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AC87U brand new in box

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mikele2019

Occasional Visitor
Hello all

I will buy a AC87U brand new in box and I would like to install Asuswrt-Merlin but I saw that in installation wiki :

"Starting with Asus's 3.0.0.4.380_3000, a new firmware format is used. To flash Asuswrt-Merlin on one of these newer firmwares, you will need 380.61 or newer. Likewise, downgrading to an older version is not supported. (Try firmware recovery mode if you really need to downgrade.)"

Do that mean there is big chance that I can not install it ?

Thanks
 
You will be able to install it, but you may need to do it in two steps.

Do you 'have' to buy the RT-AC87U? Almost any other RMerlin supported router is most likely a better buy today.
 
If you want to run Merlin do NOT buy an RT-AC87U , it is an old router , many retailers show it as end of life and Merlin is unlikely to issue any more firmware updates (apart from security fixes) as the ASUS code is too old and no longer compatible with his firmware .

You would have to use ASUS stock firmware.
 
which other router I must buy ? I dont know I'm looking around this price/value .. I see the AC86U (AC2900) and the AC68U is a good ones ?
 
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Thanks I see the AC86U... but about the firmware I do not understand very well you mean (and wiki) if this device have the last asus stock already installed I can not update to Merlin ddwrt ? Is that you mean ? This 2 device have final release Merlin 384.XX available so I understand that this is good and I can flash it right ?
 
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Thanks I see the AC86U... but about the firmware I do not understand very well you mean (and wiki) if this device have the last asus stock already installed I can not update to Merlin ddwrt ? Is that you mean ? This 2 device have final release Merlin 384.XX available so I understand that this is good and I can flash it right ?


This is the list of routers that you will be able to use with Merlin firmware :


RT-AC66U_B1 (same firmware as the RT-AC68U)
RT-AC68U (including revisions C1 and E1)
RT-AC68P (same firmware as RT-AC68U)
RT-AC68UF (same firmware as RT-AC68U)
RT-AC88U
RT-AC3100
RT-AC5300
RT-AC1900 (same firmware as RT-AC68U)
RT-AC1900P (same firmware as RT-AC68U)
RT-AC86U (starting with version 382.1)
RT-AC2900 (same firmware as RT-AC86U)
RT-AX88U
 
Thanks for the link I think I will buy the AC86U

My personal opinion - stay away from RT-AC86U. It suffers from multiple software and hardware issues even >2 years after the release. You wont be able to run everything you want from the firmware options list due to insufficient RAM, you won't be able to restart it remotely every time due to some weird bug, there is a long list of complaints about suddenly dying WiFi modules, etc. Some people get lucky, some not so much. Read the forums for more information.

This major bug by itself may be a deal-breaker, for example:
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/ac86u-sometimes-powers-completely-off-during-reboot.48296/
Long discussion, many hours in experiments, no solution found. The last two brand new 2019 production year RT-AC86U I had in my hands both went blank after soft reboot on a first stock ASUS firmware upgrade. It happens on both Asuswrt and Asuswrt-Merlin.
 
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Thanks for your opinion. On few forums I saw many issues with this device which it power off itself or reboot alone (due to the power supply and cord I think - I had same issue with android box in past where I changed the power supply to fix it) and insufficient memory certainly . I saw many things that I would like to avoid because I already have a ISP router with need to reboot once a month. I bought it today at best buy store but For all this reasons I will to bring it back because I'm looking for something more solid and stable. Thanks for your help
 
due to the power supply and cord I think

It's not a power supply related issue in this case. It's the router itself failing to boot from time to time. The only other router option, based on the same hardware platform and Asuswrt-Merlin supported, is the RT-AX88U. This router is expensive though and doesn't fully support WIFI 6 specifications, as many other routers advertised as WIFI 6. If you don't need the latest and greatest, BestBuy specific RT-AC1900P is the fastest version of RT-AC68U, the most popular and tested reliable ASUS router. It's a router from 2016 though. The budget version of RT-AC68U is called RT-AC66U B1. It's a flat design router like the first RT-AC66U, but based on RT-AC68U hardware.
 
It's not a power supply related issue in this case. It's the router itself failing to boot from time to time. The only other router option, based on the same hardware platform and Asuswrt-Merlin supported, is the RT-AX88U. This router is expensive though and doesn't fully support WIFI 6 specifications, as many other routers advertised as WIFI 6. If you don't need the latest and greatest, BestBuy specific RT-AC1900P is the fastest version of RT-AC68U, the most popular and tested reliable ASUS router. It's a router from 2016 though. The budget version of RT-AC68U is called RT-AC66U B1. It's a flat design router like the first RT-AC66U, but based on RT-AC68U hardware.
Thanks. Look , frankly, I get some answers concerning the AC68U / AC66U B1 / AC86U etc too and it seem to be the same about losing 5Ghz WiFi signal and some other bugs ... I will bring it back to the store the AC86U this morning.

EDIT: Returned. Done ! All Asus seem to be have issue with 5Ghz signal very unstable and some rebooting or power down its scrap
 
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All Asus seem to be have issue

None of the consumer routers is perfect. Decide what you need and get whatever is closer to it. Avoid products promising 100 different functions in a single device. Most of the time it's pure marketing and very few functions work properly. ASUS, pressed by ever increasing competition, took the marketing approach with the newer generation products. Old fame, less development efforts, more advertisement, hope for more sales and bigger profits... until things backfire.
 
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