Upgrade from AC68U to WiFi 6 or WiFi 7?

[Dracule68]

Currently have dual AC68U setup in AiMesh mode placed both ends of the house. This setup is starting to show signs with increasing number of devices in household and there are also dead spots around in backyard and front driveway.

- Living space is ~2700 sq.ft with drywalls all around
- My network speeds are 1Gbps/40Mbps upload (Spectrum)
- On average there are 30-40 devices connected to the network (8 of those devices hard wired and rest on WiFi). Majority of those devices are alreay
- Netgear GS608 switch
- Synology NAS (DS920) for Plex streaming (both local and remote)

Are there any good WiFi routers that are as solid as AC68U that will last for another 5-6 years? My budget is around $400 USD. Is it worth it to buy entry level Wifi 7 (eg. Archer BE550) or get a stable Wifi 6 or 6E?

 

[OzarkEdge]

If ASUS and wired, consider the dual-band AX86U Pro... it's been for sale around $206 lately on Amazon and B&HPhoto. It might cover your entire area, centrally located. The Pro models will get next gen firmware with some new features like better VLAN support for guest WLANs... time will tell.

I would favor 'mainstream' ASUS performance routers (like the AC68U was in its day) for longer firmware support.

OE

 

[Tech Junky]

I would just add on to what you have with an AP. Doesn't need to be Asus. Zyxel has some good options for both 6/6E for under $200/ea.

I would go with the nwa210ax for now since they're $130/ea and shutdown the Asus wifi and connect them to those. Dedicated APs will provide better coverage and performance than repurposed routers.

 

[Dracule68]

If ASUS and wired, consider the dual-band AX86U Pro... it's been for sale around $206 lately on Amazon and B&HPhoto. It might cover your entire area, centrally located. The Pro models will get next gen firmware with some new features like better VLAN support for guest WLANs... time will tell.

I would favor 'mainstream' ASUS performance routers (like the AC68U was in its day) for longer firmware support.

OE

One thing that swayed me away from AX86U Pro was not having dedicated multigig port for NAS.

 

[L&LD]

Yes. Unbalanced hardware is a waste of time and money. That is why the GT-AX6000 and the RT-AX88U Pro are superior today (and still).

 

[Dracule68]

Yes. Unbalanced hardware is a waste of time and money. That is why the GT-AX6000 and the RT-AX88U Pro are superior today (and still).

Both of these are well within my budget and price almost the same. Aside from their appearance, only difference I see is extra USB 2.0 port and being cheaper. Would GT-AX6000 alone be enough to cover 2700 sq. ft? Also, I see it was released early 2022, will this get software updates for another 5 years or so? That design tho…ugly af. Might have to stash it somewhere in the closet.

https://www.microcenter.com/product/646852/asus-rapture-gt-ax6000-ax6000-wifi-6-dual-band-gigabit-wireless-gaming-router-with-aimesh-support

https://www.microcenter.com/product/663585/asus-rt-ax88u-pro-ax6000-wifi-6-dual-band-gigabit-wireless-router-with-aimesh-support

 

[Tech Junky]

closet

That defeats the purpose and kills your signal.

 

[L&LD]

If they're both within your budget, get the RT-AX88U Pro then. Newer model, and is more likely to be supported longer. But the GT-AX6000 has been reported to get the (not yet released, 3.0.0.6.xxx) firmware updates to be on par with the former model.

Both will easily cover 2,700 SqFt. Depending on placement (not a closet), construction materials of the home, and the immediate WiFi environment. WiFi has too many variables to predict accurately. The best is to buy, test, and return if not up to reasonable expectations.