Asus RT-AC66U B1 died on me, need a replacement

[ct1615]

So the router worked great since Jan - 2017 and simply stopped working. I tried several hard reboots of the router and the modem. Both the Ethernet connected smart TV and wi-fi network would come back and work for a minute and then come to a complete crawl after each router reboot. I swapped out the AC66U for an old Asus N56U I use as an AP and everything works great.

So I'm wondering if I should just get a new RT-AC66U B1 or a Netgear R6700 v3? Thing is I tried a netgear 6400 back in 2017 and found it to have just as good range as the Asus but noticed I only got 80mbps throughput in the upstairs bedrooms (router is on the first floor) as opposed to my full 100mbps with the Asus.

 

[HowIFix]

• Wireless AC Upgrade - Thoughts and Opinions Needed
• RT-AC86U - Awful router - Netgear wins
• 86U, 7800, or RT2600AC

 

[ct1615]

I'm aware of the The RT2600AC and its good reviews but it's out of the price range I want to spend (currently $180 open box on amazon, there are no new units for sale).

 

[RMerlin]

So the router worked great since Jan - 2017 and simply stopped working. I tried several hard reboots of the router and the modem. Both the Ethernet connected smart TV and wi-fi network would come back and work for a minute and then come to a complete crawl after each router reboot. I swapped out the AC66U for an old Asus N56U I use as an AP and everything works great.

So I'm wondering if I should just get a new RT-AC66U B1 or a Netgear R6700 v3? Thing is I tried a netgear 6400 back in 2017 and found it to have just as good range as the Asus but noticed I only got 80mbps throughput in the upstairs bedrooms (router is on the first floor) as opposed to my full 100mbps with the Asus.

Check your warranty. Some Asus models have more than 1 year. It varies between models and countries.

 

[ct1615]

Check your warranty. Some Asus models have more than 1 year. It varies between models and countries.

Thanks Merlin! I checked with the asus customer service and it is a two year warranty! I also ordered a netgear 6700 v3 to play around with while the 66U-B1 is out for service.

 

[ct1615]

update:

I purchased the Netgear R6700 v3 and set it up in the exact same location as the Asus AC66U b-1. I set up my SSID and updated the firmware (the web site locked up for 10 minutes so I power cycled the the router but it had the latest firmware on boot up). Router works great and all is good. I then decided to just "try" the Asus and it booted up and worked with no issues. That enabled me to A) curse out loud and B) test both routers. I tested both routers when I was one floor up and about 20ft diagonally from their location. Both routers gave me my full 100mbps at 5ghz on a 2x2 AC client. On my 2x2 N tablet I received 80-84mbps at 5ghz with the netgear and 68-74mbps with the Asus. I also noticed the netgear had better results when I ran speedtests on both clients simultaneously. The netgear was also able to deliver better results to the master bedroom, around 10mbps to the asus 2-3mbps on 5ghz (not a major issue as I use a powerline AP in the bedroom)

I also googled "Asus AC66U B-1 overheating issues" but found little information. So I may just re-install the Asus and see if it replicates the issue again. I purchased the R6700 r3 for $90 and I so on one hand it seems like the better router ont he other hand it's $90 I can get back with a return in 30 days if the Asus has no issues.