Choice of router/mesh point

[dwl99]

I've ordered an ASUS RT-AX5400 to replace the woeful THG3000 Vodafone landed on me when I changed broadband provider. I'm on the Fibre 900 package and use my broadband mainly for media streaming and home automation with 40-50 clients connected at any time. I have also bought an ASUS TUF Gaming AX3000 V2 on ebay to use as a wireless AiMesh point upstairs. I am also planning on getting an ASUS RP-AX58 AX3000 range extender to use as a downstairs mesh point with a wired backhaul. Most of the clients will connect to the downstairs router or mesh point. It appears that the AX3000 router has a 2.5 gig WAN port whereas the AX5400 has only gigabit ports. Which device would be the better choice to use as the primary router?

 

[L&LD]

With your ISP speeds and number of device clients, I wouldn't recommend either of those models.

The RT-AX88U Pro is the current best-bang-for-the-buck model to consider here (and, you may only need one for your environment too).

Another model to consider is the GT-AX6000, although that one is considerably older (and likely, will be less longer supported).

At the very least, an RT-AX86U is what I would be using with those ISP speeds. Although that is a very old model today.

 

[dwl99]

Thanks for your reply. Until last month I was using an Amplifi HD AC1750 mesh system on a Virgin cable 100Mbps connection which was actually fine for my needs as many of the connected devices take up very little bandwidth (smart switches & speakers etc), I only went for the 900 speed connection as it was the same price as slower ones! So I'm not particularly looking to max out the capabilities of my internet connection, just have something solid & reliable. Another important thing is the spouse acceptance factor, something with a funky design & bristling with antennae & LEDs sitting on our hall table is not going to go down well.

Our house is an older property with thick stone walls so I suspect I wouldn't get away with just the one device.

 

[L&LD]

You're welcome.

Be prepared to wire your nodes in.

AiMesh Ideal Placement

 

[dwl99]

So any thoughts from anyone as to which router to use as the main one?

 

[L&LD]

Although not specifically stated on the official Asus Tech Specs, the RT-AX5400 has the superior RF with a 4x4:4 design (at least for the 5GHz band). But, with the inferior Tri-Core 1.5GHz processor.

The TUF model has a better 1.7GHz processor (and no, not just because of 200 MHz), but with an inferior 2x2:2 RF design.

In my experience (RT-AX58U), the Tri-Core processor is weak and laggy.

Conclusion: Neither is a solid choice for your network setup.

A router first needs to be responsive and make the network the same. These models are not that.

 

[Rain Kleyman]

@dwl99​

In your situation, put the TUF as AiMesh Router, RT-AX5400 as AiMesh Node downstairs and RT-AX58U as AiMesh Node upstairs.
See how this setup goes, and in case of performance issues, check the option to run the cable for securing wired backhaul, or start replacing the gear to RT-AX88U Pro one by one.
With that in mind, your ideal setup (without wired backhaul) would be Tri-Band mesh system XT12 / ET12.

 

[Piotrek]

So any thoughts from anyone as to which router to use as the main one?

RT-AX5400 and TUF-AX3000 V2 have very similar performance.
TUF-AX3000 V2 has a newer, slightly better CPU and 2,5 Gbps WAN - you can set it as the main AiMesh router.
RT-AX5400 has a better radio 5GHz - you can place it where there are more the most demanding WiFi 5GHz clients.

 

[Tech9]

I've ordered an ASUS RT-AX5400

I have also bought an ASUS TUF Gaming AX3000 V2 on ebay

I am also planning on getting an ASUS RP-AX58 AX3000 range extender

This mix and match AiMesh sounds like trouble to me. AiMesh Compatible doesn't always mean working properly together.

AiMesh works best with the same model routers on the same firmware. You first ordered/purchased some routers and after the fact ask for advice.

 

[dwl99]

Yup, you're all correct, I did this the wrong way round. I didn't realise that AiMesh had these potential problems. Will connect everything and see how it works. If it's a disaster I can always ebay the kit and start again.

 

[Piotrek]

AiMesh works best with the same model routers on the same firmware.

I had problems connecting RT-AC58 v3 to RT-AX56U, but combining GT-AX6000 with RT-AX56U and RT-AX56U with RT-AX56U works fine. I use Ethernet Backhaul.
The same models are not necessary, but can make setup easier.

 

[Tech9]

but can make setup easier.

RT-AC58U and RT-AX56U are End-Of-Life products.

Since @dwl99 is not after performance nor 3rd party firmware - 3x new RT-AX3000 V2 or TUF Gaming RT-AX3000 V2 will perhaps do what is expected. I see they are available at about €80 on Amazon Germany or £80 on Amazon UK, for example. All will be the same hardware, running the same firmware and updated at the same time. AX3000-class is more than enough in most cases including shared wireless backhaul. This in case @dwl99 wants Asus. There are other options available and perhaps better "mesh" than AiMesh. Like Qualcomm hardware TP-Link Deco X55 AX3000 3-pack for £166. It doesn't have 101 options in firmware, "easy button" category, but works very well.

 

[glens]

But... it requires "cloud" control, no?

 

[Tech9]

It requires TP-Link ID account, like Android/iOS mobile phones and Windows/macOS computers need an account.

Asus routers require data sharing agreement with Trend Micro for quite a few firmware features, no?

 

[BreakingDad]

Yup, you're all correct, I did this the wrong way round. I didn't realise that AiMesh had these potential problems. Will connect everything and see how it works. If it's a disaster I can always ebay the kit and start again.

For the record my RP-AX58 works flawlessly. Wish I had bought one sooner, had zero trouble with cameras at back of the house since I bought it.

 

[dwl99]

With your ISP speeds and number of device clients, I wouldn't recommend either of those models.

The RT-AX88U Pro is the current best-bang-for-the-buck model to consider here (and, you may only need one for your environment too).

Another model to consider is the GT-AX6000, although that one is considerably older (and likely, will be less longer supported).

At the very least, an RT-AX86U is what I would be using with those ISP speeds. Although that is a very old model today.

I've had a chance to play around with the RT-AX5400 as the router and the TUF Gaming AX3000 V2 as the AIMesh point. Firstly, it's wayyyyyy better than the Vodafone PoS router. I have around 55 device clients connected (most of them low bandwidth) but a few devices seem to randomly disconnect from time to time, including my NAS which is connected via ethernet. I SSH'd into the router and it apparently supports up to 128 clients. I'm thinking about an upgrade to see if that would help. The 3 routers you mentioned, the RT-AX88U Pro, GT-AX6000 and RT-AX86U have all failed to secure spousal approval as they are apparently too ugly to sit out on our hall table. I'm thinking about getting a pair of XT9's (the XT12 got the thumbs down too) instead. Do you think this would fix the disconnection problem and how would you rate the XT9?

Thanks

 

[glens]

A pair of XT9s ought to do everything you need, and being tri-radio units you'd not suffer the same throughput degradation as those other devices, which have only two radios each, when interconnected wirelessly like that. You may as well give solid consideration to XT8s as they'd most likely be indistinguishable in actual use and demand a much more wallet-friendly commitment.

Edit: just looked on amazon and the 8s are $300 / pair (fairly standard of late) and the 9s are only $30 more, which would be my choice at that price delta. Were it $50 or more (as is typical), to me the 8s would be the better value.

 

[dwl99]

From what I've read the XT9 is a bit more stable than the XT8, I don't know if firmware updates have altered this.

 

[glens]

Yeah, well I highly doubt there's a nickel's worth of difference between them in that respect. Capability of using DFS channels (or not) with the "lower" 5 GHz radio is the largest difference they have, and I'm sure there are a multitude of folks around the world for whom a router's DFS-ability is a completely moot point 'cause it ain't happening for them anyway, either by regulation or other location misfortune. For a 10% difference in cost it's worth consideration, but not at the usual /30%/.

 

[Tech9]

have all failed to secure spousal approval

Now you know. You first ask here, then get spousal approval, then proceed with equipment purchase.

Get an XT9 set from a store with good return policy, test it in your environment, send it back if it doesn't work as expected. Hopefully it works well. It's the newer version of XT8, basically. I personally can't recommend any ZenWiFi series products, but you have no choice in this situation. Ask what color is approved - XT9 comes in black or white.