Netgear 7800 vs Asus 86u vs Synology 2600 vs TP Link Archer 2300

[AP_WV]

I read through several threads yesterday and narrowed down my selection to these routers

Netgear R7800 (interested in xr500 but still too pricey to justify features)
Asus 86U
Synology 2600
TP Link Archer 2300

My current router is a Netgear 1450 which I upgraded the firmware on to run as a 1750 (6300 model). I have the router located in the basement almost in the center of the house and get a severe drop in 5 ghz only going through the floor, so I'd like a system that will broadcast better. I'd like to leave the router in the same spot that it is without have to use extenders or additional APs. Connection is the biggest thing, but a decent QoS and feature set on the router would be desirable. I have ethernet running to our rooms just in case, but I'd like a strong 5ghz signal that will reach all of our devices. Primarily just stream and game as our uses. Have 15-20 devices in total setup on the current router and the only poor performers seem to be our phones.

Any recommendations you all can give based on the above info would be much appreciated.

 

[L&LD]

If you used the Netgear 7800 as an AP (with maybe pfsense running in front of it), that would have been my choice.

If using a single router as an all in one appliance; Asus + RMerlin + amtm + scripts is an unbeatable choice today.

 

[Deleted member 22229]

Asus routers are ok but from my time using them they tend to have poor coverage at least on 5 Ghz. The Netgear 7800 has fantastic coverages but there firmware is crap at best. There are third party available such as Voxel. I have owned quite a few Asus routers and the 7800 is better then most with the right firmware.

 

[Gar]

And tplink rarely updates it's firmware. If the model works they seem to ignore it in my experience.

 

[heidarren]

As for Wi-Fi, R7800 runs best with US region + channel 36~48, while AC86U runs best with AU region + channel 149~161

 

[psychopomp1]

And tplink rarely updates it's firmware. If the model works they seem to ignore it in my experience.

I think you'll find router manufacturers only release new firmware to fix bugs and/or enable new features. I'm not aware of any router manufacturer who release new firmware just for the fun of it.

 

[RogerSC]

I think you'll find router manufacturers only release new firmware to fix bugs and/or enable new features. I'm not aware of any router manufacturer who release new firmware just for the fun of it.

There's always new security exploits to be fixed. Some manufacturers are very slow to do that. Some don't do that at all. Some do it quickly. I want to be using a router whose engineering and support groups are always fixing security holes and refining and adding new features when reasonable.

 

[microchip]

I have experience with a few TP-Link routers. Their firmware is OK-ish but they are really slow to release new versions. They also tend to abandon the device after not a too long of period. For this reason I stay away from TP-Link. They have good switches, though

 

[AP_WV]

Thank you all for the feedback. Definitely leaning towards the 7800 though as many compliment the wireless capabilities. The reviews stating poor performance on the 2.4 band for the 86u are enough to steer me away for now.

 

[foosion]

Out of curiosity, why the 7800 rather than the 7000p? Some reviewers prefer the 7000p and the 7000p is newer. Perhaps because Voxel firmware is available for the 7800 but not, so far as I can tell, for the 7000p?

 

[heidarren]

Out of curiosity, why the 7800 rather than the 7000p? Some reviewers prefer the 7000p and the 7000p is newer. Perhaps because Voxel firmware is available for the 7800 but not, so far as I can tell, for the 7000p?

Newer is better? 7000P has been intro to the market for more than a year, but nearly nobody talks about it, guess why

 

[microchip]

Out of curiosity, why the 7800 rather than the 7000p? Some reviewers prefer the 7000p and the 7000p is newer. Perhaps because Voxel firmware is available for the 7800 but not, so far as I can tell, for the 7000p?

it's a pimped-up R7000. Minor changes to the hardware. The R7800 mostly destroys it

 

[AP_WV]

Out of curiosity, why the 7800 rather than the 7000p? Some reviewers prefer the 7000p and the 7000p is newer. Perhaps because Voxel firmware is available for the 7800 but not, so far as I can tell, for the 7000p?

I did look into the 7000p and paid too much attention to a few crummy reviews. A majority of them complained about long range throughput. My main goal is correcting the signal issue without using extenders or additional APs.

 

[HWDan]

I run both the 7800 and 86U side by side, one for DSL the other for cable internet. I also have the TPLINK C3150V2 (similar price point for this group) as a wired AP for 5GHZ band only in my family room for better streaming coverage (not that the other 2 can't reach it wirelessly but it's a long ways away for 5GHZ coverage on the main routers and I like to use 5GHZ on wireless devices when in that room).

All 3 are solid on stock firmware (2nd last on the 86U) and great coverage on a 2 storey home with the 2 main routers in the basement. Like others have said, TPLINK firmware is rarely updated, I think the last one for the TPLINK is over a year ago. Pick 7800 or 86U, you can't go wrong. Although just personal observation, I think 86U is likely to be supported longer than the R7800, given the age.

 

[HWDan]

Also, since you mentioned you have wired rooms, my TPLINK as a wired AP is in the main floor and can get pretty much full strength 5GHZ on a laptop in the room directly above and even the TV directly below it in the basement. But in general, 5GHZ whole home multi-floor coverage is going to be tough to get. I would go the wired AP route for at least the busiest room not on the same level as the router. And just turn off 2.4 band on the AP like I do, as the main routers can probably cover the entire home on 2.4 band anyway.

 

[jverheul]

Given the crowded 5GHz channels where I am I would go with the R7800 for DFS. I am about to set one up for a friend in an office building. He will be the second guy with DFS in his area. If anyone has anything bad to say about DFS I am all ears. This is new to me.