ASUS - RT-AX86U Pro (AX5700)

I have been using an Asus Ax 3000 and have used an AX 86 as well. Both are fine

I have 3 Asus RT-AX86U Pros with a wired back haul. They cover my house and outdoor recreation areas easily and are very fast and, for me, reliable.

My wifi radios on the 86U just went out after 2 year warranty expired.

A quality wifi 6 or 6e router, I'd suggest an Asus RT-AX86U Pro from experience, will greatly increase wireless performance IF the devices are also wifi 6 or 6e capable.  But if you're only getting 50-150mbps it sounds like you have a very old router.   I can saturate my 400 symmetrical fiber connection from my router to my S24 Ultra for instance.  What model router do you have now and what kinds of devices do you have?  Also, too close to a wireless router is a thing.  You usually want to be at least a few feet away from the router.  

A quality wifi 6 or 6e router, I'd suggest an Asus RT-AX86U Pro from experience, will greatly increase wireless performance IF the devices are also wifi 6 or 6e capable.  But if you're only getting 50-150mbps it sounds like you have a very old router.   I can saturate my 400 symmetrical fiber connection from my router to my S24 Ultra for instance.  What model router do you have now and what kinds of devices do you have?  Also, too close to a wireless router is a thing.  You usually want to be at least a few feet away from the router.  

Get a new router and a Rpi 4 or 5 to install Pihole.  My Asus RT-AX86U Pro has been really solid as one option that has a lot of support outside of Asus via Merlins custom firmware. 

You could do BOTH! I looked at the Asus ROG routers, but got an Asus RT-AX86U Pro router since my cable modem also has a 2.5 Gbps port. Plenty of performance for wired or wi-fi. You can use Asus' AI Mesh software to add another device - I could get an Asus Zen or other device if I need more coverage. However, you could also run cables and connect cameras to a switch. If you can centrally locate a device like an Asus RT-AX86U Pro router in a 1200 ft ranch, you likely will have no coverage issues unless your garage has all concrete walls. When I did my research, I found out that most (if not all) "mesh" systems can use wired or wireless backhaul. Wired performs better that wireless, wireless is easier to install. Whatever you do, get all the tech specs of your cameras first and make sure that the network will support them. PoE doesn't work over wi-fi.

So, what's the rest of the setup? Fibre is great and all, but what did your ISP provide as the ONT? How old is the router? Did the ISP provide, or is it your own? Here's what I did. I'm Xfinity, coax, 1 Gbps plan with an Arris S33v3 modem and an Asus RT-AX86U Pro wi-fi router. Why? These devices each have a 2.5 Gbps port for the uplink. I just ran a speed test to my phone and got 613 Mbps. Not too shabby. That router would work with a fiber ONT. Even without wi-fi 6, you're so much faster with fibre vs DSL. I also always buy quality cables, such as Monoprice Flexboot Cat 6, pure bare copper, 550 MHz, and a little bit longer than I need. Also, if you hold a phone or laptop too close to your wi-fi router, you might be in the "donut," i.e. if you're too close, it's can be just as bad as being too far away.

No need to shout! The previous model Asus RT-AX86U (or RT-AX86U Pro) does it way better!

No need to shout! The previous model Asus RT-AX86U (or RT-AX86U Pro) does it way better!

No need to shout! The previous model Asus RT-AX86U (or RT-AX86U Pro) does it way better!

No need to shout! The previous model Asus RT-AX86U (or RT-AX86U Pro) does it way better!

You are limited to your quest with ± 1200 Mbps over 5ghz. Im using rt ax55 and ax86u in mesh works great.

Good router, but for a few dollars more you can get the AX88U Pro. That one replaced 2 Aimesh routers in my condo.

I uses ASUS RT-AX86U. Just flash it with merlin and it will be rock stable

That Asus router is marketed as wifi 7 but it doesnt use the 6Ghz channels so it wont perform any better than a wifi 6 router. Id either look for a wifi 7 router with 6ghz or a wifi 6e with 6 ghz. With a 2Gbit home connection and new devices wifi 7 can be put to good use. If its not in your budget then just get a reputable wifi6 router and upgrade a few years down the road when prices drop. If you have no wifi7 devices now then just go with wifi6. That Asus you mention RT-AX86U Pro has plenty of features and is very future proof.

My recommendation is: Yes get your own router. No do not use your own modem. The difference is a modem connects via a coaxial cable and gives you and ethernet cable. This is where the ISPs service ends. A single ethernet cable with your service on it. Now rather than plugging one device into it, you want a box to preform network functions like NAT and firewalling. This is a router. Some routers have built in access points, known as wireless routers. If you choose a good band, these are also fine. So either: Spectrum Modem --> Wireless Router --> Your devices Or if you want a bit better performance: Spectrum Modem --> Router --> Access Point (and other wired devices) --> Wireless devices. By wired devices I mean devices you connect with an ethernet cable. Asus makes good networking equipment, I would stay away from net gear and TP Link (unless you're going for their Omada line up). I would go with the Asus RT-AX86U. You would plug an ethernet cable from the port on your modem to the blue "wan" port. This is a wireless router so no access point needed. Just make sure whatever router you buy does not have a coax port on the back. These are usually low quality POSs with really cheaply made parts that try and do too many things.

Agreed, I’ve owned several models including the higher end models(ax86u pro) and its performance is subpar considering its price. I’ve had good experiences with tp link but my only gripe is that it doesn’t get long term firmware support. I have heard good things about Synology, so will check that out.

If the home is modern woodframe construction with drywall, then one decent consumer router will handle the home. I have an Asus RT-AC86U. I also put an RT-AX86 pro router in a friends 3000 square foot 2 story home and it handles their needs (2 TV’s, browsing, and email) Plaster over chickenwire in older homes does not transmit wifi easily

Do not buy the RT-AX86U. Instead buy the RT-AX86U Pro The pro version often discounts to $200 to $220. I bought mine last April for $198 on Amazon. The Pro version has better hardware. The Pro version uses the Asus 3.0.0.6 firmware. The non-pro version uses the older 3.0.0.4 firmware and will never be updated to the 3006 and that is important. Only Asus’s newest routers have the 3.0.0.6.

Do not buy the RT-AX86U. Instead buy the RT-AX86U Pro The pro version often discounts to $200 to $220. I bought mine last April for $198 on Amazon. The Pro version has better hardware. The Pro version uses the Asus 3.0.0.6 firmware. The non-pro version uses the older 3.0.0.4 firmware and will never be updated to the 3006 and that is important. Only Asus’s newest routers have the 3.0.0.6.

Yes, you can easily do this in a few clicks with Asus routers. I have RT-AX86U pro. I run the Merlin firmware on it but I believe the standard ASUS firmware also lets you. I highly recommend the Merlin firmware … very easy to install, and provides a few features not available with stock firmware On the Network Map page, click on the “Clients” icon \[roughly half way down the page. On the far right you will now see a “Client Status “ list. Find the device you want to block and click on it. You’ll get a pop-up that has three sliders, the topmost one being “Block Internet Access.” Under “Advanced Settings Wireless” theres also a “Wireless MAC filter” that allows you either block or allow specific MAC addresses. https://preview.redd.it/90vpbn9v1ybd1.jpeg?width=1146&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b54c64cc3029d9c5bf0414bd1a5cc073a8d059b

Merlin is supporting but Asus is moving on. The AX86U will never support the newer Asus 3006 firmware. It is stuck with the older 3004 firmware. So Merlin can never implement 3006 firmware on the AX86U. Merlin is continuing to support the older 3004 firmware. The AX86U PRO is slightly different. Asus has released the 3006 firmware on the RT-AX86 U Pro. But Merlin has not committed to releasing 3006 firmware for the Pro. Merlin is still releasing 3004 firmware for the AX86U Pro.

Merlin is supporting but Asus is moving on. The AX86U will never support the newer Asus 3006 firmware. It is stuck with the older 3004 firmware. So Merlin can never implement 3006 firmware on the AX86U. Merlin is continuing to support the older 3004 firmware. The AX86U PRO is slightly different. Asus has released the 3006 firmware on the RT-AX86 U Pro. But Merlin has not committed to releasing 3006 firmware for the Pro. Merlin is still releasing 3004 firmware for the AX86U Pro.

Appreciate you clarifying that for me. Already have an RT-AX86U pro on the way, hoping for a smooth setup thanks to your help.

How bad is their wifi? I'm dead set on the asus rt-ax86u pro, would you say their software is that much better for home use?

Both AX86U and AX3000 have 2 radios: a 2.4GHz one and a 5GHz one There can't be a dedicated channel for mesh becaue there is no extra radio for mesh communication. AX86U does 4X4 MIMO on 5GHz instead of 2x2, so its radio can beamform a 3dB stronger signal to the AX3000, which helps with the bandwidth, especially in case of otherwise weak connection between the 2 devices. Still, every 5GHz device in this case is broadcasting on the same channel, so every client connected to the AX3000 will have at best half the bandwidth available, because of its data having to be repeated on the same 5GHz channel to the AX86U.

Asus AX-86U Pro has no subscriptions and can create an IoT network without internet access.

I’m covering a three floor 4700 sqft home with 5 ASUS RT-AX86U routers using the 2.5 gbe ports for wired backhaul. Works great for me.

I like ASUS for consumer needs like yours. They have gaming features, but they're gimmicks. Look at the Asus RT-BE88U for a larger router, or the RT-BE86U for a bit smaller. These are the wifi 7 models which you may not need ot want. You can find the Wifi 6 models as RT-AX88U and RT-AX86U respectively on Amazon. They have some other models as well. I wouldn't pay a premium for any TUF or ROG branded "gaming" routers, the others do the same thing.

I'd get either a GL.iNet Flint 2 or an Asus AX86U and flash merlin on it. Both of those are good solid consumer routers.

For the price, I'd just get a GL.iNet Flint2 or an Asus AX86U with Merlin firmware. The Flint2 should be supported for a long time if you just want an OpenWRT router. If you want more future updates, buy a purpose built router (or build your own \*sense router). I've bounced back and forth between OPNsense and Firewalla. Firewalla isn't cheap, but it's easy enough to use.

I am Using the AX86U as modem (with fiber)/main router (with bridged modem coax), and AX86S as access points( dont use the mesh system here!) I get full speed wifi with 1gb throughout the whole house (newly build 2023 in the netherlands so Lots of stone) and never had any complaints about the setup! Been great so far 😬 of any questions please feel free to ask

You don’t need theirs. I bought an Asus router on Amazon. ASUS RT-AX86U Pro (AX5700) I have Spectrum. It works great.

You don’t need theirs. I bought an Asus router on Amazon. ASUS RT-AX86U Pro (AX5700) I have Spectrum. It works great.

Copy paste from VD discord. Please check other online local stores and larger etailers like Amazon, aliexpress and eBay. The following routers have been reported to work reliably from a number of users. High End (AXE / WiFi 6E) - TP-Link AXE300/AXE16000 ($450 US) High End (AX / WiFi 6) - Asus RT-AX86U ($300 US) Dedicated (BE / Wifi 7) - TP-Link BE9300/BE550 ($200-$300 US) Dedicated (AXE / WiFi 6E) - Davolink 'Kevin' Minion 6E ($129 US) Dedicated (AXE / WiFi 6E) - TP-Link Archer AXE75/AXE5400 ($160-$200 US) Dedicated (AX) - PRISMXR Puppis S1 (80$) Dedicated (AX / WiFi 6) - GL.iNet Beryl GL-MT3000 ($90 US) Low End (AC / WiFi 5) - GL.iNet Opal GL-SFT1200 ($50 US) Low End (AC / WiFi 5) - TP-Link Archer C6 or A6 ($40 US) TP-Link AX and Huawei routers have been known to have issues we are unable to identify. Higher end TP-Link AX/AXE routers not listed here may work well but as with any router not on this list, should be considered untested. The TP-Link Archer AXE5400 is not the same thing as the Deco AXE5400. The latter is a mesh router and may not work as expected. I personally won't recommend any router in your screenshot, but some of them will work fine. Also consider if you're in an area with others living nearby, channels might be congested so a 6ghz (wifi6e or 7) might be the only way to keep the connection stable. Ubiquiti is also good, but had problems in the past that got fixed through firmware updates.

Give the Asus RT-AX86U Pro or RT-AX88U Pro a look. I am in US but both I checked Amazon UK and verified both are available with Prime Day savings. I currently have the AX86U and have 55+ client devices with much of the same things you have: Nest Devices - 9 Philips Hue Synology NAS Desktop PCs - 5 Laptop PCs - 5 Several Smart TVs, Rokus, gaming consoles, etc. You get the idea. I have a large home so I have additional APs but I disabled those just to see if the Asus could run everything and it could. Just this morning, I ordered an AX88U Pro. I am upgrading because it has a pair of 2.5G ports for WAN and LAN whereas the RT-AX86U only has one 2.5G port which can be either WAN or LAN. I have gigabit internet (speed tests upwards of 1100Mbts). My modem has a 2.5G port and all of my network switches are 2.5G. I have one family member who works from home 100% and I work from home 40%, so I need reliability and stability. Asus has never let me down. Best of luck to you.

Hey all, here is the story in short. I'm currently using an Asus RT-AX86U. There isn't anything wrong with the router, and it's meeting my current needs without issues. There are a couple things I have considered though in getting another WiFi 7 router, after having the Asus RT-BE92U develop issues after 6 months or a bit more of use. My considerations are the following: Right now, I have no WiFi 7 devices, however, my current iPhone (15 Pro Max is 6E, and my next phone will be WiFi 7) I would like multiple 2.5G Ethernet ports instead of just the one on the RT-AX86U. I only really need one more (2 in total) as my computer is the only device that can currently take advantage of more than a gigabit port currently. I am considering one of the more basic TP-Link routers from Walmart, that have one WAN, and one LAN 2.5 port, and I can either do a dual band, or tri-band router. And they aren't that expensive and have the current upgrades I'm looking for over my existing Asus. People have generally reviewed the TP-Link routers well, and I've had a couple myself and overall they've been stable. The main reason I went with Asus was for the more advanced. options which, in reality, I don't use a lot of on a daily basis. With this said, is what I'm looking for a reason couple upgrade options? The models are: the BE3600, and BE9300. Right now the 3600 is the only delivery from store option, and it's the dual band. The BE9300 is Tri-band, and both models at walmart have 2 2.5 G ports and 3 1G ports.

Only reason I didn’t buy a TP-Link, instead, bought the AX86U.

So far, I like it. It’s honestly not saying much though, cause I’m coming from a crappy Verizon router that keeps dropping out the WiFi and network. I will have to wait until I get back from my trip to set all my IoT devices on there, then we’ll see how good it really is. How are you liking yours?

I've had dozens of routers from Cisco, Netgear, TP-Link, D-Link, LinkSys, ZyXEL, DD-WRT, and more. They've all worked OK. I now have an ASUS RT-AX86U which is the best router I've ever owned. The user interfaces are all pretty similar... ASUS's AiMesh product is mature and stable. What do you mean when you say something caused "Internet to crash every 5 min"? Did one or more Wi-fi devices transiently lose connectivity? Or did your Internet connection somehow fail so nothing was connected? Did you look at the log? Do you have a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout the house? Are your mesh nodes connected to the router node by Ethernet, or by a wireless connection? If your 60+ devices are all Wi-Fi then you might need to adjust DHCP settings to enlarge the address space. You might also check your smartphone settings so that residents don't use randomized MACs which can fill the DHCP address pool. Anyway - if you configure your new router with the same SSID/password you used before, your 60+ devices should be able to attach to the new device without changing their configuration.

same scenario as you, moved into a new place recently with FTTP and subbed to Superloop on their gigabit plan. I bought an [ASUS RT-AX86U Pro \(AX5700\)](https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BR5S6MYX) and it's been flawless so far. Even with the router having to sit in a wardrobe (where the NBN modem is), devices which I have to use WiFi for have no connectivity issues with the extra walls it has to go through. Do note: if you (or others in the household) are a PC gamer, you may quickly discover like I recently did that your CPU is a bottleneck for your new shiny gigabit as Steam needs to decompress data on the fly and you may only get a fraction of your actual bandwidth before your CPU hits 100% usage. Same may apply to consoles but unsure if PS/Xbox stores have a similar implementation. Highest I've seen my Steam downloads get to is ~600Mbit/s while speed tests show a generally consistent ~950Mbit/s down.

The Beryl has only a dual core CPU is a bit lacking,. Great for travel n doesn't always translate to great for home use. If your home is a closet (efficiency apt) and no need for connection outside then perhaps. My primary home router is going to remain my ASUS RT-AX86

ASUS RT-AX86U Pro (AX5700) is my router and it's superb.  Selling for about $170 on sale on Amazon right now, but you might be able to get it cheaper second hand.  I can stream 4k games from the PC in my office to any TV in the house. Don't take my word for it.  Look up reviews, YouTube videos, and other people's experience with it.  Make sure you make an informed decision.

Buy asus ax86u pro. It has great signal throughput. Good router will cost 150-200. You can of course buy routers which can work as one (mesh). One will be main and you can connect other through cable in other end of house. By cable you won't loose any performance through wifi

Yeah not too bothered about the 950 can’t get that on the WiFi anyway.. I can get around 600 tho so the upload is annoying… Edit: I have an AX86U which I believe has a 2.5G port… will check.

If you were happy with your TP Link for 8 years at its current location, then the AX86U Pro will be a fine replacement. It's setup will be pretty similar to any other all-in-one router, well within your capabilities. If you can wire your gamer into an Ethernet connection, you'll probably have no compaints for the next 8+ years as well.

I've got a Asus AX86U. Am I going to be downgrading in any aspect? I know one is wifi 6 and the other one is wifi 7. But I don't want slower wifi 6 speeds on the Dream Router or giving up range/cpu power.

I have the AX86U Pro with a symmetrical 1 Gbps line and it’s fantastic.

Community Tested Routers The following routers have been reported to work reliably from a number of users. High End (AXE / WiFi 6E) - TP-Link AXE300/ AXE16000 ($450 US) High End (AX / WiFi 6) - Asus RT-AX86U ($300 US) Dedicated (BE / Wifi 7) - TP-Link BE9300/BE550 ($200-$300 US) Dedicated (AXE / WiFi 6E) - Davolink 'Kevin' Minion 6E ($129 US) Dedicated (AXE / WiFi 6E) - TP-Link Archer AXE75/AXE5400 ($160-$200 US) Dedicated (AX) - PRISMXR Puppis S1 (80$) Dedicated (AX / WiFi 6) - GL.iNet Beryl GL-MT3000 ($90 US) Low End (AC / WiFi 5) - GL.iNet Opal GL-SFT1200 ($50 US) Low End (AC / WiFi 5) - TP-Link Archer C6 or A6 ($40 US) TP-Link AX and Huawei routers have been known to have issues we are unable to identify. Higher end TP-Link AX/AXE routers not listed here may work well but as with any router not on this list, should be considered untested. The TP-Link Archer AXE5400 is not the same thing as the Deco AXE5400. The latter is a mesh router and may not work as expected.

Thanks for the review! Looking to upgrade from my AX86U, this having 2.5 LAN ports is a bonus

I've had both, used to be a die hard TP-Link user until my last one died and I replaced it with an Asus RT-AX86U -better UI/more features -updates improving performance -get features that other companies (Netgear) charge a subscription for

Mine lost the signal strength on the wifi significantly after two years and two months, did reboot, factory reset, update and tried all channels and bandwidth. Seems to be a faulty transmitter or similar. My neighbor 5G network has a better signal in my house then the ax86u does an arms length away. Figuring out if I want a Asus to replace it or a better brand.

The maximum speed for that Ax86U model would be 1Gbps because that is the max speed of the WAN input ethernet port from your internet service provider's.modem unit. So if your internet ISP provider you pay for is 300 mbps, then this is plenty enough capacity. The most you will get is 300. However, if you decide to change your ISP to something greater than 1Gbps, you will need a bigger capaicity WAN input port.

I have built a 5-node mesh system with those Asus routers (RT-68U + RT-AC66U B1 + RT-AX86U) for my house, garage and guest house, works great!. Bought them all for around 25€ per unit on Facebook Marketplace :-)

I have the same RT-AX86U Pro and an Aimesh (Asus 5400). And I'm not planning on changing them for now.

I would argue for a large majority of devices, speed is not as important as a stable connection. I have been debating this to replace an older end of life Asus router. I like Asus with Merlin and the built in security features. The asus wifi 7 routers have a lot of questionable reviews with a common theme of the 2.4 ghz radio having disconnect problems or failing completely within the first year. I am leaning towards ax86U pro over BE-88U. Most of my IoT devices and smart speakers use 2.4Ghz for better range, bandwidth requirements are low. I don't really need the speed that wifi 7 offers. Unless you are doing huge file transfers locally or have multi-gig Internet service you don't really need Wifi 7 IMO.

Linksys WRT3200ACM great price used. Had some issues with front led burnout. $50 on eBay all day. Upgraded to an Asus rt-ax86u pro for wifi 6. I live in a three story town house and have great coverage but, if you need to, you can expand with an Asus AP or travel router using Asus Mesh.

I've been using an ASUS RT-AX86U in AP mode for some time now. It works pretty flawlessly with my pfSense setup.

For remote access with a built-in VPN, check out Asus routers with Merlin firmware support like the RT-AX86U. It offers VPN services and good performance for flashing OpenWRT if you want more control later. While learning about port forwarding, consider Tailscale as a user-friendly option for secure remote access without opening ports directly. It offers good security and simplifies the process!

I recently ran into that and needing a hardline far away from the modem. I already had an ASUS RT-AX3000 from a couple years ago. I just bought an ASUS RT-AX86u PRO for $200 at best buy to use next to the modem. I will use the 3000 as a repeater. I am getting speeds 700-800 on my Xbox from the 3000 that gets it's connection wirelessly and offers the hardline for my computer and Xbox.

good luck with that router my friend. that thing was an absolute dumpster fire for me before it ended up in the bin

I just setup an ASUS RT-86AX Pro and it is working great. It is installed on our main floor and is giving great coverage upstairs and downstairs. On the two machines in my upstairs office, I usually get \~500 Mbps and that is more than enough for what I do (just tested now and getting 637.2 Mbps down and 319.4 Mbps upload. When I bought it, I figured I would test performance and if it was not acceptable, I would add an AIMesh extension upstairs. So far, not even close to needing that. Edit: typo

a downgrade from AX86U.. weaker 5GHz band, 6GHz signal just isn't strong enough to penetrate walls

I have an asus AX3000, AX86U PRO. Also TPlink AX90 . But for some reason i find ASUS to be more solid than TPLINK.

No, most gaming routers are just marketing on a beefy router thats overpriced with QoS features and an absurd amount of antennas. If you can, ditch wifi. If you can't, hows your signal? If the signal is fine, what's your current router, modem, expected speed and budget? First, rule out anything clientside. Update your network card drivers. If you want to save money, try setting up QoS or adaptive Qos/cake. Update your router firmware as well. I use a asus rt-ax86u pro with merlinwrt and an arris sb8200 modem.

ASUS RT-AX86U Pro is a great router for around that price. You can still use your ISP's modem if they can put it in bridge mode so the router part is no longer active.

I have the ASUS RT-AX86U Pro (AX5700) with two TP Link EAP (wired POE) access points connected via a POE gigabit switch (our service is sub-gigabit), and it makes a nice cost-effective setup. The ASUS RT-AX86U Pro (AX5700) supports 2.5gbps and some of the TP Link EAP series access points do as well. I have found ASUS routers and TP Link access points to be reliable and a breeze to configure.

This. I have the rt-86u pro and its been great.

Yeh man MASSIVELY. Its the walls/obstructions that screw your signal distance. Went from unuseable to max speed at far end of the house. I got the asus rt ax86u pro.

Yes. The answer you're looking for is yes. They work in wireless backhaul mode with each other and other AIMesh products. I have a RT-BE92U and an RT-AX86U. The RT-AX86U is completely physically disconnected and forms a second node over 5GHz wireless. If I swapped them and wanted the AX to be the primary node, it would also work.

I went from the RT-AX86U to the ASUS RT-BE92U and don't regret it at all. The 86 was demoted to a wireless node and it works great for that. Speed on the 92 is great. I get \~1.6Gbps with MLO doing SMB downloads on a WiFi 7 laptop and it exactly maxes out my 940/940 (FIOS) connection. Connections to my iPhone 15 Pro Max and 16 Pro are less interesting. They don't come close to maxing out my Internet speed. (Apple is too cheap to put in a 320MHz solution, so it's stuck at 160.) Otherwise, I got it very cheap two months ago. Yes, it did run with one core at 100% CPU for a bit, but a firmware upgrade fixed that and it's been rock solid, reliable since.

Everyone has their favorite brand, mine is Asus. Try looking for a used WiFi 6 one from Amazon resale from someone that may have upgraded to a WiFi 7, or look on FB or Ebay. I got a nice used one from Amazon that you can hardly tell was used. It was more than your price range, but I can also resell it for more $. For reference it was a RT-AX88u pro. You could go for a 86 which is little cheaper, but won't get both 2.5G ports which can get you 1140 vs 940 on the Gig plan, up to you if it's worth it.

What is your wifi router? If it's old and crappy, a better one may help. I'm posting this from about the equivqalent of your dead zone and this is where I WFH from with no issues. I'm using an Asus RT-AX86U. What are your internal walls made from? Obviously relocating the router to a more central spot would also help, though that may require cabling change.

Hey! With a $500 budget, you’ve got some awesome choices. For solid coverage (up to or beyond 5000 sq ft) and gigabit speeds, I’d go with a TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro mesh system Wi-Fi 6E, super reliable, and great range even into the garage.. If you prefer a single powerful router, the ASUS RT-AX88U or AX86U Pro are both solid picks. Fast, stable, and feature-packed. ASUS usually has better software than Netgear, in my experience.

I have an Asus ROG AX11000, two AX86Us, and one AX92U. 4000Sq home, seems to work fine. I will be replacing them with Ubiquity equipment once I decide to upgrade.

Just bought AX86U Pro $180 Staples Canada, plan to replace my dlink router and bridge to megahub 1.5 gig service, use 2.5 gig lan ports

Cannot get asus router to handle pppoe..credentials past but kills internet?

Check out Asus routers. My main router is the RT-AX86U then they have mesh routers you would add on each floor or on two floors and your devices will connect to the closest one. A mesh router system is what you are looking for. Don't even bother with things like "range extenders" as they are terrible. The mesh system will do all that plus

I have an 82u and a 86s in a mesh configuration and that works well. EDIT: Just be aware that if you use the Asus/TrendMicro security suite with their routers, the router sends your routing data to TrendMicro and their partners. Even though it is nice to have, I have all that turned off because of this.

This is awful advice. You need to take into consideration what the needs are. For example I have 29 devices paired with smart home automation and a 1.5gbps connection. If I use an AXE5400 then I am speed capped over wifi to only get a max of about 850mbps download speeds instead of the full 1.5gbps due to the AXE5400 only having gigibit ethernet ports (Routers with 2.5gbps ports are rare and expensive). The Wifi 6 performance on the AXE5400 is also dreadful. I am getting an AXE75 to see if it's any better because I am so disappointed with the AXE5400. You are probably the sort of person that would have said in the 90s "28 Megs of memory is plenty enough!". My Asus 86u router is also slower over 5g wifi than the crappy AXE5400.

once i saw a post that basically just said “dont be paralyzed by choice” like “dont let perfect get in the way of good” i have an wifi6 ASUS gaming router with the custom merlin FW, has served the purposes i needed to start a lil server side project, not advocating for it im sure ill run into limitations later but it got me started and the ball rolling. great for my general purposes like gaming and streaming, sorta fun project flashing custom firmware and then going deep on configuring all the things ive wanted on a lil router, adblocker, vpn client, better firewall, local Network file Share with SSD attached to the router, etc, its fun and works.

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