Advice on Router/AP setup

[Guyanthalas]

Hi All!

I have a RT-AC86u as my base router and have recently completed wiring (most) of my house.

The 86u is in the basement running hardwired to the 24 port switch which sends the network throughout the house. House is 2 story + basement ~2300sqft.

I get terrible speeds in my bedroom. (Connection is strong, but whatever). I'm thinking of getting a newer router to replace the one in the basement, and moving the AC86u to one of the bedrooms to act as an access point with a wired backhaul.

I'm a home automation enthusiast (go HomeAssistant!) so I have a lot of wireless devices, but I hardwire where I can. I'd prefer to use Merlin, but could be talked out of it if good reasons exist.

I won't say "money is no object", but I'm not afraid to spend some money to help "future proof" my setup a bit.

Questions:
What would be a solid unit to replace my 86u with, keeping future proofing in mind?
Do I gain any benefit of using AIMesh with a wired-backhaul, or is that just fancy marketing at that point?
Any other ideas that I may not have considered?

Thanks!

 

[OzarkEdge]

Hi All!

I have a RT-AC86u as my base router and have recently completed wiring (most) of my house.

The 86u is in the basement running hardwired to the 24 port switch which sends the network throughout the house. House is 2 story + basement ~2300sqft.

I get terrible speeds in my bedroom. (Connection is strong, but whatever). I'm thinking of getting a newer router to replace the one in the basement, and moving the AC86u to one of the bedrooms to act as an access point with a wired backhaul.

I'm a home automation enthusiast (go HomeAssistant!) so I have a lot of wireless devices, but I hardwire where I can. I'd prefer to use Merlin, but could be talked out of it if good reasons exist.

I won't say "money is no object", but I'm not afraid to spend some money to help "future proof" my setup a bit.

Questions:
What would be a solid unit to replace my 86u with, keeping future proofing in mind?
Do I gain any benefit of using AIMesh with a wired-backhaul, or is that just fancy marketing at that point?
Any other ideas that I may not have considered?

Thanks!

I would diagnose your issue before spending to solve it.

What does "I get terrible speeds in my bedroom." mean? What is the client? To what and how is it connecting? What is the connection link rate speed? What is the ISP subscription speed? How are you measuring speed and to/from where? And what speedtest.net speeds down/up do you measure with a PC wired to your ISP modem? To your router LAN port? To the bedroom Ethernet wired to your router LAN port (with/without the switch in the path)?

A second AC86U or AX86U could be wired as an AiMesh node to extend your WiFi coverage. The existng AC86U buried in the basement is not ideal for broadcasting WiFi upstairs and to outdoor yard living areas.

OE

 

[Tucu]

Hi All!

I have a RT-AC86u as my base router and have recently completed wiring (most) of my house.

The 86u is in the basement running hardwired to the 24 port switch which sends the network throughout the house. House is 2 story + basement ~2300sqft.

I get terrible speeds in my bedroom. (Connection is strong, but whatever). I'm thinking of getting a newer router to replace the one in the basement, and moving the AC86u to one of the bedrooms to act as an access point with a wired backhaul.

I'm a home automation enthusiast (go HomeAssistant!) so I have a lot of wireless devices, but I hardwire where I can. I'd prefer to use Merlin, but could be talked out of it if good reasons exist.

I won't say "money is no object", but I'm not afraid to spend some money to help "future proof" my setup a bit.

Questions:
What would be a solid unit to replace my 86u with, keeping future proofing in mind?
Do I gain any benefit of using AIMesh with a wired-backhaul, or is that just fancy marketing at that point?
Any other ideas that I may not have considered?

Thanks!

As you already have the rooms wired, I would keep the AC86u where it is and get one or more cheap 2x2 AC APs to place where needed (wired).

 

[Guyanthalas]

I would diagnose your issue before spending to solve it.

What does "I get terrible speeds in my bedroom." mean? What is the client? To what and how is it connecting? What is the connection link rate speed? What is the ISP subscription speed? How are you measuring speed and to/from where? And what speedtest.net speeds down/up do you measure with a PC wired to your ISP modem? To your router LAN port? To the bedroom Ethernet wired to your router LAN port (with/without the switch in the path)?

A second AC86U or AX86U could be wired as an AiMesh node to extend your WiFi coverage. The existng AC86U buried in the basement is not ideal for broadcasting WiFi upstairs and to outdoor yard living areas.

OE

Thanks for your reply!

The speeds on the wired connections are all very solid (200mbps), and even the wireless speed (mobile phone, pixel 2xl) on the first floor of the house is just fine (~80mbps or so). But it gets down to about 10-30 mbps in the bedroom. When I watch youtube videos in bed it always drops it to 140p quality. That's why I'm thinking about adding an AP to the second story.

 

[Guyanthalas]

As you already have the rooms wired, I would keep the AC86u where it is and get one or more cheap 2x2 AC APs to place where needed (wired).

That sounds solid. Have a recommendation on the AP? I'd like to stick with Asus so I can utilize the AIMesh if that makes the wi-fi mesh better.

 

[Tucu]

That sounds solid. Have a recommendation on the AP? I'd like to stick with Asus so I can utilize the AIMesh if that makes the wi-fi mesh better.

Right now Asus is only selling rather expensive Wi-Fi 6 mesh kits. For a single AP for home use I would look at TP-Link. If you are looking at deploying 2 or 3 APs take a look at the WIFI-5 AC1200 mesh kits with Ethernet backhaul from TP-Link, D-Link and Netgear. I would not buy a Wi-Fi 6 mesh kit until they release the 6E version with 6Ghz band support.

 

[Clark Griswald]

That sounds solid. Have a recommendation on the AP? I'd like to stick with Asus so I can utilize the AIMesh if that makes the wi-fi mesh better.

Add another AC86U (currently $159). I don't use AiMesh, but I can say that two AC86 in main/AP would significantly upgrade your network.
Obviously you want to stick with Asus not for AiMesh, rather for RMerlin fw

Stay Safe Everyone

 

[noah way]

Relocate the router to a central location on the main floor and see how that works.

 

[Guyanthalas]

Relocate the router to a central location on the main floor and see how that works.

Thank you for the suggestion. What information will I be able to glean from this test?

 

[noah way]

Thank you for the suggestion. What information will I be able to glean from this test?

How strong your connection is in different locations throughout the house. Be sure to adjust the antennas like this \ | /