DSL-AX82U AX5400 Dual Band WiFi 6 xDSL Modem Router

I have a couple of Asus RT-AX82U 's set up via AI Mesh Ethernet backhaul. Covers our 3400 sqft two story house and multiple devices quite well.

As title states, looking for a cheap ish router with 2.5 Gbps WAN and at least one 2.5 Gbps LAN port. I have my fiber speed being upgraded to 2 Gbps in a day, my ONT box is ready to handle it, but my current router isn't (currently using ASUS RT-AX82U AX5400). The router is limited to Gigabit both on WAN port and all LAN ports but otherwise has been great. I found the TP-Link BE3600 and BE4800 both in stock at my local Walmart so I could pick them up today, BE3600 is $79.99 and BE4800 is $99.99. They seem to be the most affordable routers I can find that have both a 2.5 Gbps WAN port and one 2.5 Gbps LAN port, but I have no experience with TP Link stuff. They are also Wi-Fi 7, which is nice for the future. Range isn't a major concern, house is 1,700 Sq Ft and router will only have to pass through 2-3 walls to reach furthest points of the home. We usually have 1 Xbox in use to stream 4K video, a few smart devices, couple of phones (sometimes streaming Youtube videos at the same time), and I often stream games to my Steam Deck from my gaming PC via Wi-Fi with Apollo/Moonlight. Very occasionally I use VirtualDesktop to stream PCVR to my Quest 3 as well. The one 2.5 Gbps LAN port I need is for my main gaming PC.

I get what you’re saying. Unless TP Link has notorious software issues, on paper, the specs seem great for the price. That’s why I’m on here asking if anyone has experience with their networking products. And to be fair, my ASUS router only runs about $120 these days and it been great for me for years. Only lacking now because I’m upgrading from Gigabit to 2.5 Gbps speed with my ISP (got a great deal, only $5 more per month)

I run an 82U and it's been phenomenal, miles better than my old Nighthawk.

I’ve got 2x Asus AX-82U’s set up as a mesh system with ethernet backhaul. My NBN comes in to the garage and I ran a cat6 to the theatre room where the main router is. That covers the front portion of the house. I then ran a cat6 from the theatre room to the living room at the back of the house to hard wire my mesh node and that gives me full house coverage for wireless plus I still have my hard wired connections where it matters most to me. I’ve got a few wifi cameras and appliances that connect to my 2.4 band and I’ve definitely seen improvement particularly for the cameras. Can’t comment on any other brands but Asus has been great for me so far, I’m also a sparky and pretty tech savvy but by no means a power user. As long as I’m getting consistent speeds and ping I’m happy, and I am. All over the house. If you go for a mesh system I’d definitely do an ethernet backhaul if possible. I tried “handshaking” the two routers in mesh mode wirelessly from the living room where it lives and the connection was terrible.

I have an Asus RT-AX82U supporting several dozen devices, and it's working great. A little cheaper option vs the 86U mentioned above I think. Is billed as a gaming router (and had cool LED lights on the front 😂, you can make it look like Knight Rider's KITT, or a Cylon, or rainbow LED strobing effect...)