WiFi 7 routers (including WiFi 7 routers without 6GHz band support)

[xiaofan]

It is good to have mid-range (or mid-high tier) 10G capable consumer models of the WiFi 7 routers at around S$400 or below.

1) TP-Link Archer BE550 Pro and Asus RT-BE92U, BE9700 rated (2x2 on the 5GHz band and 6GHz band), single 10G port, and quad 2.5G port, most likely lower end CPU compared to higher end models.

Listed at S$399 but the price may go down in the future.

2) TP-Link Archer BE805, dual 10G ports and quad 1G ports, BE19000 rated (4x4 on both 5GHz band and 6GHz band), around S$400+ in Carousell but only a few listings. The price may go down to around S$400 or even lower once M1 users start to dump it though.

M1 6Gbps at S$47.90 per month with free Archer BE800, if dumping the router at S$400, the then effective price is at S$31.23 per month, which is quite a good deal, even if compared to the S$29.55 per month Starhub 5Gbps special ONT offer.
https://shop.m1.com.sg/fbb/plans-bundles/fbb-plan?plan=HOMEPAC_6GBPS_24

3) Asus ZenWiFi BT10, dual 10G ports and one 1G port, BE19000 rated, list price S$699 but the price in Carousell should be lower once M1 users start to dump it. My guess is that initial price will be above S$450 but later the price will drop to around S$400. Let's see how it goes.

M1 6Gbps at S$59.90 per month with two units of Asus ZenWiFi BT10, if dumping both units at S$400 x 2 = S$800, the then effective price is at S$26.57 per month, which makes it better than the S$29.55 per month Starhub 5Gbps special ONT offer.
https://shop.m1.com.sg/fbb/plans-bundles/fbb-plan?plan=HOMEPAC_6GBPS_24

M1 10Gbps at S$63.90 per month with two units of Asus ZenWiFi BT10, if dumping both units at S$400 x 2 = S$800, the then effective price is at S$30.57 per month, which makes it better than the S$29.55 per month Starhub 5Gbps special ONT offer.
https://shop.m1.com.sg/fbb/plans-bundles/fbb-plan?plan=HOMEPAC_10GBPS_24

4) Higher end models --> probbaly not so easy to get at around S$400 any time soon here in Singapore, like TP-Link Deco BE85, Archer BE800, Archer GE800 and Asus ZenWiFi BQ16.

 

[mdsummer]

Asus TUF-BE6500 still needs FW improvements so you may need to be a bit patient. That is why I tend to recommend Asus TX-AX6000 since it is more mature. But then since Asus TUF-BE6500 is listed in Asus Singapore website, I tend to believe new FW updates will be available soon (say within 3 months).

1) No idea. No issues with my Poco X4 GT. But you can try the following.
a) disable MLO
b) try the IoT SSID instead of the main SSID (if you follow Asus default setup).
c) try changing the WiFI channel.

2) Pending FW updates to have Asia region for the Wireless region setting. The default China region has lower Tx power so the wireless coverage is not good. The temporary workaround is to use Australia region and then the wireless coverage should be much better.

A quick update - MLO is the main culprit. Disabled only this and connectivity is much better.

 

[kashix]

A quick update - MLO is the main culprit. Disabled only this and connectivity is much better.

MLO have a lot of problems/issues now. I experienced it first hand.

 

[xiaofan]

China WiFi router 11.11 recommendations from ZhiDian XCG 知电晓春哥

7 x WiFi 6 router and 10 WiFi 7 routers.

Video link: 晓春哥XCG Youtube channel has not been updated. WIll update the link once it is up.

 

[xiaofan]

My personal take of the above recommendations. Take note China WiFI 7 routers do not have 6GHz band.

1. Super low budget (< RMB 200) --> if you have only a few devices, then Xiaomi AX3000T (WiFi 6) is probbably okay.

2. Low budget (< RMB 300) --> Xiaomi BE5000, TP-Link TL-7DR5130, they have single 2.5G port. The CPU is also slow, slower than the Xiaomi AX3000T (256MB RAM) and XIaomi BE3600 2.5G version (256MB RAM), but they do have 512MB RAM.

Take note I do not quite recommend the above two categories as the main router, unless you have very low budget. But they are fine to be used as mesh node. For example, Xiaomi BE3600 2.5G version and Xiaomi BE5000 are good mesh node, if you go with Xiaomi BE6500 Pro and BE7000 as the main node.

3. Mid-budget for 1Gbps/2Gbps/2.5Gbps/3Gbps users (RMB 500 to RMB 800) --> Asus TX-AX6000 (WiFi 6, dual 2.5G ports), Xiaomi BE6500 Pro (quad 2.5G ports), ZTE BE7200 Pro+ (dual 2.5G ports), Ruijie BE72 Pro+ (five 2.5G ports and quad 1G ports).

He does not really like Xiaomi BE7000 but I think that is a fine choice if you do not mind the form factor. I am also okay if you choose to go with Asus TUF-BE6500 (pending FW updates to fix some issues).

4. High budget for 5Gbps/6Gbps/10Gbps users (> RMB 1000) --> Asus RT-BE88U (dual band BE7200, 10G RJ45 port and 10G SFP+ port, quad 10G ports, quad 1G ports) and TP-Link TL-7DR13090 (triband BE13000, dual 10G RJ45 ports, quad 2.5G ports).

He does not list Xiaomi BE10000 in the top recommend models but he does mention the model as well in the video. I think it is okay to go with this as well (triband BE10000, 10G RJ45 port and 10G SFP+ port, quad 2.5G ports).

 

[xiaofan]

HI I'm thinking to get ASUS BE88U for my StarHub 10G ultra speed broadband. If I need another router with 2.5G port to form a mesh, which ASUS router is recommended?
Is ASUS AiMesh stable?
Also, may I know if 6Ghz band really important if I don't have any WIFI 7 devices, and may not have many in the near future too.

Asus BE88U + Asus TUF-BE6500 or TUF-BE3600 shoudl be fine combination if you can use Ethernet backhaul.

Asus AImesh is quite okay if you use two nodes or three nodes Ethernet Backhaul with the same WiFi standard. For wireless backhaul, then you need to use triband so the above combination is not good.

6GHz band is good to have if you are chasing > 2Gbps or even >3Gbps close range wireless speed (320 MHz channel bandwidth).

If you are fine with 1Gbps to 2Gbps WiFi speed at close range, dual band WiFi 7 router without 6GHz band is okay.

 

[nckeong88]

Asus BE88U + Asus TUF-BE6500 or TUF-BE3600 shoudl be fine combination if you can use Ethernet backhaul.

Asus AImesh is quite okay if you use two nodes or three nodes Ethernet Backhaul with the same WiFi standard. For wireless backhaul, then you need to use triband so the above combination is not good.

6GHz band is good to have if you are chasing > 2Gbps or even >3Gbps close range wireless speed (320 MHz channel bandwidth).

If you are fine with 1Gbps to 2Gbps WiFi speed at close range, dual band WiFi 7 router without 6GHz band is okay.

Are the low/super low budget ones good enough to be used as wireless APs on Ethernet backhaul?

 

[xiaofan]

Are the low/super low budget ones good enough to be used as wireless APs on Ethernet backhaul?

1) Wireless AP --> yes. CPU and RAM do not matter too much when it functions as an AP.

Xiaomi AX3000T, Xiaomi BE3600 2.5G version and Xiaomi BE 5000 are all good as an AP.

2) Mesh node with Ethernet Backhaul: Same brand and better same WiFi standard, then yes. Generally speaking, main node should be more powerful in terms of CPU and RAM.

Xiaomi BE6500 Pro as main router + Xiaomi BE 5000 or Xiaomi 3600 2.5G version as mesh node --> Okay combination for mesh with Ethernet backhaul.

 

[xiaofan]

I mentioned that TP-Link EB810v (service provider model) would have its FW updates locked to Starhub. Apparently this assumption may well be wrong, as per the latest report in the EB810v thread.

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...quick-overview.7014586/page-34#post-154202639

Just to share, i have obtained auto firmware updates on M1 network, on the aginet app, contrary to what was expected. I have an x86 openwrt router and using eb810v as an AP.

 

[xiaofan]

For Singtel issued HB810, Singtel provides one FW download link.
https://www.singtel.com/personal/su...d-latest-firmware/TP-LINK-HB810-WIFI-7-Router

TP-Link Singapore website also refers to the above Siingtel URL for HB810 FW download.
https://www.tp-link.com/sg/support/download/hb810/#Firmware

1. Download the latest firmware (*.zip) and save it on your local PC.
Firmware details
Version: 0.6.0 3.0.0 v6095.0 Build 240807 Rel.32707n

2. Extract the contents from the downloaded ZIP file with file name: HB810v1_0.6.0_3.0.0_UP_BOOT_2024-08-07_19.48.47.bin

 

[xiaofan]

Another 11.11 China WiFi 7 router (without 6GHz band) recommenations from Chinese Youtuber. No need to go with WiFi 6 router as per him.

1. <RMB 300, Entry Level.

*** my comment: I do not recommend them as main router, unless you have really low budget and have only a few devices. ***

ZTE BE5100 Wall-mount router 中兴晴天墙面路由器 (no 2.5G ports), 256 MB RAM, RMB 269
ZTE BE5100 Pro+ wall-mount router 中兴晴天墙面路由器 (dual 2.5G ports), 256MB RAM, RMB 379
Ruijie Snow Leopard 锐捷雪豹 BE50 (one 2.5G port), 256MB RAM, RMB 269
TP-Link TL-7DR5130 (one 2.5G port), 512 MB RAM, RMB 249

2. RMB 300 to 600. Mid-range, faster chipsets, more RAM, much better options than the entry level.

Xiaomi BE6500 Pro (quad 2.5G ports), Qualcomm IPQ5322 chipset, 1GB RAM, RMB 599
ZTE BE7200 Pro+ (dual 2.5G ports), ZTE CPU plus Qualcomm WiFi chipset, 1GB RAM, RMB 549
TP-Link TL-7DR7260 (five 2.5G ports), MediaTek Filogic 860 chipset, 1GB RAM, RMB 569

3. >= RMB 600. Higher end.

Ruijie BE68 Ultra 锐捷天蝎龙勃版, quad 2.5G ports, MediaTek Filogic 860 chipset, 1GB RAM, special antenna technology to boost wireless coverage, RMB 699

Ruijie 锐捷天蝎 BE72 Pro, five 2.5G ports and quad 1G ports, MediaTek Filogic 860 chipset, 1GB RAM, RMB 699

*** my comment: actually these two Ruijie models are more like mid-range ***

Asus RT-BE88U, one 10G RJ45 port, one 10G SFP+ port, quad 2.5G ports, quad 1G ports, Broadcom BCM4916 CPU, 2GB RAM, RMB 2049

 

[kappak]

TPlink BE800 inside view
https://www.hkepc.com/21653/Wi-Fi_7_實測直迫_4.4Gbps_TP-Link_Archer_BE800_路由器拆機開箱

 

[mac34mac]

Asus BE88U + Asus TUF-BE6500 or TUF-BE3600 shoudl be fine combination if you can use Ethernet backhaul.

Asus AImesh is quite okay if you use two nodes or three nodes Ethernet Backhaul with the same WiFi standard. For wireless backhaul, then you need to use triband so the above combination is not good.

6GHz band is good to have if you are chasing > 2Gbps or even >3Gbps close range wireless speed (320 MHz channel bandwidth).

If you are fine with 1Gbps to 2Gbps WiFi speed at close range, dual band WiFi 7 router without 6GHz band is okay.

Thanks for the reply. Do you recommend to use ASUS RT-BE92U as main router? Or even mesh with ASUS Be88U as main router?

 

[xiaofan]

Thanks for the reply. Do you recommend to use ASUS RT-BE92U as main router? Or even mesh with ASUS Be88U as main router?

It is not a good idea to mix triband with dual band for AImesh. If you care about 6GHz, go with two RT-BE92U. But it may be a good idea to wait for M1 users to dump Asus ZenWiFi BT10 (dual 10G ports, triband WiFi 7, 4x4 on 5GHz and 6GHz band, 2x2 on 2.4GHz band).

RT-BE88U --> much more powerful router with high-end CPU, 2GB RAM and more ports (one 10G RJ45 port, one 10G SFP+ port, quad 2.5G port, quad 1G ports), but no 6GHz band (4x4 on 2.4GHz and 5GHz band, BE7200) Good for Ethernet backhaul. On the wired side, it is basically on par with the flagship ROG GT-BE98.

RT-BE92U --> towards the lower end Asus triband WiFi 7 router with mid-range CPU, single 10G port and quad 2.5G ports, 3x3 on 2.4GHz band, 2x2 on 5GHz/6GHz band, good as lower end WiFi 7 mesh solution with wireless backhaul. Okay for Ethernet Backhaul as well.

ZenWiFi BT10 --> mid-range Asus triband WiFi 7 router with mid-range CPU, dual 10G ports, 2x2 on 2.4GHz, 4x4 on /5GHz and 6GHz band, BE18000 rated, good as mid-range WiFi 7 mesh solution with wireless backhaul. Okay for Ethernet backhaul as well. It does not have enough ports for some use cases (dual 10G ports and one 1G port), but you can add a cheaper switch with quad 2.5G ports and dual 10G uplinks to expand the ports.

 

[mac34mac]

It is not a good idea to mix triband with dual band for AImesh. If you care about 6GHz, go with two RT-BE92U. But it may be a good idea to wait for M1 users to dump Asus ZenWiFi BT10 (dual 10G ports, triband WiFi 7, 4x4 on 5GHz and 6GHz band, 2x2 on 2.4GHz band).

RT-BE88U --> much more powerful router with better CPU, 2GB RAM and more ports (one 10G RJ45 port, one 10G SFP+ port, quad 2.5G port, quad 1G ports), but no 6GHz band (4x4 on 2.4GHz and 5GHz band, BE7200) Good for Ethernet backhaul. On the wired side, it is basically on par with the flagship ROG GT-BE98.

RT-BE92U --> lower end Asus triband WiFi 7 router with lower end CPU, single 10G port, 2x2 on 2.4GHz/5GHz/6GHz band, good as lower end WiFi 7 mesh solution with wireless backhaul.

My home tend to have more devices connected to satellite node location hence I thought RT-BE88U and RT-BE92U will give me option to use 10G wired backhaul so I can fully utilise my 10G broadband .
What is the different of ZenWiFi compared to normal Asus routers? I believe there are using different firmware and is ZenWifi product stable?

 

[xiaofan]

My home tend to have more devices connected to satellite node location hence I thought RT-BE88U and RT-BE92U will give me option to use 10G wired backhaul so I can fully utilise my 10G broadband .
What is the different of ZenWiFi compared to normal Asus routers? I believe there are using different firmware and is ZenWifi product stable?

For Asus, the normal router and ZenWiFi are basically the same, just different form factor. Both support AImesh. Some of the normal router may have more gaming oriented features.

This is different from TP-Link and Netgear where the normal router and the mesh oriented solutions use totally different FW and mesh technology,

TP-Link Archer --> EasyMesh
TP-Link Deco --> Deco Mesh which is better and more mature than EasyMesh

Netgear Nighthawk --> EasyMesh
Netgear Orbi --> Orbi Mesh which is better and more mature than EasyMesh

Asus router and Asus ZenWiFi --> AImesh

 

[sango65]

1. Now you do not call "China WiFi 7" routers already, you call them "WiFi 7 routers without 6GHz band", since TP-Link and Asus already release global version of WiFi 7 routers without 6GHz band.

M1 is giving free TP-Link Archer BE230 (BE3600 dual band WiFI 7 router) with its 2.5Gbps plan. It has also listed Deco BE25 (BE5000 dual band WiFi 7 router) as coming soon.
https://www.tp-link.com/sg/home-networking/wifi-router/archer-be230/
https://www.tp-link.com/sg/home-networking/deco/deco-be25/

Asus has not released dual band WiFi 7 routers in Singapore yet. But they do list quite a few in the global site, like RT-BE58U (BE3600, low end), TUF-BE3600 (BE3600, low end) and RT-BE88U (BE7200, high end, 10G capable).
https://www.asus.com/networking-iot-servers/wifi-7/all-series/filter?Category=WiFi-Routers

2. As for speed achievable, please refer to the FAQ I have written here.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...home-networking.6653421/page-5#post-153431813

Summary:
Close range good real-world WiFi 6/7 client speed (only 2x2 clients available now).
1) WiFi 6 routers with 2x2 80MHz clients on the 5GHz band (MAX PHY Speed 1201Mbps), or WiFi 7 router with 2x2 80MHz clients on the 5Ghz/6GHz band (Max PHY Speed 1441Mbbsp): 600Mbps to 900Mbps, below 1Gbps

2) WiFi 6 routers with 2x2 160MHz clients on the 5GHz band (MAX PHY Speed 2402Mbps), or WiFi 7 router with 2x2 160MHz clients on the 5Ghz/6GHz band (Max PHY Speed 2882Mbps): 1Gbps to 1.8Gbps, below 2Gbps

3) WiFi 7 routers with 2x2 320MHz clients on the 6GHz band (MAX PHY Speed 5764Mbps): 2Gbps to 3.8Gbps, below 4Gbps.

With more mature MLO implementation in the future, maybe 2x2 WiFi 7 clients on the 6GHz band may be able to hit above 4Gbps, say up to 5Gbps (now 5Gbps only happen in the lab).

Just saw Asus website that RT-BE58U is available in Singapore.

https://www.asus.com/sg/networking-iot-servers/wifi-7/all-series/rt-be58u/

Gain City is also selling at $219.

So do you recommend low-end wifi 7 router for HDB 4-Rm flat?

 

[xiaofan]

Just saw Asus website that RT-BE58U is available in Singapore.

https://www.asus.com/sg/networking-iot-servers/wifi-7/all-series/rt-be58u/

Gain City is also selling at $219.

So do you recommend low-end wifi 7 router for HDB 4-Rm flat?

Take note Asus TUF-BE3600 is similar (maybe slightly better) and it is about half price from Asus China. Even the better Asus TUF-BE6500 is below S$200 from Asus China (Asus official Taobao/Tmall shop).

In general I do not recomend BE3600 class of dual band WiFi 7 router. But if you have lower budget, then go ahead. At least TUF=BE3600 or RT-BE58U has decent CPU and 1GB RAM.

As for the wireless coverage, it is hard to say without looking at the floor plan. If you have LAN ports in the rooms, then no problems, as you can add another node if necessary.

 

[sango65]

Take note Asus TUF-BE3600 is similar (maybe slightly better) and it is about half price from Asus China. Even the better Asus TUF-BE6500 is below S$200 from Asus China (Asus official Taobao/Tmall shop).

In general I do not recomend BE3600 class of dual band WiFi 7 router. But if you have lower budget, then go ahead. At least TUF=BE3600 or RT-BE58U has decent CPU and 1GB RAM.

As for the wireless coverage, it is hard to say without looking at the floor plan. If you have LAN ports in the rooms, then no problems, as you can add another node if necessary.

Thanks, just a bit concern if buy from Asus China, scared warranty not supported in Singapore, need to use adapter for power source (no safety mark), etc.

 

[xiaofan]

Asus China 11.11 Promotion. You can get from official Asus China Taobao/Tmall flagship store.
https://www.asus.com.cn/store/gallery-476.html

TUF-BE3600 --> RMB 437 (very good buy)
TUF-BE6500 --> RMB 729 (very good buy)
RT-BE86U --> RMB 1529
RT-BE88U --> RMB 1829 (very good buy)