Advice AX11000 vs AXE1100 what to buy

[John DeLuca]

For the record, yes their new gateway has a 2.5GbE port and my PC with a 2.5Gb NIC was able to get about 1450 from a speed test. The only service that I found would go over a gigabit was Steam.

I am kind surprised they actually are giving out modems that are fast enough, did you have to request the modem upgrade or did they give it to you when you signed up for the 1200Mbps Plan?

 

[John DeLuca]

I ended up caving and getting the AX11000 and CM2000 and just put merlin on it and am exploring what I can do! I did a preliminary buffer bloat test and wow its actually better latency wise then my gt-ac5300 I honestly was not expecting that. I also ordered a dual port lan card just to mess around with link aggregation. I ended up taking the antennae off of my gt and setting up AI Mesh and disabling the wifi to use it as a super overkill switch. I think i am going to do some testing with flexqos just to mess around with things but ill post some numbers once i get a moment but wow i was getting 800mpbs on my iphone 12 the definition of overkill! lan speed test wise with a 1g port on each end i got up to 950mbps ill see what speeds are like once i get the dual lan card. I would also be curious if dual lan effects bufferboat at all but i highly doubt it will but who know only one way to find out!

Any other suggestions for stuff to do with Merlin? i know Skynet and spdMerlin look pretty cool as well.

 

[Paliv]

I am kind surprised they actually are giving out modems that are fast enough, did you have to request the modem upgrade or did they give it to you when you signed up for the 1200Mbps Plan?

It was required to get the speed tier upgrade (and cheaper for unlimited data compared to a self owned modem). So I took it and gave it a spin. It's actually really decent hardware, the problem is they took away all the control from the local access to the router and gave "some" features access through their app. But you can't control channel, width, anything really other than your password and turning UPnP and wifi on and off.

 

[Poseidon]

I was deciding between those 2 myself after returning the AX86U and I went with the GT-AXE1100 and I couldn’t be any more happier. I’m getting beyond my advertised ISP speeds and my wifi video streaming plays instantly. No more buffering and that I was experiencing with the AX86U. Bought it locally for only $50 more than the AX1100.

Stock firmware works great as I don’t use scripts or any other fancy add-ons available from Merlin’s fw. Also when the new 6E iPhone debuts next month, this router will shine even more.

 

[Centrifuge]

Costco has this one:
It's a beauty!

 

[Tech9]

Also when the new 6E iPhone debuts next month, this router will shine even more.

Shine how? What difference this router will make for the new iPhone?

 

[AndreiV]

Also when the new 6E iPhone debuts next month, this router will shine even more.

and your router and iphone will stop shining in 2022 when WiFi 7 debuts ....... all those people spitting feathers cos' they ain't up to date with the latest technobology that they don't understand or really need.

 

[Tech9]

No, seriously - what is an iPhone going to do with Gigabit connection on a separate Wi-Fi band? I would like to know.

 

[Poseidon]

I currently have 38 connected devices in my home (mostly Apple products) and we do a ton of streaming and gaming. Having a non-crowded Wi-Fi band frequency would be great.

Do people hate on the AXE1100 because of the price, lack of Merlin’s fw or both? I just don’t get it. I only use stock fw on my routers and I tried the AX86U and returned it because it did not perform well in my environment. The AXE1100 has been superb thus far on the latest fw and yes it’s overpriced - but it works great. Even wife has commented how fast and stable the internet connection has been recently and she doesn’t know squat about routers. To each their own.

 

[L&LD]

For me, the lack of RMerlin firmware would top the list. By far.

Next, the lack of at least 2x 2.5GbE ports (or better), and configurable to WAN/LAN as needed is a huge disappointment in a 'flagship' product. This effectively makes this (still) a 1GbE router, overall.

Finally, the same SoC used in the RT-AC86U, RT-AX88U, and the RT-AX86U and with only (still) 1GB RAM is a slap in the face for a 2021 product of this caliber.


Given the above, it is still the highest spec'd router 'done right' so far.

8x Antennae, giving 3 'real' radios/bands of concurrent Wi-Fi on a best-of-class product, there is no doubt it is superior to even the RT-AX86U.

If/when an AXE model shows up that corrects the obvious deficiencies above with RMerlin support, I hope to be one of the first to try/test it too.

Right now, with a 1Gbps symmetrical ISP connection handled by 2x RT-AX86U's with 2x QNAP QSW-1105-5T 5-Port Unmanaged 2.5GbE Switches have my network humming like never before (the 2.5GbE being particularly useful for the 2x QNAP TS-653D's that handle my storage requirements, on-site, and off).

Give me an RT-AXE86M ('M' for max) with 2GB or more of upgradeable RAM, internal SSD storage capability (SATA or NVMe), ALL ports at 2.5GbE speeds, or better, and RMerlin support, and the RT-AXE11000 will look like the beta product it is.

(I know, I've been asking for such a router for years, and I'll be waiting for years more).

 

[Tech9]

I currently have 38 connected devices in my home (mostly Apple products) and we do a ton of streaming and gaming.

How many devices do ton of streaming and gaming in the same time? Perhaps 2-3, sometimes 3-4?

Do people hate on the AXE1100 because of the price, lack of Merlin’s fw or both?

Hate? No. You just overpaid based on marketing claims. With your few active devices you just create unnecessary Wi-Fi pollution.