TP-Link AX6600 dead, Asus ZenWifi a possible replacement?

[Mysterae_]

Today my TP-Link AX6600 router died and it's not even a year old. It's going through a continuous boot cycle it seems, with the orange LED at the front just pulsing away. Everything TP-Link support suggested (extremely basic I'll add) didn't do anything and even a forced firmware update failed as the unit would just reset again at 53% updated. Hopefully returning it to the supplier as I don't want to mess about with a RMA as I don't want another as a replacement.

It's never been very good. It's crashed a number of times since I've had it and those required a factory reset to fix, which meant setting up the network again and all the devices that were connected to it - a major pain. It's range was also no where near that advertised either; with 8 antennas sticking up like a dead spider I'd thought I'd get a good signal outside the house but it would lose it about a metre from the outside wall. I expected more from a router at this price point.

Anyway, I'm looking at the Asus ZenWifi mesh systems with the XT8 fitting the bill nicely although the Pro XT12 could extend the range outdoors but that's so expensive it's hard to justify the cost. Does anybody have the Asus ZenWifi models and share their feedback of them?

 

[Mysterae_]

Personally I wouldn’t touch Asus networking equipment with a barge pole due to their extremely poor attitude toward security in their products. Look at a proper Wi-Fi system from the likes of UniFi.

Is this from first hand experience and is there something I can read about? TP-Link's approach was woeful and charged you extra for many features. It's actually something that attracted me to the Asus, the security and parental controls that are advertised but I'm a sucker for a fancy website advertising those features when in reality it turns out to be something else.

How fast is your ISP internet connection? If it’s not 900/110!bps on PPPoE (ie Openreach) then the Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Router (UDR) is a decent option but there is a bug in UniFi currently that caps out the PPPoE connection at around 650Mbps. If you’re with Virgin or one of the ISPs that doesn’t use PPPoE (Upp, Daisy) then the UDR is a great option.

For anything else I would usually go the opposite direction and recommend the Huawei AX3000 Quad-core. You should be able to pick up a three-pack for around £100 depending on their promotion (it’s always on Promotion) and they work very well in meshed configurations. It’s just an unfashionable manufacturer.

Don't laugh but have some pity, my connection is 36Mbps with PlusNet which is quite good considering my location. The speeds of many of the modern routers are certainly overkill for my connection but for us as a household it's about reliability, ease of setup & use, and range. I've experienced poor reliability with the AX6600 previously, it's no fun having to configure all the devices when it bombed each time. I'm getting too old and disinterested in setting up and configuring networks, I want something I can plug in, configure once including parental controls and off we go. It's a large house so good range is required, for example my son took the Echo Show outside in the garden to listen to some music and the previous router couldn't handle the short distance, crap!

So my shortlist is:
- Asus ZenWifi XT8
- Ubiquiti Unifi Dream Router (or Dream Machine possibly?)
- Huawei Mesh 7 AX6600 (why did they give it the same name as the cursed TP-Link unit , and the few reviews I seen say it's range is crap and their app side-loads, naughty Huawei!).

Edit - just realised the AX6600 designates the speed doh!

 

[Mysterae_]

Cheers, @ChrisD. , I asked for evidence and you gave it .

That's quite shocking about Asus. Off the list!

 

[Mysterae_]

So lots of research and reviews of various mesh systems and I'm still quite undecided.

Considered the Orbi mesh system from Netgear but I'm disappointed about what I read about their technical support costs after 90 days and lack of included parental controls, it adds to the cost. The stuff from Unifi/Ubiquity/Amplifi is such a minefield they should add an Ambiguiti product line to their website(s). Their UDR looks ideal but what to add to it without having to hardwire it and bumping up the total cost? I've put the Asus back on my shortlist as it seems to tick a lot of boxes and who knows, after having their backside skelped by the FTC perhaps they now take security more seriously.

Ugh, networks.

 

[Mysterae_]

The secondary node or unit can only be powered by the mains and not PoE. I'm not "getting someone in" to run a network cable; my house is quite large and we don't want network cable tacked around or chased in walls, plus the loft is boarded so the job just gets bigger. I know some posters have said in the past no cabling and then done the opposite and ran cables, but it won't be me.

I get it, the Ubiquiti stuff is awesome and has an almost cult following but understand your audience here, I want something that I can plonk here, plonk there, config some and be done.

 

[Mysterae_]

I'll probably go wired eventually but now is not the time.

 

[Mysterae_]

I should have updated this thread - I eventually settled on the Asus XT12 mesh system, so far quite impressed.

 

[Mysterae_]

Thanks for the tips @Firegod. I missed the feature of enabling the reboot scheduler so I've set that up now . Also changed the WPS button's behaviour to turn off the LEDs although I hoped there would be an option to schedule when the LEDs are on and off.

I've had no problems at all since I set it up, no dropouts or disconnects which I had quite frequently with my old TP-Link router. The biggest standout feature for me has been the excellent range and no wifi dead spots in the house at all.