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.

Hardwired is best. If you have extra phone lines or coax cable you can use that. If not you'll have to Go wireless. Ubiquiti is great. But, it's beyond most homeowners without really doing their homework. Therefore, I would recommend an Asus system. All of their stuff works. Just buy two, three, four of their routers in the AI mesh system will work perfectly.(Buy the exact same router for everywhere). You just need to make sure they are tri-band or quad-band routers (one band will be used exclusively for wireless backhaul). For example, et12, ET 8, et9, bt-10 are all recommended. Check out Dong knows--his website is great.

Backhaul is how the routers talk to each other. It's best to do it wired. But, if you can't they will use one of the channels on the router that becomes a dedicated circuit (band) where they talk to each other. That's why you need at least three bands. If you want Wi-Fi, 7 I would recommend the bt-10 or the expensive BE98 pro. If you just want Wi-Fi 6e, any of the routers I mentioned before would work.. et8, et9,xt9,xt12,et12. Additionally, avoid the BQ 16 and the be96u, the firmware on the routers is buggy and has not been updated. I have personally used the et8, xt9 and the be98 pro. They have all been fantastic.

If you don’t want to pay and arm and a leg for ubiquiti, Asus does pretty damn well in this regard. I’ve been rocking an a86u for years now, and their ET9s 3 pack go for sale for 100 regularly, and have had zero issues. The ET9s support the 6.0 band so be sure to buy a primary router that supports that if you want it. I keep my 2.4 and 5.0 separate snd only really use the 2.4 for IOT.

For a quick, easy and uncomplicated setup TP-Link mesh systems are a good option. You didn't specify your internet speed, so I'll assume 1gbps max. If it's faster than that you'll want to get a mesh system that can match it. For example if you have 2gbps service you'll want a mesh system with 2.5gbps WAN and LAN ports. Let me know if you have faster internet speed and I could provide additional recommendations. I'm listing 3 unit sets since you'll have one mesh unit per floor, and all will be connected via ethernet (wired backhaul), per your post (you are running ethernet to each floor). WiFi 6 is still a great technology, offering 2.4ghz and 5ghz band support. WiFi 6E adds 6ghz band support. WiFi 7 is the newest technology, also has 6ghz band plus other upgrades. WiFi 7 is still new, can have bugs and you could encounter quirks. Not trying to scare you away from WiFi 7, but if you want something rock-solid I'd recommend WiFi 6 or WiFi 6E. I myself am using WiFi 6 and don't plan to upgrade to WiFi 7 for at least 2 years. All prices below are for units I found at amazon.com. TP-Link recommendations - Deco X55 ($130, AX3000, WiFi 6 dual band (2.4/5ghz), 3 pack, 3 gigabit ports per unit); Deco XE70 Pro ($240, AXE4900, WiFi 6E tri-band (2.4/5/6ghz), 3 pack, 2.5gigabit WAN & 2 gigabit ports per unit); Deco BE63 ($420, BE1000, WiFi 7 tri-band (2.4/5/6ghz), 3 pack, 4 2.5gigabit WAN/LAN ports per unit). A side note:, TP-Link charges extra for some security features; it's a subscription service, so you'll pay it as long as you want those features. [https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/4319/](https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/4319/) Most people might be interested in adding Security+ ($35.99/year). Families with children using the internet might also want to add Advanced Parental Controls ($17.99/year). So about $54 extra is paid every year, for these increased security features. But TP-Link is the easiest to setup and use, not complicated, so perhaps the ease of setup is worth it to you. Or if you don't want the additional security features (summarized at [https://www.tp-link.com/us/homeshield/](https://www.tp-link.com/us/homeshield/) ) then you don't need to pay for it. Eero and Netgear ("Orbi" product) sell some mesh systems as well. Both of those also require subscription sign-ups for additional security features. If you are curious about these I can post some thoughts on them. ASUS includes Ai Protection Pro (security scanning/protection via Trend Micro) with their products for free. ASUS products cost more for initial purchase, but if you keep a mesh system for 4 years, then you've saved $216 by not paying for the security features (assuming TP-Link's $54/yr fee). However ASUS products can sometimes be a bit problematic to setup and use. You would probably have no issues but just warning you. I use an ASUS mesh system and it works well for me (XT8). I won't recommend it to you though, as it's an older system. Below are some newer recommendations. ASUS recommendations: ET8 ($259 w/coupon, AXE6600, WiFi 6E tri-band (2/5/6ghz), 3 pack, 2.5gigabit WAN & 3 gigabit LAN ports per unit); BT6 ($591, BE9400, WiFi 7 tri-band (2/5/6ghz), 3 pack, 2.5gigabit WAN & 3 gigabit LAN ports per unit). Hope that helps with your decision. Good luck and advise us if you have any questions.

Yes, as long as you can connect them together via ethernet, the ET9 system will work fine for you. And it is WiFi 6E so that meets your requirements too. Another note to make: ASUS is going to be one of the few choices for you, if you are against a subscription model for security features. Eero, TP-Link, Netgear all charge you a monthy fee for additional security features. ASUS includes them all when you buy the router or mesh system. I don’t know about Ubiquiti, maybe someone could educate us on whether they require a subscription fee for security features. I have the ASUS XT8 (WiFi 6) system, the prior generation mesh system. You could consider it the big brother (older tech) to the ET9. I’ve been very happy with the XT8.

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

In an apartment situation, you likely only need one router. However, and because of sale price, my suggestion would be to consider the ASUS ZenWiFi ET9. It comes in a 2-pack, features 2.5GB WAN ports, 802.11AXE (WiFi 6E) and the new un-congested 6Ghz Band. You’ll want 6Ghz band while living in an apartment complex and over time, upgrade to newer phones, laptops, and devices to support the new band. Asus’ price of $99 for two is amazing. I wonder if a local company would price match— it’s $200 virtually everywhere even at BestBuy… My experience is that the Asus software and multicore processors perform faster than Nighthawk and Orbi options, introduce less latency. Asus adds a lot of options for security, dns over tls, vpn including WireGuard. It’s sold in a set of two because it supports Asus AIMesh technology. Each device can function separately as a router or participate in a mesh network. Unlike most mesh devices, Asus allows either unit to be configured to standalone router mode or function as a mesh satellite. Most manufacturers require specific models to perform as a satellite or a router. With Asus you just tell the unit it’s on a mesh and the software self-configures once it finds the master unit. If your not using mesh (probably won’t need it because your in an apartment) You could give the extra to family or a friend because each device would function in standalone mode. The ZenWifi ET9 doesn’t have a ton of packet optimization features you may find on gaming-specific routers but comes pretty close. You’ll see a performance gain from your 6900 with anything WiFi 6, 6E or 7.

If you already have Cat 5e or better in the home, it is best to get cheapest PoE+ switches (two PoE+ ports or more) and distribute them throughout the home along with either APs or Mesh infrastructure that work with wired or wireless backbone. I have five VLAN PoE+ eight-port switches along two SFPs ports on two of the switches. This allows me to get wired connections on many of the nearest switches. The reason for VLAN switches so I can separate the homeowner LAN from my infrastructure. The switches are configured the same way so one does need to know what port belongs to switch VLAN LAN. - Ports 1-4 are 1st VLAN and PoE+ - Port 5 for the 2nd VLAN - Port 6-7 are 1st VLAN - Port 8 is the trunk - Ports 9-10 (SFP) - 2nd VLAN - The ASUS ZenWifi ET8 mesh devices are on 2nd VLAN with four ports each and USB-A port. I use USB-A port to charge devices or it could be use as cellular backup. - The ASUS ZenWifi ET12 mesh devices are on 1st VLAN with four ports each. I also have Cradlepoint to allow multiple ISPs or cellular backup via SIMs or cellular router. I pick ASUS so I did not need to pay for additional security services subscription unlike other vendors. Additionally, if the Internet went down, one could still get into the devices. Amazon EERO were problematic, with the above, since it is associated with cloud configuration. The above is overkill but if one wanted to leave with existing equipment particular to a VLAN LAN, one does not need to reconfigured the switches or devices but replace the switches with low end PoE+ switches that were put in storage. Lastly, there are two ISP (cable and fiber) so each VLAN has primary and backup to which the other VLAN has different primary and backup. The only major issue is when switch fails (goes back to factory default or dies), I have to reconfiguring a new switch and powercycle all the devices to forget seeing the other VLAN devices. So each switch location has 1st vlan - mesh device with three ports - four PoE+ and two ports from the VLAN switch 2nd VLAN - mesh device with three ports along with one USB-A port - one port from VLAN switch Yes, I have a lot of interference in 2.5Mhz range with this and my neighbors. Only my low-end devices (irrigation, garage doors, some security devices) use this. I would rather have hardwired connections to avoid wireless jammers trying to block security solutions. NOTE: Having separate LAN help many times when ISP fails and the routers do not always switch over correctly. I also added a power strip with external cable on/off switch so I do not need to open the screwed in wall panel. Occasionally, the ISP fiber to ethernet adapter doesn’t cooperate if their router is powercycled.