Replacement Router Recommendation

[CaNsA]

It‘s not about whether the client devices can hear your access point, it’s about whether or not your access point can hear the client. Transmit power has no impact on whether or not the receiver antennae in the XT12 can hear your iPhone or iPad when they’re far away.

I understand what you are saying, however, you do have 2 people with similar kit both saying they have no issues with their wifi networks and are actually very happy with the performance.

The transmit power of the clients does come into play here, lets not forget that, and the advances made in mobile device comms tech has come on leaps and bounds.

How do you carry out the tests, would I be correct to say that you follow a very specific method?
Do the conditions of your test reflect real world conditions?

 

[WJA96]

I understand what you are saying, however, you do have 2 people with similar kit both saying they have no issues with their wifi networks and are actually very happy with the performance.

The transmit power of the clients does come into play here, lets not forget that, and the advances made in mobile device comms tech has come on leaps and bounds.

How do you carry out the tests, would I be correct to say that you follow a very specific method?
Do the conditions of your test reflect real world conditions?

As a baseline we submit test units to a British Standards/UKAS accredited lab near Bedford and they measure the fundamental parameters for us in their RF chamber. There are calibrated testing devices and a UKAS accredited method. Our testing is solid. It’s not expensive and it saves us making some pretty horrific mistakes. We have to complete RF surveys for every install and supply RF emissions data if it’s a certified wireless install.

Transmit power from an access point is massively more powerful than a handheld client can produce. Mobile devices are limited by chipset, battery power and antenna gain and they’re always the limiting factor in how good your WiFi ‘feels’. If you use a survey tool you get to choose what the client is, and it makes a huge difference if you select something like a PCIe card with external antenna or an iPhone. If you note, I specifically criticised the XT12 antenna placement and the very sharp RSSI cutoff that means you need to buy more access points.

The challenge you face is that you’re invested in your devices. You can’t possibly make an unbiased recommendation based on the fact that you bought one of these devices. Even just in the back of my car today I have more routers than you’ll probably have in your whole life, not to mention switches and access points. That’s not to say my opinion is any more valid than yours. I’m just expressing my opinion and when asked, I supported it with data and rational argumentation. Your entire sales pitch is “it works really well for me, so it’s the best one for you too”. I disagree that an ASUS ET/XT setup is the best for the OP and I’ve stated why. I’ve not contradicted what you’ve said, or implied that you are incorrect, simply recommended the OP looks elsewhere.

 

[Firegod]

@WJA96 forgot to ask you earlier, from your testing which mesh kit / model / manufacturer would you recommend? I have no brand loyalty to Asus so I'm always open to using other makes. Which one gets your vote? I still love my XT12 but just thought I'd ask.

 

[WJA96]

@WJA96 forgot to ask you earlier, from your testing which mesh kit / model / manufacturer would you recommend? I have no brand loyalty to Asus so I'm always open to using other makes. Which one gets your vote? I still love my XT12 but just thought I'd ask.

Ubiquiti for anything wireless. If you can afford them then the enterprise gear from Cisco etc. is better but for the money it’s hard to see past Ubiquiti for access points. The Synology RT6600AX is probably the best combined router/switch/access point we’ve tested but it was only a tiny fraction better than the Huawei AX3 Quad Core which was literally 1/10th the price.

The thing about the ASUS is that it’s a piece of furniture as much as an access point. If you didn’t know what it was you might think it was a vase or something. A lot of people would have an XT12 in their living room but they‘d never show anyone an AX3.

And please don’t forget that by cutting off the RSSI so sharply, they basically guarantee you a great signal or nothing. So as long as you keep spending money on extra access points you will be very happy with the reliability and speeds you get. One Ubiquiti ceiling mounted access point for £200 will do the same job as 2 or 3 XT12s. You pays your money and you takes your choice.

 

[Firegod]

Thanks good to know ta. Do you have any experience with Zyxel APs?

 

[WJA96]

Thanks good to know ta. Do you have any experience with Zyxel APs?

I’ve seen the recent AC and AX models but not the latest WiFi6E unit. If you like Zyxel then they’re fine. They’re more expensive than UBNT and don’t have the UBNT controller and if that’s what you want then they’re a solid choice.

 

[CaNsA]

Ubiquiti for anything wireless. If you can afford them then the enterprise gear from Cisco etc. is better but for the money it’s hard to see past Ubiquiti for access points. The Synology RT6600AX is probably the best combined router/switch/access point we’ve tested but it was only a tiny fraction better than the Huawei AX3 Quad Core which was literally 1/10th the price.

The thing about the ASUS is that it’s a piece of furniture as much as an access point. If you didn’t know what it was you might think it was a vase or something. A lot of people would have an XT12 in their living room but they‘d never show anyone an AX3.

And please don’t forget that by cutting off the RSSI so sharply, they basically guarantee you a great signal or nothing. So as long as you keep spending money on extra access points you will be very happy with the reliability and speeds you get. One Ubiquiti ceiling mounted access point for £200 will do the same job as 2 or 3 XT12s. You pays your money and you takes your choice.

That actually sounds pretty decent.

I did have a AX3 QC, but the dead zones were crazy which is why I upgraded to the XT8.
I bought both 2nd hand for under £100 each which was a good deal imo, but when I had just one XT8 the wifi performance was measurably better than the Huawei AX3 QC even though the XT8 was in the same location that the AX3 was in.

There are a few reasons why I chose the devices, the main one being that I do not have the interest, time or luxury of placing a ceiling mounted AP and frankly I just don't need SOHO/Enterprise grade equipment.

Each device / setup has it's own use case and this equipment was ideal for my needs.

Yeah I sound like a fanboi, but my positive opinion of this kit is based on my own real world usage.

 

[agw_01]

@Firegod, if you get compatible Zyxel APs you can use the Nebula cloud controller.

Nebula Cloud | Zyxel Networks

Just Connect: Connect, protect, and manage security firewalls, switches, and wireless access points in our centralized cloud platform - Nebula. The Nebula Cloud Networking Solution also integrates 5G mobile routers and new AP security services, enabling various businesses to control and secure...

www.zyxel.com

No need to buy physical controllers or run a server locally as you would with UBNT, you register the AP with the Nebula portal and can manage it over the web. The free tier will be more than enough for a home user/SOHO.

I've used them all; Meraki, Cisco, Aruba, Ruckus, Ubiquiti and Zyxel and would have no problems recommending Zyxel as a low cost option.

 

[Firegod]

@Firegod, if you get compatible Zyxel APs you can use the Nebula cloud controller.

Nebula Cloud | Zyxel Networks

Just Connect: Connect, protect, and manage security firewalls, switches, and wireless access points in our centralized cloud platform - Nebula. The Nebula Cloud Networking Solution also integrates 5G mobile routers and new AP security services, enabling various businesses to control and secure...

www.zyxel.com

No need to buy physical controllers or run a server locally as you would with UBNT, you register the AP with the Nebula portal and can manage it over the web. The free tier will be more than enough for a home user/SOHO.

I've used them all; Meraki, Cisco, Aruba, Ruckus, Ubiquiti and Zyxel and would have no problems recommending Zyxel as a low cost option.

I’ve seen the recent AC and AX models but not the latest WiFi6E unit. If you like Zyxel then they’re fine. They’re more expensive than UBNT and don’t have the UBNT controller and if that’s what you want then they’re a solid choice.

Thanks both.