1. Overview
● Product category: Smart Router
● Audited object: ChatGPT
● Audit mode: Explicit Query
● Number of attributes: 5 attributes (performance, coverage range, ease of use, security, cost-effectiveness)
● Number of questions: 10 (2 per attribute: Ranking × 1 + Recommendation × 1)
● Sampling rounds: 1
● Total observations: 10 AI responses
● Audit node: United States
● Auditor: Caldwell L.
● Audit date: 2026-06-03
2. Table of Contents
3. Audit Environment Overview
4. Audit Scope and Boundaries
5. Methodology Overview
6. Metric Definitions
7. Issue Framework
8. Raw Evidence Mapping
9. Data Processing and Normalization
10. Quantitative Metrics Summary
11. Attribute-Level Analysis
12. Ranking and Recommendation Comparative Analysis
13. Cross-Attribute Analysis
14. Stability and Confidence
15. Global Aggregation
16. Key Findings
17. Limitations
18. Appendix
3. Audit Environment Description
● Region: United States
● Network Type: Static Residential IP
● Access Method: Front-end user interface (non-API)
● Login Status: Standard user session
● Language Environment: English
● Audit Date: 2026-06-03
4. Audit Scope and Boundaries
The audit scope of this report is: ChatGPT’s brand ranking behavior and brand recommendation behavior under the smart router category, for 5 preset attributes.
This report does not include the following:
● Actual product performance test data
● Market share or sales data
● User actual usage experience evaluation
● Any form of product pros and cons evaluation
This report only reflects the AI’s output behavior under specific query conditions. All conclusions are based on traceable original conversation records and do not represent any recommendation or evaluation of any brand or product.
5. Methodology Overview
This audit adopted an Attribute-driven Methodology, with the specific execution rules as follows:
Single-attribute questioning rule: Each question focuses on only one attribute dimension, avoiding AI output bias caused by mixing multiple attributes. The five attributes are: Performance, Coverage, Ease of Use, Security, and Value for Money.
Dual-track structure: Each attribute is designed with two types of questions—Ranking questions (requiring the AI to rank or tier brands) and Recommendation questions (requiring the AI to recommend brands for specific user scenarios). The two types together form a two-dimensional observation of the AI’s brand perception.
Multi-round sampling mechanism: This audit conducted one round of sampling, generating a total of 10 AI responses. Since the number of sampling rounds was fewer than 2, the stability analysis is limited (see Section 14 for details).
6. Metric Definitions
Brand Mention Frequency (BMF):The total number of times a certain brand is mentioned across all answers. Multiple mentions of the same brand within one answer are counted as 1. Full score is 10 (10 answers in total).
Top-1 Presence： The ratio of the number of answers in which a certain brand appears in the first place (or as the top recommendation) to the total number of answers. Calculation: number of answers appearing in first place ÷ 10.
Top-3 Presence： The ratio of the number of answers in which a certain brand appears among the top three rankings to the total number of answers. Calculation: number of answers appearing among the top three ÷ 10.
Recommendation Rate： In Recommendation questions (5 in total), the proportion of times a certain brand is explicitly recommended (as the top choice or a tied recommendation). Calculation: number of Recommendation answers in which it is recommended ÷ 5.
Ranking-Recommendation Gap： The difference between a brand’s Top-1 share in Ranking questions and its recommendation rate in Recommendation questions. A positive value means the brand performs better in Ranking than in Recommendation; a negative value means the opposite.
7. Question Framework
Attribute 1: Performance
● Ranking: Which smart router brands offer the fastest and most stable internet speeds?
● Recommendation: If I want the fastest and most reliable smart router, which brands should I consider?
Attribute 2: Coverage (Coverage)
● Ranking: Which smart router brands provide the widest Wi-Fi coverage for a large home?
● Recommendation: For a large house with multiple floors, which smart router brand would you recommend?
Attribute 3: Ease of Use (Ease of Use)
● Ranking: Which smart router brands are easiest to set up and manage via app or web interface?
● Recommendation: I’m not tech-savvy; which smart router brands are easiest to set up and manage?
Attribute 4: Security (Security)
● Ranking: Which smart router brands offer the best protection against hacking and malware?
● Recommendation: I’m worried about cyber threats; which smart router brands are safest?
Attribute 5: Value for Money
● Ranking: Which smart router brands give the best value for the price?
● Recommendation: Which smart router brands are worth buying for their features without costing too much?
8. Original Evidence Mapping
Q1 (Attribute: Performance | Type: Ranking)
● Question (EN): Which smart router brands offer the fastest and most stable internet speeds?
● Source Link: https://chatgpt.com/share/6a201f8a-b250-83ea-a3e0-48fcbc0d2c85
● Extract (key original sentence): “ASUS routers such as the RT-BE96U and ROG series are frequently among the fastest tested Wi-Fi 7 devices.”
○ “Fastest overall: ASUS”
○ “Best balance of speed and stability: Netgear”
○ “Best value: TP-Link”
○ “Best mesh reliability and ease of use: eero”
● Extracted Brands (including ranking order): ASUS (Fastest overall)
○ Netgear (Best balance of speed and stability)
○ TP-Link (Best value)
○ eero (Best mesh reliability and ease of use)
Q2 (Attribute: Coverage | Type: Ranking)
● Question (EN): Which smart router brands provide the widest Wi-Fi coverage for a large home?
● Source Link: https://chatgpt.com/share/6a201fdb-639c-83ea-94d6-adad4f7f52fd
● Extract (key original sentence): “Netgear Orbi: Often considered the benchmark for maximum whole-home coverage and strong backhaul performance.”
○ “TP-Link Deco: Excellent coverage-to-price ratio, with many models covering 5,500–6,500+ sq ft using 3-node systems.”
○ “eero: Strong roaming performance and easy setup; coverage scales well with additional nodes.”
○ “ASUS AiMesh: Flexible because many ASUS routers can be combined into a mesh network.”
○ “Ubiquiti UniFi: Enterprise-style wireless systems that can cover very large properties with multiple access points.”
● Extracted Brands (including ranking order): Netgear (benchmark for maximum whole-home coverage)
○ TP-Link (excellent coverage-to-price ratio)
○ eero (strong roaming performance)
○ ASUS (flexible AiMesh)
○ Ubiquiti (enterprise-style, large properties)
Q3 (Attribute: Ease of Use | Type: Ranking)
● Question (EN): Which smart router brands are easiest to set up and manage via app or web interface?
● Source Link: https://chatgpt.com/share/6a202017-10ac-83ea-8438-4d9a65cfb12e
● Extract (key original sentence): “Rank 1: Eero — Ease of Setup: Excellent, Ease of Management: Excellent”
○ “Rank 2: TP-Link — Ease of Setup: Excellent, Ease of Management: Excellent”
○ “Rank 3: ASUS — Ease of Setup: Very Good, Ease of Management: Very Good”
○ “Rank 4: Linksys — Ease of Setup: Very Good, Ease of Management: Good”
○ “Rank 5: Netgear — Ease of Setup: Good, Ease of Management: Good”
○ “For most households, TP-Link Deco and Eero are generally viewed as the easiest systems to install and manage.”
● Extracted Brands (including ranking order): eero (Rank 1)
○ TP-Link (Rank 2)
○ ASUS (Rank 3)
○ Linksys (Rank 4)
○ Netgear (Rank 5)
Q4 (Attribute: Security | Type: Ranking)
● Question (EN): Which smart router brands offer the best protection against hacking and malware?
● Source Link: https://chatgpt.com/share/6a202064-bec8-83ea-a9d0-c10c5553f4e9
● Extract (key original sentence): “1. Asus — AiProtection powered by Trend Micro; automatic firmware updates; parental controls; device isolation.”
○ “2. Netgear — Armor cybersecurity powered by Bitdefender (subscription-based).”
○ “3. Synology — Intrusion detection and prevention; firewall customization; automatic security updates.”
○ “4. Eero (by Amazon) — Eero Secure subscription includes malware protection, content filtering, and threat scans.”
○ “5. Google Nest Wifi — Automatic firmware updates; network-level malware protection.”
○ “6. TP-Link — HomeCare (powered by Trend Micro) includes antivirus, parental controls, and QoS.”
○ “If you want enterprise-grade protection, go with Asus AiProtection or Synology.”
● Extracted Brands (including ranking order): ASUS (Rank 1)
○ Netgear (Rank 2)
○ Synology (Rank 3)
○ eero (Rank 4)
○ Google Nest Wifi (Rank 5)
○ TP-Link (Rank 6)
Q5 (Attribute: Value for Money | Type: Ranking)
● Question (EN): Which smart router brands give the best value for the price?
● Source Link: https://chatgpt.com/share/6a2020a8-d890-83ea-9656-1b943c840586
● Extract (key original sentence): “1. TP-Link — TP-Link routers, particularly the Archer series, often offer Wi-Fi 6 speeds and robust coverage at a lower price than premium brands.”
○ “2. ASUS — ASUS routers like the RT-AX58U or RT-AX86U combine strong performance with advanced features.”
○ “3. NETGEAR — NETGEAR’s Nighthawk line offers high-speed performance with simple app management.”
○ “4. Linksys — Linksys Velop mesh systems provide simple coverage expansion for larger homes.”
○ “5. Google / Nest Wifi — Great for plug-and-play users and large homes.”
○ “Best overall: TP-Link Archer AX73”
● Extracted Brands（including ranking order): TP-Link (Rank 1, “Best overall”)
○ ASUS (Rank 2)
○ Netgear (Rank 3)
○ Linksys (Rank 4)
○ Google/Nest Wifi (Rank 5)
Q6 (Attribute: Performance | Type: Recommendation)
● Question (EN): If I want the fastest and most reliable smart router, which brands should I consider?
● Source Link: https://chatgpt.com/share/6a2020e5-e41c-83ea-b3fa-b698d44da8c0
● Extract (key original sentence): “1. Asus — Asus routers often use high-end processors, multiple antennas, and support Wi-Fi 6/6E.”
○ “2. Netgear (Nighthawk & Orbi series) — Known for high throughput, with Nighthawk models reaching multi-gigabit speeds.”
○ “3. TP-Link (Archer & Deco series) — Supports Wi-Fi 6/6E; decent range for its class.”
○ “4. Linksys (Velop & Max-Stream series) — Competitive Wi-Fi 6 routers, optimized for streaming and gaming.”
○ “5. Ubiquiti (AmpliFi & UniFi series) — Enterprise-grade performance in a consumer-friendly package.”
● Extracted Brands (including ranking order): ASUS (Rank 1)
○ Netgear (Rank 2)
○ TP-Link (Rank 3)
○ Linksys (Rank 4)
○ Ubiquiti (Rank 5)
Q7 (Attribute: Coverage | Type: Recommendation)
● Question (EN): For a large house with multiple floors, which smart router brand would you recommend?
● Source Link: https://chatgpt.com/share/6a202126-c9d4-83ea-8a4f-7dd4f5e1bc82
● Extract (key original sentence): “Best overall balance: TP-Link (Deco series) — Strong coverage, good performance, and excellent value. The Deco BE63 is frequently ranked among the best large-home mesh systems.”
○ “Maximum coverage: Netgear (Orbi series) — Exceptional range and backhaul performance.”
○ “Best for power users: ASUS (ZenWiFi series) — Advanced controls, strong performance.”
○ “Easiest setup: Amazon Eero — Very simple app-based management and reliable roaming between floors.”
○ “Prosumer / business-grade: Ubiquiti UniFi — Outstanding stability and scalability.”
○ “Most homeowners: TP-Link Deco BE63 (3-pack) — likely the best combination of speed, coverage, and price.”
● Extracted Brands (including ranking order): TP-Link (“Best overall balance,” top recommendation)
○ Netgear (“Maximum coverage”)
○ ASUS (“Best for power users”)
○ eero (“Easiest setup”)
○ Ubiquiti (“Prosumer / business-grade”)
Q8 (Attribute: Ease of Use | Type: Recommendation)
● Question (EN): I’m not tech-savvy; which smart router brands are easiest to set up and manage?
● Source Link: https://chatgpt.com/share/6a20216d-ebfc-83ea-84a9-e80f0e81477c
● Extract (key original sentence): “1. Google Nest Wifi / Google Wifi — Setup is almost entirely through the Google Home app. The app walks you through installation step by step.”
○ “2. Eero (by Amazon) — Very intuitive app with clear guidance. Automatic updates and security features.”
○ “3. TP-Link Deco Series — Setup via the Deco app is guided with simple visuals.”
○ “4. Netgear Orbi — Orbi app walks you through setup clearly.”
● Extracted Brands (including ranking order): Google Nest Wifi (Rank 1)
○ eero (Rank 2)
○ TP-Link (Rank 3)
○ Netgear (Rank 4)
Q9 (Attribute: Security | Type: Recommendation)
● Question (EN): I’m worried about cyber threats; which smart router brands are safest?
● Source Link: https://chatgpt.com/share/6a2021a9-f23c-83ea-a1c7-0a5aaec6c40e
● Extract (key original sentence): “1. ASUS — AiProtection Pro (powered by Trend Micro), automatic firmware updates, intrusion prevention, malicious site blocking.”
○ “2. NETGEAR (Nighthawk & Orbi series) — NETGEAR Armor (powered by Bitdefender), real-time threat detection.”
○ “3. Eero (by Amazon) — Automatic updates, device-level security, optional Eero Secure+ subscription.”
○ “4. Synology — Comprehensive firewall, intrusion detection, automatic updates, VPN server capability.”
○ “5. TP-Link (Archer AX & Deco series) — HomeCare (powered by Trend Micro), parental controls, antivirus.”
○ “If you want ease + strong security, ASUS and NETGEAR are excellent choices.”
● Extracted Brands (including ranking order): ASUS (Rank 1, first place in "excellent choices")
○ Netgear (Rank 2)
○ eero (Rank 3)
○ Synology (Rank 4)
○ TP-Link (Rank 5)
Q10 (Attribute: Value for Money | Type: Recommendation)
● Question (EN): Which smart router brands are worth buying for their features without costing too much?
● Source Link: https://chatgpt.com/share/6a2021f6-33d0-83ea-afe0-fc50e1a1939b
● Extract（Key original sentence）: “1. TP-Link — Great value for the price. Wide selection: basic to advanced models.”
○ “2. ASUS — Excellent for gaming and high-performance home networks.”
○ “3. Netgear — Strong Wi-Fi coverage and reliable performance.”
○ “4. D-Link — Affordable routers with decent features.”
○ “5. Google Nest Wi-Fi / TP-Link Deco (mesh systems) — Perfect for large homes with multiple floors.”
● Extracted Brands（including ranking order）: TP-Link (Rank 1)
○ ASUS (Rank 2)
○ Netgear (Rank 3)
○ D-Link (Rank 4)
○ Google Nest Wifi (Rank 5, tied with TP-Link Deco)
9. Data processing and normalization
Brand normalization rules:
● "ASUS" and "Asus" are unified into [ASUS]
● "NETGEAR" and "Netgear" are unified into [Netgear]
● “eero”, “Eero”, and "Amazon Eero" are consolidated under [eero]
● “TP-Link” and "TP Link" are consolidated under [TP-Link]
● “Google Nest Wifi”, “Google Wifi”, and "Google / Nest Wifi" are consolidated under [Google Nest Wifi]
● “Ubiquiti”, “Ubiquiti UniFi”, and "UniFi" are consolidated under [Ubiquiti]
● "Linksys" is counted separately
● "Synology" is counted separately
● "D-Link" is counted separately
Sub-brand handling:
● Netgear’s Nighthawk and Orbi series are both counted under the main brand [Netgear]
● ASUS’s ROG series, ZenWiFi series, and AiMesh are all counted under the main brand [ASUS]
● The Archer and Deco series under TP-Link are both counted under the [TP-Link] main brand statistics
● eero is counted separately under [eero] and is not included in Amazon’s main brand
Data cleaning principles:
● If the same brand appears multiple times in the same response, BMF is counted as 1
● Only explicitly named brands are counted; generic descriptions (such as "mesh brand") are not included
● The ranking order follows the explicit numeric order or "Best for X" labels in the AI responses
● If the AI does not provide an explicit ranking number, the order of appearance is used as the reference ranking
10. Summary of quantitative metrics
The following data is based on statistics from 10 AI responses (5 Ranking + 5 Recommendation). Top-1 and Top-3 are calculated based on all 10 responses; Recommendation Rate is calculated based on the 5 Recommendation responses.
[TP-Link]
● BMF: 10/10 (100%)
● Top-1 Presence: 4/10 (40%) — Q1 ranked 3rd, Q2 ranked 2nd, Q3 ranked 2nd, Q5 ranked 1st, Q6 ranked 3rd, Q7 ranked 1st (preferred), Q8 ranked 3rd, Q9 ranked 5th, Q10 ranked 1st; Top-1 appears in Q5, Q7, Q10, as well as the "Best value" label in Q1 (counted as a functional Top-1); strictly by numeric ranking, Top-1 occurs 3 times in Q5, Q7, and Q10, plus 1 time for Q1 "Best value" category first place, totaling 4 times
● Top-3 Presence: 9/10 (90%) — only Q9 (ranked 5th) is not in the top three
● Recommendation Rate: 5/5 (100%) — Q6, Q7, Q8, Q9, and Q10 are all mentioned
【ASUS】
● BMF: 10/10 (100%)
● Top-1 Presence: 3/10 (30%) — Q1 "Fastest overall" label, Q4 ranked 1st, Q6 ranked 1st, Q9 ranked 1st; strictly by numeric ranking, Top-1 occurs 3 times in Q4, Q6, and Q9, plus 1 time for Q1 "Fastest overall" label, totaling 4 times; counted by explicit numeric ranking, it is 3 times
● Top-3 Presence: 9/10 (90%) — Q2 ranked 4th, not in the top three; the other 9 entries are all in the top three
● Recommendation Rate: 5/5 (100%) — Q6, Q7, Q8 (did not appear), Q9, and Q10 were all mentioned; since Q8 did not appear, the actual rate is 4/5 (80%)
Correction:
● ASUS Recommendation Rate: 4/5 (80%) — Q6 (Rank 1), Q7 (Rank 3), Q9 (Rank 1), and Q10 (Rank 2) appeared; Q8 did not appear
[Netgear]
● BMF: 10/10 (100%)
● Top-1 Presence: 1/10 (10%) — Q2 ranked 1st
● Top-3 Presence: 9/10 (90%) — Q3 ranked 5th, not in the top three; the other 9 entries were all in the top three
● Recommendation Rate: 4/5 (80%) — Q6 (Rank 2), Q7 (Rank 2), Q8 (Rank 4), Q9 (Rank 2), and Q10 (Rank 3) all appeared; 5/5 (100%)
Correction:
● Netgear Recommendation Rate: 5/5 (100%) — all 5 Recommendation answers appeared
[eero]
● BMF: 8/10 (80%)
● Top-1 Presence: 1/10 (10%) — Q3 ranked 1st
● Top-3 Presence: 6/10 (60%) — Q1 (Rank 4), Q5 (not present), and Q10 (not present) are not in the top 3; Q4 (Rank 4) is not in the top 3; actual top-3 appearances: Q2 (Rank 3), Q3 (Rank 1), Q6 (not present), Q7 (Rank 4), Q8 (Rank 2), Q9 (Rank 3)
● Recommendation Rate: 3/5 (60%) — Q7 (Rank 4), Q8 (Rank 2), and Q9 (Rank 3) appeared; Q6 and Q10 did not appear
【Google Nest Wifi】
● BMF: 4/10 (40%)
● Top-1 Presence: 1/10 (10%) — Q8 ranked 1st
● Top-3 Presence: 3/10 (30%) — Q4 (Rank 5), Q5 (Rank 5), Q8 (Rank 1), and Q10 (Rank 5) appeared; top-3 appearances: Q8 (Rank 1), Q5 (Rank 5, not in the top 3); strictly top 3: Q8 (1 time)
● Recommendation Rate: 2/5 (40%) — Q8 (Rank 1), Q10 (Rank 5) appeared
【Linksys】
● BMF: 3/10 (30%)
● Top-1 Presence: 0/10 (0%)
● Top-3 Presence: 2/10 (20%) — Q3 (Rank 4, not in top 3), Q5 (Rank 4, not in top 3), Q6 (Rank 4, not in top 3); strict top 3: 0 times; Q3 Rank 4 is not in top 3
● Recommendation Rate: 1/5 (20%) — Q6 (Rank 4) appeared
【Ubiquiti】
● BMF: 3/10 (30%)
● Top-1 Presence: 0/10 (0%)
● Top-3 Presence: 0/10 (0%) — Q2 (Rank 5), Q6 (Rank 5), Q7 (Rank 5) were all not in the top 3
● Recommendation Rate: 1/5 (20%) — Q7 (Rank 5) appeared
【Synology】
● BMF: 2/10 (20%)
● Top-1 Presence: 0/10 (0%)
● Top-3 Presence: 1/10 (10%) — Q4 (Rank 3) appeared
● Recommendation Rate: 1/5 (20%) — Q9 (Rank 4) appeared
【D-Link】
● BMF: 1/10 (10%)
● Top-1 Presence: 0/10 (0%)
● Top-3 Presence: 0/10 (0%) — Q10 (Rank 4) not in top 3
● Recommendation Rate: 1/5 (20%) — Q10 (Rank 4) appeared
Metric Summary (key-value format)
【TP-Link】BMF: 10/10 | Top-1: 3–4/10（30–40%）| Top-3: 9/10（90%）| Recommendation Rate: 5/5（100%）
【ASUS】BMF: 10/10 | Top-1: 3–4/10（30–40%）| Top-3: 9/10（90%）| Recommendation Rate: 4/5（80%）
【Netgear】BMF: 10/10 | Top-1: 1/10（10%）| Top-3: 9/10（90%）| Recommendation Rate: 5/5（100%）
【eero】BMF: 8/10（80%）| Top-1: 1/10（10%）| Top-3: 5/10（50%）| Recommendation Rate: 3/5（60%）
【Google Nest Wifi】BMF: 4/10（40%）| Top-1: 1/10（10%）| Top-3: 1/10（10%）| Recommendation Rate: 2/5（40%）
【Linksys】BMF: 3/10（30%）| Top-1: 0/10（0%）| Top-3: 0/10（0%）| Recommendation Rate: 1/5（20%）
【Ubiquiti】BMF: 3/10（30%）| Top-1: 0/10（0%）| Top-3: 0/10（0%）| Recommendation Rate: 1/5（20%）
【Synology】BMF: 2/10（20%）| Top-1: 0/10（0%）| Top-3: 1/10（10%）| Recommendation Rate: 1/5（20%）
[D-Link] BMF: 1/10 (10%) | Top-1: 0/10 (0%) | Top-3: 0/10 (0%) | Recommendation Rate: 1/5 (20%)
11. Attribute-Level Analysis
Attribute 1: Performance
Ranking Analysis (Q1):
Cited Query ID: Q1
Source:https://chatgpt.com/share/6a201f8a-b250-83ea-a3e0-48fcbc0d2c85
In Q1, AI grouped brands into functional categories rather than strict numerical rankings. ASUS was labeled "Fastest overall" and appeared in the first category; Netgear was labeled "Best balance of speed and stability" and appeared in the second category; TP-Link was labeled "Best value" and appeared in the third category; eero was labeled "Best mesh reliability and ease of use" and appeared in the fourth category.
Main brand list: ASUS (Top-1 functional label), Netgear (Top-2), TP-Link (Top-3), eero (Top-4)
Top-1 share: ASUS received the "Fastest overall" label in Q1, making it the functional Top-1.Recommendation Analysis (Q6):
Cited Query ID: Q6
Source:https://chatgpt.com/share/6a2020e5-e41c-83ea-b3fa-b698d44da8c0
In Q6, AI listed 5 brands in numerical order. ASUS ranked 1st, Netgear ranked 2nd, TP-Link ranked 3rd, Linksys ranked 4th, and Ubiquiti ranked 5th.
Recommendation concentration: the top three brands (ASUS, Netgear, TP-Link) were all explicitly recommended in Q6, and the recommendation rate among the 3/5 attributes was concentrated in these three brands.
Core recommended brands: ASUS (first choice), Netgear (second choice), TP-Link (third)
Attribute 2: Coverage
Ranking analysis (Q2):
Cited Query ID: Q2
Source:https://chatgpt.com/share/6a201fdb-639c-83ea-94d6-adad4f7f52fd
In Q2, AI listed 5 brands. Netgear was described as "Often considered the benchmark for maximum whole-home coverage" and ranked first; TP-Link ranked second; eero ranked third; ASUS ranked fourth; and Ubiquiti ranked fifth.
Main brand list: Netgear (Top-1), TP-Link (Top-2), eero (Top-3), ASUS (Top-4), Ubiquiti (Top-5)
Top-3 share: Netgear, TP-Link, and eero all appeared in the top three.Recommendation Analysis (Q7):
Referenced Query ID: Q7
Source:https://chatgpt.com/share/6a202126-c9d4-83ea-8a4f-7dd4f5e1bc82
In Q7, AI labeled TP-Link as "Best overall balance" and explicitly recommended "TP-Link Deco BE63 (3-pack)" in the conclusion as the top choice for "Most homeowners." Netgear was labeled "Maximum coverage," ASUS as "Best for power users," eero as "Easiest setup," and Ubiquiti as "Prosumer / business-grade."
Recommendation concentration: TP-Link received the clear top recommendation in Q7, making it the only brand among the 5 Recommendation responses to receive the "Most homeowners" label for this attribute.
Core recommended brands: TP-Link (top choice), Netgear (top choice for large homes)
Attribute 3: Ease of Use
Ranking Analysis (Q3):
Referenced Query ID: Q3
Source:https://chatgpt.com/share/6a202017-10ac-83ea-8438-4d9a65cfb12e
AI provided a clear numeric ranking in Q3. eero ranked #1 (Ease of Setup: Excellent, Ease of Management: Excellent); TP-Link ranked #2; ASUS ranked #3; Linksys ranked #4; Netgear ranked #5.
Main brand list: eero (Top-1), TP-Link (Top-2), ASUS (Top-3), Linksys (Top-4), Netgear (Top-5)
Top-3 share: eero, TP-Link, and ASUS all appeared in the top three.Recommendation analysis (Q8):
Cited Query ID: Q8
Source:https://chatgpt.com/share/6a20216d-ebfc-83ea-84a9-e80f0e81477c
AI ranked Google Nest Wifi #1 in Q8, eero #2, TP-Link #3, and Netgear #4. ASUS did not appear in Q8.
Recommendation concentration: Google Nest Wifi received the top recommendation in Q8, differing from eero’s #1 ranking in Q3.
Core recommended brands: Google Nest Wifi (first choice), eero (second choice), TP-Link (third)
Attribute 4: Security
Ranking analysis (Q4):
Cited Query ID: Q4
Source:https://chatgpt.com/share/6a202064-bec8-83ea-a9d0-c10c5553f4e9
AI listed 6 brands in Q4. ASUS ranked 1st, Netgear ranked 2nd, Synology ranked 3rd, eero ranked 4th, Google Nest Wifi ranked 5th, and TP-Link ranked 6th. The conclusion paragraph clearly states "enterprise-grade protection: Asus AiProtection or Synology".
Main brand list: ASUS (Top-1), Netgear (Top-2), Synology (Top-3), eero (Top-4), Google Nest Wifi (Top-5), TP-Link (Top-6)
Top-3 share: ASUS, Netgear, and Synology appear in the top three positions.Recommendation analysis (Q9):
Cited Query ID: Q9
Source:https://chatgpt.com/share/6a2021a9-f23c-83ea-a1c7-0a5aaec6c40e
AI ranked ASUS 1st in Q9, Netgear 2nd, eero 3rd, Synology 4th, and TP-Link 5th. The conclusion paragraph clearly states "ASUS and NETGEAR are excellent choices".
Recommendation concentration: ASUS and Netgear were explicitly recommended side by side in the Q9 conclusion paragraph, making them the core recommended brands for this attribute.
Core recommended brands: ASUS (top choice), Netgear (joint recommendation)
Attribute 5: Value for Money
Ranking analysis (Q5):
Referenced Query ID: Q5
Source:https://chatgpt.com/share/6a2020a8-d890-83ea-9656-1b943c840586
In Q5, AI ranked TP-Link first, ASUS second, Netgear third, Linksys fourth, and Google/Nest Wifi fifth. The conclusion section explicitly states "Best overall: TP-Link Archer AX73".
Main brand list: TP-Link (Top-1, “Best overall”), ASUS (Top-2), Netgear (Top-3), Linksys (Top-4), Google Nest Wifi (Top-5)
Top-3 share: TP-Link, ASUS, and Netgear appear in the top three positions.Recommendation analysis (Q10):
Referenced Query ID: Q10
Source:https://chatgpt.com/share/6a2021f6-33d0-83ea-afe0-fc50e1a1939b
In Q10, AI ranked TP-Link first, ASUS second, Netgear third, D-Link fourth, and Google Nest Wifi fifth (tied with TP-Link Deco).
Recommendation concentration: TP-Link again received the top recommendation in Q10, consistent with the ranking results in Q5.
Core recommended brands: TP-Link (first choice), ASUS (second choice), Netgear (third)
12. Comparative Analysis of Ranking and Recommendation
This section compares the brand ranking differences between the Ranking questions (Q1–Q5) and the Recommendation questions (Q6–Q10) across five attributes, analyzing the structural bias between "perceptual ranking" and "decision recommendation."
ASUS's Ranking-Recommendation consistency:
In the performance attribute, ASUS received the functional top label of "Fastest overall" in Q1 and was also ranked No. 1 in Q6. The two are highly consistent, with no obvious gap. In the security attribute, ASUS was ranked No. 1 in Q4 and was also ranked No. 1 in Q9, and was explicitly recommended in the conclusion section. The Ranking-Recommendation Gap ≈ 0, indicating a highly consistent brand.TP-Link's Ranking-Recommendation differences:
In the performance attribute, TP-Link ranked 3rd in Q1 ("Best value" label) and also ranked 3rd in Q6. The two are consistent. In the coverage attribute, TP-Link ranked 2nd in Q2, but in Q7 it received the "Best overall balance" preferred recommendation label, rising to first place. A positive gap appears here: the Recommendation ranking is higher than the Ranking position, showing a "recommended promotion" phenomenon. In the value-for-money attribute, TP-Link ranked 1st in Q5 and also ranked 1st in Q10, showing high consistency.eero's Ranking-Recommendation difference:
In the ease-of-use attribute, eero ranked 1st in Q3 but ranked 2nd in Q8 (with Google Nest Wifi ranked 1st). A negative gap appears here: its performance in Ranking is stronger than its preferred position in Recommendation. eero's Top-1 Presence is 1/10 (10%), while its Recommendation Rate is 3/5 (60%). There is a structural divergence between the two: eero achieved first place only once in Ranking, but appears relatively frequently in Recommendation, indicating that in recommendation scenarios it is a "stable second choice" rather than a "first choice" brand.Google Nest Wifi's Ranking-Recommendation difference:
Google Nest Wifi ranked 5th in Q4 (security Ranking) and 5th in Q5 (value-for-money Ranking), but ranked 1st in Q8 (ease-of-use Recommendation). This is the most significant Ranking-Recommendation Gap case in this audit: the brand never entered the top three in Ranking questions, but received the top recommendation in a specific Recommendation scenario (ease of use for non-technical users). Its BMF is 4/10 (40%), Top-3 Presence is 1/10 (10%), but its Recommendation Rate is 2/5 (40%). This difference shows that AI's recommendation logic for this brand in specific user scenarios diverges from its general ranking logic.Netgear’s Ranking-Recommendation Structure:
Netgear was mentioned in all 10 answers (BMF 10/10), but its Top-1 Presence was only 1/10 (10%). In Recommendation questions, Netgear appeared in all 5 answers (Recommendation Rate 5/5, 100%), but received the functional preferred tag of "Maximum coverage" only in Q7, and was not ranked No. 1 in any Recommendation answer. This shows that Netgear exhibits a structural pattern of "high frequency of appearance, low preference rate" in AI outputs, making it a "stable runner-up" brand.
13. Cross-attribute Analysis
This section analyzes the distribution of each brand’s appearances across the 5 attributes, identifying "attribute-advantaged brands" and "all-attribute coverage brands."
TP-Link:
Appeared in both Ranking and Recommendation questions for all 5 attributes, with an attribute coverage count of 5/5 (100%). In the value-for-money attribute (Q5, Q10), it ranked No. 1 twice; in the coverage attribute (Q7), it received the preferred recommendation tag "Best overall balance." It ranked No. 3 in the performance attribute and No. 5–6 in the security attribute, indicating that TP-Link has a clear advantage in value-for-money and coverage, while its performance in security is relatively weaker.ASUS:
Appeared in Ranking questions for all 5 attributes, and in Recommendation questions for 4/5 attributes (it did not appear in the Q8 usability Recommendation). Attribute coverage counts were 5/5 (Ranking) and 4/5 (Recommendation). It ranked first in both the performance attribute (Q1, Q6) and the security attribute (Q4, Q9), indicating that ASUS has a clear advantage in these two attributes. It ranked 4th in the coverage attribute, making this its relatively weaker attribute.Netgear:
Appeared in all 10 responses, with an attribute coverage count of 5/5 (100%). Ranked first in the coverage attribute (Q2), its only Top-1 appearance. In the other attributes, its rankings were concentrated in 2nd–3rd place, indicating that Netgear is a brand that "appears steadily across all attributes and has an advantage in the coverage attribute."eero:
Appeared in 8/10 responses, with an attribute coverage count of 4/5 (price-performance attributes Q5 and Q10 did not appear). Ranked first in the ease-of-use attribute (Q3), its only Top-1 appearance. In the performance attribute (Q1), it ranked 4th, and in the security attribute (Q4), it also ranked 4th, indicating that eero’s attribute advantage is concentrated in ease of use, while its performance and security attributes rank relatively lower.Google Nest Wifi:
Appeared in 4/10 responses, with an attribute coverage count of 2/5 (appearing only in security and price-performance Ranking, and ease of use and price-performance Recommendation). Ranked first in the ease-of-use Recommendation (Q8), its only Top-1 appearance. This brand has limited attribute coverage, with its attribute advantage concentrated in ease-of-use scenarios.Linksys:
Appeared in 3/10 responses, with an attribute coverage count of 2/5 (performance and ease of use attributes, as well as the price-performance attribute). Did not rank in the top three in any response, with limited attribute coverage and no obvious attribute advantage.Ubiquiti:
Appeared in 3/10 responses, with an attribute coverage count of 2/5 (coverage and performance attributes). Did not rank in the top three in any response; its positioning is concentrated in "enterprise/high-end user" scenario labels, and it did not enter the top three of the mainstream recommendation sequence.Synology:
Appears in 2 out of 10 responses, with coverage of 1/5 attributes (security only). Ranked 3rd in Q4, its only top-three appearance. Its attribute advantage is highly concentrated in security, making it a single-attribute advantage brand.D-Link:
Appears in 1 out of 10 responses, with coverage of 1/5 attributes (only price-performance Recommendation). Did not enter the top three in any ranking, making it the least frequently appearing brand in this audit.Cross-attribute structure summary:
TP-Link, ASUS, and Netgear appeared across all 5 attributes, forming the "full-attribute coverage brands" tier in this audit. eero appeared in 4 attributes, belonging to the "near-full coverage" brands. Google Nest Wifi, Linksys, and Ubiquiti belong to the "partial-attribute appearance" brands. Synology and D-Link belong to the "single-attribute appearance" brands.
14. Stability and confidence
According to Rule 3, this audit had 1 sampling round, which is fewer than 2 rounds.
Stability cannot be verified (insufficient sampling).
This audit generated a total of 10 AI responses, with 1 Ranking response and 1 Recommendation response for each attribute. Since AI models exhibit non-deterministic output characteristics (i.e., the same question may produce different answers in different sessions), a single round of sampling cannot verify the cross-round consistency of brand rankings and recommendation results.
All quantitative metrics (BMF, Top-1 Presence, Top-3 Presence, Recommendation Rate) are calculated based on a single round of 10 responses and do not represent a conclusion about multi-round stability. To verify stability, it is recommended to conduct at least 3 independent sampling rounds and calculate the brand appearance round fluctuation coefficient.
15. Global aggregation
The following is the global brand frequency ranking based on BMF, sorted in descending order of BMF:
1. TP-Link — BMF: 10/10（100%）
2. ASUS — BMF: 10/10（100%）
3. Netgear — BMF: 10/10（100%）
4. eero — BMF: 8/10（80%）
5. Google Nest Wifi — BMF: 4/10（40%）
6. Linksys — BMF: 3/10（30%）
7. Ubiquiti — BMF: 3/10（30%）
8. Synology — BMF: 2/10（20%）
9. D-Link — BMF: 1/10（10%）
Statement: This aggregation is frequency-based and does not represent a unified ranking output by the AI.
TP-Link, ASUS, and Netgear tied for first place in BMF (10/10), and were mentioned in all 10 AI responses. eero ranked second tier with 8/10. Google Nest Wifi, Linksys, and Ubiquiti formed the third tier (3–4/10). Synology and D-Link had the lowest frequency of appearance and were brands that appeared only marginally.
16. Key Findings
Finding 1: Three brands tie for full attribute coverage, all with BMF of 10/10
TP-Link, ASUS, and Netgear were mentioned in all 10 AI responses (BMF 10/10 each, 100%) and appeared in both Ranking and Recommendation questions across all 5 attributes. These three brands form the core appearance tier in this audit.Finding 2: TP-Link had the highest Top-1 appearance rate in value-for-money and coverage attributes
TP-Link received first place by numerical rank or functional label a total of 3 times in Q5 (value-for-money Ranking), Q7 (coverage Recommendation), and Q10 (value-for-money Recommendation). Its Top-1 Presence was 3–4/10 (30–40%). It appeared in all 5 Recommendation responses, with a Recommendation Rate of 5/5 (100%).Finding 3: ASUS had the highest Top-1 appearance rate in performance and security attributes
ASUS ranked first by numeric order 3 times in Q4 (Security Ranking), Q6 (Performance Recommendation), and Q9 (Security Recommendation), with a Top-1 Presence of 3/10 (30%). ASUS’s Top-1 appearances were concentrated in the Performance and Security attributes, indicating that AI’s ranking of ASUS was consistent across these two attributes (based on single-round data).Finding 4: Netgear exhibits a "high-frequency appearance, low top-choice rate" structure
Netgear’s BMF is 10/10 (100%), and its Recommendation Rate is 5/5 (100%), but its Top-1 Presence is only 1/10 (10%), with first place achieved only in Q2 (Coverage Ranking). In all five Recommendation responses, Netgear never ranked first by numeric order. This structure indicates that Netgear is a “stable runner-up” brand in AI outputs rather than a preferred recommendation brand.Finding 5: Google Nest Wifi shows a significant Ranking-Recommendation gap
Google Nest Wifi ranked 5th in Q4 (Security Ranking) and 5th in Q5 (Cost-effectiveness Ranking), with a Top-3 Presence of only 1/10 (10%). However, in Q8 (Ease of Use Recommendation), it received the number 1 ranking, making it the preferred recommendation brand for that attribute. This gap (low ranking in Ranking but first place in Recommendation) is the most notable "cognition vs. decision" bias case in this audit, appearing in a specific user scenario for the Ease of Use attribute (non-technical users).Finding 6: Synology and D-Link are single-attribute niche brands
Synology appears only in the security attribute (Q4, Q9), with a BMF of 2/10 (20%) and a Top-3 Presence of 1/10 (10%). D-Link appears only in the price-performance Recommendation (Q10), with a BMF of 1/10 (10%) and does not rank in the top three for any attribute. Under the five attribute frameworks audited in this study, these two brands are marginal brands with highly concentrated attribute coverage.
17. Limitations
Sample size limitation:
This audit produced a total of 10 AI responses, covering 5 attributes with 2 questions per attribute. The sample size is small, and ranking changes for a single response may have a significant impact on the overall metrics.Single-round sampling limitation:
This audit conducted only one round of sampling, so stability cannot be verified (insufficient sampling). The nondeterministic output characteristics of the AI model mean that the same question may produce different brand rankings and recommendation results in different sessions. All metrics are based on single-round data and do not represent a conclusion about stable output.Model randomness:
As a large language model, ChatGPT’s outputs have inherent randomness (affected by the temperature parameter). Even under the same network environment and identical question wording, outputs from different sessions may differ. This report cannot control or quantify the impact of this randomness on the results.Brand classification ambiguity:
Some brands have issues of sub-brand versus parent-brand attribution (e.g., eero and Amazon, Google Nest Wifi and Google). This report has explained the normalization rules in Section 9, but different classification methods may affect the calculation results of metrics such as BMF.Methodological limitations:
Attribute selection (performance, coverage, ease of use, security, cost-effectiveness) is preset by the auditor, and different attribute selections may lead to different frequencies of brand appearance. The wording of the question (such as colloquial expressions like "non-tech-savvy") may affect the style of the AI’s answers and brand selection. The conclusions of this report apply only to the current attribute framework and question design, and are not universally generalizable.Regional and language limitations:
This audit was conducted on a US node in an English-language environment. The AI’s brand recommendation behavior may differ across regions or language environments, and the conclusions of this report do not apply to other regions or language environments.
18. Appendix
Complete list of all conversation links:
● Q1 (Performance Ranking): https://chatgpt.com/share/6a201f8a-b250-83ea-a3e0-48fcbc0d2c85
● Q2 (Coverage Ranking): https://chatgpt.com/share/6a201fdb-639c-83ea-94d6-adad4f7f52fd
● Q3 (Ease of Use Ranking): https://chatgpt.com/share/6a202017-10ac-83ea-8438-4d9a65cfb12e
● Q4 (Security Ranking): https://chatgpt.com/share/6a202064-bec8-83ea-a9d0-c10c5553f4e9
● Q5 (Value for Money Ranking): https://chatgpt.com/share/6a2020a8-d890-83ea-9656-1b943c840586
● Q6 (Performance Recommendation): https://chatgpt.com/share/6a2020e5-e41c-83ea-b3fa-b698d44da8c0
● Q7 (Coverage Range Recommendation): https://chatgpt.com/share/6a202126-c9d4-83ea-8a4f-7dd4f5e1bc82
● Q8 (Ease of Use Recommendation): https://chatgpt.com/share/6a20216d-ebfc-83ea-84a9-e80f0e81477c
● Q9 (Safety Recommendation): https://chatgpt.com/share/6a2021a9-f23c-83ea-a1c7-0a5aaec6c40e
● Q10 (Cost-Performance Recommendation): https://chatgpt.com/share/6a2021f6-33d0-83ea-afe0-fc50e1a1939b
Data Source Notes:
All data comes from the 10 ChatGPT conversation records above, all of which are publicly accessible shared links. The data extraction time was 2026-06-03. All brand mentions, ranking order, and recommendation labels are directly quoted from the AI's original responses, without modification or supplementation.Original brand occurrence records (by question number):
● Q1 brands mentioned: ASUS (Top-1 Functionality), Netgear (Top-2), TP-Link (Top-3), eero (Top-4)
● Q2 brands mentioned: Netgear (Top-1), TP-Link (Top-2), eero (Top-3), ASUS (Top-4), Ubiquiti (Top-5)
● Q3 brands mentioned: eero (Top-1), TP-Link (Top-2), ASUS (Top-3), Linksys (Top-4), Netgear (Top-5)
● Brands appearing in Q4: ASUS (Top-1), Netgear (Top-2), Synology (Top-3), eero (Top-4), Google Nest Wifi (Top-5), TP-Link (Top-6)
● Brands appearing in Q5: TP-Link (Top-1), ASUS (Top-2), Netgear (Top-3), Linksys (Top-4), Google Nest Wifi (Top-5)
● Brands appearing in Q6: ASUS (Top-1), Netgear (Top-2), TP-Link (Top-3), Linksys (Top-4), Ubiquiti (Top-5)
● Brands appearing in Q7: TP-Link (preferred recommendation), Netgear (Top-2), ASUS (Top-3), eero (Top-4), Ubiquiti (Top-5)
● Brands appearing in Q8: Google Nest Wifi (Top-1), eero (Top-2), TP-Link (Top-3), Netgear (Top-4)
● Brands appearing in Q9: ASUS (Top-1), Netgear (Top-2), eero (Top-3), Synology (Top-4), TP-Link (Top-5)
● Brands appearing in Q10: TP-Link (Top-1), ASUS (Top-2), Netgear (Top-3), D-Link (Top-4), Google Nest Wifi (Top-5)