Anyone go from a WNDR3700v1 to an N66U

[Flak]

I may be returning the N65U for these reasons (posted in the N56U forum):

Though in the end I think I may be returning this and trying the N66U. Compared to the WNDR3700v1 (running Gargoyle), the actual internet connection is much more stable, but never tops out. Where as on the WNDR3700v1 it jumps around a bit, but always ended up topping out my bandwidth. Wireless is WAY faster on the N65U, but coverage in the same location as the WNDR3700v1 is much less for me, especially 5ghz.

So now I'm trying to decide if I just return the N65U and use my WNDR3700v1 until it actually dies. Or try the N66U. I ended up getting the N65U on sale for $120, N66U is around $170.

 

[TonyH]

Hi,
I did long ago. But I used OpenWrt on my WNDR3700V1 and V2 and to ASUS. Now I am on something else. I get samples almost free once in a while from the guys still actively working. I retired long ago from the field. If your Netgear does what you want why bother?

 

[RogerSC]

I had a WNDR3700v1 some time ago, and also had a Linksys E4200 after that, before getting the rt-n66u. The WNDR3700 wireless just stopped working after a couple of years. It was fine while it was working. On the other hand, the rt-n66u has better range and throughput than either of its predecessors.

I would agree that if the WNDR3700 is doing what you need to do, just go with that until it either breaks or you actually need a better router.

 

[nubyOz]

Hi,

Went from WNDR 3700 V1 to RT-N66U. No regrets.

Issues with WNDR V1
- Firmware support by vendor stopped quite a while ago
- Alternative software had issues with correct radio config,
- Many anecdotal stories of reduced range
- My radios stopped working at full capacity, had to reduce power to keep them working, indicates pour cooling and HW degredation

My points for the RT-N66U
- Great firmware and support from Vendor
- Use of RMerlin firmware excellent as it uses original source avoiding thridparty mis config of radios, see above.

In comparison:
+ RT-N66U has better range on both radios
+ better throughput in short and longer dsitances
+ faster max speed (450 with my new card)
+ Looks great

Having said all that if the WNDR3700 does the job, maybe wait for better AC offerings, right now they still seem inmature with limited client support, mostly USB2 sticks, might as well use 450 N instead of AC.

Cheers

 

[SoCalReviews]

I went from the WNDR-3700v2 to the RT-N66U. I really liked the 3700v2 but it was not without issues. There was a very noticeable improvement for wireless with the Asus. It was more responsive. The signal was much stronger. The Asus doesn't get bogged down with a large number of connected wireless clients the way the 3700v2 did. I had a noticeable improvement while PS3 gaming with the Asus. The Asus was more reliable and almost never had to be rebooted the way the 3700v2 occasionally did.

 

[joegreat]

I went from the WNDR-3700v2 to the RT-N66U. I really liked the 3700v2 but it was not without issues. There was a very noticeable improvement for wireless with the Asus. It was more responsive.

Hi,

On top of the (incredible ) good WLAN performance and signal strength, the router is much better in processing additional applications.

On the Netgear I ran Optware to have Transmission (for Linux distributions sharing) running on the router:
The Asus has a much lower CPU utilization with the same speed of file sharing by using the "optimized" Entware!

Additionally the performance of local file transfers is incredible: Using UNFS3 from Entware allows up to 50 MBytes/sec(!) transfers from the routers USB drive to other Linux systems on my network!

With kind regards
Joe

 

[Flak]

Well, maybe I'll give the N66U a try then. Don't get me wrong, the N65U has been a great experience this week in terms of responsiveness and general speed and stability. However the big con here is that wireless coverage is absolutely horrid (maybe I got a dud?). The wireless is much much faster then my other routers, but that doesn't count for much if you can't connect to it.

 

[joegreat]

Well, maybe I'll give the N66U a try then. Don't get me wrong, the N65U has been a great experience this week in terms of responsiveness and general speed and stability. However the big con here is that wireless coverage is absolutely horrid (maybe I got a dud?). The wireless is much much faster then my other routers, but that doesn't count for much if you can't connect to it.

Hi,

The N66U will give you by sure a great coverage as it's really a beast when it comes to transmission power!

I was also really disappointed by the Netgear device: The 5 GHz range was so bad, that I could not use it at all!

Now with the N66U I have 5 GHz coverage in 80% of my home!
I only need now to purchase 5 GHz capable devices...

With kind regards
Joe

 

[kaiguy]

I'll chime in and say I also went from a WNDR3700v1 to an N66U. The WNDR was pretty solid (I was running a community version of OpenWRT), but I did witness slow LAN access via wifi when my WAN connection was saturated. I never see this anymore with the N66U. It's just a beefier device. Couldn't be happier with my new hardware.

 

[jerry6]

yess went from 3700 v1 to n66 , 66 has better coverage , transfer rates and fewer reboots needed . 3700 WAS A GREAT ROUTER BUT THE 66 BLOWS IT AWAY .
Plus there are so many options with this router , Netgear has no where near the options . Another thing is Asus supports their routers with firmware upgrades , netgear not so much . I bought the n18 at around the same time as the 3700 v1 , they stopped firmware upgrades on 3700v1 long ago , Asus is still putting out firmware for the n16 , I like that support

 

[SoCalReviews]

yess went from 3700 v1 to n66 , 66 has better coverage , transfer rates and fewer reboots needed . 3700 WAS A GREAT ROUTER BUT THE 66 BLOWS IT AWAY .

In other words... You got your kicks with router 66.

 

[Flak]

So, I have an N66U now. I have tried every Asus firmware, have tried the last couple of Merlin's, including the beta. About to try shibby's tomato. I am getting horrible internet performance, horrible. I haven't played with wireless power in Merlin's firmware, but at default settings coverage is less then the N65U. Though it looks like I have a lot of room to increase the power to wireless.

In terms of internet performance we are talking a good 40Mbps+ slower then either the N65U or the wndr3700v1.

I've reset the router. I've tried flashing different firmwares from recovery mode. And actual download speeds match with the various speed tests, the number given above is a speed test direct to my ISP (they use for troubleshooting).

Anyone have any tips? At this point I may send this puppy back.

 

[kaiguy]

Sounds like either a bad cable or a bad router. The N66U should outperform the WNDR3700 in just about every way.

Edit: Are you running the speedtests via wireless or ethernet?

 

[Flak]

I always do speedtests, or any testing in general from my desktops which are intel gigabit nics > cat6 > unmanaged enterprise gigabit switches > router

 

[Flak]

I don't know what to say, other then the results are repeatable. Maybe I got a dud N66U. Just in case it was a power wart issue I used the one that came with my N65U, same results (and the power warts look the same and have the same power specs).

wndr3700v1 /w Gargoyle custom build Apr 8th
Internet speed instantly jumps to 110Mbps, bounces around between there and 70s then ends in the 90s every time.

N65U /w padavan's latest
Internet speed instantly jumps to 70Mbps, bounces around between there and 65Mbps then ends somewhere between 65 and 70 every time.

N66U /w any of the firmware's (asus official, asus beta, merlin, merlin beta, tomato)
Internet speed SLOWLY reaches 40Mbps, bounces between there and 13Mbps then ends anywhere between 13 and 40. Not the same every time but it's never over 40Mbps.



In terms of wireless performance the N65U and N66U provide the same coverage for me, regardless of the power settings I use on the N66U. They are also around the same speeds testing from various Lenovo's and Dell with intel wireless nics (of various model, all are wireless N and a couple are 5ghz capable) and multiple Android devices (all are wireless N and a couple are 5ghz capable).

The wndr3700v1 for whatever reason has greater coverage then both of them, but far far slower wireless speeds.

So who knows, I'm at a loss here, lol.

 

[Hothersale]

Have you tested without the switches? I.e., with a computer going straight into the router? Maybe the N66 and your switches don't play nicely together.

 

[AndreaS]

Additionally the performance of local file transfers is incredible: Using UNFS3 from Entware allows up to 50 MBytes/sec(!) transfers from the routers USB drive to other Linux systems on my network!
Joe

How do you use UNFS3? it's just a matter of installing the driver on both linux and router or it is necessary to use any special mount command. I wasn't able to find any documentation on the net.

Thanks

AndreaS

 

[joegreat]

How do you use UNFS3? it's just a matter of installing the driver on both linux and router or it is necessary to use any special mount command. I wasn't able to find any documentation on the net.

Hi AndreaS,

UNFS3 (via Entware) is following the standard Linux NFS server configuration: Just need to have a exports file with the mount points you want to export and it works.

Any Linux NFS server configuration description on the web will tell you how to configure the exports file...

With kind regards
Joe

 

[AndreaS]

Thanks, I got it, but in my case UNFS3 is performing slower than the kernel one (~5MB/s against 7.5-8 MB/s}. Did you set any particular option or do you stop transmission while tranferring?