Asus AC-RT68U needs replacing

[Entropism]

OK, so here's my situation, maybe I can get some advice.

The problem, first and foremost: Out phones (2 iphone XS, 1 Samsung S10e) and iPads have stopped connecting to the wifi. unless we reboot the router. This is an issue. In fact, this is the ONLY issue we're having. Before this, the wifi worked well for the space we have.

I currently rent one side of a duplex. 2 stories + basement, about 60' deep being very generous. I have a Gigabit connection from Comcast (950ish down, 45ish up), and I currently have an RT68U upstairs connected to the modem (Arris CM8200) and an 8 port switch. DNS is handled by a Raspberry Pi running Pi-Hole.

Downstairs I also have an 8 port switch. Everything is connected by a pair of MOCA adapters, and it's working great. I have my AV setup wired up, and my Apple TV is seeing about 850-900 down, 45 up when I run a speed test. My Apple TV routes through a VPN during hockey season (NHL.tv), so I can stream my local team without having a TV subscription.

I'm also planning on buying a house in the next 1-2 years, and I expect to need a more robust setup to go with the increased space. I'm figuring a mesh network or a router/converted desktop with a few APs. I don't really have the space to run a separate desktop currently. I wasn't planning on replacing/upgrading everything until we got the new place.

Now that that's out of the way...

A: Do I go with something like an Asus RT86U for $130ish off Amazon Warehouse and figure out another solution when I buy my place?

B: I can get a TP-Link Deco M5 trio for about $135 off Amazon. This WOULD have ethernet backhaul through the MOCA adapters.

C: I can go whole hog, and pick up a router/AP, and eventually add another AP when I move. If I go that route, what would be a good router that can handle VPN duties? Since I'm saving for a house, I'd prefer not to spend a ridiculous amount. My original plan in the new house was to get a $150-200 desktop, learn a NIX based firewall setup, and have that running file server, firewall and ad blocking duties.

So there we have it. Sorry for the long winded post, I wanted to be as detailed as possible.

 

[Entropism]

Edit: nevermind. Can't do a VPN on Orbi system. Well, damn. The OpenVPN connection to NordVPN is a must have.

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To add to this, I was able to snag a Netgear Orbi RBK50 2 pack for $75 on clearance from Walmart. So I guess I'm trying this first.

 

[Trip]

My spidey sense is telling me you should probably just replace like for like (or rather, for something in a similar format that performs a fair bit better) and go the 86U route, running the latest version of Merlin for stability, then re-configure from scratch and call it a day. A lot can change 1-2 years, which may completely nullify the ability to use whatever extra system(s) and/or hardware you're thinking of buying right now. Even if you move earlier than expected and get only 1 year out of a $130 refurb, I'd say that's still pretty good value for something that provided you with your entire home networking core in one box for that length of time.

If you do want to move to a more scalable setup, I wouldn't plan to run your gateway and routing off the back of a whole-house product; neither Orbi, nor Eero Pro, nor Velop... none of them. Why? Frankly, they're often too limiting in feature set, as you've seen with VPN alone. What you want to do in that case is run a discrete "core" in for the form of a proper wired router, plus a managed switch if desired/needed, then connect that to your L2 access switches, wired endpoints and finally the wifi system. If the wifi system is a whole-house product, you want it running in bridge mode (ie. all routing/gateway services turned off) and only handling wireless connectivity, roaming and handoff. Both Orbi and Eero Pro can be set to run that way. Else, you could run an SMB setup such as Ubiquiti UniFi or TP-Link Omada, or the ultimate for most homes, in my opinion, Ruckus Unleashed (the usual barriers to Ruckus are perceived overkill, complexity and cost, but for anything where two, three or more dispersed radios are called for, it's a dream).

All that said, as cool as distributed wifi may seem, a single AIO is probably the right move for now. I just wanted to paint the right picture on mesh if you chose to go there now.

EDITS: Grammar

 

[Entropism]

I'm leaning towards that as well. I was going to keep the 68U in router mode, then the Orbis as APs (they can mesh like this), but I have a friend taking the Orbis off my hand for the $75 I paid.

I'm probably going to redo everything when I buy the house, and do a full bore Omada/Unifi system with multiple APs, but for now I think the 86U should do the trick.

 

[Trip]

Agreed. A good move for now. Best of luck with it!