3 pack ASUS ZenWiFi XT8 vs. 3 AX86U?

[snovvman]

They will be used as AP only with an Ethernet backhaul. I have a seperate FW/router. I know the AX86 can run Merlin firmware and is well-liked. I am considering the ASUS ZenWiFi XT8 for atheistic reasons, but are there any other advantages of going with a 3-pack AX6600 rather than three AX86Us in mesh config?

Their specs look similar enough. The XT8 has two 5Ghz. How does its six internal antennas compared to the AX86U's three external + 1 internal antennas? How about the range?

I'd appreciate any input.

 

[RMerlin]

Please provide full model names, as AX6600 could be anything. The first Google result for AX6600 points me at a TP-LINK Archer AX90 | AX6600.

 

[snovvman]

Please provide full model names, as AX6600 could be anything. The first Google result for AX6600 points me at a TP-LINK Archer AX90 | AX6600.

Thank you, @RMerlin. I didn't know there were other devices with the same name. I was talking about the "ASUS ZenWiFi XT8 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System".

 

[RMerlin]

Thank you, @RMerlin. I didn't know there were other devices with the same name. I was talking about the "ASUS ZenWiFi AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System".

That would be the Asus ZenWifi XT8 then:

ASUS ZenWiFi AX (XT8)｜Whole Home Mesh WiFi System｜ASUS Canada

ZenWiFi Systems blanket your home with WiFi, for seamless roaming with no dead zones. They only take a few steps to set up, and offer easy, hassle-free management. Their modern design blends with any style of home.

www.asus.com

 

[L&LD]

And whether the 'AX86' you state are RT-AX86U or RT-AX86U Pro, both those models and the XT8 would not be recommended today (many issues with the latter and the former are effectively obsolete while the 'pro' is still offered with crippled hardware that impacts its value and longevity in the very near future - whether your ISP/needs change or you decide to sell it for much more capable WiFi 7 equipment in the future).

Start with a single RT-AX88U Pro, and add wired nodes as needed (usually, only a second one is), for the best performing, reliable, and dependable network today.

AiMesh Ideal Placement

 

[snovvman]

And whether the 'AX86' you state are RT-AX86U or RT-AX86U Pro, both those models and the XT8 would not be recommended today (many issues with the latter and the former are effectively obsolete while the 'pro' is still offered with crippled hardware that impacts its value and longevity in the very near future - whether your ISP/needs change or you decide to sell it for much more capable WiFi 7 equipment in the future).

Start with a single RT-AX88U Pro, and add wired nodes as needed (usually, only a second one is), for the best performing, reliable, and dependable network today.

AiMesh Ideal Placement

Thanks for your input, @L&LD! I was talking about the AX86U Pro. I have a 4000+ sqf upstairs/downstairs plus front the back yard to cover. The AC86Us have been good to me, and from reading your post in another thread (where you were reporting on the AX68U), I assumed that an AX86U Pro would also improve performance at distance. This is what caused me to consider the XT8 and AX86U Pro.

I was also considering the TP-Link Deco 63 (BE10000). I can live without the ASUS' tools and features, but my previous experience with the Deco 6E line was that the range did not hold a candle to the AC86U.

How is the AX88U Pro that much more superior to the AX86U Pro, considering that it is still WiFi6?

Thanks again!

 

[L&LD]

It has balanced hardware (i.e. 2x 2.5GbE ports for WAN/LAN), it is a proven platform today (particularly with RMerlin firmware), and costs pennies more than that hardware crippled RT-AX86U Pro over the expected life.

There really isn't any valid reason to contemplate the '86U Pro over the '88U Pro today, when all factors are considered.

 

[snovvman]

It has balanced hardware (i.e. 2x 2.5GbE ports for WAN/LAN), it is a proven platform today (particularly with RMerlin firmware), and costs pennies more than that hardware crippled RT-AX86U Pro over the expected life.

There really isn't any valid reason to contemplate the '86U Pro over the '88U Pro today, when all factors are considered.

I made a quick search trying to understand how the 86U Pro has crippled hardware but didn't find anything meaningful. Will you please point me in the right direction? Thank you!

 

[L&LD]

Yes, they won't advertise it as crippled hardware. They will advertise it as a feature.

A single 2.5GbE port for WAN/LAN doesn't make for a very balanced network if you're expecting greater than 1GbE ISP and LAN speeds on the same network.

The better-balanced RT-AX88U Pro with 2x 2.5GbE Ports is worth any premium to get that balanced configuration.

 

[snovvman]

Yes, they won't advertise it as crippled hardware. They will advertise it as a feature.

A single 2.5GbE port for WAN/LAN doesn't make for a very balanced network if you're expecting greater than 1GbE ISP and LAN speeds on the same network.

The better-balanced RT-AX88U Pro with 2x 2.5GbE Ports is worth any premium to get that balanced configuration.

Thanks. My primary goal was to improve speeds at distance. My service is 600Mbps and the most I can get is 1Gb. When I am close to an AP, the speed is fine. When I am farther away, I'd like to improve the speed, including connection to my NAS (1Gb Ethernet). In this case, the crippled hardware would not make a difference, correct?

 

[L&LD]

Possibly not. But will you bet your future needs to save mere pennies?

What is your current router? Is it centrally located in your home/area of use? Will the new router be placed somewhere more optimally? Or are you still expecting two or more to cover your needs?

 

[RMerlin]

The RT-AX86U_PRO is not "crippled", it's just a slightly lower end SKU that also costs less than the RT-AX88U_PRO ($258 vs $315 on Amazon Canada). If the budget matters and you don't expect to need more than a single 2.5 Gbps port (i.e. you don't expect to get anything faster than 1 Gbps for the next mul;tiple years), then the RT-AX86U_PRO is a fine option. The CPU and the wifi will be the same in both models, so performance will be next to identical.

 

[L&LD]

As a network device that offers a single 2.5GbE connection, yes, it is crippled. Either WAN or LAN, not both.

And this hardware imbalance is not worth the savings of $57 (or less, with sales) over many years of ownership.

Not just a lower-end SKU, it is marketing bs at its finest. And targeted to people that want to save a few pennies while providing a product that is fast becoming obsolete (particularly in the near future where greater than 1Gbps ISP speeds are becoming more and more available, and to use those speeds you need a LAN connection to match.

 

[RMerlin]

The fastest his ISP offers is 1 Gbps, and he's not even on their faster service. To me that says that WAN speed is not that important for his specific needs, otherwise he would already be using the faster service available.

$57 is not pennies, it's a pretty significant amount of money to some people. Not everyone has the same budget flexibility. You can even get an extra repeater for that amount of money.

Products should be recommended based on a customer's needs and budget, not on personal preferences... Or using your own argument, I would call your RT-AX88U_PRO crippled because it lacks 6 GHz support, which is the future... right now? Your 2.5 GBpz WAN is too fast for the 5 GHz AX wifi that device has, so it's "unbalanced"?

DIfferent products for different needs and budgets.

 

[L&LD]

$57 over 5 years is just over $0.03 per day. That is not a budget concern.

On the other hand, spending $258 today and needing to spend at least $315 in the immediate/near future is a waste of money.

I don't only recommend just what customers need. I give them all the facts and they make those decisions on their own.

Even if they decide to sell the unbalanced hardware in the next few years, it will be worth immeasurably less than that $57 more expensive router today.

Many budgets are arbitrary and not based on market prices. That is another aspect I explain to my customers too. And, for the record, when my customers tell me they have up to $1K to spend on a network, I don't (at least, not so far).

 

[snovvman]

Possibly not. But will you bet your future needs to save mere pennies?

What is your current router? Is it centrally located in your home/area of use? Will the new router be placed somewhere more optimally? Or are you still expecting two or more to cover your needs?

For me, it's about the form factor. I still have 3 AC88Us sitting around unused because they are large and unsightly. Their wide, horizontal form factor also takes up space where I don't have it. I switched to the AC86U because they take less room and has a vertical form factor. I would gladly pay much more for something that is not game-themed, white case, that fits my home's decor better. This is why I am looking at the XT8s and TP-Link Decos. I know, at least, that the Decos' range do not compare to the ASUS AC86U or AC88U.

I also like @RMerlin support, which is why I keep coming back to the devices that support it. I was even thinking about painting it to white so they blend in my home better.

 

[RMerlin]

For me, it's about the form factor. I still have 3 AC88Us sitting around unused because they are large and unsightly. Their wide, horizontal form factor also takes up space where I don't have it. I switched to the AC86U because they take less room and has a vertical form factor. I would gladly pay much more for something that is not game-themed, white case, that fits my home's decor better. This is why I am looking at the XT8s and TP-Link Decos. I know, at least, that the Decos' range do not compare to the ASUS AC86U or AC88U.

I also like @RMerlin support, which is why I keep coming back to the devices that support it. I was even thinking about painting it to white so they blend in my home better.

In the case of the XT8, I would keep in mind that it's an older product, since then Asus has also released the XT9 and the XT12 in the same product line. I would make sure that I got a good price for it before opting for that model.

The XD series might also be another mesh alternative:

ASUS ZenWiFi XD6 Series(XD6/XD6S)

ZenWiFi Systems blanket your home with WiFi, for seamless roaming with no dead zones. They only take a few steps to set up, and offer easy, hassle-free management. Their modern design blends with any style of home.

www.asus.com

I'm not really familiar with this product line however, so I don't know how it compares to the XT series.

 

[L&LD]

For me, it's about the form factor. I still have 3 AC88Us sitting around unused because they are large and unsightly. Their wide, horizontal form factor also takes up space where I don't have it. I switched to the AC86U because they take less room and has a vertical form factor. I would gladly pay much more for something that is not game-themed, white case, that fits my home's decor better. This is why I am looking at the XT8s and TP-Link Decos. I know, at least, that the Decos' range do not compare to the ASUS AC86U or AC88U.

I also like @RMerlin support, which is why I keep coming back to the devices that support it. I was even thinking about painting it to white so they blend in my home better.

For me, when I care about the form factor, I'm bleeding money. Function over form, always.

 

[Tech9]

For me, it's about the form factor.

RT-AX86U Pro is the upgrade model for you. You get newer hardware, newer firmware and perhaps better reliability. It's the same form factor as your RT-AC86Us and you don't overpay for features you don't need. Keep in mind the upgrade won't produce any extremely noticeable improvements in user experience. What you see on the screens of your devices >$600 later will be about the same and the range will be about the same. In such a major equipment replacement and with Ethernet available I would just go SMB and forget about consumer products. Asuswrt 5.0 on Pro models is in the beginning of the fixing stage. It will come with beta testing time - your time.

 

[snovvman]

In the case of the XT8, I would keep in mind that it's an older product, since then Asus has also released the XT9 and the XT12 in the same product line. I would make sure that I got a good price for it before opting for that model.

The XD series might also be another mesh alternative:

ASUS ZenWiFi XD6 Series(XD6/XD6S)

ZenWiFi Systems blanket your home with WiFi, for seamless roaming with no dead zones. They only take a few steps to set up, and offer easy, hassle-free management. Their modern design blends with any style of home.

www.asus.com

I'm not really familiar with this product line however, so I don't know how it compares to the XT series.

Thank you, @RMerlin! I will look into the XT9 and 12 series. I appreciate you taking the time to provide input!