Help on decision for new router

[Sturmrider]

Hi everyone,

My name is Larry Whalen I am new to the forums and though not an expert with tech I am also not helpless with it. I am posting with a question I hope will help me make an informed decision.

I am considering a mesh setup of ASUS ZenWiFi Pro ET12 the AXE11000, when my son first bought his house we wanted something quick and easy to set up so we went with the Google mesh system. Now it is looking like the time to upgrade. Here are some of my questions.

1) We will be using wireless backhaul to set up a wired system we would literally have to rewire a large portion of the house. The router unit would be placed in the den where the ethernet port is the nodes would typically just have the den's wall between them other then the one in the basement, that would be the floor. The distance between it and the first node would be about 30 feet, the other node in different direction would be about 15 feet this one is literally almost at the exterior wall on this side we need it there for our outdoor wifi clients which right now have a hard time connecting. The final node would be almost directly under the router in the basement. So one router three nodes.

2) I have been reading a lot of reviews and they say these units tend to be slower and less efficient in wireless backhaul because the 6e band they use for backhaul does not penetrate walls well or have great range thus the question becomes should I go to XT12 instead. We do have items that are operating on the 6e band if available otherwise they will be restricted to lower bands.

3) One reason we are considering this is we do have at least 30 wifi clients online right now and it is going up with my son working remotely now it is important his business computer have a reliable connection.

Thank you all for your help. I am hoping to hear the pros and cons of what we are considering and maybe alternatives if this is a poor choice.

Regards

Larry

[Sturmrider]

Hi jzchen,

Thank you for your idea. I am definitely going to go with the XT12 I think can't return the google mesh as I got it years ago when it first came out that was when my son bought the house. Though not completely new to tech I didn't realize you could set up 2 different routers as APs, I thought one had to be a node. The other issue with the Google Mesh being set up as an access point is I would have to run quite a bit of wires they literally only had it coming into one area.

Thank you for the ideas though I have been tossing a lot of this around and will be making a decision soon. I will let you know how it turns out when I do.

Regards,

Larry

[jzchen]

Ahh. I thought you may be in a hurry because the return window for the Google system was closing. My bad. No rush....

I had a TP-Link Access Point set up for my sister-in-law while she was here. Her room is at a corner of the house with poor signal. I eventually got a RT-AX86U and put it on the floor in my son's room on the 2nd floor. This provides decent signal to that corner room so I took it down. May put it in my parents' room as I realized recently that signal is not so good in that corner of the house. Or I may get a repeater, (ASUS RP-xxxx).

Access points are nodes to my understanding. You can mix brands but they won't Mesh between brands. Your devices will have to disconnect and reconnect as you move from area covered by one brand to another.

[Sturmrider]

Hi jzchen,

Got it, I think I understand now that is why I am planning on staying with one manufacturer can connect seamlessly theoretically as we go from one node to another. We'll see.;) Thank you for all your feedback I will stay in touch.

Regards,

Larry

[ahfoo]

Sturmrider wrote:
Hi jzchen,

Got it, I think I understand now that is why I am planning on staying with one manufacturer can connect seamlessly theoretically as we go from one node to another. We'll see.;) Thank you for all your feedback I will stay in touch.

Regards,

Larry

Just stick to your orginal plan and you are all good to go.

[Sturmrider]

Hi ahfoo,

Thanks again and yes I think I am sticking with the original plan. Take care and have a Happy Memorial day all.

Regards,

Larry