New User Comments: RT-AC66U

[Sonicmojo]

Hello,

Just purchased this unit on Saturday as my intended replacement for a tried and true DIR-655 that we have used constantly since 2007.

I set it up in such a way as to not impact our existing hardware install - just in case this unit decides not to bear fruit - and so far - I have to say I am growing unimpressed.

We have your typical household - 4 or 5 PCs, couple of iPhones and iPads. But already after just two days - I am finding some very frustrating issues starting to pop up.

For information sake - I am using the unit with the latest ASUS firmware. We have two wireless networks active on 2.5 and 5G and basically have not tweaked anything.

I am finding that the wireless is one minute fine and the next - flaky. Yesterday - when I logged into the admin panel - the software decided to magically "rename" both our wireless networks to "admin" of all things causing the phones and iPads to have a fit.

I am also not impressed with the range either. We live ina typical bungalow - and the unit is in the far end of the house in the basement at the same location as the d_link. But wireless reception varies greatly - dependent on where I am in house. Based on the reviews - I would have thought I would see an improvement in reception within the house at at least.

Anyway - I can return this thing for a full refund by Saturday but want to ensure I have covered all the bases before giving up.

What should be my next move - up this thing to the latest Merlin and see where that goes?

Any tweaks that I should do right away that I am missing - specifically with the wireless angle?

Also - is the 5G actualy usuable for an iPhone 5s or am I trying to put a square peg in a round hole?

Appreciate any field reports for a guy trying to squeeze performance out of this before Saturday.

Cheers!

Sonic.

 

[L&LD]

The RT-AC66U is not a router that I would consider today.

But you seem to be limiting it too by the location you choose to run it from.

Put it in a central location on the main or upper floor to get the best performance from any router.



'The latest firmware' is not very helpful either. Which is it specifically?

I would suggest trying the RMerlin latest build with a reset to factory defaults and manually setting up the router with a new ssid and the least amount of changes from it's defaults.

With the above addressed, we can begin to help more.

 

[Sonicmojo]

The RT-AC66U is not a router that I would consider today.

Let's start here - what would you be considering today? and Why? I am all for hauling this back to the store (by Saturday) and moving onto something better if possible.

But you seem to be limiting it too by the location you choose to run it from. Put it in a central location on the main or upper floor to get the best performance from any router.

This is not an option due to the construct of the home. All the network gear has it's place in a dedicated cabinet and while I realize that placement will always have an impact - what I am surprised at is that a 2013/4 router has such little additional positive "impact" than a 2007 oldtimer like the DIR-655.

While I am not expecting miracles - I would have thought hardware with tech that is 7 years newer would have made some difference....but if a "new" router can't offer better more reliable connectivity than the old crap - I may as well save myself the cash....

'The latest firmware' is not very helpful either. Which is it specifically? I would suggest trying the RMerlin latest build with a reset to factory defaults and manually setting up the router with a new ssid and the least amount of changes from it's defaults. With the above addressed, we can begin to help more.

Sorry bout that - I believe it's the ASUS 3.0.0.4.376.3602.

What is the most troublefree Merlin that I should try?

Appreciate an update.

Sonic

 

[jegesq]

If I were you, I would drop the firmware back to one of the Merlin 374.xx releases, beginning with 374.38 on up until you hit the 376.xx. I'm not quite sure you can get the better transmit power by reverting to older firmware versions, but unless you're using some of the bells and whistles (e.g., DLNA, cloud server stuff, NAS, etc.) and are just using the AC66U as a router only, I think you'll see better stability, better and higher transmit power and speeds with the 374.xx versions in my experience.

I agree with L&LD that you are somewhat hampered in the kinds of results you're going to see by placing the unit in a corner of a basement at the far end of your home. The issue there is that the until has better horizontal coverage and reception is better if you place it in the center of your home and on an upper floor rather than in a basement.

In terms of what else you may buy instead of the RT-AC66U, you can try the 87U's or just wait until the new AC3200 unit becomes available. I use two RT-AC66U's, and am quite happy with them. They are reliable, give great coverage (better by a factor of two to three times an older Belkin N). I use one as a router in an upstairs study located centrally, and the other as a "repeater" (not as an AP, but as a repeater, so it picks up the 5ghz wireless channel from the router and repeats it in other areas on both 2.4ghz and 5.0 ghz radios on the repeater, along with a hard-wired connection to a Gigabit Ethernet switch to provide internet access to other non-wireless devices and computers downstairs). A repeater is something you too might want to consider if you can't run Cat5e or 6 cabling to other areas of your own home (to run AP's).

I think you might want to examine your settings, try different firmware (isn't the official 3602 firmware the one that everyone is having problems with??? There are a couple of threads on this I've read so check them out), and re-think the idea of location of the router.

 

[Sonicmojo]

If I were you, I would drop the firmware back to one of the Merlin 374.xx releases, beginning with 374.38 on up until you hit the 376.xx. I'm not quite sure you can get the better transmit power by reverting to older firmware versions, but unless you're using some of the bells and whistles (e.g., DLNA, cloud server stuff, NAS, etc.) and are just using the AC66U as a router only, I think you'll see better stability, better and higher transmit power and speeds.

Awesome. For the foreseeable future - this is a router only install. I have no plans or desire to use any of the other stuff.

I will grab some of the suggested Merlin FW versions and start testing.

Q: Can I roll back to any other FW at anytime - inlcuding the stock ASUS one if need be?

I agree with L&LD that you are somewhat hampered in the kinds of results you're going to see by placing the unit in a corner of a basement at the far end of your home. The issue there is that the until has better horizontal coverage and reception is better if you place it in the center of your home and on an upper floor rather than in a basement.

Well - as mentioned - all the utility is currently (and permanently) installed in the equipment room downstairs and with a finished home like ours - there is no chance to move all the switches etc up to the main floor.

But - what I might be able to do is what you mention here:

I use one as a router in an upstairs study located centrally, and the other as a "repeater" (not as an AP, but as a repeater, so it picks up the 5ghz wireless channel from the router and repeats it in other areas on both 2.4ghz and 5.0 ghz radios on the repeater, along with a hard-wired connection to a Gigabit Ethernet switch to provide internet access to other non-wireless devices and computers downstairs).

So - in your case - do you just have another RT-AC66U sitting upstairs? I am thinking that maybe I leave the AC66U where it is and repurpose my DIR-655 to sit upstairs and use it as a repeater for at least the 2.4ghz channel to get better coverage upstairs?

I do have a spot in the kitchen where I could park the 655 - but would need to connect at least one PC back to the network (hardwired). Could I sue the DIR655 LAN inouts as a switch I wonder?

Isn't the official 3602 firmware the one that everyone is having problems with???

Could be - will read up more this evening.

Thanks again for the info!

Cheers,

Sonic.

 

[jegesq]

You asked "Q: Can I roll back to any other FW at anytime - inlcuding the stock ASUS one if need be?"

The answer is yes. You can go from Merlin, to official, even to other flavors of firmware (Tomato, DDWRT, etc.) and you should, if you're careful, be able to go back. It may require a reset to clear NVram (you can do that by turning the router off, and then plugging it back in with the reset button depressed for 30 seconds to clear out any settings associated with a different version of firmware...this means you have to start from scratch usually with your GUI settings, but that's a good thing actually...takes more time, but it is better).


You also asked, "So - in your case - do you just have another RT-AC66U sitting upstairs?"

Answer: I have two RT-AC66U's, one upstairs that is a "router" connected to my cable modem and which has 4 wired clients (a desktop PC, an HP printer, two FreeNAS machines (running off a Gigabit switch), and finally one Win8.1 Windows machine that is used only as stand alone file server. That RT-AC66U has both 2.4 and 5.0 ghz radios (with separate SSID's so I know which one I'm connecting to wirelessly). My wife and I both use our laptops upstairs in the bedroom, we have a Surface tablet that connects wirelessly, and we both use Samsung Galaxy 5s's wirelessly (on the 5.0 ghz band usually).

Downstairs, to extend the range to our media stuff, I have another RT-AC66U that is running in "repeater" mode. I've got it set to use the 5ghz band to repeat the router's signal (for greater throughput and speed), and in turn the repeater's own 2.4 and 5ghz radios (using separate SSID's from those of the router, again so I know which one I'm connected to at any given moment) extend the wireless range throughout our downstairs and into our backyard pool area. Essentially, the entire property is covered and the download/upload speeds are solid (I'm on a 320/20 plan, and with wired clients on the router, I get 323+ down, and 21+ up regularly.

Downstairs, the repeater wirelessly connects to another Win 8.1 desktop computer and another HP Deskjet printer, and to a smart TV, all located in a back bedroom that my wife uses as a home office; the Ethernet port on the repeater is connected to a gigabit switch with 8 ports, to which are connected a Toshiba 56" tv, a Denon receiver, a Blu-Ray player, an HD-DVD player (yes, obsolete but we have lots of HD-DVD's), and an HTPC running Windows 7 Media Center, through which I stream tons of stuff (Netflix, Hulu, NBA League Pass, etc.). Speeds are terrific and I have no trouble at all with the repeater and streaming anything in 1080P...no stutter, no stalling, smooth playback. We also have another single device bridge (a Netgear WNCE2001) in another downstairs bedroom that is connected to our Slingbox (both of our sons now live in other countries, one in Canada and the other in Israel, and they watch our cable through the Slingbox all the time).

The only reason I use this configuration with a router and a remote repeater is because I can't run CAT5e or 6, and thus can't set up Access Points. I've also tried to use Powerline adapters, but I've found the speeds are unacceptable (probably due to the way our house is wired, or due to line noise on our electrical lines.).

Anyway, this configuration works fine.

As far as firmware, I would recommend the 374.xx from Merlin (or you might want to look at the 374 "fork" of Merlin's firmware also), as they seem to give me the best coverage and are very reliable. I have not had such great luck with some of the 376.XX versions, so I'm back on what I know works well for me and my set up.

Good luck, and don't return the AC66U, not just yet, because it's a great router. Give it a chance, learn how to configure it and you'll find that it's way better than what you were using before.

 

[jegesq]

Sonicmojo:

You will also definitely want to read this thread since it would apply to the RT-AC66U also:

RT-AC68 - New firmware 3.0.0.4.376_3602 (AVOID)
http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/showthread.php?t=20578

 

[bell2200]

Firmware v.3602 is awful. I and others are using v.1123 (as in 3.0.0.4.376.1123). v.2524 is also troublesome. More information here and here.

 

[Sonicmojo]

Firmware v.3602 is awful. I and others are using v.1123 (as in 3.0.0.4.376.1123). v.2524 is also troublesome. More information here and here.

I just checked and yes I am on 3.0.0.4.376_1123.

So hopefully no cause for alarm at this point

SOnic.

 

[roscolo]

Firmware v.3602 is awful. I and others are using v.1123 (as in 3.0.0.4.376.1123). v.2524 is also troublesome. More information here and here.

v.2524 is rock solid for me. And it addressed a minor GUI issue with connecting / disconnecting VPN, so now it works perfectly.

 

[Sonicmojo]

v.2524 is rock solid for me. And it addressed a minor GUI issue with connecting / disconnecting VPN, so now it works perfectly.

So what's the deal with the "firmware" update utility within the router itself? When I completed setup and did the "update" from here - the latest I got was 1123.

Is this thing tuned to just allow the "safest" firmware to be updated via this tool and if a guy wants more cutting edge releases - I gotta go find them myself?

Sonic.

 

[roscolo]

So what's the deal with the "firmware" update utility within the router itself? When I completed setup and did the "update" from here - the latest I got was 1123.

Is this thing tuned to just allow the "safest" firmware to be updated via this tool and if a guy wants more cutting edge releases - I gotta go find them myself?

Sonic.

Not sure what you mean by "cutting edge." As a rule, if everything is working well I leave firmware updates alone. If I read the release notes and see something addressed that I have noticed, or an improvement that applies to me, I will update. Asus is great about tweaking and improving via regular updates. Firmware updates and changelogs are listed right there on the Asus RT-AC66U support page for anyone to download and install.

 

[Sonicmojo]

Not sure what you mean by "cutting edge." As a rule, if everything is working well I leave firmware updates alone. If I read the release notes and see something addressed that I have noticed, or an improvement that applies to me, I will update. Asus is great about tweaking and improving via regular updates. Firmware updates and changelogs are listed right there on the Asus RT-AC66U support page for anyone to download and install.

What I mean is - why did I just get 1123 (and nothing newer) when I do a firmware update via the actual router UI?

Why do I not get 2524 or the lame 3602 etc etc.

Sonic

 

[jegesq]

I'm not exactly sure why ASUS's firmware update page in the GUI doesn't report newer firmware versions, but sometimes it doesn't. You can always get the latest (and as with 3602, not always the "greatest") firmware version directly from Asus by going to ASUS Support at http://support.asus.com/ServiceHome.aspx?SLanguage=en where you can then enter the product ID you are interested in (in your case, the RT-AC66U), and you'll be taken to a page which has links to manuals, faqs, and to firmware downloads.

If you want the Merlin firmware downloads, you should visit Merlin's Tower at http://www.lostrealm.ca/tower/

Look for downloads, and you will find all of the firmware versions currently being offered by Merlin arranged by device. Simply download the file you are interested in trying out, save it to your own drive, unzip the files and then go into the router's GUI; click on the "Administration" tab, and in the firmware update page, you need to "browse" your computer to find the firmware file you just downloaded, so that it gets loaded into the router. Hit "apply" and watch as it progresses. And that's it.

So yeah, you're always better off looking around for firmware versions yourself, and you'd be wise to check out the various threads here BEFORE you use a particular version (as was the case with 3602, you can save yourself a lot of headaches by seeing what other user's experiences are first before becoming a test case yourself).

 

[bell2200]

I'm not exactly sure why ASUS's firmware update page in the GUI doesn't report newer firmware versions, but sometimes it doesn't.

The GUI used to report 3602 as the latest. After the **** hit the fan on 2524 and 3602, they apparently changed their server such that 1123 is reported as the latest. So far as I can tell, 1123 is the latest working update.

So, after two failures in a row, at least Asus tried to limit the use of 2524 and 3602. Now, we'll see if they can produce a working upgrade.