ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE19000 from EU or order ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 PRO from US ?

[Catalinus]

With ASUS using rather misleading naming conventions it is becoming more and more difficult to get a model with very good Merlin support and I am a little behind with all the new models so apologies for the question if that was already clarified somewhere else.

It boils down to ordering either ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE19000 from a local shop with all warranty and a surprisingly good price (and I can also order it on a company account) OR order ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 PRO from US (using Amazon who seems to be fine with shipping here but with huge "import fees" = VAT).

Is GT-BE19000 supported by Merlin or by the alternative non-US branch from GNUton? Do we see any chance to be supported?

As an alternative - has anybody in EU got the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 PRO from US and is running it fine in EU with Merlin firmware?

Any alternatives?

Thank you for any feedback!

 

[ColinTaylor]

Don't import wireless routers from a different region (e.g. US to UK). The channels available and power levels are different which could cause compatibility issues with certain devices (as well as being illegal).

 

[bennor]

Is GT-BE19000 supported by Merlin or by the alternative non-US branch from GNUton? Do we see any chance to be supported?

You can see the list of Asus routers that are supported by Asus-Merlin here:
https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/about
And the list of Asus routers that are supported by GNuton here:
https://github.com/gnuton/asuswrt-merlin.ng

Neither support the GT-BE19000.

As to will the GT-BE19000 or some other unsupported router be supported at some future time, RMerlin addresses such a question in the subforum's: [FAQ] READ ME FIRST before posting a question

Q: Will you add support for model XYZ?
A: The decision whether or not to support a new model depend on a long list of factors, which may evolve over time. Right now:

- It needs to be Broadcom-based
- It needs to be widely available (not just in two or three countries)
- It needs to have high-end hardware so I don't have to fight with lack of flash or RAM
- It needs to receive frequent enough GPLs so I won't have to regularly skip it due to the GPL being outdated
- I need to have one
- I need to have the time to try supporting it
- I need to have the motivation to try supporting it

Each new model requires its own dedicated support. That means every time I work on a new firmware release, I have to work on each separate model, and I need GPL releases from Asus for each individual model, and I need to merge each of them separately. So that means if I support 10 different routers, then I need to merge in the content of 10 different GPL releases, and these need to be close enough to one another to still be compatible. The more models I support, the harder this is to accomplish, therefore I am VERY conservative regarding adding any new model.

So don't ask if/when a new model will be supported. I cannot speculate about future model support, and until I have working support for a model, I cannot answer that question.

 

[greggy101]

As I spend 50/50 time between US and EU, my routers usually go with me. Currently using 3x GT-BE98 PRO in iMesh config. without any problems in EU.

 

[Tech9]

Using them in EU with or without problems is illegal.

 

[greggy101]

Is GT-BE19000 supported by Merlin or by the alternative non-US branch from GNUton? Do we see any chance to be supported?

As an alternative - has anybody in EU got the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 PRO from US and is running it fine in EU with Merlin firmware?

There are 2 questions here. I don't see anyone asking for any advice about the legal implementations of using them in a different region.

 

[Tech9]

The main question is in the thread's title. The right answer is in post #2.