ASUS - ASUS ZenWiFi ET8

Asus Zen Wifi ET8

I moved away from them due to visibility of devices on my network. It was a firmware update that changed the ability to see what devices were connected where. Speed was very good and pretty stable. I literally have two sitting here that I was using, DM if you're interested in them just for the cost of shipping.

Best bet would be to purchase two or three of the same type of router for your mesh system. I would recommend the ET9/XT9(The ET8 would also work, they can be had sometimes substantially cheaper). If you need Wi-Fi 7 go with the BT10. Since you have to use a mesh system,you're going to need at least a tri-band router. The mesh will use one of the bands specifically to talk to each other(wireless backhaul), leaving you a dual-band router for the rest of the house to actually use.

Asus zenwifi is worth considering. Just got 2 nodes of the 6E one from 2023 for $200 @ microcenter. After some issues with a new fully updated asus wifi7 router constantly rebooting & some similar claims across a few of their wifi7 devices i fear they've got a bug. The 6E has been running fantastic for ~4days now

I got pretty good service from the Spectrum-provided routers for a long time, but I finally broke down and bought an Asus 6E router last Fall. It was so good that, a couple of months ago, I bought a second Asus router and made a mesh network. I spent a good bit of money, but I'm now happy with my WLAN. I'm on 1 GB asymmetrical service.

I would pick a WIFI 6E router from ASUS. Great company, great software support,frequent firmware updates,excellent products.

Its some software problem, the pcvr connection is often broken with updates (i have some quest for 3 years) after some of the updates the 6ghz suddenly ran smooth just to revert with the next one. But 99% of the last 14months 5ghz 160mhz DFS ran better(but not always perfect). 6Ghz is usable but has a lot of microstutters/lost frames for me while 5ghz runs perfect like a cable lately (knocks on wood). I tried the ASUS 6E router, Acer predator W6, Tenda 6E router. All the same, with the exception of tenda, it sucked over 200mbits. I also had several Q3 as I was trying to get one with no mura, Quest Pro ran identically on 5 or 6Ghz. Maybe its something specific to my place, but there are no other 6Ghz networks and it was working perfect at several occasions. Like dont stretch your budget getting the 6E if youre tight on money, it might not by worth.

is it the speeds or connectivity, most tasks need much less than 100mbs to work properly. most gaming uses very little bandwidth as well. 17 devices shouldnt be an issue for wifi 6-7 devices. When i did some residential tech support, i remember that google/nest mesh had lots of issues. A wired back haul between floors with decent access points/mesh system placed smartly should fix your issues. ive never had issues with asus routers. I use a my old and newer routers (a 6&6E Aimesh) in my 1200 sq ft home with plaster walls with wire mesh in them. my lady works from home and i do from time to time, i play games while she streams tv. We get \~300mbs.

Asus ZenWiFi mesh system (2pk)... Thread closed... 😉

I bought an Asus zenwifi system but eventually hardwired the satellites to a switch plugged into the main unit. Works great.

Yeah, extenders don't work in big houses. For 3500 sq ft, get a mesh system like TP-Link Deco or ASUS ZenWiFi.Covers everything, no dead zones, no 5G or 2.4GHz.

I'm no expert at all in networks. I use Asus tri band routera running Merlin firmware. I have one router at the far end of the house on the 1at floor and the second router at the opposite end on the second floor. The signal extends to the yard and fully covers the house with Wi-Fi 6. House is close to 3k square feet. I have the routers hardwired since that provided the best connection. If you go the Merlin website you'll see what routers are supported.

I've had zero problems with M1 for many years. Only went down once, and that was for scheduled maintenance in the middle of the night. Also, it's not just your internet plan that could be the cause of any issues. If your router isn't good enough, or is in a terrible position, or is overheating, or the bomb shelter is between your laptop and the router, you are gonna have issues no matter what plan you have. I have a standard 1Gbps plan but an Asus gaming router with ethernet cables going to the 3 heaviest users in the home – PS5, living TV and bedroom TV. I also set up a second router using Asus AImesh to provide wifi signal to one of the further corners of the house.

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?

Asus AiMesh - Yea TP-Link Deco - Yes TP-Link Easy Mesh - Not sure

I use Asus routers in my Ai mesh network and it gives me complete control over everything and I've loved it. I use that coupled with family link from Google and I feel like I've done my job as a parent blocking as much bullshit as I can for my kids.  But don't worry, their friends who's parents don't care about a single thing they consume will come along and ruin your hard work. Or your kids will be kids and find loop holes, which they always do. But you still tried. 

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

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.

As has been said, plug in everything you can. For a basic option, the Asus routers with AiMesh are a pretty simple solution. Start with one on the second floor centrally located and see if you need more. Use inSSIDer to see how your signal strength is as what kind of interference you have and set settings accordingly. If you’re not reaching all corners, add another compatible Asus and put them on floors 1 and 3 (both wired connection to WAN jack)

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