WIFI7 Router Recommendation

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

I currently have a rather old wifi5 router that i've been using for the last 10+ years. I want to purchase a new wifi7 router, so i'm looking for recommendations from the community.

I've been looking at the Asus RT-BE92U or the Asus RT-BE88U, but i'm open to other brands. The router that I have now is a Netgear R7000, and it's served me quite well over the years.

At this point, im not sure how to gauge or rank other brands. i've been also looking into other Netgear routers as well as Synology.

I'm open to whatever ideas or options. Price isnt really a concern. I just dont really know where to look for opinions on features, the OS, performance, etc.

One feature i would like to see is the option to have 2.5 or 10Gbit ethernet, whether that's RJ45 or SFP. I'd like to be able to connect more than 4 devices, wired. That seems to be a pain point for consumer routers.

Let me know your opinions. Thanks!

[spaceelf]

Firewalla Gold Plus or Pro+AP7+switch would do all I need.  I don't know how many other brands aren't trying to sell you an addon subscription.

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

I always liked TP-Link, Netgear or ASUS.

Not sure what you're lookinbg for besides Wifi7

[+Jester124 Subscriber²]

Like @Mindovermaster, Asus, Netgear, and TP-Link have been my go-toes. Currently running a tp-link BE9300 and have no major complaints outside of I wish it had a 10 gig port for connection to the rest of my home network.

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

While there has been no official statement yet on TP-Link (at least that I am aware of), recent articles like this bringing up concerns about whether they pose a threat to national security would give me some pause when selecting gear from them right now. That said, I have used TP-Link networking gear in the past and even have some in use right now and have no current plans to replace the latter.

That said, since you currently have a Netgear router and seem happy with it, I would definitely suggest looking at their current Wi-Fi 7 offerings.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

[Jolo]

New UniFi UDR7.

[Chugworth]

Wi-Fi 7 is not quite "there" yet.  I have both an access point and a card that claim to support Wi-Fi 7, and the speeds are not impressive at all.  Also, the 6GHz frequency has very poor range, and you practically need a line of sight to get a decent signal.  That frequency may be more beneficial in a business or education setting rather than a home setting.

[+Warwagon MVC]

ATM my setup is a regular computer running OpenWRT with a Dual 2.5GB Card. That connects to my internet and goes out to an 8 Port 2.5GB switch with SFP+ which then goes over fiber to a 24 port 2.5G Switch upstairs and over ethernet to another switch downstairs.

Then I have a ubiquity Wireless AC AP upstairs that is quite a few years old now. Great thing about that, is the router is fine, when I want faster wifi I just replace the Wireless AP.

My current configuration is complete and utter overkill for openWRT

OpenWRT is currently running on Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700T, with 8GB of ram and a 128GB SSD.

I've been thinking about replacing my computer with this.

 

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

I use a Zimaboard with OPNSense.. Use my old router as an AP.

 

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

thanks for the replies, folks. I'm not interested in doing some makeshift PFSense, or the like, approach. I think i'd want a router that's just a straight-out-of-the-box type of thing. Im going to look into Asus and Netgear. Someone posted Unifi. i have no idea about their products, so i'll check that out.

anyone have experience w/ Synology routers?

UPDATE: So Synology doesnt have any wifi7 routers, so that's out.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

On 18/04/2025 at 19:09, Mindovermaster said:

I always liked TP-Link, Netgear or ASUS.

Not sure what you're lookinbg for besides Wifi7

i dont really know what im looking for, either. I'd just like a modern router w/ wifi6, 7 and something that has good range. While i'm in the IT business, im not interested in doing Enterprise stuff at home. My home network is extremely simple. Like i mentioned in the original post, i'd like a router that has ports that can run at 2.5/5/10Gbit.

In the end, ive been using this R7000 for 12 years or more. I completely skipped wifi6, so i'd like to get something modern.

[spaceelf]

If I wasn't irritable about subscriptions on routers I'd be fine with pretty much any tri band wifi 7 router.  My BE550 is pretty dang good but I wouldn't say it's impressive with wifi 7 features like MLO.

Eeros new kit is probably really good but isn't tri band on the low end 7 box.  Still, I loved my Eero 6 set and if I didn't already have new kit I'd jump at it.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

On 19/04/2025 at 16:15, spaceelf said:

If I wasn't irritable about subscriptions on routers I'd be fine with pretty much any tri band wifi 7 router.  My BE550 is pretty dang good but I wouldn't say it's impressive with wifi 7 features like MLO.

Eeros new kit is probably really good but isn't tri band on the low end 7 box.  Still, I loved my Eero 6 set and if I didn't already have new kit I'd jump at it.

what do you mean by the bolded part?

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

im researching Asus routers, atm. Some of the routers include dual-band wifi while others advertise tri-band. one of them even says quad-band. Do i need tri-band?

I found a router that has 8 ports - four of them are 2.5Gbit and the other four are 1Gbit. That would be great, but it's "only" a dual-band router. again, should i be looking for tri-band routers or is all that just marketing bs?

[Barney T. Administrators]

On 19/04/2025 at 15:43, Jason S. said:

Someone posted Unifi. i have no idea about their products, so i'll check that out.

I have had many routers in my day and love the Unifi Dream Machine. They work flawlessly for me, have a great assortment of AP and other accessories and has a top-notch app that monitors all of your WiFi data. Something to consider....

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=unifi+udr7&crid=3LTJKLYFN9MGZ&sprefix=%2Caps%2C99&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_2_0_recent

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-Dream-Router-Wi-Fi/dp/B0DZ8G8ZZ6/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3LTJKLYFN9MGZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Y6DF_wZm20CQpmpf7Wb9bFFfd6qNpH2mG6HCWV4jgMMsTwGkNuVzQhgQVKfekfeRhw-gPacYeF6lTRrwI6AGknC_jlPKsPdl5XWiSsiukNdJcHrMHoTlKyu0rajLrKonZt9c0XiPOQ0lxyjr_m8N0akLshVme5utoymxBY2rHU43eKIleVg5uUdkAoF_xdY9QfvausbGO18rgoaGZdmEobVqBrbmRorv7bw8Yo5nc7w.oJaInTKPsRRaRcc6OdBFyqhU9bDuFKlI0-nOfo4V6ts&dib_tag=se&keywords=unifi+udr7&qid=1745181443&sprefix=%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-3

 

 

[Chugworth]

On 19/04/2025 at 16:26, Jason S. said:

im researching Asus routers, atm. Some of the routers include dual-band wifi while others advertise tri-band. one of them even says quad-band. Do i need tri-band?

I found a router that has 8 ports - four of them are 2.5Gbit and the other four are 1Gbit. That would be great, but it's "only" a dual-band router. again, should i be looking for tri-band routers or is all that just marketing bs?

There are some access points that are capable of using 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz, but only have two radios.  Therefore, the second radio can only operate at 5 or 6, and the device can't provide all three bands at the same time.

[Ndragonawa]

Ubiquiti Unifi Express 7 ($200 USD) or Unifi Dream Router 7 ($280). The Express is just Network, while the UDR can run all of the other Unifi apps (cameras for security, VOIP, etc.) The UDR7 also has a 10G SFP port and POE.
https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/all-cloud-gateways/products/udr7

[gowtham07]

Hey, sounds like it’s definitely time for an upgrade. The R7000 had an excellent run!

If you want lots of wired ports and future-proofing, the Asus RT-BE88U is a killer choice. It’s got 2x 10GbE, 4x 2.5GbE, and handles WiFi 7 like a champ. Super fast, stable, and the ASUS firmware is solid with loads of features.

The TP-Link BE900 is also great, sleek design, strong performance, and a combo 10G port (RJ45/SFP+), but it has fewer wired ports than the Asus.

Netgear RS700S is powerful too, but the firmware isn’t as flexible and only has one 10G port. It might feel familiar from your R7000.

If wired ports are a big deal, maybe adding a 2.5G or 10G switch later gives you more options.

My vote is RT-BE88U all the way.

[d5aqoëp]

I would suggest Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway Fiber + U7 Pro XGS

 

https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/all-cloud-gateways/collections/cloud-gateway-fiber/products/ucg-fiber

https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/wifi-flagship/products/u7-pro-xgs?variant=u7-pro-xgs-us

I have been using this combo for 3 months now.

[gowtham07]

Hey! What a difference it makes to upgrade from an old WiFi 5 router to a new one. The Asus BE88U and BE92U are both very top picks. Asus gives you more control and better firmware support than most. Netgear’s new stuff is decent, but locked down. If you need more than 4 wired ports, I’d suggest a separate 2.5G or 10G switch. It makes life easier. Synology’s UI is clean too, but they don’t have a WiFi 7 router yet. If the price isn’t a big deal, go with Asus and pair it with a switch. Let us know what you think!