ASUS - ZenWiFi XD5

Asus xd5. I’m a big fan of Wireguard vpn for sharing video services like YouTube tv and Netflix . I was a Google Wi-Fi gen 1 before this.

I have an older Asus ZenWi-Fi AX three unit system, it's been good. I have a big house with a lot of small rooms and I get a consistent 500-plus mbps everywhere. I want to get another couple for my garage to replace a Linksys access point.

I've been running an Asus XD5 setup with wired backhaul for a couple of years now and it has been solid and basically trouble free. No idea how it would handle extreme environments though or how it works without wired backhaul. But my main primary router is the utility room in the garage where it will get into the 90's in the summer and it is fine with that. If you are already familiar with the Asus routers it would be easy to setup for you. While it has a lot of the options of their upper end routers there are some missing features from what I've read but none that I would ever use.

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

I have the ax3000 and it’s fine. The only thing I wish it had natively was port mirroring. I never use the mesh or security insights etc. I do like that you can set up a guest network with timed access for when we have friends over. Another device with custom firmware and a laptop dedicated to network monitoring helped solve other concerns

Yeh I use asus AX3000 in the past. Great router

Most consumer grade Wi-Fi 6 routers are basically just fancy 5GHz routers anyway. that being said, the range is actually reduced with a higher frequency but if you're reasonably close to your a router A Wi-Fi 6 Device will let you stream at a much higher resolution and frame rate without drops. But it's something you should just test. Maybe 2.4 GHz is stable enough for 1080p 60fps gaming. You just have to try. Personally, I think it's a worthwhile investment. I got the Asus ax3000 and I'm never going back lol

AImesh can do the job, but it will do it much better with wired backhaul if you can, especially because the AX3000 is only 2x2 dual band and has no dedicated radio for meshing, so if you mesh wirelessly, you end up halving the 5GHz bandwidth.

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.

Gotta be the tried and true asus ax3000. I’ve had mine for 5ish years now and it’s a tank. I left Netgear due to puma chipset connection-drop issues. The next step imo is OPNSense on a mini pc. Edit: forgot to add - for modems, whatever you do, do NOT get a modem with a puma chipset. Research the firmware issue for more detail, but lots of packet loss and dropped connections baked into it.

I have an AX3000 that I use as an AP and it works great. Do you even have any WiFi 7 devices?

Spend a little more and get a asus AX3000 .

Edit: to clarify. I posted what I've used in the past, not what I want to use next. The first two were recycled. I added an image of what I've used over the years (Linksys WRT54G, Westell 7501, Asus AC-1900). I feel like the 3 primary routers I've used have been great and reliable. I think I got lucky. I'm looking for a moderate upgrade, even though I don't really need it. My current Asus is pushing 10 years and I'd like to retire it and keep it as a backup. My wishlist: ~$75 (I can wait for a sale), super reliable and automatic, dependable, WiFi6 or 7 just to keep up, would work well with older WiFi tech. A mesh system is not required, but my parents have a 2story house so it might help. I've got the ability for wired back-haul. Honestly a single point would be fine for us i think I want this for my family, my parents, and my grandparents. None of us are power users. All 3 of us have the same AC-1900 router, which makes management super easy for me. In-fact, besides powering off and on occasionally, they've been very reliable for the non-tech-saavy. Just looking for something to continue that tradition. Last year, I bought an ASUS AX3000 WiFi 6 Router, but I returned it. I used it for ~3 weeks, but it was super unreliable compared to my current Asus AC-1900. I never figured out why. I thought it would be an upgrade, but it seemed slower and had tons of connection issues. I have some older tech that was the primary connection problem, but even newer ~4 year old tech was having trouble. Maybe i screwed up the configuration, but it was also more complicated than my current Asus. Hoping to avoid that again. Need something the other family members can handle without any input, like we currently have. Thank you!

Hey! Go with the ASUSAX3000. It's fast, reliable, has Ethernet ports, and you can manage it in a browser... Perfect for fibre, basic streaming, and 2.4GHz devices. The Netgear RS90 is nice but kind of overkill (and pricey) for what you need. Under $50 is tough unless you go used or refurbished. AX3000’s your best bet!!

Yeah, extenders don't work in big houses. For 3500 sq ft, get a mesh system like TP-Link Deco or ASUS ZenWiFi.Covers everything, no dead zones, no 5G or 2.4GHz.

Hey! WiFi 6E is a good call, 6GHz is nice if your devices support it. Try these: TP-Link AXE75 – Fast, solid, affordable. ASUS AX3000 – Reliable and easy to use. Eero 6+ – Super simple, just works. No mesh needed. All three are great picks!

I bought an Asus zenwifi system but eventually hardwired the satellites to a switch plugged into the main unit. Works great.

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