What's new

Can AC86U be better than AX86U for Wifi 5 Clients?

  • SNBForums Code of Conduct

    SNBForums is a community for everyone, no matter what their level of experience.

    Please be tolerant and patient of others, especially newcomers. We are all here to share and learn!

    The rules are simple: Be patient, be nice, be helpful or be gone!

GunnerGGA

Occasional Visitor
I need a router upgrade from a Netgear (BestBuy AC2400 i.e. R6800) because the 5 GHz signal is weak at my WFH room in the house. Trying to decide between the AC86U and the AX86U. My work laptop, along with 99% of all my WiFi clients are WiFi 5. DongKnows.com has the AX86U with Wifi 5 clients doing 868 Mbps at 10 feet and 668 Mbps at 40 feet. He got the AC86U doing 838 Mbps at 10 feet but *802* Mbps at 40 feet.

Any reason to believe the AC86U has better coverage/range for Wifi 5 clients at longer distance/through walls?

My house is 1550 sf with a 200 Mbps connection. I do not have any NAS or between device/computer traffic within the home network, but it is common to have 3-4 Zoom/Skype meetings at the same time with a Netflix stream. I believe a strong stable signal with good coverage is more important than absolute throughput for my case.
 
I need a router upgrade from a Netgear (BestBuy AC2400 i.e. R6800) because the 5 GHz signal is weak at my WFH room in the house. Trying to decide between the AC86U and the AX86U. My work laptop, along with 99% of all my WiFi clients are WiFi 5. DongKnows.com has the AX86U with Wifi 5 clients doing 868 Mbps at 10 feet and 668 Mbps at 40 feet. He got the AC86U doing 838 Mbps at 10 feet but *802* Mbps at 40 feet.

Any reason to believe the AC86U has better coverage/range for Wifi 5 clients at longer distance/through walls?

My house is 1550 sf with a 200 Mbps connection. I do not have any NAS or between device/computer traffic within the home network, but it is common to have 3-4 Zoom/Skype meetings at the same time with a Netflix stream. I believe a strong stable signal with good coverage is more important than absolute throughput for my case.

I'd get the cheaper, more mature, AC86U and wait for AX WiFi 6e to arrive and mature off its bleeding edge. One AC86U centrally located will serve your house. Two, with each at a far end in an AiMesh, will likely serve your property, inside and out.

OE
 
It may be better for your specific clients and WiFi environment. But you won't know unless you test both after they are each fully reset and properly configured (including new SSID's too).
 
It may be better for your specific clients and WiFi environment. But you won't know unless you test both after they are each fully reset and properly configured (including new SSID's too).

I understand the full reset part.

Why new SSID? Should the new router not use the old router's SSID?
 
I understand the full reset part.

Why new SSID? Should the new router not use the old router's SSID?

Reading below. Thanks!

 
The AX86U came in and I configured it as an AP behind my older Netgear BestBuy AC2400 (R6800). Family is still using it for school/work so I cannot disrupt the old Netgear until the weekend.

With wifinfoview on Windows 10, the 5 GHz signal strength from the AX86U is stronger than the R6800 at my working spot. However, no matter what channel I tried on the AX86U, the laptop upload speed is still bad:

Configuration - router = Netgear AC2400; Access Point = AC86U sitting next to each other

At around 30 ft, through 2 dry walls, same level:

iPhone X - UL/DL speed are great with both the Netgear and AX86U
Work laptop - UL/DL speed are great with the Netgear. DL is great on the AX86U, but UL throughput is slow no matter what channel I tried.

And... the work laptop's UL speed on the AX86U returns to normal when I move it closer to the router.

What gives?
 
Right next to each other is 'what gives'. :)

Test it properly when you can later this weekend. Either far away from the main router or as the main router (with the R6800 turned off).
 
Just want to update that I have removed the Netgear AC2400 and now have the AX86U at the same spot. The AX86U is much better with the 5 GHz band, while its 2.4 GHz band is weaker than the Netgear. My reference is with wifiinfoview on a Windows 10 laptop. ~2-3 walls and ~20-30 feet away from the router, depending on how you count.

5 GHz - the Netgear AC2400 could only maintain = -60-65 or so dbm. With the AX86U, it was around -50-55 dbm. Great! Throughput is pretty much the same now between the Netgear and AX86U. My ISP speed maxes at 200 Mbps and I do not notice any significant difference in throughput speed at the same time of the day.

2.4 GHz - the Netgear AC2400 could stay close to -50 dbm nearly always. For the AX86U, however, it was only around -55-60 dbm, which is acceptable. What is also interesting is that the 2.4 dbm sometimes bounces around with the AX86U - i.e. -53 one second, and then -60 the next second. The tool does not give standard deviation, but it is definitely higher than the Netgear 2.4G/5G and AX86U 5G bands.
 
Was that with new SSID's too?
 
If you tested for best placement/orientation, and antennae positioning along with testing for and choosing the best control channel for the new router, then your results should be solid.

I wouldn't be testing with an 'app' or other WiFi analyzer program running. What is the actual throughput numbers for both bands (indicated dBm levels are not predictors of throughput as they can change while the router renegotiates for optimum performance with the client many times during a testing session. And, if an 'app' is running, that can also interfere with maximum throughput too).
 

Latest threads

Sign Up For SNBForums Daily Digest

Get an update of what's new every day delivered to your mailbox. Sign up here!
Top