RT-BE88U

Had a ASUS RT-AC88U running Merlin for about 10 years but just retired it to just an AP in the shed but got a Asus RT-BE88U to replace it but it was faulty so I got a refund for it and when I returned it the staff said UniFi UCG Ultra was a better choice so I got one with a UniFi switch and a U7-lite to start with but added two more switches and it’s so much better than using an all in one device no more rebooting the one device when changing some settings and a lot easier to setup in general like vlans and lock down ports and expanding the network I just add new devices and not replacing a all in one device to upgrade the network.

Had a Asus be88u all in one which was faulty and got a refund for it ended up getting Ubiquiti gear to replace it got a UCG Ultra, USW Flex 2.5 5, USW Flex mini, U7-lite and Poe injector for it for starters so much better than having a all in one device and can do a lot more configuration wise is easy too and adding more devices doesn’t mean replacing it all just adding devices or replacing one device if needed.

You can go with ASUS be86u/88u/92u/96u or unifi dream 7 and unifi express 7. These are expensive models tho, but you get what you pay for! Especially asus routers with the ASUSWRT Merlin firmware!

If it were me, I'd get the Asus RT-BE88U to start. For more coverage, I'd get the Asus zen wifi-bd5 with wired backhaul.

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.

I bought a BE88U for now and will see how it does. First impressions: - Higher download speeds everywhere, including on Ethernet - Upload speeds are the same (maybe even a couple Mb/s lower) - I actually am starting to wonder if the speed change is largely up to me swapping the cable between modem and router - Signal strength readings actually don't seem much different at all from my old Nighthawk - I had to tweak channel bandwidth a bit. Also seems like the channels it's auto-selecting have more neighbors on them - I didn't notice any disconnects in bed last night, but will need more data - I ended up separating the 2.4 and 5 ghz networks for more control (and that's what I was used to from the older router) - The control GUI is much more responsive. Though, I intend to not open it much ever - Setup was basically plug and play. Though, I ended up having to do initial network configuration on mobile. The Ethernet connection to the router didn't work until after I completed that - Seems like a solid device so far, but I can't make that assessment until seeing how it does over time All in all, I was hoping the new tech was going to give a noticeable coverage improvement. It didn't based on signal strength, but I haven't experienced any disconnects upstairs yet. The router is definitely impressive performance-wise. It could handle even higher bandwidth for sure. I'll report back on quality over time. Honestly, in the back of my head, I wonder if I should've just grabbed another Nighthawk. I suspect I'd have the same speeds and I wonder about signal strength. I can see Ubiquiti being a nice direction for the future when I have the time and energy to put into it. But I don't think I'd see the value from it right now. And I'd probably want Ethernet wired for that anyway.

ASUS BE88U with Merlin software on a 1Gbps plan. Has worked very well apart from some older devices not liking the main network (wifi 7 etc) so I use the VLAN options to make separate networks that work better with these devices.