Time to replace my Netgear R7800? Advice please?

[KidJoe]

I've been using my Netgear R7800 for a few years now.

For the past year, over various stock and Voxel firmware versions, I've often had to reboot (plug/unplug) the router due to slow web page responses or time outs, and a few of my smart switches and plugs losing connection. With my wife and I working from home 100%, and our son now doing his school 100% virtual, over the last month I've been having to reboot it once a week, and this week has been nearly every day.

I've tried factory reset, and manually re-configuring several times in the past, in addition to the factory reset after firmware updates.

Is it time to replace it?

We have a 4350 sq ft house, the R7800 gives me great coverage in the house, and even in the basement as well as on our back patio and pool area. Way better than my previous router (R6300). Unfortunately the way the house is wired, the cable modem (comcast 1gb) is in the basement, the router is in the master bedroom (2nd floor one end of the house) so I need something that provides the same coverage at minimum.

We have about 60-70 wired and wireless devices including Rokus, Fire TVs, bluray players, TVs, PS4, PS3, WiiU, Nintendo Switch Laptops, iPads, Galaxy Tab S4, our phones, my work phone, and about 10 Amazon Echos, and about 15 smart switches and wall plugs (and counting).... In addition, our neighbors or friends who sometimes connect their devices (kids with iPads, iPhones, Switch).

If its replacement time, any suggestions on what I should get?

 

[microchip]

You're overloading your router with all these Smart wireless gizmoz. On NG devices, maximum recommended devices per band is 32. That said, due to the very poor firmware state of NG routers these days, I'd go for an ASUS RT-AX58U. It's give or take in the same price range as the R7800 and almost in the same WiFi range.

 

[Trip]

If you really just want a like-for-like replacement, you want to replace with something that has every bit the same level of wifi amplification as the R7800 (or better), so I wouldn't mess around with anything less than an Asus RT-AX88U, running Merlin for stability. That being said, with that many wireless devices and that much square footage, the network engineer's answer is to simply move to distributed wireless. If your deployment has to be all-wireless backhaul and/or you wanted to K.I.S.S., I would go with Eero (current-gen at a slight discount, or forthcoming Eero 6, releasing November 2nd), or, better still, if you could use MoCa as backhaul to all wifi AP locations, roll out SMB-grade, discrete components (wired router, optionally a managed switch and multiple controller-based APs). Especially if you choose the last option, your network will function more like an appliance and less like a toy, and your wireless access layer issues will all but disappear.

 

[KidJoe]

...the network engineer's answer is to simply move to distributed wireless. If your deployment has to be all-wireless backhaul and/or you wanted to K.I.S.S., I would go with Eero (current-gen at a slight discount, or forthcoming Eero 6, releasing November 2nd), or, better still, if you could use MoCa as backhaul to all wifi AP locations, roll out SMB-grade, discrete components (wired router, optionally a managed switch and multiple controller-based APs). Especially if you choose the last option, your network will function more like an appliance and less like a toy, and your wireless access layer issues will all but disappear.

I do have wired jacks run to rooms on the first and 2nd floors. They all connect to a panel and switch in the basement. So wired backhaul would be nice if I went distributed.

I guess running the single router all this time, having distributed/mesh wasn't a consideration yet...

 

[ViPPaH]

I have been using r7800 since release with Voxel firmware and it is a beast! I tried an RAX80 and swiftly returned it when the AX improvements were non existant if you werent in plain sight and worse speeds on wifi on longer range... I am using 1000/1000 fiber and have a response time wired on 1ms to closest speedtest server. I have not had a single problem so far. I am using 2 phones, laptop, Apple Tv, smart plug, PS4, chromecast, chrome audio, Google home mini and an Alarm hub. You are using a lot more devices though.
Regarding your situation it sounds as microchip is saying that you have too many devices at the same time using too much air. I am not sure, but I believe the R7800 per say can probably handle it (the chip is basically same as Unifi Ac Hd and they claim 500+ clients...) however many switches and smart products go on 2.4ghz band and can easily cause interference if that many are used.
You should at least try a triband router to spread out the band more with seperate channels. That way you can give the heaviest used devices their own band and cleaner air. But best for you is probably dedicated aps as Trips stated.