So is the Asus RT-N66U still a good buy in this day and age ?

[Subzero89]

So I've been wanting to get a new router now for a couple of weeks been doing some research and the RT-N66U has been/is popular. Amazon has like over 5000 reviews for it and it's only $100.

This model came out in 2012 so it's based on kinda old tech, but I assume the model they sell now is not quite the same same exact model when it first came out in 2012. I know it lacks AC1200 speed and other features bla bla that I won't use. Also my internet speed is pretty average I currently have 20Mbps/2Mbps and at the most I'll ever have more than 3 devices connected at the same time. Even if I were to triple my internet speeds in the next couple of years the RT-N66U does 450Mbps per band, so I don't think anyone will be able to convince me otherwise, correct me if I'm wrong.

By the way last question, on the Asus site the latest firmware version is beta should I still install it or just get the last non-beta one ?

 

[Subzero89]

I revised my post, please reread.

 

[Klueless]

I faced the same decision about a half year ago. I was looking at the N66U for a hundred or an AC something for two hundred-ish. With money always at a premium I went with the N66U and have been very happy. I've twenty some devices and several are AC but, like you, I've a constrained uplink (15 x 1.5Mbps) so I more than outperform my uplink. I've also a couple internal client/servers and everything's just fine.

Now fast forward a few months I just saw a new RT-AC68A (I don't know if the A is the same as or lesser than a U) for $125. If that had been available for that price six months ago I would have gone with that. For me a 25% premium for a couple extra years of future proofing seems worth it, 80 to 100% was not.

In your case the value of money is as you see it but I do not see either choice as being a mistake (as long as you go into it eyes wide open).

Myself, I'm not very adventuresome and I would stay away from betas and simply stick with the latest releases. I did, however, move away from factory and into the world of Merlin. A couple of his features moved me from legacy and into something more uh current : -)

BTW you don't mention what you currently have? For home I came from a WRT54G so the N66U was a significant upgrade. At work we came from a Linksys something N. Since it only had 2.4Ghz getting 2.4 and 5Ghz was still a decent upgrade (as my G devices no longer hold back my N devices). The other big win was the traffic monitor, I can't tell you how useful it was to me towards understanding our usage and getting everything running smoothly.

 

[L&LD]

So I've been wanting to get a new router now for a couple of weeks been doing some research and the RT-N66U has been/is popular. Amazon has like over 5000 reviews for it and it's only $100.

This model came out in 2012 so it's based on kinda old tech, but I assume the model they sell now is not quite the same same exact model when it first came out in 2012. I know it lacks AC1200 speed and other features bla bla that I won't use. Also my internet speed is pretty average I currently have 20Mbps/2Mbps and at the most I'll ever have more than 3 devices connected at the same time. Even if I were to triple my internet speeds in the next couple of years the RT-N66U does 450Mbps per band, so I don't think anyone will be able to convince me otherwise, correct me if I'm wrong.

By the way last question, on the Asus site the latest firmware version is beta should I still install it or just get the last non-beta one ?

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/is-the-rt-ac68u-a-good-replacement-for-a-rt-n66u.30303/#post-237039

Also, search with google, my username and site:snbforums.com at the end of the search string for more threads where I talk about this more.

In a nutshell; I do not think that the very old (design and hardware) of the RT-N66U is a good buy anymore.

If you buy a router every few months to a year? Buy the old RT-N66U. If you buy a router once or twice a decade? Buying an RT-AC68U or better even; an RT-AC3100, RT-AC88U or an RT-AC5300 (which all run on the latest hardware and latest designs; antennae, chipsets and 'code') will give you a much better network experience over your intended use period.

Your ISP speeds do not indicate what level of performance you will find worthy in your LAN network. Even if at the high end the 'better' equipment becomes mandatory. When they're low (as yours and mine are), all it means is that a lessor router may seem to be adequate for longer (but I would not go back to an RT-N66U if it was free right now).

The base hardware of the RT-N66U is effectively the same over the manufacturing run (if anything; the older models are better, imo). What has drastically changed is the firmware over that same time period. Running anything other than RMerlin's firmware (or one of the forks thereof; john9527 or hggomes) on a supported Asus router is a non-optimal way of using the hardware you bought.

 

[stevech]

My not so old N56U dual band is totally problem free in long use here. My tested ISP's speeds are 118/12Mbps. My Galaxy S6 phone, one room away, gets very near those speeds according to speedtest.net; certainly way more than it needs. There's a pokey iPAD in this house used a lot too. And my wired desktop.

I'm in the don't overspend camp.

My record is a new router about every 2-3 years.

 

[Subzero89]

There's so much market hype to get to get people to buy these new AC router, and mostly all BS for most of the population. I bought a TP-LINK AC1200 it speed vs. the RT-N66U was the same cause guess what I'm not pushing anything close too or passed the 150Mbps marker, plus actually the range was worse that the RT-N66U. I'll get the next best thing when I'm pushing past the 150Mbps which won't be anytime soon.

 

[TonyH]

[QUOTE=" I'll get the next best thing when I'm pushing past the 150Mbps which won't be anytime soon.[/QUOTE]

Next best thing or better thing in your case?, LOL! Since the days of WRT-54G, I can't even remember how many routers I owned/played with. Many different forms and shapes. Some good like a dream, some bad, worse than a nightmare....
You just answered your own question. Usually the case!

 

[sfx2000]

So I've been wanting to get a new router now for a couple of weeks been doing some research and the RT-N66U has been/is popular. Amazon has like over 5000 reviews for it and it's only $100.

In the words of Batman - no

Not a good value...

 

[Subzero89]

Well I got it for $90 actually and dam it works great. I've screwed around so much and wasted much time on this matter I'm not taking it down and sending other router back, it will do for a good while.

 

[twoedge]

Fast forward to 2019, I still have my original RT-N66U($149 2012) running and working. Ebay sells them now for $30 so I just bought 3 more. I have them on a fiber gigabit from Sonic. On wifi, they pump ~300Mbps. I don't need anymore speed on the wifi - plenty bandwidth. I have them networked each covering a 2000 sq. ft. 2 story building. They still work great and coverage reaches through out. Forget the latest speed hypes - the ASUS RT-N66U still works great.

 

[Deleted member 22229]

On wifi, they pump ~300Mbps.

So you pay for Gigabit and are happy with 300mbps. Yeah sounds like a real deal to me.

 

[twoedge]

Sonic gigabit only costs $60/month. 300Mbps is plenty for anything I do on wifi. Wifi has it's place. The rest I use hard wired. And yes, that's gigabit speed up and down .

 

[MichaelCG]

If they meet your needs for $30, then hell yeah!! My N66 and AC66 were both removed from my house due to WiFi stability issues. They provided me many years of near trouble free service, but eventually needed attention on a weekly basis which was too much for me. One of them is serving routing duties for my in-laws 100Mbps connection. My biggest "concern" with either of those platforms is the lack of updates. I will be looking to replace my in-laws router by end of year....just not sure with what yet.

 

[doczenith1]

I will be looking to replace my in-laws router by end of year....just not sure with what yet.

Take a good look at the RT-AC66U-B1. It has the same internals (and uses the same firmware) at the 68U at a lower price point. Probably the best bang for your buck router currently. Make sure you get the B1 model as the non-B1 model is a completely different router.