ROG Rapture GT-AC5300

I still have a ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AC5300 in storage too. It was a great router, but I paid way too much for it for no reason lol, don't overpay for this stuff, you will regret it!

So I decided to purchase an older Asus Rapture GT-AC5300 for pretty cheap. I understand it is at End of Life, but it seems to have the coverage that I want, and it will be used at a house in a rural area. I am also having its remote settings disabled. I see no point in using newer equipment for this use case. Might incorporate a dedicated firewall appliance like opnsense for additional protection. Thoughts?

WiFi 6 is definitely an improvement over WiFi 5, but I think it depends a lot on the setup and hardware tier. A high-end WiFi 5 router (like the ASUS GT-AC5300 class) can still outperform a lot of entry-level WiFi 6 routers in real-world use, especially in terms of range, signal strength, and stability. The newer standard mainly helps with efficiency—like handling lots of devices at once—rather than dramatically increasing speed for a single device. If someone has a busy network with tons of clients, WiFi 6 makes a noticeable difference. But for a smaller setup or even moderate use, a solid AC router can still perform extremely well. So I’d say it’s less about “new vs old standard” and more about the quality of the hardware and how the network is being used.

And, currently, just one Netgear covers the entire house, no WiFi dead spots, no extenders, access points currently installed?...everyone of the 6 folks is happy with their internet? In that case, Asus is rock solid,look at AX or BE series in the 100-150 $ range For reference, I'm using an older than 8 year old Asus GT AC5300 RoG router... It's been great, no slowdowns, no disconnects, there is a concern around it no longer receiving firmware update..but, I'm OK with it for my use case.

I’m living in a 2 storey house too. You can’t go wrong with any of the monster 8 antennas WiFi routers from ASUS. I’m currently using a ASUS GT-BE98. Router is located downstairs. For the bedrooms upstairs, I am getting wifi speeds of 600 Mbps. For downstairs, I am getting wifi speeds of 900 - 1000 Mbps. My previous router was an ASUS AC5300. Another monstrous 8 Antenna wifi behemoth. :) No WiFi dead spots ever. Just 1 router simple setup. No mesh required. I even have strong wifi signals at the carpark driveway of my property.

Have a look at https://www.asus.com/uk/networking-iot-servers/wifi-routers/all-series/ I have the RT-AC5300, albeit it’s old now, and it’s never failed me.