ASUS RT-AC66R/U

[NyCShadow]

Hi all, I'm new here and needed some help/advice on my Asus router, what is the best setup to get the best range from this router, I have a 1800 sq ft house and the router is setup in the kitchen on one side of the house and cant get a decent signal on the other side of the house where the master bedroom is, I havent changed anything special in the settings of the router other than forwarding ports and setting up the wireless. I was thinking of upgrading the firmware to the newest Merlin fw but before I do that I was wondering if anyone had any input on how (if any) to setup the router to get the best signal.

 

[microchip]

You can't really boost the wifi range of the router, even if you force a higher transmit power. Best is to get an AP and use that to extend the range in your house. Changing firmware won't get you any better range. If AP is not an option, re-position the router to the center of your house

 

[NyCShadow]

You can't really boost the wifi range of the router, even if you force a higher transmit power. Best is to get an AP and use that to extend the range in your house. Changing firmware won't get you any better range. If AP is not an option, re-position the router to the center of your house

So with the access point I can put it anywhere in the house and connect to my router wireless, dont want to have to run cable to the AP from the router if I want to set it up in the living room. I thought I would need a range extender instead of an AP or are those 2 the same (sorry noobish when it comes to networking stuff)

 

[microchip]

So with the access point I can put it anywhere in the house and connect to my router wireless, dont want to have to run cable to the AP from the router if I want to set it up in the living room. I thought I would need a range extender instead of an AP or are those 2 the same (sorry noobish when it comes to networking stuff)

If you don't want cable, then yes. A range extender is the option, also called repeater

access point = uses a cable connected to the main router to extend range
range extender/repeater = connects wirelessly to the router to extend the wifi range

PS: both AP and repeater/range extender do the same thing, the diff is that one uses a cable, the other uses the existing wifi signal

 

[NyCShadow]

If you don't want cable, then yes. A range extender is the option, also called repeater

access point = uses a cable connected to the main router to extend range
range extender/repeater = connects wirelessly to the router to extend the wifi range

PS: both AP and repeater/range extender do the same thing, the diff is that one uses a cable, the other uses the existing wifi signal

Makes sense now thank you for clarifying, I will look for a range extender just for the purpose of not having to run cable anywhere. Now as far as fw, is the merlin fw any better than the most updated asus fw?

 

[microchip]

Makes sense now thank you for clarifying, I will look for a range extender just for the purpose of not having to run cable anywhere. Now as far as fw, is the merlin fw any better than the most updated asus fw?

Well, Merlin's FW is very popular on here (I use it myself). It mostly fixes bugs (which end up being fixed in an upcoming ASUS FW) and improves other things. It also exposes some features that are not exposed by the original FW. ASUS often merges stuff Merlin fixes/improves in their future FW.

I'd recommend Merlin's FW as I've never had issues with it. But, I also never had issues with the official FW.

 

[NyCShadow]

Well, Merlin's FW is very popular on here (I use it myself). It mostly fixes bugs (which end up being fixed in an upcoming ASUS FW) and improves other things. It also exposes some features that are not exposed by the original FW. ASUS often merges stuff Merlin fixes/improves in their future FW.

I'd recommend Merlin's FW as I've never had issues with it. But, I also never had issues with the official FW.

I'll try it out tonight, I can just upload the Merlin fw straight over the existing ASUS firmware, or do I need to reset it to factory default then load the Merlin FW? I have the most updated ASUS firmware installed.

 

[microchip]

I'll try it out tonight, I can just upload the Merlin fw straight over the existing ASUS firmware, or do I need to reset it to factory default then load the Merlin FW? I have the most updated ASUS firmware installed.

Lots of people will recommend a factory reset. I've never done that myself and just flash the Merlin's FW on top of the ASUS one. Not had a single problem doing it that way