Looking for a Reliable and Secure Router

[PinkTrousers]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to upgrade from my TP-Link Archer C6 v2 to a more capable router. My main priorities are:

1. Reliability: I use a VR headset and need a stable, low-latency connection.
2. Security & Long-Term Support: I plan to use the router as a VPN server and prefer a device with up-to-date software to do that.

Here’s a bit more about my setup:

• Alongside VR, I stream games and videos locally and plan to set up a basic NAS.
• I’d also like the ability to wake devices (including the NAS) remotely (it seems there are a couple of ways to do that on Asus routers)
• My apartment is 56 m², so range isn’t an issue.
• I have ~10 wireless devices connected and a 300 Mbps internet connection.

My network doesn’t seem very congested, so I’m unsure if the 6 GHz band is worth it for me, but you be the judge.

5ghz

Routers I'm Considering:

• Asus GT-AX6000 – $150 (used), supports Asuswrt-Merlin firmware.
• Asus TUF-AX6000 – $150 (new), supports OpenWRT.
• Asus RT-AXE7800 – $180 (new), offers Wi-Fi 6E (6 GHz band) but currently lacks third-party firmware support.

Do you think one of these would be a good fit, or is there another model I should consider?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions

 

[bbunge]

RT-AX86U Pro or RT-AX88U Pro. Most recommended routers on this forum.

 

[sfx2000]

RT-AX86U Pro or RT-AX88U Pro. Most recommended routers on this forum.

MT6000 running OpenWRT - software freedom

 

[sfx2000]

I'm looking to upgrade from my TP-Link Archer C6 v2 to a more capable router. My main priorities are:

1. Reliability: I use a VR headset and need a stable, low-latency connection.
2. Security & Long-Term Support: I plan to use the router as a VPN server and prefer a device with up-to-date software to do that.

Here’s a bit more about my setup:

• Alongside VR, I stream games and videos locally and plan to set up a basic NAS.
• I’d also like the ability to wake devices (including the NAS) remotely (it seems there are a couple of ways to do that on Asus routers)
• My apartment is 56 m², so range isn’t an issue.
• I have ~10 wireless devices connected and a 300 Mbps internet connection.

Once you pull your TP-Link device after replacing it with an MT6000

OpenWRT does support this one - so you can explore things there...

[OpenWrt Wiki] TP-Link Archer C6 v2

openwrt.org