Best high performing AiMesh router to pair with XT8

[B0dh1]

Hi. First time poster, please be kind

So I have been struggling for some time to get a) decent wireless coverage across my 3-floor, very thick walled house and b) get decent latency readings (e.g. Bufferbloat, currently scoring F) to support Geforce Now gaming etc.

At present I have British Telecom 50mbps FTTC coming into a Smart Hub 2, with 5 x XT8 AiMesh routers dotted around the house. I have made the decision to forgo Digital Voice in order to replace the Smart Hub 2 which, by all accounts, is a poor router (damn you BT!).

My XT8 mesh network is working reasonably well, but furthest away from the primary router (top of the house) the signal is weak; too weak, apparently, to support Sky Q streaming HD TV apparently. I could add a further XT8 (they are so expensive!), but it occurred to me that adding an AiMesh router (to replace the Smart hub) could a) net me a better router and b) free up an XT8 to relocate in the house to bolster the mesh.

I've researched a fair bit and read a lot of conflicting advice around which router models to go for (AX6600, RT-X86U etc.). I'm now suffering from analysis paralysis. I just want the best bang for buck, and most flexibility (e.g. customisable firmware options, if this will help?). Cost not necessarily a problem, but I'd sooner not pay for advanced features I'm never going to use. I do have A LOT of devices connected across my LAN, however, so decent QoS I suspect will be a must.

I should also add that the primary router is at the bottom of the house and I have no options to run Ethernet across the house, so am forced to use WiFi backhaul.

Can anybody make any decent suggestions? Many thanks!

 

[ColinTaylor]

I suggest you don't buy any new equipment until you've exhausted all possible options with your current equipment. With 5 XT8 already it sounds like you should have more than enough Wi-Fi. But as you said, you have thick walls to contend with and nobody here can possibly know enough about your specific environment to make a valid assessment.

As you're reliant on Wi-Fi backhaul please ignore any router reviews/recommendations unless they come from UK/EU users. Most of what you will read on the internet are for US models that have completely different Wi-Fi characteristics than the UK models.

With that said I would try replacing the Smart Hub 2 with one of the XT8s as you planned. Then configure the others as AiMesh nodes but make sure the link speed of the Wi-Fi backhaul connection is 4804 Mbps (or 2404 Mbps if that is not achievable). To do this you may have to setup each of the nodes while they are close to the main router and then move them to their final location. Try to fine tune these locations for maximum link speeds as moving them 1 meter one way or the other can have a huge impact.

EDIT:
From what you describe it sounds like the nodes furthest away from the main router won't be able to connect to it directly in which case you'll be forced to daisy chain the connections. The more you do that the lower the connection speed and throughput will become. This problem may end up being unsolvable without resorting to wired ethernet interconnects. Side note: Maybe you could use powerline adapters to bridge between two or more troublesome areas.

 

[B0dh1]

Thank you so much for the advice. Stupid question, perhaps, but as I am only. OK fibre to the curb, I still need a Dsl model before my XT8 router, do I not? This is the role the BT Smart Hub presently plays (as well as router). Hence why I need a replacement DSL router.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Thank you so much for the advice. Stupid question, perhaps, but as I am only. OK fibre to the curb, I still need a Dsl model before my XT8 router, do I not? This is the role the BT Smart Hub presently plays (as well as router). Hence why I need a replacement DSL router.

Sorry, it appears that I misunderstood that part of your post. I don't know the details of the various BT offerings (I'm with Virgin Media). I thought you were planning on replacing the Smart Hub with one of your XT8s. You said it was FTTC so I just assumed you would be plugging into some sort of BT supplied device. If your connection requires a DSL modem then I suggest you use one provided by BT and try and bypass its "router/wifi" functionality if possible.

 

[B0dh1]

Unfortunately it's not, the BT modem would work in bridge mode or similar. Hence the need to swap it out entirely.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Unfortunately it's not, the BT modem would work in bridge mode or similar.

Can you rephrase that? It's not clear exactly what you're saying.

 

[B0dh1]

My apologies. I hit send on that way to quickly.

What I meant to say was that the BT router is very locked down and it is not possible to use it in bridge mode or any other mode that will allow another device to act as a router (short of double natting). It's a very restrictive device, which is why most folk in the UK strongly suggest removing it from the chain.

 

[ColinTaylor]

So you have two separate issues then?

One is a general lack of Wi-Fi coverage (or throughput?) across your house, and the other is poor Wi-Fi (coverage or throughput) in the vicinity of the Smart Hub?

Very generally speaking it's usually best if you can use your ISP supplied modem as third party ones from the likes of Asus, Netgear, etc. tend not to preform as well. But that's a very ISP/service specific case so it might be best to see what the consensus is on BT's user forum for replacement routers.

Personally I've not found double NAT to be an issue provided the ISP's gateway router has a DMZ mode (and the option to turn off Wi-Fi). A quick search turned up this which might be relevant.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Just to add: Asus only sells one DSL AiMesh router nowadays so your choices are rather limited.

DSL-AX82U｜Modem Routers｜ASUS United Kingdom

www.asus.com