TP-Link AX6000 Vs ASUS ROG GT-AX11000 Vs Ubiquiti Unifi

LSpacePolitix on 19/06/2020 - 05:49
Last edited 19/06/2020 - 05:53

Hello,

I am planning on upgrading out home internet and I am stuck between these two options.
The context is a large household with 8 internet-heavy users who like to download, stream, and game all on the same network. The biggest issue is that we're experience a lot of lost packets and latency when everyone is online. We currently have a Netgear Nighthawk X6 R8000. We're on a 100/40 HFC NBN plan.

The choices I have are between the TP-Link AX6000, ASUS ROG GT-AX11000, and this Ubiquiti Unifi setup that I have devised:
Unifi Switch (8-Port Managed Gigabit Ethernet Switch 60W)
Unifi USG Gateway
Unifi nano HD
Unifi Cloud Key (gen1)

The main motivation being the higher router capacity and MU-MIMO which may help with the latency. The Unifi setup will cost around double the price of the tp-link. Budget aside, which setup would genuinely be better?

Thanks!

Internet

Comments

  • thefud on 19/06/2020 - 06:33
    +2

    Go the ubiquiti dream machine for similar price and you won’t be disappointed. I’ve been using it for a few months and it’s solid. You can always add another WAP if you need the coverage - an advantage that will be less
    seamless with the others. Good luck with your decision.

    • SpacePolitix on 19/06/2020 - 06:39

      I'll check out the dream machine, cheers!

      • Twix on 19/06/2020 - 13:03
        +1

        The UDM has a much faster router inside it that outperforms the USG any day of the week especially with IDS/IPS enabled on the 250/25 and 1000/50 plans. The UDM internal access point is equivalent to a NanoHD. The UDM and NanoHD are wifi AC 4x4 wave 2. Wifi 6 access points are in the works :-)

        100/40 can struggle with 8 heavy users. Can you access the 250/25 or 1000/50 plans yet?

        • SpacePolitix on 19/06/2020 - 16:18

          oooh! you're saying I can add wifi 6 to the UDM later by connecting a wifi 6 AP when uniquiti releases it?

          nothing over 100/40 seems available for me on superloop nor ABB :(

          • Twix on 19/06/2020 - 16:52
            +1

            @SpacePolitix: Yeah you can or wait for the UXG products.

            Within the next year you will be able to access the 250/25 plan and maybe the 1000/50 plan :-)

    • kabammi on 19/06/2020 - 07:17
      +1

      Yes the UDM is exceptionally good.
      I have the UDM, a Switch 8 Poe, a switch 8, 2x AC lite mesh poe access points and an outdoor access point mesh. All three mesh aps draw poe from the unifi switch 8 poe.the whole lot is connected via gigabit Ethernet so i don't need to use wireless uplink.

  • trankillity on 19/06/2020 - 09:15
    +3

    Unifi all the way. Expandable, and more powerful than any crappy "high end" router from ASUS or TP-Link.

    Only go UDM if you don't care so much about the ease of replacement though. UDM is fantastic, but if one component in it dies, you need to replace the whole thing. If you go USG + USW + UAP. That being said, the USG is VERY old now and will soon be replaced with a product called the UXG.

    Though because you have such a big house/setup, I'd actually recommend going the rack-mounted options though (UXG Pro/USW Pro/a few AP-lites/etc). Again making it easier to upgrade.

    In terms of setup, you will want to look into "Smart Queues" which is Unifi's version of QoS. This will allow the router to manage network traffic and ensure that there's never and blocked connections/dropped packets. Assuming with that many people on the connection that you're on at least 100/40 NBN too. If you can, you should look at 1000/20 on Aussie Broadband, provided you don't need the upstream (no uploads/streaming to Twitch or anything).

  • hoey888 on 19/06/2020 - 09:39
    +2

    If gaming and latency is a big problem, maybe consider a hardwired Ethernet cable. Usually wireless is abit slower (latency wise) as you need hop from wireless network to Ethernet network.

    If downloading large files/torrents, you might want to also consider QoS to prioritize gaming/streaming traffic over downloads. This will be cheaper than buying new hardware unnecessarily.

  • PeaKay on 19/06/2020 - 11:42

    I use an AX6000 at home and have found the unit itself to have fantastic wireless range especially considering I have a poured concrete wall house.

    The speeds over wireless even when at low signal are very good. The wifi 6 has no issues maxing out my 100/40 HFC NBN.

    They also just added WPA3 via firmware update which is a nice addition.

    One thing which may deter some is that it has no native support for VPNs.

  • skyva on 19/06/2020 - 15:26

    I had a unifi USG, unifi switches, Unifi AP's and Unifi security cams.

    I got rid of the USG, as it has serious software and hardware limitations. I use an Asus rt-68u and it is plenty, and works well enough with the other systems. It also has much better software features and stronger hardware. Going from you current router to a USG will be a shock. Not sure about UDM.

    You router is almost certainly fine. I would add one or two unifi AP's, which are great, to take the load off the router and help manage wifi clients.

    If the UDM uses the same software as the USG, it will not be great for home users.

    • Twix on 19/06/2020 - 17:20

      Ubiquiti do some software things better than Asus and vice versa and yeah the UDM and USG have the same UniFi software.

  • thedriver on 20/06/2020 - 14:35

    No one has asked you how big your house is, floor area, stories, wall material, etc.
    These are important factors to take into account.
    Given your using an AC router already, simply changing moving to a MU-MIMO device may not fix everything.
    I'd first suggest mapping your wifi signal strength and ensure you have adequate coverage of your house and figure out whether each device (when isolated on the network) is connecting to the 2.4 or 5GHz network.
    Also determine whether your devices are MU-MIMO compatible. Some may also able to be cheaply upgraded to support MU-MIMO.
    Remember also, MU-MIMO doesn't work on the 2.4GHz network.
    So if you have devices in your large house, that are out of range of your 5GHz network anyway, then a single MU-MIMO router may not provide them much additional help.
    You might find dividing the wifi clients between the 2.4 and 5GHz networks helps.
    You might alternatively be better to run a mesh network (preferably wired backbone) because of the size of your house.
    I'd first try picking up a cheap second hand device set it up as an access point and connect it to your existing router via a long network cable. Move some of the wireless clients to that and see what impact it has.
    Or see if you can borrow a MU-MIMO device before you commit. It may not have as much impact as your hoping.

    Having used all three brands you have mentioned, I'd be inclined to go for Asus with their aimesh.

    Be aware that Ubiquiti does require more ongoing maintenance. The Cloud Keys can also be annoying at home if they lose power.
    The Nano HDs are excellent, avoid the older WAPs though.

    • SpacePolitix on 21/06/2020 - 00:16

      Cheers - range is an issue which is why I went with the UDM as others have suggested. I bought a separate Unifi AC-lite and I plan to use the PoE injector and add it as a mesh AC. Unfortunately getting wired backbone on it would be messy. You make a good point about cloud key being annoying if they lose power - I plan on having it automatically back up settings to a digitalocean server to compensate

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