AX86U Pro vs BE86U

[ILikeTea]

Hello, so I don't necessarily need Wi-Fi 7 but there seems to be a stock issue at the monent for the well regarded AX86U Pro in the UK, I never see it in stock anywhere for RRP, but I can get the BE86U for about £200.
Just wanted to make sure it's a good buy as I'll be keeping it for years with Merlin firmware. Correct me if I'm wrong, based on the specs it seems it should perform just as well as the AX86U Pro with better port selection? Nothing horribly wrong with the BE86U is there other than maybe a few bugs due to early firmware?

AX86U Pro (Broadcom BCM4912) - 2.0GHz quad-core processor, 256 MB Flash and 1 GB RAM, 1 x 2.5GB for WAN/LAN, 1 x 1GB for WAN/LAN, 4 x 1GB for LAN

BE86U (Broadcom BCM4916) - 2.6GHz quad-core processor, 256 MB Flash and 1 GB RAM, 1 x 10G for WAN/LAN, 1 x 2.5G for WAN/LAN, 3 x 2.5G for LAN

Thanks.

 

[eastavin]

Hello, so I don't necessarily need Wi-Fi 7 but there seems to be a stock issue at the monent for the well regarded AX86U Pro in the UK, I never see it in stock anywhere for RRP, but I can get the BE86U for about £200.

Interesting. I was looking for a ax86u Pro and everyone in Canada is out of stock too. Maybe they want to EOL the AX series over at Asus? I did a comparision of product reviews on the web versus comments here on SNB about the BE series and they seem to be 180 degrees out of sync. The web review from publishers says it is a fast reliable product, yet the comments here seem to suggest that if you are straying away from the middle of the road mainstream web surfing the BE might not yet be ready.

 

[setaylor]

I replaced an AX86 Pro with a BE88. The BE88 works fine EXCEPT the wireless signal drops off in a noticeably shorter distance. All other environmental variables are the same. The BE88 doesn't quite have the same throw.

 

[bbunge]

I strongly recommend an AX86U Pro, or an AX88U Pro, over any WIFI 7 router. Even an older AX86U would be a better choice. These for stability, bandwidth and range.

 

[ILikeTea]

Yeah it's a bit odd, Amazon, Scan, Overclockers, Currys, Box, AX86U/AX86U Pro all out of stock have been for a while

I was eyeing up a Flint 2 (GL-MT6000) as it seems a good price for having 2.5GB WAN/LAN ports, but I haven't used them before and unsure about the firmware

 

[Tech9]

AX86U Pro (Broadcom BCM4908)

BCM4912

 

[bennor]

AX86U Pro (Broadcom BCM4908)

The Asus RT-AX86U (non pro) has the Broadcom BCM4908 (ps: running @ 1.8GHz). The RT-AX86U Pro comes with the Broadcom BCM4912.

 

[ILikeTea]

ah thanks, updated

 

[jpthsd]

I strongly recommend an AX86U Pro, or an AX88U Pro, over any WIFI 7 router. Even an older AX86U would be a better choice. These for stability, bandwidth and range.

Yep, with stability, strong coverage, AX86U is on top. I'm running AiMesh network by RT-AX86U (x3) at my house 2400 sqft for 4+ years without any downside, major hiccups (only 1 times that main AX86U did not want to be AiMesh router, I switched it to be AiMesh node and made another AiMesh Router) and continue running till day (just purchased 1 x used AX86U Pro for being a backup and 1 x used AX86U for using as Aimesh Node, of course I stress-tested them by connecting the used router to my PoE security camera 24/7 network loads to confirm the used AX86U has no issue!)


If you'd like stability, normal fast Wifi 6 (5Ghz) wireless router, get Ax86U , no regret (it's good to run another 2 or 3 years until BE86U's stabilized enough to replace AX86U)! Good luck!

 

[Tech9]

Yep, with stability, strong coverage, AX86U is on top.

Your model RT-AX86U is different hardware device than the routers discussed in this thread and runs on different software branch. There is no direct comparison for performance or reliability. Just a similar model number, all the rest is unrelated.

 

[ILikeTea]

Quick question, the RT-AX58U V2 (released January 2022), when is EOL for this model? Longer than V1 (released January 2019) or same time?
I know the V2 doesn't support Merlin but I figured using stock ASUS firmware is still much better than my ISP junk box if I can't get my hands on an AX86U Pro yet