Advice Request Need Router Advice

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n8chavez

n8chavez

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My parents are looking for a new router. They have a three-level older house with thick walls. They were told to get a mesh-style router, such as the TP-Link Deco X55. I'm not too familiar wit that particular model, and the brand I usually like (Netgear) hsa fallen out of favor recently. Any thoughts on this device? Is there any other than should be considered?

Thanks
 
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Mesh is ok but if you got the possibility to put the router in the middle floor in an open space, I think one single router would be sufficient to cover the 3 level unit. What router are they currently using just for comparison?
 
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n8chavez said:
My parents are looking for a new router. They have a three-level older house with thick walls. They were told to get a mesh-style router, such as the TP-Link Deco X55. I'm not too familiar wit that particular model, and the brand I usually like (Netgear) hsa fallen out of favor recently. Any thoughts on this device? Is there any other than should be considered?

Thanks
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For your parents' situation, a three-level house with thick walls, the TP-Link Deco X55 is a decent choice, and it will likely be a major improvement over whatever they have now. However, it's not the ideal choice for that specific problem.

The best recommendation would be a tri-band mesh system. A system like the TP-Link Deco XE75 or a Netgear Orbi with a dedicated backhaul will be much more reliable at pushing the signal through or around the thick walls, leading to better and more consistent performance.

The initial price may be higher, but it will be a better long-term investment for their specific needs.

In any case, make sure to get a kit with at least three units (one for each floor) to ensure proper coverage.
 
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n8chavez said:
The XE55 or the XE75?
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The XE75 is WiFi 6E. It uses the newer, third, 6GHz band. If you have modern devices (phones, laptops) that support WiFi 6E, these will be offloaded to the third band, which is much less congested. They will have better service, specially when you are going for a mesh network with a node on every floor.

The 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz will in turn be less congested too.

It is worth it, specially if you have loads of IoT connected to WiFi (not thread/matter).
 
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Oh, good point. They mainly have roku and devices, and those don't use wifi 6. They don't have cable and get everything through streaming. This sucks that I can't help them, because they're in another state. I appreciate the help and advice.
 
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n8chavez said:
What's the difference between the XE55 and the XE75? Does the price increase justify the benefits?
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The most significant distinction between the TP-Link Deco XE55 and the Deco XE75 is that the XE75 is a tri-band Wi-Fi 6E system, while the XE55 is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 system. This is a critical difference for a home with thick walls. The XE55, like other dual-band mesh systems, must share its 5 GHz band for two purposes, connecting your devices and wirelessly communicating between the Deco units (a process called "backhaul"). This shared usage can lead to a significant performance drop, especially when the signal is weak due to thick walls. In contrast, the XE75 utilizes its third, brand-new 6 GHz band as a dedicated wireless backhaul, leaving the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands completely free to service your devices. This dedicated backhaul ensures a faster, more stable, and more reliable link between the units that is less susceptible to interference, making the Deco XE75 a much better and more justifiable investment for your parents' specific situation.
 
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Late to the party but I would personally go for ASUS. I'm not sure what TP-Links are like, but I would take ASUS firmware update cycle compared to them. ASUS release regular firmware updates.

And if it's your parents you could manage the the patching. But then if cost is an issue and your parents don't care about security then go with what ever is cheaper. But hey this is a security forum?
 
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Zero Knowledge said:
Late to the party but I would personally go for ASUS. I'm not sure what TP-Links are like, but I would take ASUS firmware update cycle compared to them. ASUS release regular firmware updates.

And if it's your parents you could manage the the patching. But then if cost is an issue and your parents don't care about security then go with what ever is cheaper. But hey this is a security forum?
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Apart from that asus routers support DNS-over-TLS, you can use nextdns dot or similar secure filtering dns services and secure all the devices connected to it.
 
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Brahman said:
Apart from that asus routers support DNS-over-TLS, you can use nextdns dot or similar secure filtering dns services and secure all the devices connected to it.
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I use NextDns but I worry about the long term future of the company. There has not been much development lately. Maybe they hoped/thought they would get bought out and sadly haven't?
 
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Zero Knowledge said:
I use NextDns but I worry about the long term future of the company. There has not been much development lately. Maybe they hoped/thought they would get bought out and sadly haven't?
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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that is why it is called the present". -Master Oogway... Enjoy the present.
 
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