Looking to buy mesh system for cord cutting.

[JMTHEFOX]

Hello, I currently own an Asus RT-A66U B1 dual gigabit router since this August for my Verizon FiOS gigabit internet plan. I am recently thinking of making a mesh system by either buying two other ASUS routers that have AiMesh compatibility or getting a triband mesh system like Netgear Orbi or eero. The reason for this is that I'm in the process of cutting the cord. I currently live in an apartment building with 15 floors.

How does AiMesh compare to Netgear Orbi/eero?

If all else fails, then should a single mesh router suffice? I prefer something like an router with Wi-fi 6 features.

 

[Trip]

As for AiMesh, I can't comment as I haven't used it, but IMHO if you want to do this right the first time with minimal tweaking required, I would lean towards a purpose-built mesh product, such as Eero Pro or Ruckus Unleashed with SmartMesh enabled. Invest the extra money in a polished product; it will be worth it.

I would also leave wifi 6 (802.11ax) alone for another year or two until there's plenty of stable, proven gear available, and more APs and endpoints that actually support the supposed advantages (OFMDA, etc.). Smartly-setup AC Wave 2 wifi should suffice for most uses until that time.

 

[JMTHEFOX]

As for AiMesh, I can't comment as I haven't used it, but IMHO if you want to do this right the first time with minimal tweaking required, I would lean towards a purpose-built mesh product, such as Eero Pro or Ruckus Unleashed with SmartMesh enabled. Invest the extra money in a polished product; it will be worth it.

I would also leave wifi 6 (802.11ax) alone for another year or two until there's plenty of stable, proven gear available, and more APs and endpoints that actually support the supposed advantages (OFMDA, etc.). Smartly-setup AC Wave 2 wifi should suffice for most uses until that time.

I see. So, for the eero pro, should I get one eero pro with the two beacons or a pack of 3 eero pros?

 

[dave14305]

How big is your apartment? Is more than one access point necessary?

 

[JMTHEFOX]

How big is your apartment? Is more than one access point necessary?

Can't remember but I believe it is 148,300 square feet.

 

[dave14305]

Can't remember but I believe it is 148,300 square feet.

You must be rich. How big is your own apartment unit?

 

[JMTHEFOX]

You must be rich. How big is your own apartment unit?

I don't know the exact size, but it has a kitchen, 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a living room.

 

[Trip]

Sounds like one centrally-placed AP might be enough to cover your whole apartment. How effective is your AC66U currently?

 

[JMTHEFOX]

Sounds like one centrally-placed AP might be enough to cover your whole apartment. How effective is your AC66U currently?

My AC66U B1 currently goes up to 821.63 MB download speed via ethernet
https://www.speedtest.net/result/8624123015

 

[Trip]

If you're evaluating purely by download speed, you're not going to get much better than that by switching to a mesh system. In fact, depending on the specific mesh product and how it's setup, speeds may be worse, as mesh will actually compromise (optimize) link speeds in scenarios where radios are being used for both endpoint client connections and backhaul (not all mesh systems do that, however). This is a contrast to a single-cell setup, like the all-in-one you have now, where all it has to manage is connections straight to clients. Hope that makes sense. It sounds like you actually may be better off with another all-in-one.

 

[JMTHEFOX]

If you're evaluating purely by download speed, you're not going to get much better than that by switching to a mesh system. In fact, depending on the specific mesh product and how it's setup, speeds may be worse, as mesh will actually compromise (optimize) link speeds in scenarios where radios are being used for both endpoint client connections and backhaul (not all mesh systems do that, however). This is a contrast to a single-cell setup, like the all-in-one you have now, where all it has to manage is connections straight to clients. Hope that makes sense. It sounds like you actually may be better off with another all-in-one.

Oooof.

Speaking of all-in-one wireless routers. Should I be fine with either the ASUS RT-AC68U or the Netgear Nighthawk X10 AD7200?

 

[Trip]

If you're specifically looking at just those two, I would say the AC68U offers a better value. Make sure to load Merlin if you choose an Asus. Netgear has historically made slightly more reliable hardware than Asus, but lately that's been more of a toss up. If you do choose a Netgear, be it X4, 4S or 10, I would load the Voxel firmware on it for stability.

 

[JMTHEFOX]

If you're specifically looking at just those two, I would say the AC68U offers a better value. Make sure to load Merlin if you choose an Asus. Netgear has historically made slightly more reliable hardware than Asus, but lately that's been more of a toss up. If you do choose a Netgear, be it X4, 4S or 10, I would load the Voxel firmware on it for stability.

Splendid! I have heard of Merlin before and I tried to flash the firmware for my RT-AC66U B1 but it didn't work even after factory resetting it. I will try out the Netgear X4S and flash Voxel on it.

 

[Trip]

Good luck with it. Let us know how it turns out.