Wi-fi 6e on the cheap

[kowra]

I recently moved from a detached house to and apartment and the congestion here is nuts.

Only 5m away from the router and my pixel 7 struggles to hold a connection on the 2.4 or 5ghz bands.

Larger devices seem to be ok but I mostly just my phone these days.

What do you recommend as a cheap way to get into the 6ghz band to get away from all the noise?

Ideally something with the future possibility of custom firmware but any cheap and reliable 6ghz AP or router will do.

Would love to DIY but don't think we're there with 6e yet.

 

[AndreiV]

Wifi 6e , cheap , no they are expensive and Wifi 7 is already here.

 

[Tech Junky]

Could do a NWA220AXE for $150 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9H89MQF/?tag=snbforums-20

Since you have issues with 2.4/5 already the 6ghz option disables 5ghz. If you have devices that need 5ghz there's other options that provide all 3 radios simultaneously but they jump in price closer to $300.

 

[kowra]

Could do a NWA220AXE for $150 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9H89MQF/?tag=snbforums-20

Since you have issues with 2.4/5 already the 6ghz option disables 5ghz. If you have devices that need 5ghz there's other options that provide all 3 radios simultaneously but they jump in price closer to $300.

Thanks, good too see. I saw some Tenda routers for about the same money, but I don't think they'd be near at good as this

 

[Tech Junky]

@kowra It's slim pickings when it comes to options that aren't $500 when you're looking for something specific. There's also some 6E dongles basically that attach to existing systems but, they're $200 for a single band being added.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XWMCV9H/?tag=snbforums-20

There are other ways to do it but, require more planning and ingenuity than just adding a box to an existing network. 6ghz presents issues with engineering something and keeping the costs low.

 

[sfx2000]

Just note that 6e has limited benefit unless all of your clients in your situation support 6e...

Consider that when deciding on HW upgrades for the AP or clients...

 

[Tech9]

Larger devices seem to be ok but I mostly just my phone these days.

Your issue is somewhere else and not in congestion. I have an apartment in a large building and Wi-Fi devices can do easily 300Mbps in high Internet traffic hours. In quiet hours >500Mbps.

 

[sfx2000]

Your issue is somewhere else and not in congestion. I have an apartment in a large building and Wi-Fi devices can do easily 300Mbps in high Internet traffic hours. In quiet hours >500Mbps.

I think it really depends on the environment...

I had a work project where I was in a hotel 20 floors up and in a, for lack of a better word, rich wifi environment - and it was WiFi hell back in the day on 802.11g/a...

Just saying - environment is a concern, and in MDU's (multi-family dwelling units), wifi is a challenge - see my post of Google WiFi... good info there...

 

[Tech9]

A few walls kill 5GHz in high rise buildings. Most networks will be -80dBm or lower, neighbours only perhaps -70dBm. Not an issue. The OP has a problem with single client. This is not congestion issue. Perhaps they need a better router, but not necessarily limited use 6E variant. I’m using good old Synology RT2600ac in my place. It has no issues with dense Wi-Fi around.

 

[tgl]

Just note that 6e has limited benefit unless all of your clients in your situation support 6e...

Well, it won't fix anything for your 2.4/5GHz clients, but they can carry on with what they were doing. As long as you still have 2.4/5GHz APs, that is. I think the big knock on the NWA220AXE is exactly that it has no 5GHz radio, only 2.4 and 6GHz. (Or more precisely, its second radio can do 5GHz or 6GHz, but not both at once.) It's hard to see that making sense as your only AP anytime in the likely service life of the device. As an add-on to an existing system with 5GHz service, maybe it's sensible; but it's definitely a niche device.

I do very much like my NWA210AXs, but when I decide to spring for 6e/7 APs, I'll certainly want three-radio gear. The only credible offering Zyxel has right now is the WAX640S-6E, which is about twice the price ($300 at Amazon).

 

[Tech Junky]

5GHz or 6GHz

I see it as a bridge since they assume 5ghz won't be needed if you're looking into 6ghz as an option. Any device you can upgrade the wifi module in can use it though. Modules are cheap compared to triband triradio models. $30/device is cheaper than a full upgrade with BE around the corner once the FCC approves things. Current BE launches are north of $1000 and there are only a couple of client devices that can tap into that signal.

 

[tgl]

$30/device is cheaper than a full upgrade with BE around the corner once the FCC approves things. Current BE launches are north of $1000 and there are only a couple of client devices that can tap into that signal.

Yeah. It's anybody's guess how soon Wifi 7 gear will be affordable and have more than a few client devices available, but you should be thinking about that while contemplating how much to spend on Wifi 6e today.

My own bet is that the real game-changer here is the extra spectrum opened by 6e, and thus that it's not worth waiting for 7 if you have a credible need for new wifi gear now. But there's plenty of room to argue the opposite, depending on how immediate your need is.

 

[Tech Junky]

@tgl it's always a balancing act. I've pondered 6ghz since release but, don't have a need for it other than testing. If I had issues with current bands then a quick RF scan does reveal zero use currently around me. The spectrum benefit though on 6e doesn't have enough appeal without the 320 boost of BE to make dropping cash on it right now. For the op though if it's truly congestion though it would make sense.