since the upgrade to 24.10 for the R7800 does not work with keeping the config due to the DSA change, I was thinking about buying a new OpenWRT based WiFi Accesspoint that I can install, prepare and test before I do the upgrade of the R7800 to avoid longer downtime.
I looked into the hardware tables and some threads, but there was no obvious recommendation if the main goals is to use it as a pure WiFi AP. DHCP, Firewall etc. is all done by my OPNSense router. So the main goal is to have proper WiFi speed and good antennas for a coverage that is at least on the level as the R7800 which covers my whole house.
Price should be within the 100 to 200 Euros range.
Hmm hardware looks nice but based on https://openwrt.org/toh/zyxel/t-56 it depends on the firmware loaded and is a bit tricky to flash. Maybe there is an alternative with less hazzle :)?
I do not know about the antennas, but wifi range and speed is very good in our house (brick walls, wooden floors).
Regarding mounting, you cannot find it on the specs sheets (to my knowledge) but there are 2 lock shape holes in the bottom for putting a screw in so you can hang it.
The Cudy is really cheap but I will try an already flashed T-56. The only drawback is the missing external antennas so not sure if it can have the same range as the R7800.
I have ZyXEL NWA50AX-Pro that I like a great deal. Wall-mountable, POE+ powerable, 2.5Gb uplink port (can also be powered via 12V adapter); runs OpenWRT well as an AP and has good RF performance -- and its very reasonably-priced. Zero problems with it.
The only real thing its missing is the 6g frequency, but almost nothing has that which is available and runs OpenWRT right now.
So I had the chance to test the T-56 and I'm quite happy. It's really an upgrade to the R7800 so despite the fact that the antennas are internally the range is even better and the speed as well (although the speed upgrade was expected).
