Consider switching your mesh router to Wi-Fi 6 for better performance.
Consider switching your mesh router to Wi-Fi 6 for better performance.
Hi there, I'm new to this forum but excited to join. I'm trying to replace my wireless routers because I'm not getting the best performance. In some parts of my home I'm experiencing less than half the speed I expect. Right now I use four Gen 1 Eero mesh routers throughout my house. I really like the Eero system because it doesn't require constant reboots, but Eero hasn't released a WiFi 6 model yet, so I'm hesitant to upgrade to their current models since I think it's a poor use of money. My home is about 3,000 square feet including the basement. Internet speeds are around 200 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up, which I'd like to improve to over 400 Mbps. I've started researching the NETGEAR Orbi Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System, Linksys Velop WiFi 6 MX10, and Asus RT-AX92U AX6100 models. I'm struggling to decide which ones are the most reliable for my space and which brand is more trustworthy overall. Any suggestions would be really helpful. Thanks!
It often depends on the software in certain situations. I've heard some scary tales about Netgear Firmware, ASUS seems to use Merlin firmware based on DDWRT so it should be reliable. Linksys broke for me after Belkin acquired them. I'm not completely convinced about AX yet. The regular version is better than AC, but I think it's wise to let the standard develop before spending money on it. Also, I've heard they might add 6Ghz in the future, so I'm curious about what that could mean for me.
I've worked with Orbi and Eero quite often. The main issue I didn't mind with Orbi was the inability to switch between 2.4 and 5GHz channels. This tends to become a problem only with older devices like smart lights or other legacy gadgets. Even though they can't actually detect the 5GHz band, it still leads to annoying problems and significant delays. Except for that, Orbi has performed well.
Note: I haven't personally used any of these at home, but Orbi has been reliable. Also, if you rent a modem/router from your ISP—most of them now—you'll get updates that let Orbi adjust its settings for dual-NAT support.