I need a new router.

[Doc]

So, I'm reading various reviews. CNET and PCmag both have fairly comprehensive reviews.

For some reason they separate routers and MESH systems which I think do the same thing. MESH covers the whole house though. Isn't that the goal 99% of the time? WiFi throughout the house.

Boy these things have gone up. Mine is about 14 years old. It has done well but is dropping signal. The WiFi that comes with my internet does not cover the whole house. So, I'm looking at Mesh more than standard router.

Reviews of routers:

The Best Wi-Fi Routers for 2024

These days, your wireless router is not just your lifeline to the internet, but also to your job. Here's what you need to build a snappy home Wi-Fi network, along with reviews of the best Wi-Fi routers we've tested for a range of needs and budgets.

www.pcmag.com

Mesh Systems

The Best Wi-Fi Mesh Network Systems for 2024

Working from home by day, gaming and streaming by night? Defeating Wi-Fi dead zones is more important than ever. A mesh network system can help, and these are the best we've tested.

www.pcmag.com

For now I'm leaning towards this one

Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8)

Anyone else in the market? If so what did you buy?

 

[Melensdad]

My Cardo headsets in my motorcycle helmets are MESH and they work great. I have a fairly new Netgear ORBI router in the house, it is a huge improvement over my prior router, both speed and range. Not sure if it is MESH.

 

[Doc]

Thanks Bob.
It appears your Netgear router is also using Mesh technology.

NETGEAR Orbi Whole Home Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System (RBK653) – Router with 2 Satellite Extenders, Coverage Up to 6,000 Square Feet, 40 Devices, AX3000 (Up to 3Gbps)​

The Tri Band seems to be the difference. The 3rd band is only for the primary to communicate with the satellite extenders so that it is seamless connectivity no matter which of the devices you are connected to for your WiFi. Much like a cell phone antenna, even if walking from one end of your house to the other the Mesh system will hand off to the unit with the strongest signal.

 

[Melensdad]

With my old system I could sit on any of our the patios and use the internet. But the patios are next to glass walls. Couldn't really get much farther than the patio, literally just a few feet. Now with the new Orbi system I can get all the way out to the pool deck patio, which is literally another 75+ feet from the far edge of the house patio.

I have the same basic set up, the main unit is upstairs in a bedroom, there is a satellite unit located in the furnace room downstairs. Between those 2 units my home and a modest exterior perimeter is now fully covered with faster internet connection. What surprised me is that my devices seem to operate faster too. So I'm guessing the router communicates much faster than my older router.

 

[chowderman]

the wifi-6 AX version aka tri-band is the latest/fastest spec. DW's iPhone and my new lapnew are AX-6 capable, I upgraded the router to tp-link ax-6 after Comcast made higher speeds available on my feed.
it is noticeable faster.

mesh is different.... today's blurbs say mesh is not the same as a wifi extender since you don't have to switch networks when moving between the two . . . the issue with that is: I had a wifi extender and that's not how it worked - there was no 'switching'

the other issue about mesh - one theory holds all the wifi devices in the neighborhood will link together. all the door bell cameras, security systems, thermostats, etc etc
search 'neighborhood mesh wifi'
it's one of those 'perhaps you can, but should you' things.....
theory holds you can set up mesh as private or open - I'm thinking hackers will solve that stumbling block real quick.... so there's a very real (imho) security risk. on the upside, no need for 8 character upper lower letter number special character passwords . . .

 

[Doc]

Well, before i saw your post Chowder, I ordered the Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8) Mesh WiFi System.
Setup is supposed to be simple, and done from an app you download to your phone. I like that vs the web interface setup. Even though the web interface setup gives more options.
They said the Mesh setup does have security included. I took them at their word on that.
I can return it if not happy or comfortable with the security. I'm not in a neighborhood. Closest house is 100+ yards away, but I do see their WiFi network sometimes, so I assume they can see mine.

 

[Matt Dillon]

So, I'm reading various reviews. CNET and PCmag both have fairly comprehensive reviews.

For some reason they separate routers and MESH systems which I think do the same thing. MESH covers the whole house though. Isn't that the goal 99% of the time? WiFi throughout the house.

Boy these things have gone up. Mine is about 14 years old. It has done well but is dropping signal. The WiFi that comes with my internet does not cover the whole house. So, I'm looking at Mesh more than standard router.

Reviews of routers:

The Best Wi-Fi Routers for 2024

These days, your wireless router is not just your lifeline to the internet, but also to your job. Here's what you need to build a snappy home Wi-Fi network, along with reviews of the best Wi-Fi routers we've tested for a range of needs and budgets.

www.pcmag.com

Mesh Systems

The Best Wi-Fi Mesh Network Systems for 2024

Working from home by day, gaming and streaming by night? Defeating Wi-Fi dead zones is more important than ever. A mesh network system can help, and these are the best we've tested.

www.pcmag.com

For now I'm leaning towards this one

Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8)

Anyone else in the market? If so what did you buy?

Meh, an old used Verizon one. WiFi boosters WERE about $15, IDK about now.

No service has the bandwidth that even old routers can handle.

 

[Doc]

I installed the Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8) Mesh WiFi System last weekend. Setup was a breeze with the app downloaded to my smart phone. Much easier to manage than having to open a browser window on my laptop to connect. All good except for communication with my Honeywell Thermostat. I'm having hard time figuring out how to get the thermostat onto the new router. Otherwise all good. Range is better. Connectivity has been great. I finally did a speed test tonight. Holy molly. Fastest download speeds I've ever seen.

 

[chowderman]

our Comcast d/l typically runs 460-480mbps, uploads ~12.x

 

[NorthernRedneck]

I installed the Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8) Mesh WiFi System last weekend. Setup was a breeze with the app downloaded to my smart phone. Much easier to manage than having to open a browser window on my laptop to connect. All good except for communication with my Honeywell Thermostat. I'm having hard time figuring out how to get the thermostat onto the new router. Otherwise all good. Range is better. Connectivity has been great. I finally did a speed test tonight. Holy molly. Fastest download speeds I've ever seen.

View attachment 149262

Dayum that's fast. We just got starlink last week. This is the fastest test I've gotten so far. But before that, we were with the only other local option available for our area that averaged 3-4 mbps download and 0.4 mbps upload.