Deco BE65-Outdoor (BE11000)

Depends on what you want. Do you want future proof WiFi 7, an more options to control? I’ve had mesh systems from Linksys, tp link, net gear and honestly I’ve found tp link is great. They’re kind of lax on the updates but functionality wise, great system. I have my moms place on the deco be 85s and all 3 are wired back hauled. If you want wireless back haul consider maybe a deco 95. What is the sq ft of the house? How many stories? Do you need service out in the garage if detached? In my semi truck I’m running the deco be65 outdoor since it’s built for weather and harsh environments. But like I said it all depends what you want to do with it or if you like to customize. To me the app is great. You can see what each device is pulling in terms of data

Im using Deco BE11000 as my 2 main nodes (plus a few smaller deco devices to extend to other parts) in an apartment, wifi 6 disabled (as i don't have anything that supports it yet), fast roaming disabled. System works flawlessly and consists of a full Arc Ultra setup, Sonos Amp, Era 100 and several Symfonisk speakers.

Cat 5 or Cat 6 They will work fine for what you are trying to accomplish Why do you have to run ethernet cables..? Only one unit should require being connected to your modem. Also is that deal still available ? il buy it lol

Thats okay, this is how mesh is designed to work and utilize eachother to create a whole home network, place the main unit there, and the secondary unit on the oppposite corner. if this hinders your original plan of wanting on in a specific room you shouldn't have sold that third guy lmao, but honestly since your in an apartment Id bet even a single node would cover it all so just place the second unit wherever you want the best connection / want to hardwire

Using AT&T fiber 1000 TP-Link Deco BE11000 Wi-Fi 7 Tri-Band Whole-Home Mesh Wi-Fi System 3 Getting 1.25gb speeds

I can confirm this one works well. Gives you all the settings you need to overcome the downsides that happen with most Mesh systems.

This is my response from a different thread but this applies: A sample size of one but I wanted to give you my perspective. I used to have RBR50 with 1 satellite with wireless back haul. I get 1.2GBPS at from my ISP. I used to get really good speeds (5-600) everywhere, but about 2 months ago it started getting worse and eventually died. I’ve had these for 5-6 years so I got my money worth. I bought Deco BE11000 and had it for a week. I hated it, it was unstable and the internet speeds were all over the place. Compared to my Orbi, I got higher speeds (800 deco vs 500/600 Orbi) when I was close to the router, but worse speeds (80/90 deco vs 200 Orbi) when I was far away from the router. Some of my smart devices didn’t even connect at all. My work computer kept on dropping connection constantly even at 15 feet! Then tried the 770. The firmware was a mess. Constant dropping connections with several drops. My TV which is about 20ft away kept on losing WiFi and it drove me crazy. Specially at the price of 770. I finally went back to RBK752P and it’s been a dream. I get 800+ pretty much everywhere in the house and connection has been rock solid. Take that for what at worth!

Are you adverse to installing access points? I’d recommend going the Ubiquiti route if you’re not. If you are, grab the Deco’s off eBay and you’ll save some money plus get full fat tri band WiFi 7. https://ebay.us/m/35O3hp If you want to get equipment on a budget, Woot regularly has Arris equipment for dirt cheap. I can’t attest to how reliable they are at scale, but I hooked my parents up with a 3 pack on WiFi 6E for $60 and they’ve had no issues. https://www.woot.com/category/computers/networking-communication