Question ASUS RT-AX86U vs. TP-Link AX6000

[wcbhkids]

I've been using Netgear AC1750 and thankfully, it just died (this is the first time I have a route going bad rather than obselete!) I absolutely hate that thing, it crashed all the time. We have 5 people in this house doing various things on the internet, maybe it couldn't handle the amount of traffic. We don't host NAS or do anything advanced.

Both ASUS RT-AX86U and TP-Link AX6000 are recommended by Tom's Hardware, and their prices are comparable as well. Which one would you recommend? I need a stable router with some basic parental control features. I'm leaning towards Asus because (1) I've never used Asus, want to try something new. (2) I like their AiMesh technology. The router will be in the basement and we sleep on the 2nd FL where the signal can be weak. I don't have any Asus router on hand, and supposedly, can buy an old one and turn it into a network extender with AiMesh technology.

Any cheaper options you'd recommend?

 

[kanewolf]

I've been using Netgear AC1750 and thankfully, it just died (this is the first time I have a route going bad rather than obselete!) I absolutely hate that thing, it crashed all the time. We have 5 people in this house doing various things on the internet, maybe it couldn't handle the amount of traffic. We don't host NAS or do anything advanced.

Both ASUS RT-AX86U and TP-Link AX6000 are recommended by Tom's Hardware, and their prices are comparable as well. Which one would you recommend? I need a stable router with some basic parental control features. I'm leaning towards Asus because (1) I've never used Asus, want to try something new. (2) I like their AiMesh technology. The router will be in the basement and we sleep on the 2nd FL where the signal can be weak. I don't have any Asus router on hand, and supposedly, can buy an old one and turn it into a network extender with AiMesh technology.

Any cheaper options you'd recommend?

I will always recommend the Asus because the Merlin second source firmware is available for it.
You don't have to use AIMesh to use an Asus router as an extender. That is a basic function in the firmware.

 

[turtletarget111]

Stick with the Asus RT-AX86U. If you or your family members play a lot of video games, or like to tinker with your WiFi setup like WAN or Port Forwarding, the Asus will give you significantly more and genuinely useful robust features. The amount of flexibility you get with an Asus router is far and away superior over TP-Link. When you are on the second floor, make sure you are using the 2.4Ghz signal over 5Ghz. The 5Ghz signal has more bandwidth but cannot travel nearly as far. Hope this helped, take care.

 

[wcbhkids]

I will always recommend the Asus because the Merlin second source firmware is available for it.
You don't have to use AIMesh to use an Asus router as an extender. That is a basic function in the firmware.

I've never heard of Merlin. Why is Merlin firmware desirable over OEM firmware?

 

[kanewolf]

I've never heard of Merlin. Why is Merlin firmware desirable over OEM firmware?

The goals of Merlin are stability rather than fancy features -- https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/