ASUS - RT-BE7200 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 7 Router

Ah I understand…the models I have are more comparable to the following: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6578388.p?skuId=6578388&sb_share_source=PDP I usually make the latest / newest generation my central hub for mesh and all the older ones just nodes.

in the middle of upgrading my home network, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to set up my wireless network throughout my home. I live in a ~ 1600sqft raised ranch home, with a split entryway with the living space all on the upper floor (~1100sqft) and a 1/3 finished basement (~500sqft). 600sqft of it is split between unfinished and a 2-bay garage. The basement living area and living room are stacked on top of each other. The two large bedrooms are above the garage area, and the 3rd bedroom is kind of between the garage and basement living space. Pretty much, I’m pitching a 25'x75' rectangle. Those aren't the actual dimensions of my outer walls, but it's a close proximity. I'm currently paying for Quantum Fiber 940gb internet, but I plan to switch to Google Fiber when they finish installing their lines in my neighborhood. My current setup is using an Asus BE-7200 router and a RT-86u satellite in a mesh mode. The main BE router is downstairs in the unfinished portion of the basement, and the older router is upstairs in the opposite end of my home in the larger spare bedroom that my wife is using as a home office. So far, the two working together work most of the time but then run into stability issues when the devices get kicked off, and the WiFi slows way down/stops working altogether. I’ve run updates, reconfigured settings, and so far, the only solution is to reboot the entire system, and the issue goes away. My plan is to set up a centralized networking rack in the unfinished portion of the basement and have the downstairs area and living room all home runs to the networking rack. My wife wants to move her office into the smaller bedroom that is more centralized in the home, and I will have a CAT6 cable running from the basement to her office. I’m also using a 24-port switch I got on sale for the same price as the 16-port switch to feed the two rooms from the rack. It’s 1GB limited, but that should be plenty for hardline streaming, gaming, etc. Here’s my dilemma: Option 1) Do I continue using the ASUS router and get another ASUS WiFi 7 router for the new office spot and AI mesh the two together and remove the older WiFi router altogether? Option 2) Turn off the WiFi 7 radio and use it as a stand-alone router and switch and install WiFi 6 tp link Festa or Omada APs throughout the home? One will be set up on the ceiling in the finished portion of the basement, one on the outside wall in the office facing into the home, and one on the ceiling in the garage to make sure my vehicles, the EVSE for one of them, and 3D printer have good coverage. Option 3) Purchase a stand-alone router and manage switch, and then move the ASUS router into the centralized location of the home in the office.

That’s what I was thinking but I was hoping I can just use the ASUS router as a Ethernet router since the wifi would be turned off.

500mbs is more than enough for couple of people. Even for doing 4k streaming is fine. Don't really see any benefits of 1gig unless you are downloading/uploading tons of data. 2gb is just overkill and definitely not required. Look at review website dongknows to narrow down the choice of routers based on your requirement. Everyone is different so hard recommend, still some are good. Few router recommendations 1. Unifi UDR7. Great all-in-one router with lots of features. 2. Asus with wifi 7 and support for merlin firmware. Check above website for reviews. 3. If you want more control and would like to go DIY route, Any N100 mini pc with dual nic running opnsense/pfsense on it. Maybe directly or virtualized. Add an AP like unifi or omada or something else.

Why not spring for a new ASUS WIFI 7 router? WIFI 7 is 2-3X faster than WIFI 6.

No really. I am seeing about a 80% increase in speed from WIFI6 to WIFI7.

Buy a ASUS WIFI 7 router and add a Mesh ASUS WIFI7 extender or 2. You can create a ASUS Mesh network, theoretically at 95% of Ethernet speed with modest ping. Cost thru Amazon or Best Buy should be under $400. Good luck!

my wifi7 from Asus has been rock solid. easy to set up as seen here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX76s\_XScJ4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX76s_XScJ4)

my wifi7 from Asus has been rock solid. easy to set up as seen here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX76s\_XScJ4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX76s_XScJ4) it's small enough to hide wherever.

my wifi7 from Asus has been rock solid. easy to set up as seen here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX76s\_XScJ4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX76s_XScJ4) does not matter which brand. you need ethernet backhaul as mentioned in the vid. while installing new CAT6 might not be easy or costly for a novice, look at MoCa as an option. that's also mentioned in the vid.

If the internal walls in your apartment are concrete and you don't have line of sight to the router it can be hard to get reliable wifi in multiple rooms even in a small apartment. The issue is made worse by the fact that there are a lot of competing signals in most places in Hong Kong. WiFi 7 does deal with these issues better than previous technology, but is expensive. I use as Asus WiFi 7 router and it is a distinct improvement on the one that it replaced. With a 2.5G connection I am seeing download speeds in a 700sq ft apartment of 500mbps at worst and about 1100mbps as best.

If the internal walls in your apartment are concrete and you don't have line of sight to the router it can be hard to get reliable wifi in multiple rooms even in a small apartment. The issue is made worse by the fact that there are a lot of competing signals in most places in Hong Kong. WiFi 7 does deal with these issues better than previous technology, but is expensive. I use as Asus WiFi 7 router and it is a distinct improvement on the one that it replaced. With a 2.5G connection I am seeing download speeds in a 700sq ft apartment of 500mbps at worst and about 1100mbps as best.

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 think so long as the router is capable of creating an independent/a separate 2.4G network it will be fine. For my Asus wifi 7 router, I create a separate network for beam g2 era 300 100 play5 n One. All work fine except that sometimes my iPad would not connect to some via airplay when playing YouTube. I would then restart my iPad n problem will be solved. Using Sonos app has been fine.

i've had multiple asus routers, installed multiple asus routers, and never had a single failure, so not sure what you do for a living or how many networks you have setup with Asus in your life currently using a firewall gold, with 2 asus wifi 7 routers as AP's and I get a full gig wired and wireless everywhere with my one gig connection on my property

I like Asus since you don't have to go all-in with mesh on day one. Wireless backhaul is an issue with every mesh system. I started with an AiMesh Extendable Router and I can add anything from the Asus line-up if I need better coverage. And, yeah, that RT-AX86U Pro is pretty nice with its 2.5 Gbps port connecting to my Arris cable modem. This computer is wired to a LAN port and works very well, and the wi-fi around the house is very reliable.