AXE-16000 Tom's Hardware Issues Resolved?

[Comradecool]

Hi Everyone,

Totally amateur virgin network builder seeking advice. It's finally time to upgrade from my 2012 Airport Extreme router D) and I'm ready to splurge.

After googling, 'came across the AXE-16000; I also came across some concerns voiced in the Tom's Hardware review. From these forums I've seen a few using it with no issue but I wanted to see if anyone could address what was brought up here specifically (poor QoS performance, poor LAN performance).

Additionally, if you have any other router options. I'm looking for something that will last me another long while (maybe not 11 years, but a while). I also would like to run my plex harddrives through it, but I'm debating about just building a HTPC so that isn't supremely needed. I have a pretty killer X690 ITX motherboard, so I think I could use the 10GB LAN port...

Other items, usually two phones, a PS5, a Switch, and a couple of laptops in addition to the PC would be on the network.

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you all!

 

[tgl]

I think you're way short of picking specific equipment, or at least if there are reasons to go that way you haven't given the background information. The things I'd ask first:

* How much space do you need wi-fi in? If there are interior walls/floors in that space, what's their construction?

* Do you actually need a router, or just an access point --- that is, is this gear going to also be your frontline internet connection, or is it behind something that you trust as a firewall? (I sure hope you don't still have an Airport Extreme directly exposed to the net, so I'm hoping the answer is that you only need an access point.)

* What sort of performance are you hoping for, and with what client gear? How many clients? Do you own wifi 6E-capable clients, or intend to acquire some in short order?

I'm on board with the idea of divorcing your NAS setup from the wireless, but beyond that I think you need to answer these questions before choosing anything.

 

[Comradecool]

I think you're way short of picking specific equipment, or at least if there are reasons to go that way you haven't given the background information. The things I'd ask first:

* How much space do you need wi-fi in? If there are interior walls/floors in that space, what's their construction?

* Do you actually need a router, or just an access point --- that is, is this gear going to also be your frontline internet connection, or is it behind something that you trust as a firewall? (I sure hope you don't still have an Airport Extreme directly exposed to the net, so I'm hoping the answer is that you only need an access point.)

* What sort of performance are you hoping for, and with what client gear? How many clients? Do you own wifi 6E-capable clients, or intend to acquire some in short order?

I'm on board with the idea of divorcing your NAS setup from the wireless, but beyond that I think you need to answer these questions before choosing anything.

1) Right now it's just 600 square feet, but I'm planning to move in the future. Going from that 600 to as much as 3000 square feet.

2) I think I did have an Extreme directly exposed to the net. As in I've got a DOCSIS 3.0 modem from the wall, going to the router and that's the show. I use MacOS and windows firewalls.

3) Looking for the best performance I can get for under 1,000 dollars. I own 1 6E capable device (the Z690 mobo PC), and hope to add more in the future. There are maybe 8 additional clients at any given time.

I don't quite understand what you mean when you speak of divorcing my NAS setup from the wireless. I only will be wiring my computer, PS5 and switch, other clients else will remain wireless.

My understanding is less than limited, like... insanely rudimentary compared to the average user of this forum (I think).

 

[tgl]

1) Right now it's just 600 square feet, but I'm planning to move in the future. Going from that 600 to as much as 3000 square feet.

OK, so right now you only need one wi-fi unit (assuming typical thin interior walls), but that's likely to not hold anymore after you move. You should think hard about whether you want to spend $$ now on something you can upgrade to a multi-AP setup, or cheap out for now with the expectation of buying new gear after you move and have a clearer idea of the post-move requirements. TBH I think you should seriously consider the cheap-out alternative. Right now, wifi 6E gear is super expensive and wifi 7 is mostly vaporware --- but a year from now that situation will be very different. I don't know your timeframe for moving, but I'm worried that you'll spend a lot of money now only to find yourself wanting to replace it altogether when you move.

2) I think I did have an Extreme directly exposed to the net. As in I've got a DOCSIS 3.0 modem from the wall, going to the router and that's the show. I use MacOS and windows firewalls.

Yeah, that would be a good thing to make better. Ten-year-old gear has almost certainly got well-known security holes.

3) Looking for the best performance I can get for under 1,000 dollars. I own 1 6E capable device (the Z690 mobo PC), and hope to add more in the future. There are maybe 8 additional clients at any given time.

I'd think you'd want to hard-wire the PC anyway? Don't expend precious wi-fi airtime on devices that don't actually move around. If everything else is WiFi 6 or less, and you're not planning on buying new phones/laptops very soon, I wouldn't spend money on a wi-fi unit that's well ahead of what your clients can do.

I don't quite understand what you mean when you speak of divorcing my NAS setup from the wireless. I only will be wiring my computer, PS5 and switch, other clients else will remain wireless.

Sorry, I took your reference to plex drives to mean that you had drives plugged into the Airport that it was making available as storage to devices on your network. While you can replicate that kind of arrangement with ASUS or other wi-fi gear, it's usually better to buy or build a dedicated NAS (network attached storage) unit. Even though the wi-fi manufacturers tout that they can do NAS, the CPUs in typical wi-fi gear aren't powerful enough to give decent NAS performance alongside doing their wi-fi work. Your idea of setting up a PC for that sounded better.

Anyway ... maybe the AXE-16000 is exactly the right thing for you, but I've got serious misgivings about whether you're mostly throwing money away. A year and a half ago I was where you are now, trying to replace an Airport Extreme setup with something modern and not knowing a thing about it. I have had a very expensive education, and have only arrived at something pretty-satisfactory (not perfect) with my third set of new wireless gear. Don't be like me.

 

[Comradecool]

OK, so right now you only need one wi-fi unit (assuming typical thin interior walls), but that's likely to not hold anymore after you move. You should think hard about whether you want to spend $$ now on something you can upgrade to a multi-AP setup, or cheap out for now with the expectation of buying new gear after you move and have a clearer idea of the post-move requirements. TBH I think you should seriously consider the cheap-out alternative. Right now, wifi 6E gear is super expensive and wifi 7 is mostly vaporware --- but a year from now that situation will be very different. I don't know your timeframe for moving, but I'm worried that you'll spend a lot of money now only to find yourself wanting to replace it altogether when you move.



Yeah, that would be a good thing to make better. Ten-year-old gear has almost certainly got well-known security holes.



I'd think you'd want to hard-wire the PC anyway? Don't expend precious wi-fi airtime on devices that don't actually move around. If everything else is WiFi 6 or less, and you're not planning on buying new phones/laptops very soon, I wouldn't spend money on a wi-fi unit that's well ahead of what your clients can do.



Sorry, I took your reference to plex drives to mean that you had drives plugged into the Airport that it was making available as storage to devices on your network. While you can replicate that kind of arrangement with ASUS or other wi-fi gear, it's usually better to buy or build a dedicated NAS (network attached storage) unit. Even though the wi-fi manufacturers tout that they can do NAS, the CPUs in typical wi-fi gear aren't powerful enough to give decent NAS performance alongside doing their wi-fi work. Your idea of setting up a PC for that sounded better.

Anyway ... maybe the AXE-16000 is exactly the right thing for you, but I've got serious misgivings about whether you're mostly throwing money away. A year and a half ago I was where you are now, trying to replace an Airport Extreme setup with something modern and not knowing a thing about it. I have had a very expensive education, and have only arrived at something pretty-satisfactory (not perfect) with my third set of new wireless gear. Don't be like me.

I'm definitely guilty of bling-bling eyes. Seeing something pricey at the top of lists and thinking I can get it and be good for another 5 years or something. If WiFi 7 is anything like the previous iterations, adoption by the manufactures will be slow. Perhaps I don't need the 6E now, but would I want it in a few years, and not want/need to upgrade if I get this AXE-16000 beast...

Still if the issues brought up in the Tom's Hardware haven't been resolved...

 

[tgl]

I'm definitely guilty of bling-bling eyes.

You and me both, but this might not be the right context for that thinking.

Seeing something pricey at the top of lists and thinking I can get it and be good for another 5 years or something. If WiFi 7 is anything like the previous iterations, adoption by the manufactures will be slow.

Predicting the future is always a dangerous game, but I think this update cycle might not be like the last ones. The thing is that WiFi 6E was driven by the FCC and other regulators releasing a bunch of 6GHz radio spectrum for wifi use, but that happened at a very inconvenient time relative to the native evolution cycle of WiFi technology, which would have popped out something close to WiFi 7 (possibly sans 6GHz spectrum) along about now anyway. So there's a strong possibility that 6E is a stopgap standard that won't be au courant for very long at all. On the other hand, maybe the incremental cost/benefit of WiFi 7 over 6E is so small that manufacturers won't bother to update. It's really tough to say if you don't have inside info.

Anyway, I'd be more gung ho about "sure, buy a 6E router" without the knowledge that you're thinking of moving soon. With it, I worry that you'll find yourself needing new gear anyway after the move.

To get back to your question as stated ... did you read through the AXE16000 Owner's Thread
nearby?

 

[Comradecool]

You and me both, but this might not be the right context for that thinking.

Predicting the future is always a dangerous game, but I think this update cycle might not be like the last ones. The thing is that WiFi 6E was driven by the FCC and other regulators releasing a bunch of 6GHz radio spectrum for wifi use, but that happened at a very inconvenient time relative to the native evolution cycle of WiFi technology, which would have popped out something close to WiFi 7 (possibly sans 6GHz spectrum) along about now anyway. So there's a strong possibility that 6E is a stopgap standard that won't be au courant for very long at all. On the other hand, maybe the incremental cost/benefit of WiFi 7 over 6E is so small that manufacturers won't bother to update. It's really tough to say if you don't have inside info.

Anyway, I'd be more gung ho about "sure, buy a 6E router" without the knowledge that you're thinking of moving soon. With it, I worry that you'll find yourself needing new gear anyway after the move.

To get back to your question as stated ... did you read through the AXE16000 Owner's Thread
nearby?

I did paruse it and didn't think I saw an answer but my eyes might have glazed or I missed something.

 

[AndreiV]

Bling, haha , it is all hype and buffalo dump designed to fool you into parting with your cash.

Most households don't need anything more thana simple router and an access point or 2.

How did we all manage before some marketing guy came up with "AiMesh" ?

Actually we did fine , remember the old sales technique , " create a need , create the desire, make a sale " .

Take a read of this article :

>>> Make educated wireless router/AP upgrade decisions <<<

And especially part 6)


>>> Cutting through router marketing hype <<<


The fancy shiny case and big names and BS manufacturer claims do not always equate to performance or stability.

 

[Comradecool]

Bling, haha , it is all hype and buffalo dump designed to fool you into parting with your cash.

Most households don't need anything more thana simple router and an access point or 2.

How did we all manage before some marketing guy came up with "AiMesh" ?

Actually we did fine , remember the old sales technique , " create a need , create the desire, make a sale " .

Take a read of this article :

>>> Make educated wireless router/AP upgrade decisions <<<

And especially part 6)


>>> Cutting through router marketing hype <<<


The fancy shiny case and big names and BS manufacturer claims do not always equate to performance or stability.

Fair, what would you recommend if I have the money to spend and want the speeds and at least some of the features?

 

[Tech9]

For your 600sqft apartment you need nothing more than TP-Link Archer AX21 for $80 - disposable router. You can use even the ISP supplied device if it's a modem/router. Both will work well for your current 10 devices. When you move to 3000sqft house and it's yours - stop by for better solutions.

If you have extra $800 and you don't know what to do with it - get GT-AXE16000 and enjoy the RGB lights.

 

[Comradecool]

For your 600sqft apartment you need nothing more than TP-Link Archer AX21 for $80 - disposable router. You can use even the ISP supplied device if it's a modem/router. Both will work well for your current 10 devices. When you move to 3000sqft house and it's yours - stop by for better solutions.

If you have extra $800 and you don't know what to do with it - get GT-AXE16000 and enjoy the RGB lights.

I'm moving out of the 600 sq ft in May, and I kind of want to figure this out before then.

I do love me some RGB lights, they make things 10% faster, right? Clocked.

So the issues Tom's Hardware speaks of have been resolved in firmware updates?

 

[Tech9]

I kind of want to figure this out before then

Move first and then figure out what you need in the new place. Otherwise you may be facing issues not discussed on Tom's Hardware yet.

 

[Comradecool]

Move first and then figure out what you need in the new place. Otherwise you may be facing issues not discussed on Tom's Hardware yet.

I had to laugh a bit, I realize you're giving friendly advice, just the way you worded the last part sounds like a threat from the Italian mob or something (except it's the SNB mob!).

I'm big on intuitive action, for better or worse, and the feeling is: get something solid that can last before this move. Bare in mind you're talking to someone who has been using an airport extreme for the past 10+ years, so even if new tech comes out it isn't like I won't be happy with the AXE-1600, at the same time if I'm better off going with a non 10GB option, like the 11000, and that one is more stable... or if there's another entirely.

I definitely don't want to use the ISP router/modem, as I have my own modem to avoid the rental fee, and I'm not looking to buy anything disposable.

 

[Tech9]

threat from the Italian mob

You got it right.

Bare in mind you're talking to someone who has been using an airport extreme for the past 10+ years

No new router will last for so long. The manufacturing standards and requirements have changed. Now you have planned obsolescence in everything new you buy. If the hardware is lucky to last, the software support will be cut off. Example - Asus AC-class NHD routers with the same ARMv8 CPU not getting 388 firmware update. Look at home routers as disposable electronics. I wouldn't but GT-AXE16000 because it's an ugly overpriced spider with one practically unusable band and the fact it has 10GbE ports doesn't mean the hardware is 10GbE capable. This router like all other home routers relies heavily on hardware NAT acceleration and if you hit one incompatible with it firmware option you get up to 400Mbps WAN-LAN throughput capable hardware.

If you want something popular and cheaper - go for GT-AX6000. It's the same hardware router, dual-band. It will get the new Pro firmware features like other Pro models and has 2x 2.5GbE ports. When you move to the new place and if you need another router for better coverage - get one more GT-AX6000. Both routers will be cheaper than 1x GT-AXE16000 and will work better. AiMesh is far from best "mesh", but works better wired and with 2x identical routers. GT-AX6000 also has RGB and is ugly enough.

Capisce?

 

[Comradecool]

You got it right.

Capisce?

On this the day of my daughter's wedding... capisce.

Honestly I think the 11000 16000 look better than the 6000, but I get your point.

Is there anything I should look forward to in terms of the after the 6000? Like what are you guys excited about that's on the horizon? WiFi 7 and features that come with it?

 

[Tech9]

Most people on this forum use Asus routers with or without RGB. Some have AiMesh, others AiMess.

I'm using completely different equipment with pfSense x86 firewall, switch with PoE and access points with PoE. Mine are still Wi-Fi 5 and I have no intention to change any time soon. Gigabit Ethernet and 500Mbps over Wi-Fi are still more than enough for home use. I don't work with speedtest.

The user who changed perhaps the most hardware in last 2 years is here:

Eero pro 6 vs Asus xt8

Looking for wireless mesh options. Xt8 vs eero pro 6? Tribands a must. Got a eero pro 6 from work to try out it's through put could be better

www.snbforums.com

If you are after reliability and you know what are you doing - go small business equipment and you'll never look back. No RGB though.

 

[Comradecool]

If you are after reliability and you know what are you doing - go small business equipment and you'll never look back. No RGB though.

I **definitely** don't know what I'm doing. This is my first small step into a larger world.

I also may be moving to Aruba, from Chicago, so the market would be... different. What would motivate you to go upgrade from Wifi 5?

 

[Lax]

Hi Everyone,

Totally amateur virgin network builder seeking advice. It's finally time to upgrade from my 2012 Airport Extreme router D) and I'm ready to splurge.

After googling, 'came across the AXE-16000; I also came across some concerns voiced in the Tom's Hardware review. From these forums I've seen a few using it with no issue but I wanted to see if anyone could address what was brought up here specifically (poor QoS performance, poor LAN performance).

Additionally, if you have any other router options. I'm looking for something that will last me another long while (maybe not 11 years, but a while). I also would like to run my plex harddrives through it, but I'm debating about just building a HTPC so that isn't supremely needed. I have a pretty killer X690 ITX motherboard, so I think I could use the 10GB LAN port...

Other items, usually two phones, a PS5, a Switch, and a couple of laptops in addition to the PC would be on the network.

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you all!

First of all, with the latest firmware from Merlin there no QOS issues or Lan speed issues with this router. I have 2gbps up/2gbps down fiber link no issues whatsoever. I get 2.5gbps speed up/down. However, with 10G lan ports I'm not getting more than 6Gbps due to router hardware NAT issues/limitations.

 

[Comradecool]

First of all, with the latest firmware from Merlin there no QOS issues or Lan speed issues with this router. I have 2gbps up/2gbps down fiber link no issues whatsoever. I get 2.5gbps speed up/down. However, with 10G lan ports I'm not getting more than 6Gbps due to router hardware NAT issues/limitations.

Appreciate the response!

 

[Tech9]

What would motivate you to go upgrade from Wifi 5?

More Wi-Fi 6 clients on my network different than phones and tablets.

I also may be moving to Aruba, from Chicago, so the market would be... different.

Then why you're asking about Asus? Aruba Networks perhaps work best in Aruba.

Aruba | Enterprise Networking and Security Solutions

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