ASUS - TUF Gaming BE6500

**(Part 1/2)** How large is the residence that needs WiFi coverage? On how many floors (looks like just two)? Are you interested in WiFi 6E or WiFi 7? What's your budget? I'll assume a maximum of $300 USD. I'll focus on WiFi 7 below, but if you specify additional requirements I could share additional recommendations if you are interested. **Summary:** WiFi 7, 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands: I think the **BE86U** is a great pick, with **BE88U** as an upgrade pick if you must have more RAM and the additional LAN ports. For WiFi 7 with 2.4/5/ghz bands the only viable choice if you want "spatial stream parity" with your current router is the **BE96U** but it's way overpriced. If you must have WiFi 7 with 6ghz band, I don't think you should buy from ASUS. There is also an ASUS "ROG" (Republic of Gamers) line you could check, but these tend to be pricey for the top tier stuff. [https://rog.asus.com/networking-group/allmodels/](https://rog.asus.com/networking-group/allmodels/) **Details/Analysis:** I am most familiar with ASUS routers so I will share my thoughts on that brand. **If you are focused on only WiFi 7 w/2.4ghz and 5ghz bands**, then I think these four are worth considering: **TUF Gaming BE6500, RT-BE82U, RT-BE86U, RT-BE88U.** They all have 4x4 spatial streams at 5ghz. First 2 are 2x2 for 2.4ghz, the 86U is 3x3 while 88U is 4x4. Since 2.4ghz is lower bandwidth 2x2 should be fine but of course more spatial streams is better, especially if you have lots of "smart" devices like switches, plugs, video cameras, etc (they use 2.4ghz mostly). They all have 1GB of RAM except BE88U has 2GB. First 2 have 2.5GB WAN/LAN ports, 3rd & 4th have a mix of 10GB/2.5GB ports. Here's the comparison chart: [https://www.asus.com/product-compare?ProductID=25268,30794,25357,24014&LevelId=networking-iot-servers-wifi-7](https://www.asus.com/product-compare?ProductID=25268,30794,25357,24014&LevelId=networking-iot-servers-wifi-7) The TUF BE6500 is a good price of $159.99 at Costco. BE82U=$139.99, BE86U=$208.99, BE88U=$279.99 (Amazon prices). Of those, which to get? Comparing to your existing router (I think this is it, Nighthawk R6700? [https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/R6700/R6700\_DS\_12Jun14.pdf](https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/R6700/R6700_DS_12Jun14.pdf) ) that has AC1750 (450mbps 2.4ghz 3x3 stream + 1300mbps 5ghz 3x3 stream). Also has 256MB of RAM, so whichever router you get is going to give a RAM upgrade! Since you had 3x3 streams on 2.4ghz and 5ghz you probably want the new router to at least have the same number of streams, or more (so 3x3 minimum on 2.4ghz and 5ghz). For this reason I recommend at least the RT-BE86U (2.4ghz=3x3, 5ghz=4x4) or RT-BE88U (2.4ghz&5ghz=4x4). Next question, how much RAM? Existing router=256MB; BE86U=1GB, BE88U=2GB. I think BE86U is a good pick as 4x the RAM will help the router perform better and serve more clients. BE88U is more beefy at 2GB RAM. Next, WAN/LAN ports. AC1750 had five 1 gigabit ports. BE88U has the most ports (good mix of 2.5gb and gigabit ports as well as 10GB WAN/LAN). **I suggest at least BE86U but if you really want more RAM and additional LAN ports, the BE88U is a better choice.** Both of those options also provide you the same spatial stream count (or more for BE88U) as your current router. You could also downgrade a bit if you want to save a bit of money and don't need 10GB ports or as many spatial streams. **Among the TUF BE6500 and BE82U I'd pick the BE82U** as it has one extra 2.5gb port (5 total vs. 4) a slightly faster processor (2.0ghz vs 1.5ghz) and it costs $20 less than TUF BE6500 ($139.99 vs $159.99).

I would avoid the Be92u. The performance of the 6GHz band is subpar and the 5GHz band is not as good as the TUF. The TUF 6500 seems to be better suited to your use case.

Always bought a worthy router , for example I got the ASUS WIFI7 gaming router as I would never get my gigabit speeds via WiFi. It’s disappointing for the money spent monthly and this has been 15+ years of this and it’s a monopoly. I’ve tried others companies as well as ones that came and went. I typically always hardwired and that’s the closet I’d ever get to a gig. I have a rentals properties I own and one is a new build (3 months old) another I built 15 years ago both spectrum all the way through the whole time including my personal home & business. As long as the modem is up to par Docsis3.1 etc, is what they offer but there is better out there, however that is what’s important but even using spectrums new WIFI7 router the equipment is subpar to be nice. Of course, there are variables involved understanding, LoS, waveforms, frequency , channels and interference or whether it’s your walls or you live in a old home or a new build, or where the whole neighborhood is set up for spectrum and you’re stepping onto the signal from line to line & home to home. Everything is expanding to quick all over and they all can’t keep up but want the business and worry about the quality later. Even more troublesome is telecoms infrastructure as a whole is outdated severely is the major culprit and it get a bandaid over a bandaid, spectrum’s architecture is no different and is out of date( I.E. the IP switch up of running out years back & MAC addresses are getting there too) again many variables. Apologies, this is more info than asked , I just dealt with it today via a tech telling me to get a mesh network or router because I won’t be happy with the performance. I know people that have been behind the scenes or even subbed out and worked on the back end of things as I have or have climbed the towers for installation/fixes to the front know. I will always say being you can’t get out of the modem as you could once upon a time , always buy your own equipment for best results. Finally even with my $500 router I still only get 650-700 down & up which is disappointing. In all the years whether admittedly doing what I was trained to do , these days when having techs out they all will tell you all day get your own router or mesh network which is a tad cumbersome when you folks are paying high bills and installation fees and is some cases getting PODS , the glorified signal repeaters. It’s a shame. Please know I am not bashing spectrum per se , they are all the same as it’s a bigger issue. I just don’t see a solution in the near future. YES , always get your own gear when possible and configure it well and properly.

Always bought a worthy router , for example I got the ASUS WIFI7 gaming router as I would never get my gigabit speeds via WiFi. It’s disappointing for the money spent monthly and this has been 15+ years of this and it’s a monopoly. I’ve tried others companies as well as ones that came and went. I typically always hardwired and that’s the closet I’d ever get to a gig. I have a rentals properties I own and one is a new build (3 months old) another I built 15 years ago both spectrum all the way through the whole time including my personal home & business. As long as the modem is up to par Docsis3.1 etc, is what they offer but there is better out there, however that is what’s important but even using spectrums new WIFI7 router the equipment is subpar to be nice. Of course, there are variables involved understanding, LoS, waveforms, frequency , channels and interference or whether it’s your walls or you live in a old home or a new build, or where the whole neighborhood is set up for spectrum and you’re stepping onto the signal from line to line & home to home. Everything is expanding to quick all over and they all can’t keep up but want the business and worry about the quality later. Even more troublesome is telecoms infrastructure as a whole is outdated severely is the major culprit and it get a bandaid over a bandaid, spectrum’s architecture is no different and is out of date( I.E. the IP switch up of running out years back & MAC addresses are getting there too) again many variables. Apologies, this is more info than asked , I just dealt with it today via a tech telling me to get a mesh network or router because I won’t be happy with the performance. I know people that have been behind the scenes or even subbed out and worked on the back end of things as I have or have climbed the towers for installation/fixes to the front know. I will always say being you can’t get out of the modem as you could once upon a time , always buy your own equipment for best results. Finally even with my $500 router I still only get 650-700 down & up which is disappointing. In all the years whether admittedly doing what I was trained to do , these days when having techs out they all will tell you all day get your own router or mesh network which is a tad cumbersome when you folks are paying high bills and installation fees and is some cases getting PODS , the glorified signal repeaters. It’s a shame. Please know I am not bashing spectrum per se , they are all the same as it’s a bigger issue. I just don’t see a solution in the near future. YES , always get your own gear when possible and configure it well and properly.

FYI , all of our current routers and mesh product all have extensive on router functionality including Open, Wireguard and much more. As such you could pick BT6, 8, 10, 16 our any of the routers. Also all of the units have our Gaming QoS option for prioritizing game packets and or specific systems, if you want a more streamlined experience our gaming models ( ROG, ROG STRIX, TUF GAMING ) also have dedicated Gaming Ports which are pre configured should you connect your device to that port. You can also do this manually through our firmware/app. Also note unless you need the coverage specific to a kit ( which can be done via AiMesh ) on the router side you have the benefit of no backhual use maximizing throughput if you are within the coverage area of a router.

I have always used Asus for as long as I can remember but I just got a TP Link system because I recently tried upgrading my Asus mesh with newer models (2 different ones) and one had constant rebooting issues which they can't fix and the other has 2.4 GHz WiFi issues which they also can't fix. Both are their WiFi 7 models.

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