Upgrade Advice for SMB wireless access point

[kya]

I have a reliable (but aging) setup for our small office that on any given day handles 40-60 different devices wired and wireless. We are in a converted office/warehouse type space (with thin walls) and I cover 5,000 sqft on a single floor with great range and signal strength.

My setup is
Cisco RV320 router (dual wan)
- Two TPLink TL-SG1024, 24 port unmanaged gigabit switches
- Netgear R7000 in AP mode for staff (different SSID for 2.4 and 5Ghz)
- Asus RT-N12 in AP mode mode for guests (it keeps guest connections slow)

I think the R7000 is due for an upgrade because I have a lot more wireless devices since I deployed the unit 3 years ago and many more devices are on 5Ghz these days. I was thinking of using a Tri Band router in AP mode (because two 5Ghz channels are better than one?) but I'm thoroughly confused with current offerings. If you were me what would you get next to replace your R7000 without sacrificing range or signal strength?

 

[MichaelCG]

Depending on how many of those 40-60 are wireless, you may be outgrowing the use of a single AP as well. It may be getting time to start looking at solutions that include more than just one. This really depends on how many clients you expect over the next year or two as well as if the expected speeds/performance are still being met as the usage grows.

 

[kya]

Yeah I've thought about multiple AP but I don't expect any growth until we move to a new facility in a year because we are out of office space.

It's a unique situation since I have around 20 laptops that are on/off docking stations and in/out of office. Server, desktops, printers, phone system are all hard wired. If people connect mobile phones or tablets to the network they are using the guest AP.

At the moment I'm leaning toward an Asus RT-AC3200 and keeping the R7000 as a backup

edit: I bought the Asus RT-AC3200 and plan to deploy it tomorrow afternoon

 

[kya]

I deployed the Asus RT-AC3200 last Friday in AP mode to replace the R7000. Setup took about 15 minutes and its been running solid all week. Devices seem to be connecting both 5Ghz networks and the range is as good if not better than the R7000.