ASUS AC86U replacement , 2.5 Gb lan .

[ColHut]

Hello,

Nearly time to replace the above unit with something else that is not EOL and supports ASUSwrt-Merlin, and also has 2.5 Gb lan support. We are nearly into 2026. Any recommendations/ new recommendations?

regards.

 

[degrub]

Have you searched the forum ? There have been many topics on this exact question.

 

[ColHut]

Yes thankyou. Quite informative. But time is moving on and the last few subjects are 6/12 months old. I don’t want to be stuck with something going EoL in the next couple of years but YMMV here.

 

[Tech9]

Any recommendations

ASUS model numbers are actually upgrade suggestion:

RT-AC86U -> RT-AX86U -> RT AX86U Pro -> RT-BE86U
RT-AC88U -> RT-AX88U -> RT-AX88U Pro -> RT-BE88U

If you want to test your luck with Wi-Fi 7 tri-band - RT-BE96U

and supports ASUSwrt-Merlin

List of supported models here:

About | Asuswrt-Merlin

www.asuswrt-merlin.net

 

[ColHut]

An option is just to use it as an access Point and simply put a wired router in front of it?

 

[Tech9]

Yes, but not very good one in my opinion. You are going to have two devices instead of one, RT-AC86U is known for above average failure rate than other ASUS models, it's few generations behind in Wi-Fi technology. It also doesn't support VLANs and popular today Guest Networks and IoT Networks may not work the way you may want. Get an RT-BE86U as direct replacement model, but avoid RT-BE92U due to not great user feedback here around SNB Forums. You also have to know all BE-class ASUS routers come with broken Trend Micro bwdpi engine and some related to it features may not work. The most affected is Adaptive QoS, perhaps Parental Controls comes next.

The best price/performance home All-in-One model is not ASUS, but GL.iNet GL-MT6000 running OpenWrt. It offers excellent features set covering most of Asuswrt-Merlin features plus some of the custom scripts features out of the box for $140 (current Amazon US price). Will have some WebUI learning curve, but good choice on a budget. Wi-Fi 6 with 2x 2.5GbE ports.

 

[Tech9]

In case you are in the US - this one is also a good AIO device with advanced SMB features:

Microcenter is still selling Dream Router 7 at $229

Today, November 3rd, 2025. I went to my local Microcenter. They had over three dozen Dream Router 7, priced at $229. Microcenter had Dream Router 7 all over the place in Network section of the store, on the shelfs and in wire bins, as if it was a last year $20 model. The router is packaged in...

www.snbforums.com

 

[bennor]

Yes thankyou. Quite informative. But time is moving on and the last few subjects are 6/12 months old. I don’t want to be stuck with something going EoL in the next couple of years but YMMV here.

Searching and reading recent past discussions on replacement routers IS quite informative. You get a feel for which recent Asus routers may have issues or working out their teething problems, or in rare cases which one has a abnormally high failure rate. There is no guarantee with any router manufacturer that their brand new router model won't go EOL in the next couple of years. Most routers do not have the 10+ years of support that Asus provided routers like the RT-AC68U. Instead one typically can expect 3-5 years of router firmware support, sometimes longer if they're lucky.

Additionally those past discussions would, as @Tech9 mentions above, provide other manufacturer's routers like GL.iNet routers that may be worth looking at. But as you said, YMMV.

 

[heysoundude]

Hello,

Nearly time to replace the above unit with something else that is not EOL and supports ASUSwrt-Merlin, and also has 2.5 Gb lan support. We are nearly into 2026. Any recommendations/ new recommendations?

regards.

Sidestep (away from Asus/Merlin, but you didn’t specify why it’s a requirement):

RB5009UG+S+IN | MikroTik

The ultimate heavy-duty home lab router with USB 3.0, 1G and 2.5G Ethernet and a 10G SFP+ cage. You can mount four of these new routers in a single 1U rackmount space! Unprecedented processing power in such a small form factor.

mikrotik.com

It has a brother that’s PoE out on all ports, which I would connect to as many https://mikrotik.com/product/hap_ax_s
as you need for wireless coverage…or other APs. Ubiquiti’s u7 stuff gets you into wifi 7 in that dept if you want to get +/- a decade of service

Benefit of this method is upgrading only the APs as that technology evolves. Make your wiring Cat6 and keep lengths <30m, and once it’s all in place and configured, just use it.

 

[lgkahn]

Yes, but not very good one in my opinion. You are going to have two devices instead of one, RT-AC86U is known for above average failure rate than other ASUS models, it's few generations behind in Wi-Fi technology. It also doesn't support VLANs and popular today Guest Networks and IoT Networks may not work the way you may want. Get an RT-BE86U as direct replacement model, but avoid RT-BE92U due to not great user feedback here around SNB Forums. You also have to know all BE-class ASUS routers come with broken Trend Micro bwdpi engine and some related to it features may not work. The most affected is Adaptive QoS, perhaps Parental Controls comes next.

The best price/performance home All-in-One model is not ASUS, but GL.iNet GL-MT6000 running OpenWrt. It offers excellent features set covering most of Asuswrt-Merlin features plus some of the custom scripts features out of the box for $140 (current Amazon US price). Will have some WebUI learning curve, but good choice on a budget. Wi-Fi 6 with 2x 2.5GbE ports.

i have a flint 2 above working fine.. but that is not wifi 7. you have not stated what type of wifi and bands you want or need.

 

[Mutzli]

How about the RT-BE92U. It was down to US$ 176.00 on black Friday. It comes with the latest WiFi and four 2.5GbE and one 10GbE ports.

 

[lgkahn]

if you dont need 6ghz (which is why i asked) the be88u is a more powerfull router than the 92u better ports sftp+, faster cpu, more memory etc

 

[machinist]

How about the RT-BE92U. It was down to US$ 176.00 on black Friday. It comes with the latest WiFi and four 2.5GbE and one 10GbE ports.

Get an RT-BE86U as direct replacement model, but avoid RT-BE92U due to not great user feedback here around SNB Forums.

I've seen a few of these comments around here as well, must be something to it

 

[Tech9]

How about the RT-BE92U.

Make sure you don't miss the return window in case it doesn't work as advertised. Still broken bwdpi engine since introduction which transitions to straight false advertising already. All popular current ASUS BE-class models affected with perhaps AI monster exception. Your call. Don't limit your choices to single vendor.

 

[ColHut]

Thankyou all for your input.

I run a few local NAS devices and several PCs/laptops as well as have some remote clients and NAS. I would prefer a full 10Gb Lan but I choked on the cost at the time given limited number SSD drives I then used. I have compromised on 2.5Gb for LAN. I could do with a much better wifi connection for ipads and laptops but that is complicated by a lot of solid walls. I am upgrading the WAN to a 500 or 1000Mb connection but than is accommodated by pretty much any router these days. I was also hoping to reduce the number of switches and bits I have but adding an AP would not help here but would allow me to relocate the router from the wifi. All in all a bit of a mess. I quite like the Merlin firmware so would prefer to stick with it but might be time to move on.

regards

 

[degrub]

Have a look at Ubiquity or TP-Link Omada SMB grade equipment. You won't regret a move to SMB if you value reliability and set and forget.

 

[ColHut]

Maybe a Ubiquiti Dream Router 7, Wi-Fi 7 which looks close to the BE86U.

 

[Wrkdbf_Guy]

I've had a very good experience with my ASUS RT-AX86U PRO, which has the 2.5Gb LAN port you need.

 

[Tech9]

ASUS RT-AX86U PRO

This model is most likely discontinued, hard to find lately. The single 2.5GbE port is kind of useless. Makes some sense only when used as WAN for aggregate traffic to LAN and WLAN.

 

[bennor]

I've had a very good experience with my ASUS RT-AX86U PRO, which has the 2.5Gb LAN port you need.

The RT-AX86U Pro was introduced in late 2022 (approx 3 years ago) and like Tech9 indicates is getting hard to find in stock at major retailers (in-store and online) at least in the United States. It has been surpassed by newer models, many or most of which, have more than one 2.5Gb port (for WAN and LAN) vs the RT-AX86U Pro's single 2.5Gb WAN/LAN port.