My Problem with Asus Routers

[d5aqoep]

CES is coming up in a week. We are expecting new Wave-2 Wifi7 routers to be announced then. However, they take 8-9 months to appear in the market for consumers to purchase them after announcement. The support is 4 years from the date of announcement. So when majority of people get their hands on the new routers, they are kinda semi outdated and have reduced firmware update lifespan of 2-3 years. When routers are costing $500-600 and not something you would replace every year, doesn't it make sense to have 7-8 years firmware update schedule?

I feel jaded by this and might flock to enterprise gear or Ubiquiti where updates are more than 5 years.

I am sure some people will still defend this "Fast Fashion" release schedule of Router industry, but I would still like to hear your thoughts on this.

 

[microchip]

I am so glad I left the consumer router market. My MikroTik and TP-Link Omada APs are so much better, both in performance, stability, and virtually (for me) bug-free operation, at least I haven't come across something not working or not as intended since my switch to these platforms. Firmware updates are for both regular as well. If you wanna get serious about your network, IMO people should look somewhere else than consumer stuff.

 

[OzarkEdge]

If it were "My Problem", I would buy the other gear I wanted and not waste time complaining about my problems online.

OE

 

[fryedchikin]

From a technology perspective, most hardware is already outdated by the time it hits the market. Any 'enthusiast' who cares about having the latest and greatest networking tech will be replacing hardware long before 5 years. By the time any new tech becomes mainstream, routers with those specs will be down in the low-mid budget price range. 3 years after that, consumers are going to want/need whatever new tech has trickled down to devices at that level. This just follows the same pattern as any other tech.

 

[Tech9]

I feel jaded by this and might flock to enterprise gear or Ubiquiti

Even with lower cost options as UniFi or Omada you are going to pay more for a decent system and you have to have wired infrastructure in place already before you start. Some people don't count infrastructure, but it is part of the total cost. A consumer All-In-One router you just bring home, place on the shelf and start using it. It won't be perfect, but no device made for convenience is perfect. If you have no wired infrastructure in place - no business system will offer wireless mesh with dedicated wireless uplink radio. This option doesn't exist. You have to decide what is better for your specific use case not based on capabilities alone, but also budget, level of knowledge, even appearance in home environment.

 

[KGB7]

Here is a wild idea....dont buy it in the first place or start your own company.