ASUS router recommendation Wifi 6/6E?

[Itsabovethenet]

All Asus
AX86U Pro
TUF Gaming AX6000
ROG AX6000
AXE7800

I don't plan to use Wifi 7 anytime soon and the issues with it deter me for now.
Plan to learn basic networking (House is wired so I'll run a port to a switch, also want to play with Vlan, other features) Seems like they all have enough to help/learn.
I want the best signal coverage for 3000+ sqft 3 floor. (I'm aware I'll eventually get an AP to help). But also I'm in a congested area with neighbors plus my 40+ IOT devices.

My thought is the 86U Pro due to it's stability for several years, however the other devices seem newer which potentially would be better? Price is not an issue as they are all between $170-220.

 

[degrub]

Ubiquiti wifi6 or TP-Link Omada wifi6 if you want reliability and good coverage. 1 AP per floor at low power to avoid overlap and noise from too much RF power. Wired router at ISP entry point, either double NATed (behind ISP router) or behind ISP router/modem in bridge mode. Learning curve is not too steep and the Ubiquiti gear has a very good user interface.
see many posts by @Tech9

 

[Itsabovethenet]

I was interested in Ubiquiti but the cost became an issue. I didn't see how I could get the router plus AP's from them and still be in the $170-220ish range. I could add more AP's later but even a router and 2 AP's would be a lot more unless I'm wrong. Do they have routers that would equal similar features/abilities as what I mentioned in the same price range?

Edit: Staying away from TP-Link

 

[bbunge]

The AX86U Pro and AX88U Pro are still the most recommended Asus routers.

 

[KrypteX]

I recommend any of TUF-AX6000 / TUF-AX4200 / RT-AX59U, all based on the same MediaTek Filogic 830 MT7986A 4x2 GHz CPU because they are fast and stable with latest OpenWrt snapshot builds - kernel 6.6 at the moment, but soon with 6.12 - what else would you want?

 

[Tech9]

$170-220ish range

Nothing UniFi or Omada fits this budget.

From your list above GT-AX6000 is the best model. Next is RT-AX86U Pro.

 

[Itsabovethenet]

Nothing UniFi or Omada fits this budget.

From your list above GT-AX6000 is the best model. Next is RT-AX86U Pro.

Do you think the BE92U is not worth looking into at the same price if I don't plan to use 7 any time soon?

 

[Tech9]

RT-BE92U is an entry-level BE device. It's not very popular around and the long thread about it here on SNB Forums shows mixed success user feedback. GT-AX6000 and RT-AX86U Pro are both higher class AX devices with good reliability record.

 

[heysoundude]

All Asus
AX86U Pro
TUF Gaming AX6000
ROG AX6000
AXE7800

I don't plan to use Wifi 7 anytime soon and the issues with it deter me for now.
Plan to learn basic networking (House is wired so I'll run a port to a switch, also want to play with Vlan, other features) Seems like they all have enough to help/learn.
I want the best signal coverage for 3000+ sqft 3 floor. (I'm aware I'll eventually get an AP to help). But also I'm in a congested area with neighbors plus my 40+ IOT devices.

My thought is the 86U Pro due to it's stability for several years, however the other devices seem newer which potentially would be better? Price is not an issue as they are all between $170-220.

for better advice, you really need to tell us more about how you use your network and what your ISP package is. Home construction materials/layout matter to an extent as well, for wifi coverage, but I can tell you fairly confidently that any of those machines you mention will likely surprise you with just how effective they are if you choose its location carefully.