Asus RT AC5300 died. Should I upgrade / repair / repurchase?

[xavvypls]

So a few days ago a my Asus RT AC5300 died in a power outage / power surge when lightning struck a powerline near my home. I had no problems with this router and it's been an amazing 4 years of use with it. So here's my dilemma.

I contacted ASUS about it and they said that since it's not under warranty I'll have to pay $35 for a diagnostic first for them to give me a quote. Not sure how much they will charge to repair my pre-existing one.

I read about the newer GT5300 models and it looks to be slightly more expensive for better performance. I never had a GT version before, just the RT one.

The RT models I'm familiar with, but I'm willing to upgrade if the price is worth it, I have Spectrum Gig internet and would like to take the most advantage of those speeds.

So my question. Should I purchase a new one of the same model? Should I try to repair the existing one I have? Or should I upgrade to the GT AC5300? Or is there a better router you guys would recommend for high performance gaming / streaming? I have about a $400 budget, so I suppose that gives me some wiggle room in terms of what I can afford.

Thanks!

 

[degrub]

have you tried a replacement wall wart power supply ?
or do you know that the router itself fried ?
Anything else on your network get hit ?

 

[xavvypls]

have you tried a replacement wall wart power supply ?
or do you know that the router itself fried ?
Anything else on your network get hit ?

I didn't get a Wall Wart one, but I did get this one just to test:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JTZOCR8/?tag=snbforums-20

And of course there was no response / no lights coming on on the unit. But I am more than willing to try a different power supply if that one wasn't compatible (looked at the voltages and what not and some reccomending this one as a replacement which was why I bought this one, but if it's just a compatibility issue with the power supply itself, that may be worth looking into) Any recommendations?

And in terms of other damage, from what I can see the cable modem from my ISP, one of my Laptop's audio jack, nintendo switch dock, smart watch charger, and my nvidia shield. I'm guessing that it was an EMP that caused this, due to how some electronics were affected and other's weren't but it's worth mentioning that all of the items that were affected were 1) using those power brick ac adapter plug thingies and 2) the one's that were using just a regular plug weren't at all affected from what I can see.

 

[Trip]

Assuming you're 100% certain it's the unit itself, per @degrub 's suggestion, I wouldn't waste your time or sanity with Asus support, nor the fee (in any amount) they would charge you just to tell you everything you likely already know.

It's probably just time to buy a replacement. If you're set on an Asus AIO because it's a known quantity that just works, then by all means pull the trigger. For $300-400, I'd rather setup a wired router with integrated L2 switch (<$200) and discrete AP(s) (<$200), but I can understand the appeal of an all-in-one.

 

[xavvypls]

Assuming you're 100% certain it's the unit itself, per @degrub 's suggestion, I wouldn't waste your time or sanity with Asus support, nor the fee (in any amount) they would charge you just to tell you everything you likely already know.

It's probably just time to buy a replacement. If you're set on an Asus AIO because it's a known quantity that just works, then by all means pull the trigger. For $300-400, I'd rather setup a wired router with integrated L2 switch (<$200) and discrete AP(s) (<$200), but I can understand the appeal of an all-in-one.

Thanks for the responses guys! I'm curious! What would be the benefits of a router with switch + AP combo vs an AIO?

 

[degrub]

I didn't get a Wall Wart one, but I did get this one just to test:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JTZOCR8/?tag=snbforums-20

And of course there was no response / no lights coming on on the unit. But I am more than willing to try a different power supply if that one wasn't compatible (looked at the voltages and what not and some reccomending this one as a replacement which was why I bought this one, but if it's just a compatibility issue with the power supply itself, that may be worth looking into) Any recommendations?

And in terms of other damage, from what I can see the cable modem from my ISP, one of my Laptop's audio jack, nintendo switch dock, smart watch charger, and my nvidia shield. I'm guessing that it was an EMP that caused this, due to how some electronics were affected and other's weren't but it's worth mentioning that all of the items that were affected were 1) using those power brick ac adapter plug thingies and 2) the one's that were using just a regular plug weren't at all affected from what I can see.

if the replacement matched the output DC voltage, met or exceeded the output DC current, and the connector to the unit was the same, then yeah, the router is likely dead. You could try a hard factory reset as well. Occasionally that works.

BTW, "wall wart" is not a brand, just a description - they look like a wart on the wall.

 

[degrub]

Thanks for the responses guys! I'm curious! What would be the benefits of a router with switch + AP combo vs an AIO?

You can keep the router where you need it and place the APs where you get best coverage and signal level.
if that is not an issue, then no advantage other than geekiness and control.

 

[xavvypls]

BTW, "wall wart" is not a brand, just a description - they look like a wart on the wall.

Oh haha gotcha, that makes sense, I can never remember the nicknames of these things, so I usually just refer to them as "block plugs" or "fat plugs". XD

if the replacement matched the output DC voltage, met or exceeded the output DC current, and the connector to the unit was the same, then yeah, the router is likely dead. You could try a hard factory reset as well. Occasionally that works.

That seems to be the case I suppose, which sucks!!! I didn't notice any smoke / debris / strange sounds coming from it either (in constrast to a very audible staticy "pop" and buzz coming from my audio jack when I plug headphones into it.) So I'll see if a factory reset would work. I WILL say that I still haven't tried resetting the router, mainly because I completely forgot it had one (lmao) so maybe there's some hope! I'll try that as soon as I get home and post an update

You can keep the router where you need it and place the APs where you get best coverage and signal level.
if that is not an issue, then no advantage other than geekiness and control.

Okay makes sense, I do have this wifi extender. Which worked pretty well so I think I'll just stick with an AIO (in part because I'm terrible at trying to hook up those sort of things lol)

Also it looks like my best bet would be to go for a new router. So assuming that my router is infact dead. Would you guys recommend I just buy another RT5300? or should I go ahead and upgrade to a GT5300? I haven't seen many comparisons between the two, outside of UI, ram and more ethernet ports on the GT model (is that right?). Do you think if I go for the GT model, would it be just as reliable?

 

[JemTheWire]

Don’t forget that AFAIK, Merlin FW is not available for the GT models, so if you do plan to run Merlin now or any time in the future, steer of the GT’s

 

[xavvypls]

Don’t forget that AFAIK, Merlin FW is not available for the GT models, so if you do plan to run Merlin now or any time in the future, steer of the GT’s

That's a good point. I haven't heard of Merlin until today, but looking it up it seems like a really great firmware.

 

[xavvypls]

So I went ahead and tried factory resetting my old Asus RT AC5300, and low and behold... It's indeed dead! lol.

Which is fine. I decided to just buy another. Fortunately I was able to find a lightly used one for $206 ($191 + tax and shipping) from Amazon. I figured that I can bite the bullet of not having 8 ethernet ports or Wifi 6 capabilities with a router I already have been familiar with and had a great experience using. Finding out that I can also install Merlin's Firmware on it was the icing on the cake as well (heard great things about it, so I'm excited to try to install it on my own router for the first time once I get a chance!) Also it's just half of my actual budget, which is awesome!

The ISP tech guy from Spectrum should be coming to my home on Tuesday, so Hopefully I'll be up and running again by that time. I'll have to get you guys to help me ensure the installation goes smoothly as well once it does in case I somehow fudge up the instructions!

Anyway thanks again loves! I also bought myself a UPS instead of a surge protector and renters insurance to make triple sure this type of thing doesn't happen again! In honor of my previous router, if that freak accident happens again, it shall be avenged!

 

[JemTheWire]

Yeah. Sometimes the best is what you already have (had). Hope it all goes well.
And once Merlin had cast his spell...

 

[Trip]

$200 for the replacement is pretty decent; well done there. Merlin firmware is also a good move, the focus being reliability, updated sub-components and small feature additions; so it's not a whole lot different than stock, but should give you the smoothest experience possible on that code base.

 

[COBOL-Coder]

So a few days ago a my Asus RT AC5300 died in a power outage / power surge when lightning struck a powerline near my home. I had no problems with this router and it's been an amazing 4 years of use with it. So here's my dilemma.

I contacted ASUS about it and they said that since it's not under warranty I'll have to pay $35 for a diagnostic first for them to give me a quote. Not sure how much they will charge to repair my pre-existing one.

I read about the newer GT5300 models and it looks to be slightly more expensive for better performance. I never had a GT version before, just the RT one.

The RT models I'm familiar with, but I'm willing to upgrade if the price is worth it, I have Spectrum Gig internet and would like to take the most advantage of those speeds.

So my question. Should I purchase a new one of the same model? Should I try to repair the existing one I have? Or should I upgrade to the GT AC5300? Or is there a better router you guys would recommend for high performance gaming / streaming? I have about a $400 budget, so I suppose that gives me some wiggle room in terms of what I can afford.

Thanks!

With regards to selecting the GT 5300 vs RT 5300, should you determine to purchase a new router (lots has happened in 4 years) understand that the GT version, with 8 lan ports and other differences is pretty much designed for serious gamers. The RT on the other hand, with the traditional 4 lan, 1 wan ports would be more like the router you have now with lots of improvments. I paid $239 for mine and I believe they can now be had for less through Amazon and Newegg.

 

[degrub]

Yeah. Sometimes the best is what you already have (had). Hope it all goes well.
And once Merlin had cast his spell...

Moody Blues

 

[xavvypls]

Back a few days later. The ISP tech came in and got me back online with a new modem (turns out my pre-existing modem was also a dinosaur so they swapped it out with a new model), and in the same day my router came in (Asus RT5300). I went ahead and flashed Merlin onto it and everything went absolutely buttery smooth!

In the meantime I have my UPS charging so the next day I can go ahead and plug everything into it. It's been an amazing experience thus far and thanks everyone for helping to point me in the right direction! I'm officially part of the Merlin gang now!