RT-N66W Question

[WFP]

Hello peoples! I'm new to this site so I hope I don't cause too much angst. Background: I just discovered that I'll be getting 200Mbps access starting this coming November. Since I'm a geek I decided to jump on the bandwagon. I purchased my own cable modem (Arris SB6141) and a new router (Asus RT-N66W). In the past (2000-2001) I've encountered problems with "bottle-necks" in my "Home" network builds. The main problems were that the T/R chip in the router limited my download speeds (between the router [Netgear] and the modem [TWC lease], at the time). I did a lot of research with um-teen routers and since then I've paid close attention to details. I believe I now have the perfect match (modem, router) to be able to take advantage of the new access speeds. Currently, since I installed these devices, streaming no longer pauses (buffering) while watching videos. Even with two or more running at the same time.
Here's my question: I just read the article from Merlin on "Tweaking the RT-66U..." (I like "tweaking things) and I want to accomplish the tweaks. Several of them I already did, just as a matter of my preferences. I was a network security expert for 25 years, so I'm kind of finicky or a control nut...grins. Anyway, in all my searching for information I don't find many articles on this relatively new router (RT-N66W). I understand the "W" is an indication of cosmetics and not necessarily function...or is it? I've dealt with Asus in the past and they weren't very forthcoming with answers to my hardware questions/concerns. So can I install Merlin for the RT-66U on my RT-66W or is there a better option? Has anyone done this already? I know the "pros" are there any "cons"?
Any information will be appropriately appreciated...THANKS.

 

[netwrks]

According to WikiDEv: This router is presumed to be identical to newer revisions of the RT-N66U

https://wikidevi.com/wiki/ASUS_RT-N66W

 

[WFP]

OK, I've read the same opinion on the DD-WRT forums. Except the poster said he experienced a considerable speed slow down after he flashed the non-stock DD-WRT. Which Merlin version should I load? Any other opinions or experiences? Thanks again.

 

[WFP]

I've also noticed that when I "save" the current configuration to my PC the file is written in Korean. Is there a "fix" for that?

 

[WFP]

OK... Sorry for showing my dumbness. I just read the Merlin "Readme" file. I think all my questions have been answered there. If all else fails - Read the manual. Sorry for getting ahead of myself. Thanks for your patience.

 

[wh7qq]

The RT-N66U, R or W (no diff as you found out) have been around for several years now and there is quite a lot written about them on this forum and others such as the Linksysinfo forum. I have found it to be a very stable router and very tweakable. If you don't find the tweaks you are looking for with the factory firmware or Merlin's, still more tweaks await from the TomatoUSB versions.

 

[WFP]

Well, I checked out TomatoUSB and there isn't a build for a RT-N66x. And if I understand it, TomatoUSB hasn't been updated since 2010 and it's more complicated to install. I guess I'll stick with what I have. But thanks again for the info.

 

[wh7qq]

Sorry, but you have gotten some horribly faulty info. TomatoUSB is currently being maintained by at least two active developers, Shibby and Toastman. As for installation, the hardest thing you might have to do is to change the suffix from .trx to .bin. See http://tomato.groov.pl/ for the latest on Shibby's releases. He just released v 130 several weeks ago. (BTW, don't get scared off by the Polish on the web page...translations are there and the firmware is in excellent English.)

I won't get into a p...... contest with anyone over the relative merits of Asus vs. Merlin vs. TomatoUSB. You just have to work it out for yourself as to what you need and don't. I currently run v 128 on my RT-N66U and loaded the latest version (at the time) immediately after purchase several years ago. I have used TomatoUSB originally on a Linksys WRT54L and an e1000 from Cisco. As I am on a severely metered connection, I especially like the bandwidth monitoring options on this firmware.

 

[WFP]

Thanks for clarifying that for me. I read their posts but I guess I didn't understand all I know about this. I wish I'd been paying attention to these sort of modifications for the past several years. But I, like the government, if it doesn't work throw some money at it. That's why I now own 10 to 20 routers. I was able to do that in the past, but I'm retired now, with limited resources, so I get the best I can afford and mod it to what I want. I also have more time to tinker.
Just out of curiosity I am going to try these other "mods" to TomatoUSB. I'd like to see what other options I could tweak.
BTW, I don't get into pi***ng matches anymore either. Nothing's worth it.
You certainly are being a big help with my questions so thanks again.

 

[RMerlin]

TomatoUSB is an old branch of Tomato which has indeed not been maintained in nearly 5 years. Shibby and Toastman both have their own, totally separate branch, with different feature sets from TomatoUSB (and from one another). They are, for all intent and purposes, three different, separate forks.

 

[wh7qq]

This at the bottom of the credits on Shibby's version:
Based on Tomato Firmware v1.28
Copyright (C) 2006-2010 Jonathan Zarate

For a history of the "fork", if you will, see http://tomato.groov.pl/?page_id=81.

I would like to emphasize that AsusWRT, Merlin, DD-WRT and the TomatoUSB firmware versions all serve different, if overlapping, needs. All are based on the proprietary Broadcom code and the Linux kernel 2.6.xx. It would be pointless to compare them, as that is strictly in the eye of the user as to which serves their need better. At one time or another, I have tried them all and settled on what suits me best. Your mileage will vary.

 

[doczenith1]

Not to go off topic here but the OP mentioned he had a SB6141 which does 8 bonded download channels. Will that modem do the 200 mbps that he will soon have?

 

[CooCooCaChoo]

The SB6141's 8 channels can be bonded for a total of 343Mb downstream bandwidth.

http://www.motorola.com/on/demandwa...ross-sell/cable-modem/SB6141-data-sheet-2.pdf

 

[doczenith1]

Are the modem's theoretical and real world speeds the same or is there a difference (similar to but I'm sure a lesser magnitude) like wifi? I ask because I thought I read a post where someone upgraded their service from 100 mbps to 250 or 300 mbps and their 6141 was not able to deliver the full speeds.