started; great mesh; CON: Subscription for parental or added security; Not the best speeds (but generally good). Netgear - Same as orbi ASUS ZEN - Fantastic speed; Unbelievable configurability/features; No subscriptions for parental or added security; CON: Milage varies because of quality. Asus notoriously has issues with their firmware and new products. ASUS ROG - Same as ZEN; has more Gimmicks I ended up with the ASUS ZenWiFi BT10 - replaced the Orby Mesh. Very happy . I needed parental and added security; Needed VPN; Needed 10gig / 2.5gig WAN

Avoid tp-link and any other CCP networking equipment. Don't intentionally put stuff with backdoors in them just to save a few bucks. Unifi is great but it's expensive and you really should use it wired. If you're just looking for plug and play mesh Asus has good offerings. Their AI mesh system works well

I do t know which is the best bit I sure know that Asus AI Mesh is terrible. The backhaul will start great and then about 20 minutes later drop to 50% or less. It's quite common, Google it

Since you have cable Internet and it runs into the basement, you hopefully have coaxial cables available to you throughout the house, and usually in key locations. Just look at the area where all the coax ends should meet, likely in the basement where your modem/router is at and plugged into. If you do find this bunch of coax, you can use it with MoCA Adapters to build a wired Ethernet network inside your home. If you can achieve that, then getting good WiFi everywhere will be easy, as well as providing wired capabilities for other devices in needed locations. MoCA Adapters can be a bit expensive, but worth the cost. If you can build this MoCA network, then whatever you choose as the router and Access Points will work very well, including a 3 pack of a reputable mesh brand. For mesh, I use and can recommend eero. But ASUS Zen mesh is also praised a lot, and has more configurability. If you want to go higher end, you can get an Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway router, a Ubiquiti PoE switch, and some Ubiquiti Access Points. It's more expensive, but very capable of advanced setups, and is very stable. I use Ubiquiti at another home and in my office location, and I can recommend them personally as well.

Bingo. So many of us are essentially engineers either by profession or by hobby, so a general list on popularity or even satisfaction is going to be worthless. I love my ZenWifi, but I also chose my particular model based on the availability and features of open source firmware (Merlin). I considered Eero with the thought that I'll give up the tinkering, but found the feature set too limiting.

You must have gotten a dud. Deco BE95 system. Simply amazing. Had it for 12 weeks now. Zero drops. 5800 sq ft home. ISP 6 Gig up and Down. Wired backhaul. 121 connected devices. Wired devices that can handle multi gig speeds - 6 GIG WiFi 7 - 2.5-4.3 GIG WiFi 6E - 1.8-2.4 GIG WiFi 6 - 1.1-1.6 GIG WiFi 5 - 600 mbps - 900 mbps WiFi 2.4 - 200-500 mbps The consistency, reliability and speed blow every simple competitor out of the water in my experience! Amazing system and have tried them all! Eero Max 7, Orbi 970s, Asus ZenWifi

Yeah I like the ASUS approach as well. Mine just works, and it is so easy to add another node anytime I want since their stuff is all interoperable with the AiMesh setup.

The folks suggesting Omada and Unifi aren't wrong. Those are *great* systems, but they're pretty "pro". If you don't need advanced networking features (e.g., VLANs beyond isolated guest networks, traffic rules)/want something that's more plug-and-play, a mesh system that supports wired backhaul might be a better fit. Asus ZenWiFi performs well, supports wired backhaul, and offers some useful advanced settings. It's not as configurable as Omada or Unifi or MikroTik, but it's simpler to manage and "good enough" (multiple isolated guest networks, band-specific networks, QoS) for lots of home users. Eero also performs well but doesn't support as many advanced features as Asus.

Eero (Amazon), tp link Deco, and Asus ZenWifi are all well-reviewed and perform well. If you've got to go mesh, look for a tri-band system with a dedicated backhaul channel (Eero, Deco, and ZenWifi all have models). Eero and Deco are a little more "plug and play". ZenWifi is also easy to set up, and some models give a few more config options/control than Eero or deco. The tricky part is that you don't know how well mesh will perform until you set it up in your place. Two nodes might be enough, but you might need three (or four). A 6 ghz backhaul channel might work, but, if the walls and floors in your place cause a lot of interference, you might see better perf with a 5 ghz backhaul. So buy from a place you can return it, maybe start with three nodes, test how coverage and speeds look, go from there. All three have 2.5 Gbps ports. 3 gig is a *lot* of bandwidth for a residential setup. Unless you're regularly downloading gigantic files (video, game updates), you probably won't exceed ~300-500 Mbps, and WiFi will de facto limit the perf on any device to ~200-600 Mbps. For most homes, 200 Mbps is plenty. If the 3 gig price isn't much different than ~300 Mbps (if you're in the US, it's hard to find service under ~300 Mbps), go for it, but if you're paying a premium for 3 gig, you can save some coin and you almost certainly won't notice a difference in performance. If you're in Europe, you rule!, fiber away because you're prob only paying like €40 for 3 gig.

I had a lot of issues with the google nest wifi- for the past year or so I have used an Asus ZenWifi which works better for me, and I do have usable network access from my shed which is about 100 Ft away from the house. My biggest issue is getting a signal past the walls/siding in our house- there is 'double' siding because the house originally had asbestos siding, and a former owner put vynil over it. I get by this with a small enclosure holding one node just out side the walls of the house.

To echo what plenty of others are saying, but also provide links to specific items to Do-It-Yourself and save money but still get good finished product. Assuming you have roof/attic access above the rooms and can run power to the attic: * buy bulk CAT6 cable, shielded twisted pair, not CCA (CCA stands for copper coated aluminum). [Get good shielded copper wire, like this](https://a.co/d/ijNWYa0). * buy a [crimper toolkit like this](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7GRX9DW) * watch a few youtubes on terminating Cat6 cable. * buy a mesh wifi system like Amazon Eero, tp-Link Deco, Asus Zen Wi-Fi, etc. [Here's a good article / review of mesh systems and what to look for](https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/best-mesh-wifi-routers/) **NOTE:** mesh wifi is the consumer grade solution. If you can afford it, you're better off getting Wifi Access Points (APs) - the business grade solution - Ubiquiti is the best known of the AP options. Connection works similarly, with one key difference -- APs require power over ethernet (POE) instead of an electrical outlet / power supply. There are pros and cons of installing either Mesh or APs. * buy at least one [Unmanaged Ethernet Switch like this](https://a.co/d/88WLwNn) - this one is 8 port (1 connection in, 7 out). * You'll run an ethernet cable from your Comcast box to your wifi mesh router. Then you'll run a **long** ethernet cable down toward your L-corner dead zone. You'll plug that long ethernet cable to the Unmanaged Ethernet Switch. Then you'll run another ethernet cable from the Unmanaged Ethernet Switch to one of your mesh wifi satellites. BAM! Good internet within reach of that mesh satellite. You'll need to estimate/experiment with how many satellites the system needs (get multiple people to watch netflix on iPads, and spread them along rooms close to the mesh satellite -- see how many people / how many rooms you can cover before you need to add another mesh wifi satellite). I did a low-key simplified version of this at my house. Reply here if you have questions / need help. # You can do this yourself.

I have had nothing but problems with 2 generations of this mesh system. No devices connect to any nodes, only the primary access point. One of my nodes constantly disconnects from the main access point despite being 40 ft away with 2 walls between. It's driving me insane.

I installed 3 of these at my parent's lake place. We had one room opposite of the router that would not get any signal because it was a renovated screen porch (exterior wall and door to get into the room). I essentially made a path from just outside the room with the router, to the room with the signal issues. Every repeater had a minimally restricted line of sight to the next. Worked amazing. At my house I have an Asus ZenWifi Mesh system that I set up as a wired backhaul to the main router. That's the best option, but my house was already wired for ethernet so it made sense and was easy to do.

Rog gt6 here. Don't allow the iPhone devices (which have mac randomization) to join the wifi at all. It would flood the wifi with bunch of crap, causing all sorts of diaconnects, even with other devices. and indeed, logs aren't verbose enough. Never ever asus again

Never ever asus for me anymore. What a piece of junk. 1200 dollar down the drain here..

I'd avoid TP-Link out of security concerns, Asus ZenWifi or Alta Labs AP's with the Route10 is the way I'd go.

Hello! I have an asus zen WiFi mesh net with two of the three nodes set up. I have Ethernet over coax and have the downstairs node connected via Ethernet. I should (based on the range of these routers) have excellent coverage in the house. I have noticed however my devices sometimes get confused which node it should connect to, resulting in sub par speeds. The nodes are very far apart. When I did add the third node I felt I was getting crazy interference. Any suggestions?

If you want an easy setup, nice user interface and ability to tweak options/configurations down the road, ASUS ZenWiFi is a good option. Another bonus with ASUS is you can use a mobile phone app \*or\* a web interface on a laptop/computer to manage the system. Many other mesh systems from TP-Link, Netgear, Eero only let you manage them with a mobile phone app. That is fine if you have basic needs but if you want to get more control over settings, often not an option. For example TP-Link may not let you select WiFi channels for its wireless networks. With ASUS you have control over a multitude of settings. Or just leave it on the defaults and if you ever wish to dive into the config, it will be ready and waiting for you. I asked Google Gemini for some thoughts too (another poster used Ai so I gave it a try too). I see ASUS ZenWiFi is in the list along with others. Since your needs don't seem very complex any of these should work pretty well. Unfamiliar with Eero, but you stated they are "difficult" to move into AP mode, no idea why but if you know that to be true then I suppose you could remove Eero from your consideration list. Have fun! Click below image to make it larger... https://preview.redd.it/q9mu50skxxrf1.png?width=925&format=png&auto=webp&s=1fb6721ce7d5fb1ded5fee09f45ed12ce365b752

I don't think any of the products out there have an upper bound limit you would run into. The only one I saw was ASUS ZenWiFi with a limit of 9+router, and that's still plenty for your setup. What made you think there were low maximum node limits?

Upgraded our RT-AC68U router to a Wifi 6 capable RT-AX86U Pro.  Ran an ethernet cable for wired backhaul, put the AC68U as a mesh node.  The Asus mesh system works really well. 

Hey OP. I've been living with wireless backhaul mesh for the last few months in our new place and with a few tweaks, it's been fine. I'm using Asus AiMesh with two remote nodes, plus a couple of old OpenWRT routers purely as bridges for wired devices. I'm in the process of running cable just now just to make the most of my FTTP connection but some generic tips that seemed to help me, if you do go down the wireless route. - Choose a system with multiple radios in each node, so you can dedicate a channel to the backhaul. - Look for mesh nodes that allow you to plug devices into them and position them accordingly. The "wired" devices will obviously still be using wireless via the mesh, but keeping their own radios quiet keeps the spectrum free for the mesh nodes and wireless-only devices to talk. The mesh nodes will almost certainly have better antennae and radios than the client devices. - Try to position the nodes so they are all talking with the main router rather than hopping via each other. On consumer gear this can be more of an art than a science but it boils down to finding different locations with the same signal strength to the main router so they link directly. - Although not acting as mesh nodes, I've repurposed a couple of old routers running OpenWRT + Relayd in the office and games room, so my PCs and old consoles without wireless can get internet. - Some mesh systems allow you to lock clients to a particular node. Play around with this - you can steer dumb devices to their nearest node rather than them trying to pick up a faint signal from a further one and shouting over everything else. Smart speakers and displays are particularly bad for this. In my office, about 25 metres and 1.5 floors (it's a L-shaped split level house) away from the main AP, my main PC wired into a mesh node can pull around 400Mbps down on a 990Mbps fibre connection. Previously with the PC and laptop using their own radios, I'd be lucky to see over 150 on either. Good luck!

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.

I've been using AiMesh since the beginning, and it was rocky at first, but now I'm currently quite happy with it. One solid main router and two APs outside. What unifi did you get to replace your setup and do you think it was worth the cost?

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

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

ASUS aimesh is the best option besides true ap based systems.

I've been using Asus Aimesh for years. 3 nodes and seamless switching when walking around. There does seem to be a client limit at about 75-80 wifi devices whiche forced me to move iot devices to a separate wifi network. Asus is great to start with but unifi likely my next system

Asus AiMesh can be configured without an app and uses local credentials for management.

100%. Just make sure you reboot the doorbell once your mesh is set up. It will then hop on to the WiFi node with the strongest signal. You should be able to configure your mesh so that the doorbell remains connected to that node, probably by assigning its MAC address to that node. I have two regular ASUS routers that have their own proprietary mesh called AiMesh. I’ve connected them to each other via an Ethernet cable that runs up through the attic (single story home). It also supports a dedicated WiFi connection between nodes, but hard wired is the way to go if at all possible.

It can be great. I assume there isn't interference from your neighbours. I love Asus's AImesh system, as you can choose from many different options. Also, you could pick some used devices for cheap, maybe to test them out. Is there COAX in the house?

For gaming use cable, for wifi coverage of this size, you can do well with asus aimesh, you can pick two routers of your choice, cheaper than ismesh system and many settings available.

I went from DD-WRT for years to ASUS AiMesh and have been on Unifi equipment for a good four years now. I never have any issues with roaming (3600+ home) and I can fine tune whenever necessary (rare). I love the Unifi and don't plan on moving away any time soon. If you want peace of mind, I definitely also recommend Unifi.

Asus' AiMesh works with both wired and wireless backhaul. I will always recommend wired backhaul, but if you have a good signal from one to the other, you can setup wireless. Have done so for a work shed not attached to the main house. I have also used both powerline and MoCA adapters as wired backhauls with success. Powerline may not be fast, but when it works it can be very reliable.