Router Recommendations for Non Tech Savvy Parents

Lcrackman on 11/10/2025 - 12:44

My parents got the recent NBN upgrade. (HFC).

Current set up is a kogan branded router connected to an old Tenda mesh. (Quite a large house so mesh required)

Any suggestions for anew router? I'm also looking to change ISP for a better price. Southern phone are currently giving an eero 7 if you stay for 12 months but I've read that eeros provided by ISPs can't be used with other ISPs- would that be correct?

I'm not nearby so I can't drop in on a whim to sort out any IT issues, heck I'm not even an IT type myself but have been designated the family IT guy.

Would an eero 7 mesh (from Amazon so not locked) be a good choice?

Computing Wireless Router

Comments

  • snapper17 on 11/10/2025 - 13:41

    The eero 7 is good but won’t cover a whole house with 1 device. You would need the 3 pack which will be an extra cost

    How much are they paying for nbn?

    Leaptel have a special and offer eero 7 packs at a good discount which can be paid monthly. But their plans maybe more expensive then southern.

    Tp link offer a few decent 3 pack mesh systems that can be expanded to 6.

    • crackman on 11/10/2025 - 14:05

      Yes it'll be 3 pack required most likely. They have an old Tenda 3 pack mesh at the Moment.

      Currently paying $85 per month with kogan

      Which TP link would you suggest?

      • snapper17 on 11/10/2025 - 14:22
        +1

        This one has slightly old tech wifi6 but should be good enough
        https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/networking/modems-&-routers/111183-deco-x55(3-pack)

        If the budget allows you could go for this which is current tech wifi7
        https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/networking/modems-&-routers/119770-deco-be22(3-pack)

        Leaptel (who ive been with for over a year) have good aussie support have a 500 speed plan for $80 a month for 12 months
        https://leaptel.com.au/plans/?provider=nbn#plan-status
        you can get the eero 7 triple mesh for $480 plus $20 delivery which is half price

        I would go with option c
        I have a single eero 7 pro as i just rent a 1 bed apartment and it handles the place easily
        It also integrates with amazon tech such as the echo dot speakers ect through the amazon alexia
        I find the app easy to use but you do ned a little tech knowledge when doing advanced settings.
        I found support from Leaptel to be very good

        • crackman on 11/10/2025 - 17:39
          -1

          Thanks. Eero is cheaper from Amazon at the moment and won't be ISP locked

          • hashtagbargain on 12/10/2025 - 09:44

            @crackman: None of the eeros are ISP “locked”. They may have ISP settings for easy connections/troubleshooting but it is really simple to go back to stock firmware and fully supported.

            Source: removed the Superloop customisation from my eeros recently.

  • Far Cough on 11/10/2025 - 13:46

    eero7 pro

    • crackman on 11/10/2025 - 14:07

      Is the pro worth the jump in price? Video streaming and mobile use is all they do?

      A single modem probably won't cut it with the house and walls, just from experience with cable

  • ginger-gin on 11/10/2025 - 15:23

    Since you're not nearby but would like to change isp, will it be for frequent changes of isp? As changing isp will depend on which technology they're using and would be difficult for your parents
    Amazon or Google has heaps of telemetry for tracking the activities, which is blocked on my router, if you don't mind it tracking, it can be no brainer solution but again, some manual work might need it at first for setting your ppoe for some certain isps

    • crackman on 11/10/2025 - 17:39

      Might change maybe yearly to take advantage of sign up prices

  • Pidapipo on 11/10/2025 - 17:06

    Also looked into deco by TP link. I use deco AX1800 and setting up was a breeze. Majority of troubleshooting has been turning on and off the devices.

    • crackman on 11/10/2025 - 17:45

      Would they support the new NBN speeds?

      • Pidapipo on 11/10/2025 - 18:01
        +1

        Why not? These are products made for internet speed in countries that have superior internet speed than what NBN gives us. ISPs in my third world home country haven't offered anything below 100Mbps for ages while 50/20 was still relevant here due to cost.

        From the item description: “1,201 Mbps on 5 GHz and 574 Mbps on 24 GHz”. Mine is X20. You can always pay more for better spec.

    • Butterfly Gocha on 12/10/2025 - 09:00

      I bought the deco x20 three pack and use two at home and one in my parents unit. Really scalable and i have their unit attached to my account that i can remotely configure and check, update firmware and remotely reboot. I can also set up connection alerts and speeds to help troubleshooting.

      Can vouch for the Deco range of products for the needs you're mentioning. Both of ours are on HFC.

  • jacklew15 on 11/10/2025 - 23:21

    eero sounds great for your circumstances.

    It's a set and forget experience that should be suitable for most users. The app would be ideal in allowing you to restart and update the network remotely.

    Only thing to consider is which eero you should go for: eero 7 is only dual-band, whereas eero Pro 6e, eero Pro 7, eero Max 7 are tri-band. If you have Wi-Fi 6e capable devices, they can connect to a 6GHz band, freeing up the 2.4 & 5 GHz bands for your older devices to connect more efficiently.

    As you've noted, eeros purchased from an ISP should be avoided because they can be locked (same thing happened to me): https://www.reddit.com/r/amazoneero/comments/1hhvk49/today_i…

  • boxall on 12/10/2025 - 10:10
    +1

    TP-Link decos are my go to for all the family and friends.

  • keo on 12/10/2025 - 12:21

    Another vote for TP-Link Deco, easy setup and easy admin web portal for less advanced users. Recommend getting one with a separate channel for WiFi backhaul especially if the HFC modem is not in the center of the house. Also it should be connected straight to the HFC modem, no need to have the Kogan router.

    • crackman on 12/10/2025 - 13:28
      -1

      Thanks. Backhaul is too technical a term for me. I'm looking at ax3000. X55?

      • keo on 12/10/2025 - 14:02

        So as urahara suggested, TP-Link Deco 6e (x75) would be my recommendation. I set one of these up for my inlaws and has been working flawlessly. Full speed to all corners of the house even though the HFC modem is at the very front of the house. I bought a 3 pack but only needed to use 2 and 3rd is now for emergency backup. Three would be recommended if more than one floor or very large house.

        • crackman on 12/10/2025 - 19:45
          -1

          Out of budget unfortunately. The eeros only came into the equation due to the sale and cashback

  • urahara on 12/10/2025 - 12:56

    TP-Link Deco 6e (x75)
    Generally on sale and can price match.

    • crackman on 12/10/2025 - 19:46

      Cheers. Out of budget unfortunately

  • yinyang on 12/10/2025 - 15:57
    +1

    Not sure that ISP locked Eeros are a hard and fast rule - I just bought an ABB eero 7 Pro off FB Marketplace to use on a Uniti plan, and other than ABB now appearing on my eero app, I’ve actually now got the benefits of eero plus for free, because it’s included in ABB.
    To clarify my first eero 7 pro was bought off Amazon, so is the vanilla version, and serves as the gateway. The ABB version is a node.
    Since I’m on Opticomm I’m about to move from Uniti to Superloop for the 500/50 - I save $20 per month for 6 months and then the price goes to the same as Uniti.

  • crackman on 12/10/2025 - 19:53
    -1

    Interesting to note. I wonder what would happen if it went the other way

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