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I'm looking for a Wi-Fi 6E router for my MacBook M4 Pro

M

Macintosh

New Around Here
Hey, I'm new here. I'm looking for a Wi-Fi 6E router for my MacBook M4 Pro to get the most out of my 2 Gbps internet connection. Currently, I have the RT-AX68U, but I have gypsum walls, and it doesn't perform well with them. I was wondering if the 6 GHz band would solve this issue.

Thanks in advance
 
Tech9 said:
Most likely not. It has even worse wall penetration.
Click to expand...
Ah, damn, I see. So for 2.4 GHz, most routers have pretty much the same speeds, right? Looks like I’ll need to relocate my router. In that case, 6E would be way faster. Any suggestions for upgrading my old RT-AX68U to something more powerful?
 
For speed you need 5/6GHz bands, 2.4GHz band is for range and compatibility. Mostly used for IoT devices these days. For one single client I wouldn't bother upgrading the router. Make sure you know what are you doing because this perhaps cheap ISP plan upgrade to 2Gbps may cost you a lot of money with very little user experience improvements. Chasing ISP speed is mostly investing in speed test numbers. Your RT-AX68U router may not be the best out there, but not a throw away device either. Keep using it.
 
Tech9 said:
For speed you need 5/6GHz bands, 2.4GHz band is for range and compatibility. Mostly used for IoT devices these days. For one single client I wouldn't bother upgrading the router. Make sure you know what are you doing because this perhaps cheap ISP plan upgrade to 2Gbps may cost you a lot of money with very little user experience improvements. Chasing ISP speed is mostly investing in speed test numbers. Your RT-AX68U router may not be the best out there, but not a throw away device either. Keep using it.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I’ll relocate my router so I can use the 5/6 GHz bands. I still want to replace my old one with something more powerful since I can sell it on the aftermarket. That’s why I’m wondering which router I should get.
 
Don't buy Wi-Fi 6E routers in 2025. It was intermediate step to Wi-Fi 7. If you really insist on new router with 6GHz band, from Asus and on relatively affordable price - test your luck with RT-BE92U. Mixed user feedback about this model, but may work for you. Make sure you can return it if it doesn't work as expected. It even got recently Asuswrt-Merlin support, still in beta. Good luck!

ASUS RT-BE92U｜WiFi 7｜ASUS Canada

RT-BE92U achieves blazing-fast WiFi speeds of up to 9,700 Mbps, ensuring seamless streaming and data-intensive tasks, which is also flexible, safe, and easy to manage.
www.asus.com
 
Tech9 said:
Don't buy Wi-Fi 6E routers in 2025. It was intermediate step to Wi-Fi 7. If you really insist on new router with 6GHz band, from Asus and on relatively affordable price - test your luck with RT-BE92U. Mixed user feedback about this model, but may work for you. Make sure you can return it if it doesn't work as expected. It even got recently Asuswrt-Merlin support, still in beta. Good luck!

ASUS RT-BE92U｜WiFi 7｜ASUS Canada

RT-BE92U achieves blazing-fast WiFi speeds of up to 9,700 Mbps, ensuring seamless streaming and data-intensive tasks, which is also flexible, safe, and easy to manage.
www.asus.com
Click to expand...
Thanks! I was also looking at RT-BE86U, but it looks like RT-BE92U is even better choice?
 
Look closely at specifications. RT-BE86U is a dual-band model. It doesn't have 6GHz band...
 
Mixed feedback because of firmware issues, but seems like it works acceptably well now. Reviews online may be misleading because a reviewer in different region than yours may have completely different experience than yours. The best way to find out if something works well in your unique environment is to try it yourself. As I said earlier - make sure you have return options.
 
Tech9 said:
Mixed feedback because of firmware issues, but seems like it works acceptably well now. Reviews online may be misleading because a reviewer in different region than yours may have completely different experience than yours. The best way to find out if something works well in your unique environment is to try it yourself. As I said earlier - make sure you have return options.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your great insights, I will try this model ;)
 
Share the experience so other people with similar questions know what to expect. Thank you!
 
The real solution to my-wifi-doesnt-go-through-walls problems is not to spend $$$ on a single replacement router. It is to put in multiple wifi APs to bring the signal to where you need it. More, cheaper, APs will always provide better coverage than a single AP no matter the price.

In ASUS-land that probably means looking at their "mesh" offerings. I've been out of the ASUS ecosystem for a little bit so I'm not sure what's best among their current models.
 
If mesh is really needed - Qualcomm based Nest, Eero, Deco generally work better. The "easy button" solutions.
 
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