1900P vs AC-68u: wifi range / antennas

[derek87]

i recently had the good fortune of receiving a hand-me down 1900P from a friend who moved and no longer had a need for it. i already own two 68u's (1 1ghz (2016), and 1 1.4ghz (2020)) so i am very familiar with how they work. yet, what surprised me was to find that the antennas appeared beefier on the 1900P, and more importantly, once installed in the same places as the previous 1ghz model, i am getting significantly better 5ghz performance (both via speedtest) and signal strength (using NetSpot app on Mac). so the question is: is it the antennas? i haven't tried to compare it head-to-head with my newer 68u which has the same 1.4ghz processor, but i am surprised and the range and coverage of the 1900P in spite of placing it in what i would have thought was a not ideal location (top shelf in our master bedroom closet -- that's where our ISP cat5e cable comes in).

anyway, i wonder if people have also experienced this. i also wonder if it's just the antennas doing this and whether i could find extra antennas to install on my other 68u's. (Asus website claims that 1900P has 5dbi antennas vs 4dbi on the other flavors of the 68u)

 

[L&LD]

It's not just the antennae, it is the whole RF chain that is simply better designed/executed. You may find a difference by changing antennae on the other routers, but you most likely won't find it better, overall.

 

[Keith Gorham]

It's not just the antennae, it is the whole RF chain that is simply better designed/executed. You may find a difference by changing antennae on the other routers, but you most likely won't find it better, overall.

I thought they were the same. Thanks for the info. Which version is the "Cell-phone-company-can-not-be-named" WiFi router?

 

[CaptainSTX]

I thought they were the same. Thanks for the info. Which version is the "Cell-phone-company-can-not-be-named" WiFi router?

TM AC68 Personal Cell Spot

 

[derek87]

It's not just the antennae, it is the whole RF chain that is simply better designed/executed. You may find a difference by changing antennae on the other routers, but you most likely won't find it better, overall.

this is helpful information. i wasn't aware of the different RF chain/design changing for the 1900P. maybe at some point, i'll swap places between my 1.4ghz 68u and the 1900P to give the get the better wifi radios/antennas in a better location. [i assume both are equally capable serving as the router in our setup]... then again, it's working fine. not sure i need to mess with something working well

 

[L&LD]

Agreed, don't change just for a change. You may discover that the tables turn then. And not in your favor.

 

[wouterv]

It's not just the antennae, it is the whole RF chain that is simply better designed/executed. You may find a difference by changing antennae on the other routers, but you most likely won't find it better, overall.

What are the details of the differences?
According my information the RT-AC1900P is equal to the RT-AC68U B2 version.
I may update the table in the sticky post if needed.

 

[L&LD]

I do not know the low-level changes, nor do I believe that they are available publicly, I'm sure Asus considers it their secret 'IP'.

 

[wouterv]

I do not know the low-level changes, nor do I believe that they are available publicly, I'm sure Asus considers it their secret 'IP'.

Then I like to assume the RT-AC1900P is equal to the RT-AC68U B2, same 1.4 GHz CPU and same radio chips.
Different antenna's maybe, detachable versus fixed?

 

[ColinTaylor]

Then I like to assume the RT-AC1900P is equal to the RT-AC68U B2, same 1.4 GHz CPU and same radio chips.
Different antenna's maybe, detachable versus fixed?

I think it likely they are essentially the same but it ought to be able to be confirmed by checking the FCC-ID on the case.

The original models were MSQ-RTAC68U while the later models are MSQ-RTAC68UV2 and MSQ-RTACHC00. The radio test reports confirm the slightly different antenna gain. Interestingly the MSQ-RTAC68UV2 documents specifically detail changes from an "old" antenna design to a "new" one in 2016.

And just to add to the fun it looks like there's a brand new RT-AC68U V3 filed under MSQ-RTACIB00.

 

[derek87]

Then I like to assume the RT-AC1900P is equal to the RT-AC68U B2, same 1.4 GHz CPU and same radio chips.
Different antenna's maybe, detachable versus fixed?

i didn't try to detach the antennas on the 1900P, but i believe they are detachable (my friend didn't give the original box...just the unit with antennas attached and . since the 1900P is perched on a high shelf and cable management is such that i would need to take everything apart to get to the FCC ID, i can't provide that. but i can vouche that the antennas are definitely and noticeably different on the B2 and the 1900P. the 1900P are much "beefier" and as indicated on the Asus website, they are 5dbi gain antennas ver 4dbi gain antennas on the 68u:

We'll be back shortly.

the antennas on my both my C1 (1ghz) and B2 (1.4ghz) versions of the RT-AC68U are detachable and look like they are the same.

in my house and application, the range of the 1900P is noticeably better than the C1 it replaced.

 

[L&LD]

The 'beefier' antennae may be a red herring. It is probably the closer QC matching the amplifiers to the antennae that give the better and more usable signal (i.e. improved RF 'design')

 

[wouterv]

I think it likely they are essentially the same but it ought to be able to be confirmed by checking the FCC-ID on the case.

The original models were MSQ-RTAC68U while the later models are MSQ-RTAC68UV2 and MSQ-RTACHC00. The radio test reports confirm the slightly different antenna gain. Interestingly the MSQ-RTAC68UV2 documents specifically detail changes from an "old" antenna design to a "new" one in 2016.

And just to add to the fun it looks like there's a brand new RT-AC68U V3 filed under MSQ-RTACIB00.

I suppose ASUS continues for a while on the proven RT-AC68 design, with slight component changes and resulting specification and performance changes. Often those changes are result of component availability, cheaper alternatives or production enhancements (nothing new, the same happens in e.g. automotive and car models).
I believe 802.11ac can carry on for a while and be cheaper than 802.11ax.