AX router recommendations?

[xiaofan]

Thanks! One last question, can our China ax3 pro mesh with global ax3 pro or die die need to buy back same 2020 version - saw that current China version uses a different chip set?

I believe you can not mesh China version and Global version together. The chipset does not matter. I think somehow they lock it in the firmware.

I could be wrong though and maybe there is a hack which I do not know.

That being said, if you can LAN ports in the rooms and the slave node can be connected to the main node using Ethernet, then actually I do not see issues if you mix global version and China version, just set the slave node in AP mode and then use the same SSID and Password. Then check if roaming is okay with your mobile devices. Tune the tranmission power if needed. It is not true mesh solution but usually works.

 

[keenklee]

Erm.... Archer AX10 support Singtel VLAN ??

 

[xiaofan]

Erm.... Archer AX10 support Singtel VLAN ??

Yes it does. All the TP-Link Archer series of AC/AX routers selling in SIngapore now support Singtel VLAN. In fact even the TP-Link Deco mesh solutions support Singtel VLAN as well but many of them only have two LAN ports so it is not easy to support Singtel TV box if you need to use Ethernet backhaul.

Ref: Archer router with Singtel TV (for Singtel ONT users only)
https://www.tp-link.com/sg/support/faq/1546/

 

[keenklee]

Yes it does. All the TP-Link Archer series of AC/AX routers selling in SIngapore now support Singtel VLAN. In fact even the TP-Link Deco mesh solutions support Singtel VLAN as well but many of them only have two LAN ports so it is not easy to support Singtel TV box if you need to use Ethernet backhaul.

Ref: Archer router with Singtel TV (for Singtel ONT users only)
https://www.tp-link.com/sg/support/faq/1546/

IMHO.
I am contemplating to replace my Singtel's router with this and replace the other connected routers to APs.

 

[xiaofan]

IMHO.
I am contemplating to replace my Singtel's router with this and replace the other connected routers to APs.

What is the model of your current Singtel router? If it is older than the Singtel Mesh Router, like those Singtel AC Plus or Aztech routers, yes it is good to change to better AX router. And you can use your exising Singtel router as an AP.

Still I will recommend to buy better ones than TP-Link Archer AX10, main problem is that it has only 256MB RAM. TP-Link Archer AX72 ot AX73 has 512MB RAM.

 

[keenklee]

What is the model of your current Singtel router? If it is older than the Singtel Mesh Router, like those Singtel AC Plus or Aztech routers, yes it is good to change to better AX router. And you can use your exising Singtel router as an AP.

Still I will recommend to buy better ones than TP-Link Archer AX10, main problem is that it has only 256MB RAM. TP-Link Archer AX72 ot AX73 has 512MB RAM.

IMHO.IIRC.
It is Aztech 7 something - definitely older than the Singtel Mesh. But I am not using the AX10 for wireless, more like router+dhcp. The plus for the Aztech is that it is tall without external antenna thus not taking up space on the TV console.

One reason why I have this consideration is that I had setup the AX10 for trial, my household members blamed me for being stingy and not letting them have access to the AX10 earlier - because they noticed that the netflix loading was very instantaneous.

Actually, what is the significant of 256 vs 512. I notice the price also doubled.

 

[xiaofan]

IMHO.IIRC.
It is Aztech 7 something - definitely older than the Singtel Mesh. But I am not using the AX10 for wireless, more like router+dhcp. The plus for the Aztech is that it is tall without external antenna thus not taking up space on the TV console.

One reason why I have this consideration is that I had setup the AX10 for trial, my household members blamed me for being stingy and not letting them have access to the AX10 earlier - because they noticed that the netflix loading was very instantaneous.

Actually, what is the significant of 256 vs 512. I notice the price also doubled.

If you have many devices then the RAM is useful. You may have to reboot the router from time to time if the router runs low on RAM.

Why the price of TP-Link Archer AX72 or AX73 much more expensive than Archer AX10? It is because of the wireless spec -- AX5400.

If you do not have many devices, then Archer AX10 (256MB) is probably okay. The CPU used (BCM6750 tri-core 1.5GHz) is good enough for most of the users. It is actually a very good value buy at around S$59.
https://www.courts.com.sg/tp-link-tpl-archer-ax10-ax1500-wi-fi-6-router-ip154407
Just an example, I have 18 devices connected to my RT-AX82U (512MB RAM, AX5400) and the RAM used is 260MB. It has the same CPU as the Archer AX10. It is much more expensive than Archer AX72/73 because Asus router has better FW feature and better long term FW support.

 

[keenklee]

If you have many devices then the RAM is useful. You may have to reboot the router from time to time if the router runs low on RAM.

Why the price of TP-Link Archer AX72 or AX73 much more expensive than Archer AX10? It is because of the wireless spec -- AX5400.

If you do not have many devices, then Archer AX10 is probably okay.

IMHO.
The Singtel router like no need to reboot.
The other routers, once in a blue moon need to reboot - else not much issue.
My guess is that I should have more than 50 devices.
I don't think I need the AX5400 speed, my fiber is 500Mbps.
My main need is actually 2.4Ghz to penetrate a few walls for the smart home devices which doesn't require a lot of speed.

I am actually looking at to shutdown the routers at night. I am hoping that the AX10 have these features.

 

[xiaofan]

IMHO.
The Singtel router like no need to reboot.
The other routers, once in a blue moon need to reboot - else not much issue.
My guess is that I should have more than 50 devices.
I don't think I need the AX5400 speed, my fiber is 500Mbps.
My main need is actually 2.4Ghz to penetrate a few walls for the smart home devices which doesn't require a lot of speed.

I am actually looking at to shutdown the routers at night. I am hoping that the AX10 have these features.

Okay then. But I believe the Aztech router is no longer supported by SIngtel and you will be exposed to security issues.

TP-Link Archer AX10 will support wireless scheduling.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/2596/
However, it is a myth to me to shut down the router wireless at night if you do this because of emission. I always have my routers on 24/7.

 

[keenklee]

Okay then. But I believe the Aztech router is no longer supported by SIngtel and you will be exposed to security issues.

TP-Link Archer AX10 will support wireless scheduling.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/2596/
However, it is a myth to me to shut down the router wireless at night if you do this because of emission. I always have my routers on 24/7.

IMHO.
My household got members that can detect wireless and be affected by it including myself.
When I test router, they have to be a bit further away. That is also why I put the router in a centralized location.

Ok. I need to go check how much RAM the router use. My old routers I don't think got such features.

 

[keenklee]

512 is significant if you use a lot of the in build programs like aiprotection, vpn, usb storage etc plus your own programs

256 is enough for average home users, including turning on aiprotection and/or vpn and/or usb storage

Number of users between 10 or 50 does not require a lot of ram, typically less than 10MB.

You should focus more on cpu as it is vital to speed and latency
and tri-band/quad band if you have a lot of 5G users

IMHO. Thanks !
My users are mostly the smart home devices. The real users not a lot as each person only the most 2 mobile devices at any one time.

I will be looking at ai protection and vpn at a later stage. I hope the advertised triple-CORE of the TPLINK AX10 is sufficient.

My users now exist on 3 different routers. I can only know more when I consolidate all into 1 router and branching off to APs. I hope by doing this, it won't affect the 1x gaming connection with the AX10.

P.S. I hope the setup will work because I already bought 3x TPLINK AX10 so that they can use interchangeably as backup. I had done it before using TPLINK Archer C2. A few months back, one of the C2 started to behave intermittently, I just swap and restore the configuration. I guess this is a self created issue as I run fixed IP addresses and fixed number of IPs.

 

[hellvolhardzelinsky]

I have Ac88u and AX55. Is there any issue with wired back haul?

Which one should I use as main router?

 

[uncle_josh]

I have Ac88u and AX55. Is there any issue with wired back haul?

Which one should I use as main router?

The issue of wired backhaul are just limited to your wired connectivity between the 2 routers .
Just ensure you use a good quality cat5e cable and both ends are properly crimped.
You will need a cable tester to do the job.

If you want to future proof, then get a Cat6A and above cable if you forsee you will be going for 10gbps in the future.

Put the Ac88u as main and AX55 as the node

 

[hellvolhardzelinsky]

The issue of wired backhaul are just limited to your wired connectivity between the 2 routers .
Just ensure you use a good quality cat5e cable and both ends are properly crimped.
You will need a cable tester to do the job.

If you want to future proof, then get a Cat6A and above cable if you forsee you will be going for 10gbps in the future.

Put the Ac88u as main and AX55 as the node

Hmm previously I did a test of my wiring through the rooms, the cables provide 1gbps only.

My ax55 was already set up as my main. So I got my old ac88u to be the node. Will the WiFi speed be limited?

 

[tek888]

Hi folks,

I am helping my MIL to get M1 500Mbps and will like to get some advice here.

M1 offered a $5 topup for Asus AX55 router or TPLink AX72 router. Not sure which one is more suitable for her usage. The main consideration is whether the wifi signal is able to reach the utility room, which is ~10m away. There is no blocking between the router and the utility room except one wall between living room and kitchen but with opening.

I prefer Asus but read that the WIFI range of AX55 is quite weak. Never had experience with TPLinks so will like to get some help here. thank you!

btw, she is against the idea of installing a wifi repeater or powerline extender.

 

[xiaofan]

Hi folks,

I am helping my MIL to get M1 500Mbps and will like to get some advice here.

M1 offered a $5 topup for Asus AX55 router or TPLink AX72 router. Not sure which one is more suitable for her usage. The main consideration is whether the wifi signal is able to reach the utility room, which is ~10m away. There is no blocking between the router and the utility room except one wall between living room and kitchen but with opening.

I prefer Asus but read that the WIFI range of AX55 is quite weak. Never had experience with TPLinks so will like to get some help here. thank you!

btw, she is against the idea of installing a wifi repeater or powerline extender.

You need to post the floor plan. Sometimes a single router is not possible and then you have to use a mesh solution, an example will be RT-AX58U + RT-AX55.

 

[tek888]

it is similar to this except there is no wash area i.e. the kitchen is without any partitions. The router is installed beside the main door in the living room

 

[tek888]

it is similar to this except there is no wash area i.e. the kitchen is without any partitions. The router is installed beside the main door in the living room

currently they are using the very old singtel router. the wifi can reach the utility room but weak i.e. 1 to 2 bars only

 

[cscs3]

Suggest to check if router is CLS certified. Think currently only ASUS is certified for CLS level 4.

 

[xiaofan]

currently they are using the very old singtel router. the wifi can reach the utility room but weak i.e. 1 to 2 bars only

Due to the distance from the main router and probably the things in between it is probably difficult to get good wifi coverage in the utility room with a single router.

If you go with M1 you can get the RT-AX55 top up, check if the wifi signal is better in the utility room.

If not good enough, then buy an extra RT-AX58U as the main router. Put the RT-AX55 in the kitchen area as the mesh node to provide coverage to the utility room.