@Bauhaus I get where you’re coming from, and I fully agree that firmware optimization matters more than raw specs. No argument there. The GE800 clearly has the hardware advantage, but without stable and mature firmware it won’t show its full potential, and that’s exactly what everyone here has been pointing out for months.

But saying the Flint 3 is “better optimized” because it behaves nicer with SQM and QoS doesn’t automatically make it a stronger overall device. It just means its current firmware stack works better for your specific conditions. The GE800 still pushes far higher throughput, stronger radios and more features, but with the obvious drawback that the firmware is still not where it needs to be.

AI QoS and some gaming features definitely need fixing. Nobody denies that. But comparing a router that’s half the hardware and saying it “performs better in most scenarios” feels like a stretch. Bufferbloat tests, QoS behaviour and gaming latencies depend heavily on firmware tuning, not on whether the hardware is weak or strong.

I’m frustrated with the slow progress too, but I also know the GE800 has the headroom to improve once TP-Link actually tightens the firmware. If the Flint 3 is giving you a more stable experience right now, that’s great, but that doesn’t automatically put it in the same class or make the GE800 a bad product. It just shows the firmware team still has work to do, and hopefully they actually listen this time

Bauhaus wrote

  @Kevin_Z 

 

 

I finally received my GL.iNet Flint 3 Wi-Fi 7 router to compare, and with SQM and QoS enabled I’m getting an A+ bufferbloat score something I’ve never achieved before. I can’t get anywhere close to that with the GE800.

I’m also not experiencing ping spikes or unstable packet loss like I do with the GE800 when the Qos is activate. I tested both routers back-to-back to compare, but the GE800 still performs poorly, which is wild.

I’ve tried every available firmware for the GE800, but with no real success.

I honestly don’t understand how a router that costs twice as much performs worse. Clearly the firmware problem is not good enough after more than a year for such expensive device. 

@Bauhaus 

Thank you very much for sharing your comparison tests with our GE800 and GL.iNet Flint 3. And another BIG THANKS to @Vendex for sharing your knowledge on networks and network devices.

Regarding Bauhaus's comparison test results, I'm curious how you conducted the tests. Could you please kindly share more details with us?

Are you playing games and downloading large files (via qBittorrent or similar software) on the same computer/device simultaneously? Or are you playing games on device A while downloading large files on device B?

What are the SQM and QoS settings on the GL.iNet Flint 3? If possible, I hope you can also share some screenshots for reference.

ABC_ChoCo wrote

  @Kevin_Z  Any news on a new firmware? Version 1.3.2 caused unstable Wi-Fi, so I downgraded to 1.3.1.

@ABC_ChoCo 

The development team is working on a new version. We will publish it here once it's ready.

Sulooo wrote

@Bauhaus @Bau 

 

 

 

I hope the engineers at Ge800 TP-Link Router add all comments from us during all conversations below. We are all here to support, and we all do our best as clients from our side. We have given all that we've observed from the last firmware update.

@Sulooo 

Of course they do! We value your feedback!

Don't hesitate to share your opinion and feedback about your experience with our gaming router.

ABC_ChoCo wrote

  @Kevin_Z Hello. This post has been unpinned. What has changed?

@ABC_ChoCo  No worries. Nothing has changed so far.

@Bauhaus 

Thank you so much for getting back to me with your usage scenario while you're on vacation. We appreciate it!

I will definitely report it to the development team and ask them to run similar tests in a real network to evaluate our AI QoS and identify ways to improve it.

When you're back home, I hope you can do some comparison tests again and let us know how the Flint 3 and our GE800 perform in your game world.