Replace AirPort Extreme.

[Drew64]

I have an AirPort Extreme 6 th gen. Has worked well. With all the new phones amd iPads that handle WiFi 6 which I have on top of smart TVs and computers that I have connecting to my network I was looking to upgrade my router. I was looking at a TP link ax3000 that Amazon has at good price today for 90 bucks. I still get about 180Mps speeds according to speed test on WiFi which is close to what I’m paying for 200Mbps. Wanted to get advice to see if worth the change. I know has wpa3 security now and maybe better range. Daughter streams games a lot but her desktop wired to router. Any advice. Also is It as simple as just swapping out routers and. setting up thru app like it shows. Gonna keep same network name and password so don’t have to go around reconnecting things

 

[Christos]

I have also used an Airport express router and a thing that characterizes it, is the plug and play nature. You open the app, choose a wifi name and password and you are good to go. It is also VERY reliable.
I have found the same characteristics in the HPE Aruba InstantOn wifi series, that can also be configured as a router.
They don't have ports to connect devices via ethernet, though. They offer only wireless connectivity.

 

[tgl]

Yeah, I was using Airport gear until a year ago. TBH, unless you feel it's the bottleneck in your network today, I would not be in a hurry to replace it. WiFi 6 is nice but it's not a huge advance over what you've got, at least not unless you live somewhere where the DFS channels are entirely free (no nearby airport or weather radar). I updated because I got a gigabit fiber internet connection and the Airports became the limiting factor in my download speed --- but it sounds like you're not there yet.

As best I can tell, WiFi 6E will be a game-changer because of the additional spectrum it opens up. If you can wait till 6E router prices come down out of the stratosphere, and you have some 6E clients, then that'll be money well spent.

 

[Tech9]

Wanted to get advice to see if worth the change.

Not really. Wi-Fi 5 to common 2-stream client can do 550Mbps. Your phones and tablets have nothing to do with >100Mbps. Wi-Fi 6 router won’t improve your experience much. Of course you can get AX3000 for $90 and try, but don’t expect miracles. It’s a good router, by the way. Just don’t expect long support from TP-Link. They usually release firmware updates for about 2 years and move on with newer products. This is why the price is low.

 

[sfx2000]

Synology seems to be the go-to for many of the old AirPort owners...

 

[Tech9]

Interesting. For what reason?

 

[sfx2000]

Interesting. For what reason?

Couple of things - the power of influence is a big one - Syno does a significant level of engagement with the Mac community. The second item is that they generally go out of their way to support the MacOS X features and capabilities, similar to their NAS product lines.

 

[Christos]

Synology seems to be the go-to for many of the old AirPort owners...

True, because they offer Time Machine backups on their routers, via USB external storage.

 

[Tech9]

This thing?

[Wireless Router] How to enable Time Machine feature on ASUS Router? | Official Support | ASUS Global

 

[sfx2000]

This thing?

[Wireless Router] How to enable Time Machine feature on ASUS Router? | Official Support | ASUS Global

Yeah, if you like exploding backups...

That information is fairly old, and much is invalid these days...

Let's not get into Asus Fanboi mode please - Asus is well known for being problematic with Apple gear, esp with things like TimeMachine, HomeKit, Bonjour, etc...

 

[Tech9]

Let's not get into Asus Fanboi

I never used it and I don’t know how it works in Asuswrt. Very far from Asus fanboy, but I get what and why you’re saying.

Basically Synology is a more guaranteed to work solution, as far as I understand. This answers my question.