Better make use of new 1G internet...small upgrade thoughts.

[RMinNJ]

So I upgraded my internet speed to 1G coax from 300Mbit. My current setup is 2 floor raised ranch with an R7800 in the lower level providing fairly good 5Ghz coveage (600-700Mbit+) upstairs except far bedrooms. Very few devices...y computers (hardwired), laptops, rokus, amazon sticks. kid's Xbox is a hardwired to upstairs switch going to the R7800 downstairs. No AX capable devices.

Problem statement; would like to add an access point upstairs to make the 5G stronger to better make use of the above 300Mbit connection now. In addition it
would be nice to have some more router features for the main router. Though the 7800 has been rock solid and problem free...no doubt I could add some scripts and netdata to the 7800. Router has been really amazing I must say with Voxel firmare.

Thought about unifi or some advanced router with access points but that seems complete overkill. Though I do like to tinker..

Some thoughts I had.

a.) Leave it alone..works ok... and gigabit speed i need is hardwired (work computer and switch, far bedroom works ok on 2.4). No AX devices.
b.) Pick up another R7800 for the upstairs hardwired access point.. Cheapest solution, reliable, coverage I know will be good
c.) Pick another AC router for the main router or access point such as an RT-AC86U.. Get the benefits of asus or third party firmware, AIMESH. Unknown wireless coverage?
d.) Pick up an AX router for the main router or access point... possible better AC wireless coverage? If the RT-AX86U get the possible benefit of a 2.5Gbit backhaul between my upstairs and downstairs.

Thanks for any thoughts..

 

[L&LD]

a.) We have a winner!

With 600-700Mbps on your wireless devices with the R7800 Voxel powered router, I wouldn't change a thing today.

You don't state how 'bad' the far bedrooms are for Wi-Fi, but I'll assume not bad at all.

The 'wants' that you state in your post point to a 2x RT-AX86U AiMesh v2.0 set up (ideally in wired backhaul mode). This will give you speed, coverage, and lots of controls, features, and scripts to tweak for a long time (with new ones coming daily, it seems). But the cost may not be worth the performance upgrade you may be expecting with your current client devices.

Save your money and look to the future RT-AXE86U model that may be available in a few months. That will be an upgrade I wouldn't pass up too quickly.

 

[RMinNJ]

Thanks..my 5ghz connection for my phone will drop to maybe 100ish in the far bedroom. Solution is to switch to 2.4. It's not a big deal. Just that I upgraded my internet so much all my wireless devices are now in need of upgrading.

Do anyone know if an ax86u would give better wifi 5 range over my 7800..im thinking not much if any...only an access point will get faster 5g upstairs...question is getting a cheaper AC device or spending money on AX.

 

[L&LD]

Range, I'm not sure of, but throughput on AX clients will be improved over any AC class router, even at a distance.

I would not upgrade a thing you have. Buy a few AXE clients first, then scratch that itch.

Or just upgrade to the Intel INT-AX210.NGWG Wi-Fi adaptor on the devices you can upgrade.

Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (Gig+) Product Specifications

Wi-Fi 6E Intel AX210 Bluetooth 5.2 + 3000Mbps 2.4Ghz 5Ghz 6Ghz M.2 2230 Key E Desktop Kit Wireless Adapter AX210NGW NGFF WiFi 6 Card 802.11ax/ac Support MU-MIMO OFDMA Windows 10 With 6Dbi Antenna Set - Newegg.com

 

[RMinNJ]

Thanks. Its a good setup I have but I cant help but wonder if any access point upstairs would improve things. Maybe i can borrow a router and find out.

 

[L&LD]

I'm not saying it won't improve things. I'm saying put that money towards real upgrades instead.

 

[RMinNJ]

I took your advice and got a used(new to me) lapptop. My current one was wireless N only and could not be upgraded. The laptop..yeah its AC but it will allow me to enjoy my new internet connection over 300 mbit.

I also discovered the little TPlink switch in my kids room will not get above 550mbit.. time to replace that. Its interesting what going above your previous ISP speed brings out.

 

[Dinodogacw3426]

So I upgraded my internet speed to 1G coax from 300Mbit. My current setup is 2 floor raised ranch with an R7800 in the lower level providing fairly good 5Ghz coveage (600-700Mbit+) upstairs except far bedrooms. Very few devices...y computers (hardwired), laptops, rokus, amazon sticks. kid's Xbox is a hardwired to upstairs switch going to the R7800 downstairs. No AX capable devices.

Problem statement; would like to add an access point upstairs to make the 5G stronger to better make use of the above 300Mbit connection now. In addition it
would be nice to have some more router features for the main router. Though the 7800 has been rock solid and problem free...no doubt I could add some scripts and netdata to the 7800. Router has been really amazing I must say with Voxel firmare.

Thought about unifi or some advanced router with access points but that seems complete overkill. Though I do like to tinker..

Some thoughts I had.

a.) Leave it alone..works ok... and gigabit speed i need is hardwired (work computer and switch, far bedroom works ok on 2.4). No AX devices.
b.) Pick up another R7800 for the upstairs hardwired access point.. Cheapest solution, reliable, coverage I know will be good
c.) Pick another AC router for the main router or access point such as an RT-AC86U.. Get the benefits of asus or third party firmware, AIMESH. Unknown wireless coverage?
d.) Pick up an AX router for the main router or access point... possible better AC wireless coverage? If the RT-AX86U get the possible benefit of a 2.5Gbit backhaul between my upstairs and downstairs.

Thanks for any thoughts..

I will investigate a powerline solution (TPLINK, ZYXEL for example), and connect it to your far end, buy a cheap Wifi5 router and convert it to AP, and use the powerline as backhaul, this should pass as an adequate solution for extending your network. I use Asus router, and recently purchased an AX86U, and connect to a TPLINK 1900 as AP through powerline, it works for me this way.

 

[ulaganath]

Can you run a wire to bedroom or any near then access point of ubiquiti make sense . You dont need top end devices if you yet to get ax devices lite wifi-6 would do the most but you are in the path of upgrade get the LR wifi-6 it has most one need from latest wifi . but lite is cheaper and doesnt need a complete setup or investment. It runs on POE inject as well so until you plan on complete ecosystem start with basic 1 lite and see if thing improved and add another if needed on different place.

UniFi6 Lite

Compact, dual-band WiFi 6 access point with flexible mounting options. Features: 5 GHz WiFi 6 band, 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 band 1.5 Gbps aggregate throughput rate Focused antenna pattern for optimal ceiling or wall mounting (1) GbE RJ45 port (PoE In) Fits UAP nanoHD covers and the recessed...

store.ui.com

or

UniFi6 Long-Range

High-performance, indoor/outdoor WiFi 6 access point with extended signal range. Features: 5 GHz WiFi 6 band (4x4), 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 band (4x4) 3.0 Gbps aggregate throughput rate Horizontal, downward-tilted antenna pattern to widen coverage area (1) GbE RJ45 port (PoE In) Powered with PoE+...

store.ui.com

if planning to get more ap then this might be needed to power https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-routing-switching/products/usw-flex

controller you can run on cloud or try a raspberry pie option or docker if you have NAS.

Dream Machine Pro

All-in-one, enterprise-grade UniFi OS Console and security gateway designed to host the full UniFi application suite. Connect the Dream Machine Pro with a USP RPS to create an uninterruptible network. Features: Pre-installed UniFi Network application LAN ports: (8) GbE RJ45, (1) 10G SFP+ WAN...

store.ui.com

This is only if you plan to add ip cams it has most versatile connectivity options and storage built in along with 3 product access. 10gig SFP only downside no POE. May be they release one with PRO Plus