GT-AXE16000 vs. GT-AX11000 Pro questions

[Joker45]

Hi all,

I am currently using two AC-86U’s in a mesh set up for the last 4 years and looking to upgrade to either the GT-AXE16000 or the unreleased GT-AX11000 Pro. I’ll be using 2 of either router due to not being able to run a wired back haul and want a third wireless back haul channel.

I have Comcast Gigabit as my ISP and don’t see the opportunity for speeds above 2.5Gigs in the near future. The few questions I have for you, I haven’t been able to find answers for anywhere and maybe aren’t even know at this point. But figured I’d ask here as I’ve been lurking for the better part of a decade but never posted.

1. Will the GT-AXE16000 be able to use the newly released Expanded UNII4 spectrum that’s available with the AX-11000 Pro in the future? I have no idea if this is a software or hardware limitation and haven’t seen this info anywhere. I could be misreading the product information page on the ASUS website, but it doesn’t appear to offer it already. I live near an airport and the new spectrum would most likely benefit me.

2. Any known release time on the GT-AX11000 Pro? Everything I have seen indicates end of 2nd quarter with a price of $500. But it’s obviously delayed and going off the GT-AXE16000 release timeframe, I’m guessing end of September to middle of October as the AXE16000 was about 2 1/2 months later than originally anticipated and still doesn’t have broad availability. ASUS website shows the GT-AX11000 Pro for the last few weeks but no price or release date. I’m also guessing price will be increased to around $550. Prices at most retailers have dropped to $350 for the GT-AX11000 and $500 for the GT-AXE11000.

I plan on keeping whatever I purchase until WiFi 7 becomes the new standard and available in a few years. I don’t want to waste money on the GT-AXE16000 if the GT11000 Pro will do everything that I need it to do for me with the additional new Expanded UNII4 spectrum that the GT-AXE16000 may not have.

I’ve had the itch to upgrade for a long time now. Best Buy still doesn’t have the GT-AXE16000 even listed, let alone for sale and I’m about to give up on them. I don’t have any 6E devices right now so that doesn’t really matter. Just trying to sort out if waiting awhile longer for the GT-AX11000 Pro is the smart move. Am I missing a reason to go with the GT-AXE16000 over the 11000 Pro?

 

[L&LD]

Welcome to the forums @Joker45.

While any AX class router should give you a good performance boost, I don't see anything in your post that warrants that, today.

Report - 2x RT-AX68U upgrade over 2x RT-AC86U in wireless backhaul mode


If you really don't want to 'waste money', and the reliability and performance are satisfactory to you today, I wouldn't take down a working setup.

If your current network isn't giving you any issues, then I would wait for WiFi 7 to show up. Even if you don't buy a WiFi-7-enabled router, the WiFi 6E routers will be mature, readily available, and most likely cheaper too.

News - WiFi 7 by 2024 for Intel equipped laptops.

WiFi 7 is coming up fast, thanks to Intel. Intel Plans to Bring Wi-Fi 7 to Client Platforms by 2024 | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com) Lots of room to find a good 6E router in the meantime. :)

www.snbforums.com

 

[RMerlin]

The GT-AX11000_PRO was initially supposed to start shipping in July. Since it was announced last week, I would expect it should start appearing over the coming weeks, with availability varying by region.

 

[Joker45]

Thanks for the welcome L&LD!

I agree with your assessment of not really needing a new setup. More of wanting I suppose. I probably should have mentioned that Comcast gigabit service is 1.2gigs over-provisioned to 1.4 Gbps. So with the AC86U's I'm using, I'm losing almost a third of my download capacity. While I'm not unhappy with my current setup, more is better. I have no issue spending on a better setup than I currently have. I would just prefer to get the best bang for the buck and not waste money on equipment that might be rendered vastly inferior by WIFI 7 by 2024-2025. And with all the reported issues with the AC86U's, I kind of feel lucky to have gotten 4 years out of them. Anyway, your advice is sold for sure. Thanks for your input.

RMerlin, Thank you for the info. I'm in California.

 

[L&LD]

Your best purchase(s) today may be the GT-AX6000. Up to 20% higher throughput to the same clients at the same distance. And, you'll be able to connect your WAN and LAN with 2.5GbE ports.

 

[Joker45]

I thought about that one. But I probably should have added that I game on the node router of my setup. Unfortunately the main router and modem is on the top floor and I connect my Xbox series x to the mesh node so it shows a wired connection. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been considering upgrading to a tri band router setup for a better connection downstairs. I’ll take another look at the GT-AX6000. Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.

 

[ali.]

Your best purchase(s) today may be the GT-AX6000. Up to 20% higher throughput to the same clients at the same distance. And, you'll be able to connect your WAN and LAN with 2.5GbE ports.

I bought the GT-AX6000 and I am returning it and replaced it with GT-AX11000. This is because there is a major bug in the firmware where you cannot get symmetrical UL speeds for the 1Gbps connection that I have. The hokey solution to this problem is to turn on dual WAN, and plug in the ethernet coming out of the ONT to LAN port 4, and leaving the 2.5Gbps WAN port unconnected. I tested two units and came back with same results.

I am though interested in finding more about GT-AX11000 PRO. Seems like it is not out yet. If it arrives in next 30 days, I may exchange my GT-AX11000 with the PRO version. As far as the AXE model is concerned, I do not have any WIFI 6E clients plus I am leveraging MOCA to wire as much as possible.

 

[ali.]

I thought about that one. But I probably should have added that I game on the node router of my setup. Unfortunately the main router and modem is on the top floor and I connect my Xbox series x to the mesh node so it shows a wired connection. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been considering upgrading to a tri band router setup for a better connection downstairs. I’ll take another look at the GT-AX6000. Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.

GT-AX6000 as an issue with symmetrical UL speeds unless you chose to turn on the dual WAN feature and follow what I noted here > https://www.snbforums.com/threads/gt-axe16000-vs-gt-ax11000-pro-questions.80395/post-784579

 

[ali.]

Hi all,

I am currently using two AC-86U’s in a mesh set up for the last 4 years and looking to upgrade to either the GT-AXE16000 or the unreleased GT-AX11000 Pro. I’ll be using 2 of either router due to not being able to run a wired back haul and want a third wireless back haul channel.

I have Comcast Gigabit as my ISP and don’t see the opportunity for speeds above 2.5Gigs in the near future. The few questions I have for you, I haven’t been able to find answers for anywhere and maybe aren’t even know at this point. But figured I’d ask here as I’ve been lurking for the better part of a decade but never posted.

1. Will the GT-AXE16000 be able to use the newly released Expanded UNII4 spectrum that’s available with the AX-11000 Pro in the future? I have no idea if this is a software or hardware limitation and haven’t seen this info anywhere. I could be misreading the product information page on the ASUS website, but it doesn’t appear to offer it already. I live near an airport and the new spectrum would most likely benefit me.

2. Any known release time on the GT-AX11000 Pro? Everything I have seen indicates end of 2nd quarter with a price of $500. But it’s obviously delayed and going off the GT-AXE16000 release timeframe, I’m guessing end of September to middle of October as the AXE16000 was about 2 1/2 months later than originally anticipated and still doesn’t have broad availability. ASUS website shows the GT-AX11000 Pro for the last few weeks but no price or release date. I’m also guessing price will be increased to around $550. Prices at most retailers have dropped to $350 for the GT-AX11000 and $500 for the GT-AXE11000.

I plan on keeping whatever I purchase until WiFi 7 becomes the new standard and available in a few years. I don’t want to waste money on the GT-AXE16000 if the GT11000 Pro will do everything that I need it to do for me with the additional new Expanded UNII4 spectrum that the GT-AXE16000 may not have.

I’ve had the itch to upgrade for a long time now. Best Buy still doesn’t have the GT-AXE16000 even listed, let alone for sale and I’m about to give up on them. I don’t have any 6E devices right now so that doesn’t really matter. Just trying to sort out if waiting awhile longer for the GT-AX11000 Pro is the smart move. Am I missing a reason to go with the GT-AXE16000 over the 11000 Pro?

Unless you upgrade all of your devices to WIFI 6E which may be extremely cost prohibitive. What benefit if any will you gain from purchasing an AXE model, when Qualcomm has already announced WIFI 7.

 

[RMerlin]

when Qualcomm has already announced WIFI 7.

While both Qualcomm and Broadcom already announced Wifi 7 SoCs, WIfi 7 isn't expected to become mainstream until 2024. The standard isn`t even finalized yet.

 

[ali.]

While both Qualcomm and Broadcom already announced Wifi 7 SoCs, WIfi 7 isn't expected to become mainstream until 2024. The standard isn`t even finalized yet.

Fair enough. Since all of my home devices are wired connections except for smartphones and tablets which are all iOS. And being that Apple is super slow in upgrading their hardware, and I am not willing to dole out 1000s of dollars to upgrade the devices. Hence, WIFI 6E does not do anything for me: I will have to live with WiFi 6 for the foreseeable future. And I am guessing same applies for most non-power users.

 

[tallytr]

Your best purchase(s) today may be the GT-AX6000. Up to 20% higher throughput to the same clients at the same distance. And, you'll be able to connect your WAN and LAN with 2.5GbE ports.

I returned mine, while it gave a bit more coverage on 5 GHZ, I couldn't justify the money over my working RT-AX86U, waiting for Wi-Fi 7 in a couple years down the road....

 

[ali.]

I returned mine, while it gave a bit more coverage on 5 GHZ, I couldn't justify the money over my working RT-AX86U, waiting for Wi-Fi 7 in a couple years down the road....

Do you have a Aimesh system?

 

[tallytr]

Do you have a Aimesh system?

No, I have one TP Link Access Point instead, works almost 100% reliably