"I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings." - Tom Petty
On top of the AC1900 I ordered that will arrive tomorrow, last night I also ordered a renewed AC1900P (faster CPU than AC1900) for $79.99 from Amazon. This will allow me to create a 3-router mesh system in my home. However...
Apparently my plan will work, but with drawbacks. Despite previously looking for online advice on setting up AiMesh, today I came across
AiMesh Review: ASUS's Ongoing Journey to Excellent Wi-Fi Coverage. This self help review provided excellent insight on doing AiMesh the right way. I won't bore you with details, as you can go through the lengthy article yourself if you want. But in short:
1. It's best if every router is the same model, especially when setting up a wireless-based mesh.
2. Tri-band (more $$$) gives the best performance for wireless-based AiMesh, as the 3rd band gets dedicated for the backhaul.
3. For wire-based (LAN) AiMesh, dual-band models make most sense.
4. Unless every router supports WiFi 6, all routers will revert to WiFi 5 in an AiMesh system.
I also learned from my SIL that firmware updates work much better if all routers are the same model. He said that he only has to update his main router, and the same-model node automatically updates as well. This is not possible when using different models.
My new AX3000 is dual band. I also will be using LAN-based AiMesh, as the wiring is already in place. I will at some point use WiFi 6, so disabling WiFi 6 by mixing models is not ideal. The AC1900 and AC1900P will be returned unopened for a full refund, and right after I poast this I will order a second AX3000. A third one may be ordered down the line as needs (and wallet) dictate.