ASUS - RT-BE86U

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.

Flint, ASUS 86U is notorious for overheating

I’m rocking an ASUS RT-BE86U (not tri band). It does have Wi-Fi 7 features such as MLO, 4K-QAM, etc, but only has 2.4/5GHz bands. It’s been solid. From my experience with a Unifi UDR7 that had the 6Ghz band, it was flaky at best. I think the ideal set up for 6Ghz is multiple AP’s scattered throughout your home/office to really utilize it properly. Ymmv, but in my opinion 6Ghz is more hype than functional.

Short answer: Get the ASUS RT-BE86U. It’s the better buy over the BE82U because it adds a 10 GbE port (nice future-proofing for fast WAN/LAN) while both are dual-band Wi-Fi 7 (no 6 GHz). Reviews also show the BE86U’s 5 GHz performance and software are excellent. If you’d rather have 6 GHz (great for newer phones/laptops) and don’t need 10 GbE, consider the TP-Link Archer BE550, which is frequently around $199 and tested well for budget Wi-Fi 7. Go BE86U if you want ASUS features and a 10 GbE port for only \~$20 more. Go BE550 if you want 6 GHz at \~$200 and can live without 10 GbE. Why I’m recommending these BE86U vs BE82U: Both are dual-band Wi-Fi 7; BE86U adds a 10 GbE port (BE82U has five 2.5 GbE only). If prices are close, BE86U wins. TP-Link BE550: True tri-band with 6 GHz around $199–$229 and strong test results—great budget “next-gen” pick. TP-Link GE650: Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 gaming router that’s been seen at $250; good if you prioritize gaming features. If you want, tell me your internet speed and house layout—I'll tailor settings (channel width, MLO on/off, WAN/LAN hookup) for whichever you choose.

I am an Asus fanboy, and I've had their products for years. The BE92U was a dud right out of the box for me. Even with the latest firmware, and trying Merlin too, I suffered from random reboots. If a router can't stay booted for longer than a few hours, something is seriously wrong. I may have a bad example though. I'd recommend the BE86U instead, yeah it doesn't have 6ghz, but it has better reviews and great 4x4 5 ghz performance.

I’ve had good luck with ASUS. The app is user friendly with easy access to parental controls. I have a few of them. As I upgraded my main router I just switch the old to wired mesh nodes. What ever you get a dual band , 2.4 and 5ghz, is usually enough. There aren’t a lot of devices that use the 6ghz band. WiFi 6 is the minimum I’d get as there aren’t a lot of WiFi 7 devices either, but it would give a little future proofing. Without knowing a budget, a RT-BE86U has been a solid router for me

I’ve had good luck with ASUS routers. My only thought is if you keep them for long periods which it looks like you do, why not a BE86U? It’s 220, or if you live near a Best Buy they have trade in your old gear for 15% off. Not available on every router tho. But it is on the BE92U, so it would be 187ish

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.

Was doing research on deco mesh systems and one thing i noticed is that there’s a lot of complaints about hardware revisions and firmware. I was interested in the ability to select preferred connection between decos and device preferred connection. That way i could set the mesh topology as i wanted while steering non mobile devices to specific decos where signals are strong from multiple decos to the correct one. Simple right? Nope. The updated firmware for this feature only applied to specific versions of hw. So a v1 xe75 got it but not a v2 at the time. Then an xe200 didnt have it at all and it some older popular models never got it at all. It just seemed like a mess and the model i ordered didnt have it but amazon lost the pkg so i got an asus instead that feature is just naturally in their firmware… Their wifi7 models all support it but it’s like they just stop supporting previous popular hardware and move on so quickly

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.

The AX86U was the best router I ever had before I started using more purpose built routers with separate APs. But Newegg is ripping you off for $295 for a 6 year old router. If you're going to spend that much, get the newer BE86U which is just the more modern version of that one, or look for a better deal. Usually the AX86U is in the $170 range which IMO is worth the premium over the AX3000 version.