UniFi Dream Machine Special Edition

You would want a cloud gateway of some sort. The UDM Pro Max or SE are solid choices. You will want a PoE switch if you start with the Pro Max since it has better specs, but doesn’t offer native PoE ports. Then you will want APs of some sort. WiFi 6 or WiFi 7…often the latter requires more power, so the SE might not have enough power for many WiFi 7 APs. The Pro APs are nice and the U6-Mesh is a nice table top AP. The product names are sometimes misleading, so read the specs…or ask here.

You can easily do this with Ubiquiti UniFi gateways. Often we create a different SSID for IoT and just turn on 2.4GHz for that SSID. Turn off 5GHz etc.

Unifi UDM SE been solid since install a couple of years ago.

I'd suggest looking into Ubiquiti UniFi. Since you have wiring available, it would be ideal. Look at the Cloud Gateway Ultra or Max as the router/controller, and add switches and wifi APs as needed/possible. You'll get a single-point-of-management interface for all the hardware. The Dream Router 7 is nice in that it has an AP built in if that's needed. The Dream Machine rack mounted hardware is also great, it may be overkill for you though.

UniFi, hands down. I don't know what you consider "similar nonsense", - prosumer and a lot of business will use a controller that manages the configurations and statistics. The Cloud Key is a somewhat older implementation of the UniFi setup where it performed as the controller and an NVR for cameras. They've split that off - you can get gateways (router/controller) that does not have the video incorporated any longer. The "cloud" in some of their hardware doesn't mean it's run from the cloud or whatever, it's simply part of the model name. You can run it all standalone without being tied to their servers (though it's pretty convenient at times). Similarly, they have "mesh" in the name of some of their APs - but all of them can be wirelessly uplinked. It's a matter of them associating through marketing to the massive consumer "mesh" marketing. But it's still prosumer stuff and uses the same controller as the rest. My favorite feature is reliability. It's been rock solid for me through 6 years (I've moved through three upgrades and it's just stable. I love it. Look at the Dream Router 7, UniFi Express models, and Cloud Gateway models for some pretty darned good home solutions. The Dream Machines are great also, they are rack mount though and tilt towards having the video features. Should you choose one of the simpler offerings and want to go video later - there are standalone DVRs - including the Cloud Key+, which is still popular - that you can add. There is other prosumer gear, but Ubiquiti UniFi and TP-Link Omada are the only ones I know of with the unified management.

UniFi, hands down. I don't know what you consider "similar nonsense", - prosumer and a lot of business will use a controller that manages the configurations and statistics. The Cloud Key is a somewhat older implementation of the UniFi setup where it performed as the controller and an NVR for cameras. They've split that off - you can get gateways (router/controller) that does not have the video incorporated any longer. The "cloud" in some of their hardware doesn't mean it's run from the cloud or whatever, it's simply part of the model name. You can run it all standalone without being tied to their servers (though it's pretty convenient at times). Similarly, they have "mesh" in the name of some of their APs - but all of them can be wirelessly uplinked. It's a matter of them associating through marketing to the massive consumer "mesh" marketing. But it's still prosumer stuff and uses the same controller as the rest. My favorite feature is reliability. It's been rock solid for me through 6 years (I've moved through three upgrades and it's just stable. I love it. Look at the Dream Router 7, UniFi Express models, and Cloud Gateway models for some pretty darned good home solutions. The Dream Machines are great also, they are rack mount though and tilt towards having the video features. Should you choose one of the simpler offerings and want to go video later - there are standalone DVRs - including the Cloud Key+, which is still popular - that you can add. There is other prosumer gear, but Ubiquiti UniFi and TP-Link Omada are the only ones I know of with the unified management.

UniFi. My current gateway has an uptime of 5m 2w 6d 9h. It's been well over a year previously, only interrupted by firmware updates.

It's not so much that Orbi doesn't work with Apple products, it's that Apple products are very "finicky" - it's a byproduct of Apple being very aggressive and strictly standards-compliant in ways that often clash with consumer-grade hardware like Orbi. There is a certain amount of freedom (in wifi standards) for Apple to be strict, and for consumer wifi like Orbi to be "loose" or have defaults that don't work well with them. So, some consumer gear, trying to be helpful, or users who don't know the effects of some settings, end up making it feel like crappy hardware. Band steering, force roaming, and other settings that might work with most wifi devices doesn't with Apple hardware. Since you have a grand to spend - Ubiquiti UniFi. The prosumer gear will allow you to set meaningful parameters that can improve your Apple experiences. For instance, UniFi allows you to fine-tune the "Minimum RSSI." You can tell the system, *"If an iPhone signal drops below -70, let it go,"* which aligns with Apple's internal logic for roaming signal strength criteria. There is lots of support and guidance for UniFi - including tuning for Apple devices. You'll also find flexible options for inexpensive switches (\~$30 for the Flex Mini) to get you more ports. APs with ethernet ports is more of a consumer thing, with prosumer, you'd be using switches when you need ports. If not UniFi, then look at Eero - it has a good reputation for working well with Apple's implementation, but the downside is the subscription model. UniFi has none.

I got a UDM SE, but I’m also going to add security cameras, and the U6 Enterprise WiFi AP to get out from under my ASUS routers I have been using. My WiFi has never been so consistent and trouble free as it is now in the UniFi ecosystem.

Look at the speed you want to support and the technology you have. Unifi is great if you want 1Gbps and that’s all. Most their offerings struggle with faster speeds and any type of IDS and IPS enabled when on a PPPoE network. Due to this I switched to Firewalla and couldn’t be happier as my ISP is PPPoE and my UDM SE couldn’t go 1.2Gbps when I was paying for 2.5Gbps. My Firewalla hasn’t had an issue yet with full speed and IPS fully enabled as it’s rated to 10Gbps. I’ve heard good things about the new Unifi Fiber but I’m not switching back.

Ubiquiti UDMSE coupled with some UniFi WiFi 6E/7 access points (PoE)

ubiquiti is the go-to for mesh systems. In their good gear, the router/gateway and access points are independent from each other, allowing for upgrade of the wifi network separate from the router. They use POE+ for the access points - so like look at a UDM SE and hardwiring a couple AP's in mesh. You'll get seamless handoffs, and great coverage. I have a UDM SE w/U6 Long Range wired directly to the router, and a U7 Max Pro wired via 2.5Gbps MOCA, (one on each floor) and have excellent service all through my 2500sq ft home. Note unifi is prosumer, they're used by small businesses, chruches, colleges, etc. so their feature set is way better than asus or deco, or whatever you'd find at a consumer level. They have 'simple' and 'professional' menus, so you can get by just fine with the simple menus, but they will do everything and anything you can imagine, super well.