So I currently have an Asus RT-AC86U that is working fine, but bogging down under load, and also is EOL.
We've got three people and about 15 devices, give or take. Our internet service is currently 300Mb cable.
The AX88U Pro is currently on a very good sale - $220CDN. I figure my options are that, the BE86U at $370, or the BE88U at $500.
Five hundred bucks is out of my justifiable price range. Spending less (a lot!) on the AX router would be nice, but the longevity (and support lifespan) of the BE86 has some appeal too.
I'm also not married to Asus, although they've been consistently excellent for me.
What do y'all think? Any educated guesses on when Asus is going to EOL the AX lineup?
I wouldn't consider a consumer-grade router that doesn't have OpenWRT support. No arbitrary EOL to worry about. I was very happy with OpenWRT until I moved to OPNsense router and Ubiquiti access points. I still use it on my travel router, too.
Edit: Check if your current router is supported by OpenWRT and get more life out of it.