I can't decide between netgear r7000 asus ac68 and asus ac87U

[crusher888]

Hello everybody
I'm collecting informations in order to get a new router and upgrade from my beloved netgear wndr3700
I originally wanted to stick with netgear since i used to love that brand but taking a look to the comparison charts i discovered that asus could perform even better than netgear, especially because it has a better software ( i usually use the default firmware... i mean before changing to a custom one i like to use the stock one).
So here is my question, which one should i get in order to be ok for the next 5-6 years ?
I have a lot of devices that connect on wifi ( more than 15),
I also want
-good storage usb perfomance
-cool interface
-qos ( this new adaptive qos from asus really fascinates me)
-samba server
-remote control
- solid rock perfomance ( no disconnections at all, no wifi drops , no headaches)
-stock firmare not crappy

Thanks so much in advance for your help!!! )

 

[L&LD]

I would not consider any of the listed routers when your requirements are for the next 5-6 years.

The RT-AC88U is the only one that I would be seriously considering today.

 

[crusher888]

is it stable? does it satisfy my requirements? i'm afraid to buy a super expensive product and act as a beta tester.. i want something rock solid that works perfectly out of the box when updated to the latest firmware...
thanks )


Inviato dal mio iPad utilizzando Tapatalk

 

[L&LD]

is it stable? does it satisfy my requirements? i'm afraid to buy a super expensive product and act as a beta tester.. i want something rock solid that works perfectly out of the box when updated to the latest firmware...
thanks )


Inviato dal mio iPad utilizzando Tapatalk

Then I would wait until a 'final' firmware is announced and keep your eyes and ears on this forum for a few weeks before committing to buying one.

But even then, I would still be using it in 'my' environment in test mode. And any glitches found before the return period was up would be enough reason to return it and either try another example, or by then, another model.

 

[crusher888]

i need to upgrade in the next 2 weeks at most next month.. and btw that model isn't even available in the european amazon.. regardless of the life span of these models, what would it be the best choice between the 3 models that i just quoted? asus or netgear?

 

[Deleted member 22229]

From those 3 models i would go with the 68U its stable works great plenty of features and can run a few different firmware's to keep you happy. The R-7000 is a great router from a hardware stand point and runs much cooler then Asus routers but the stock firmware is terrible and has not been updated since June and there IPv6 implementation does not work properly. Myself i am waiting just a little longer and i am going to pick up the new RT-AC3100 same as the RT-AC88U minus the 8 lan ports and red antennas. BTW forget about the RT-AC87U not even worth considering junk Quantenna driver has borked this router.

 

[crusher888]

how long could it last the 68U? before i would need a major upgrade i mean.. i would like at least to reach 4-5 years . when is it going to be released this new router you are expecting from asus? thank you )

 

[Deleted member 22229]

how long could it last the 68U? before i would need a major upgrade i mean.. i would like at least to reach 4-5 years . when is it going to be released this new router you are expecting from asus? thank you )

I dont think there is an answer for how long the 68U will stay supported i know Asus does a much better job then others with continued support for older models. As far as the new RT-AC3100 it's already been released very recently Best Buy and Amazon have them i believe 279.00 US price. But for me i will wait a month or two for Asus and Merlin to get the firmware more mature.

 

[L&LD]

i need to upgrade in the next 2 weeks at most next month.. and btw that model isn't even available in the european amazon.. regardless of the life span of these models, what would it be the best choice between the 3 models that i just quoted? asus or netgear?

Then wait for another month and purchase then.

The Asus RT-AC68U is the horse in the lead by a huge margin right now. But the reports I've been reading here show that it is already superseded by the RT-AC3100, the RT-AC88U and the RT-AC5300 too. Even if today, right now, those routers are not 100% stable (or proven).

 

[stevech]

If you don't REALLY need 802.11ac, save your money and get less client-side hassle and skip ac for TBD years.

 

[crusher888]

thanks so much for your answers, the thing is that i need an an router because i have some devices from apple ( ipad , iphone ) that support it so i want to try it out. regarding this new ac3100, it's not even available on amazon europe.. and that's the only place where I get my stuff... who knows when it is going to be available over here.. the 68u currently costs 150 euros, i could spend at most 100 euro more but in that case i need to be sure my needs are satisfied for the next 5-6 years...

 

[joegreat]

[QUOTE="crusher888, post: 218577, member: 44131"the 68u currently costs 150 euros, i could spend at most 100 euro more but in that case i need to be sure my needs are satisfied for the next 5-6 years...[/QUOTE]
Hi,

First I vote for Asus and Asus only!

Why not take the Asus RT-AC56U? It's below EUR 100 and has nearly the same specs as the AC68U...
Cheap and good enough for the next 5 years!

With kind regards
Joe

 

[Trip]

You're asking an awful lot from a consumer box running on stock firmware. From any brand. If you must choose from those three, it appears the 68U with Merlin would be the most stable and best performing choice.

If you're open to a paradigm shift and a bit higher budget, I'd suggest separating routing from wireless with a legit wired router and dedicated AP(s), and doing a dedicated NAS, or NAS-equivalent with an old x86 box. You'll be way happier with the performance all the way around.

 

[crusher888]

thanks so much for your help. i think i'm gonna go for he 68u but just one more question: if i go on the router ranking for the 1900 AC, the netgear r7000 is way ahead of the 68u ( seems a lot as well), why?

 

[Trip]

IIRC, that's largely due to a slight wifi range and throughput advantage of the R7000, and a default higher default CPU clock speed of 1Ghz versus 800Mhz on the 68U. Honestly, though, the difference for the average Joe won't be much, and Merlin goes a long way towards winning the stability battle, mostly due to how marginal Netgear's own firmware can be. Supposedly the Netgear stock FW has been stable for some time now. I'd sure as hell hope so, considering they've had 2+ years and 13 updates to try and get it right, LOL.

 

[crusher888]

well i'm not sure that i would be the average Joe lololol, wold the 68u support gaming and a lot of clients connected and torrents and all that stuff that stress routers?

 

[Trip]

It should -- especially if you can make sure most of your latency-sensitive endpoints are connected via wire, and your total wifi client count is less than 20 or so.

Also, do keep in mind that with either the 68U or R7K, you'd got tons of exit-strategy options should things perform poorly -- third-party firmwares, role re-repurposing of the all-in-one into an access point, then drop in a better router, adding in proper NAS to replace USB-based file store, etc. etc. etc.

Tons of ways to upgrade your network once you make this first purchase, should any/all of them be needed.

 

[crusher888]

thanks so much for your help )

 

[RogerSC]

I think that, of the choices that you give, I'd personally go for the R7000. I don't think that you're going to be using the stock firmware on any of the routers listed. It would be RMerlin on the RT-AC68U (my choice on my RT-AC68P), XVortex's port of RMerlin or dd-wrt or tomato ARM on the R7000. Personally, I wouldn't even consider the RT-AC87U for various reasons, but that's just me *smile*.

Yes, the IPv6 implementation in the stock Netgear firmware isn't finished yet (and may never be), but IPv6 is fully implemented in dd-wrt, tomato ARM, and XVortex's port of RMerlin's firmware. And the R7000 has been a great router for me for the two years that I've had it, stable and full wireless coverage. I'm currently using tomato ARM (Shibby v132) firmware on it, and that's working really well for me. I've also used dd-wrt and XVortex, and both of them work well also, each has it's own advantages.

I think that you'll be happy with either the RT-AC68U or the R7000, but as I say, I personally give the edge to the R7000 here.

 

[m3tpe]

you can skip the ac87