Thinking about getting a new router — maybe a TP-Link Archer AX55 or ASUS RT-AX58U. Any real reason to pick one over the other?
Router threads are basically like car threads. Everyone recommends something they bought themselves, something that accidentally worked once, or something that was the least frustrating to set up. Don’t take every piece of advice as the ultimate truth.
Honestly, there are a lot of models with pretty similar specs once you’re shopping in the same price tier.
At that point, the difference is often less “this one is magically better” and more stuff like: firmware, UI, stability, parental controls, VPN features, how annoying setup is, and whether you plan to expand later.
If you have a layout and want to approach things wisely, it’s best to run it through a program first before buying anything. Something like NetSpot lets you test different AP/router models and placement options virtually. That’s useful because sometimes the question isn’t really “which router is best,” it’s “which one will work best in my layout and where should it go?” This way, you can test different locations and immediately see how your coverage changes, instead of buying hardware simply “on a hunch” or following advice from a hyped video.
@Major_Peter That’s actually really helpful. Didn’t even realize there were tools where you could test different placements and hardware before buying.