New router: AX or BE if long time support (maintenance, FW updates, etc.) wanted?

[Jeje2]

How do you see it: in buying a new router, AX or BE generation router if long time support (firmwares etc.) wanted?

As we (wife and I) mainly work from home, with sensitive material (using company VPN's of course on our work-laptops) - a working, reliable, supported router is a must for us.
We have currently no direct need for Wifi7 nor wifi6E, but planning to add a new device and build a iMesh setup (RT-AX86U in use already) to better cover all house. Besides normal devices, we now have 30+ IoT devices in use and some have occasional signal problems.... Cellar being the worst area. So planning to get a new main-router and setting up a iMesh in our home with our "old" RT-AX86U in cellar.

Primarily now thinking AX86U Pro vs BE86U (or 88-models of these)

 

[degrub]

AiMesh works the most reliably if identical hardware and firmware revisions are used for all nodes.
Wired backhaul instead of wired is usually most reliable, highest bandwidth. Wireless backhaul has best chance if using dedicated, additional radio.

If you need to isolate IOT devices from the rest of your lan/wireless equipment, then verify that your router, APs, AiMesh devices all support VLANs. Some IOT devices may have issues with using Guest wireless network if i remember correctly.

If you have or can install either CAT5e or CAT6 ethernet cabling, that will be the highest bandwidth, most reliable setup for AiMesh, APs , and connection to your laptops. Existing RG59 or RG6 coax cabling can be used to provide the same backbone using MOCA modems unless your ISP is using DocCIS 3.1 modems. If DocCIS3.1, then more difficult to do.