With the rise of much faster Internet speed, this post serves as a generic guide to know what Wireless Router you should buy and some generic tips and tricks when buying a router.

Use the format below if you wish to ask what router to buy


Recommended Router List
RM200-400: TP-Link AX55
RM400-600: TP-Link AX72/AX73, ASUS TUF-AX4200, ASUS RT-AX57
RM600-1000: TP-Link Archer AX80, ASUS TUF-AX6000
RM1000 and above: Most routers beyound this price point are good

Equipment List
This list serve as a reference on what router you should purchase based on the performance of their WiFi tested with Intel AX200 Wireless Adapter. Unless specifically mentioned, these routers can support Gigabit speed over wired LAN.

WiFi router speed rating

All the routers tested below support Unifi unless stated otherwise.
Only ASUS router support Maxis with VOIP working properly.

Note: For routers that appeared twice in the list, it means that the performance level is somewhat middle.

TP-Link
100Mbps: Archer AX12
300Mbps: Archer AX23, Archer AX53, Deco X20, Deco X50
500Mbps: Archer AX55, Archer AX72/AX73, Deco X50, Deco X68
800Mbps: Archer AX72/AX73, Archer AX80, Archer AX95, Deco XE75, Deco X80, Deco X95
>1Gbps: Deco X95, Deco BE85

Asus
100Mbps: RT-AX1800HP
300Mbps: RT-AX1800HP, ZenWiFi XD5, RT-AX57
500Mbps: ZenWiFi XD5, RT-AX57, TUF-AX4200, ZenWiFi XP4
800Mbps: TUF-AX4200, TUF-AX6000, RT-AX86U PRO, GT-AX6000, GT-AX11000, ZenWiFi XT8, ROG Rapture GT6
>1Gbps: GT-AX6000, ZenWiFi XT12/ET12, GT-AXE16000


What WiFi adapter to buy?
Here are the only WiFi adapter that I filtered that are decent.

PCIE Wi-Fi 6 Adapters:
Performance are the same since they all use the same solution from Intel.

TP-Link TX3000E	3 years warranty with external antenna cradle.
TP-Link TX50E	3 years warranty without antenna cradle.
ASUS PCE-AX58BT	3 years warranty with external antenna cradle.
Intel AX200	You can purchase the Intel AX200 from Lazada and install yourself for notebook users.

USB Wi-Fi 6 Adapters:
Not recommended due to USB stability issues

This post has been edited by blacktubi: Oct 12 2023, 09:50 PM

Why 5Ghz signal is weaker than 2.4Ghz?
The high the frequency, the weaker the penetration. 5Ghz is operating at a higher frequency than 2.4Ghz. The shorter wavelength means it cannot penetrate solid objects like concrete wall that well.

Why 2.4Ghz is unstable and slower?
The 2.4Ghz band is used by a ton of devices such as dect phones, bluetooh, microwave oven and many other IoT devices. The interference is worst if you stay at a condo which really impact the maximum performance you can get.

Put it in layman terms, 2.4Ghz is like talking to a friend with 100 other people in the room, you have to talk slower so your friend can hear you better.

2020 Update: TNB just announced their smart meter is going to operate on the 2.4Ghz. Expect worst performance.


Why my WiFi speed is slow even after using a good WiFi router?
Please make sure you use a good WiFi adapter. Realistically, an AC1300 WiFi adapter can deliver up to around 500Mbps at very good signal.

The speed will be slower as the distance is further, a good router will have better interference mitigation so the long distance speed can be better.

Before you complain any further, use an Ethernet LAN cable to test the speed to determine where is the bottleneck is.

This post has been edited by blacktubi: Nov 29 2020, 06:03 PM

How to test your Internet speed properly.

Prerequisite:

1. Use Ethernet LAN cable to speed test as WiFi is not consistent.
2. Ensure ALL Ethernet cables are in good condition and it is CAT 5E and above.
3. Make sure your computer and router come with a Gigabit Ethernet LAN port.
4. Use a good router.

Environment Config:

• Some Antivirus or Firewall is known to throttle connection speed heavily.
• Disable any unnecessary features on your router that may slow down the connection. (Antivirus, QoS etc)
• Older computers may not be able to support faster speed so monitor your CPU usage when performing Speedtest.
• Turn on NAT acceleration on ASUS router or known as LAN Boost on TP-Link router. Only applicable to certain models. Detail

Speedtest Server:

• Use the Speedtest.NET app on Windows 10 as it is is more accurate than the web version
• Try with different servers, sometime even Singapore servers are good for testing
• Use Local servers only

Things to check before you contact your ISP

• If it is stuck at 100Mbps, swap your LAN cable
• Try with a different router and computer
• Reboot can fix a lot of things

This post has been edited by blacktubi: Jun 28 2019, 01:26 AM

Your WiFi speed depends on the receiver of your device and the router. for both router and adapter on 5Ghz.

Most smartphones and laptop come with AX1800 WiFi so the maximum speed you can get is around 800Mbps. Speed is also affected by signal, the maximum speed is only possible when signal is good



Make sure your router and computer support Gigabit speed. Try with different Ethernet cable, computer and different speedtest server.

Ethernet wire is actually rated to their speed. Make sure your Ethernet cable are still good and your router can handle Gigabit Ethernet.

I written a guide to show how you can check the speed of your Ethernet port on Windows here.

For Asus Router, you can check the port speed by clicking the globe icon and click Status tab.
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Consider getting a mesh WiFi system if your property is bigger than 1500 square feet or having more than a floor.

A best case solution is to have a unit of mesh node on each floor of your property.


If you are staying is a single storey property less than 1500 sq ft, a mesh WiFi will cause more harm than good.

The huge signal overlap will introduce roaming issue. Besides, when the distance is smaller, connecting directly to the main router will give better speed then connecting to mesh node.

But, it will still be useful if your property have some weird layout (narrow and long rectangle).

This post has been edited by blacktubi: Oct 12 2023, 09:51 PM

I am planning for 2 lists where one is about WAN to LAN and another is wireless.

PCE-AC88 with RT-AC5300 will have no issue to deliver that level of performance over wireless.

Of course, I could have fire up my Ruckus R710s but that is overkill.

EDIT: All tested with non-critical features disabled to ensure NAT is always accelerated.

This post has been edited by blacktubi: Sep 18 2018, 02:37 PM

UAP nanoHD from UBNT can deliver that kind of speed but again it is not cheap. Their gears are pretty decent, sort of semi-Enterprise level.

Ruckus is overkill and it is very Enterprise focused.

Range extender will halve the bandwidth though.

You are right, AC2600 devices should not have issue unless there is a design failure.

This is over wireless. Most AC1750 devices should not have issue getting get over LAN unless specifically stated.

Factory reset should do the trick.

Not optimal but at least it works for now as the routing capabilities on the Thompson is kind of terrible.

Possibly they change something in their end.

Yes, I do not try Netgear routers for a really long time now so I am not sure if they upgraded.

Only D-Link routers can tag VLAN to WIFI..

I reviewed this before. Peak speed is around 300Mbps even at super optimal condition.

https://www.blacktubi.com/review/tp-link-tl...30p-kit-review/
Added, thanks!

Currently out of stock in the entire market. Somehow the demand for this model is super good.

C5400 is actually my daily driver for a long time now.

C5400 is literally the C3150 with an extra 5Ghz band, they are very similar device but with beefier specs.

It comes with 8 antennas. To be frank, the signal output is rather similar with C3150, what it excels is the performance when you have many devices connected.

Good stuff, mind to link me with UBNT Malaysia so I can get a unit to play?

Anyway, why this instead of their normal line of APs for your clients tho?

Thanks for the tips.

I forget to attach that.

The command is this, you can just input it in any command prompt window. Doesn't work in Powershell.

wmic NIC where NetEnabled=true get Name, Speed

Tough choice for me.

I would be more towards the C5400 as it has a better wireless coverage. I value wireless coverage over those features.

RT-AC86U still a great device coupled with AiMesh you can add another node to your network in the future. Not to mention AsusWRT is really feature rich.

No support for 802.11 k, r and v which is a major drawback to me. They rely on their own roaming algorithm which may or may not work that well as it depends on the client device.

The only thing great with AiMesh is the performance as their routers have some seriously powerful radio which typical off the shelf mesh system lacks.

Of course, you get the full ASUSWRT features if you are into that.

There is AP mode on the M9 Plus. I like the 802.11r support but it is not enabled by default, you need to enable it on the app.

If you intend to run it as a router, mind that it doesn't support HyppTV at the moment. If you already have a good setup on the Mikrotik, I feel AP mode is the way to go.

You will lose out the app control which is rather intuitive but if you use Mikrotik, you probably not into that.

CZero
Maybe you can try placing your wireless access point somewhere as I am pretty sure your metal rack will affect the signal a little.

Archer C3150 have some pretty decent radio.

Your speed is capped at 100Mbps, indicating that it is bottlenecked by Ethernet speed.

Can you make sure you use at least CAT5E

I created this guide quite some time ago and it is still applicable for now.

https://www.blacktubi.com/unifi/setup-asus-router-for-unifi/