ax86u vs ax88u Pro vs GT-ax6000 vs GT-ax11000

[L&LD]

The power consumption of the router is effectively irrelevant if you need online access 24/7. It is as low as possible for the performance it offers.

I would find it hard to believe the GT-AX6000 uses 4 watts more than the RT-AX86U in identical workloads.

 

[mister]

Thank you about the comment. Because I am just be able to measure the rtAC86u power consumption at home, I can't say anything regarding the other discussed routers. I found the consumption of the gt-ax6000 in a public review.
I just read the discussion here and to be honest I do not see a lot of differences between the ax88 pro and gt-ax6000.
So I am not sure, which of these routers will substitute my rtAC86u. Currently I am hoping that he will stay alive a little bit longer although the cpu temperture is constant about 75°C...
One point for me is the power consumption, because I don't use the router for gaming reasons, just for office, openvpn (server and client) and streaming.
The wifi range at 2,4 Ghz is one important point as well.
Regarding this, what would be your favourite?
Hugo

 

[L&LD]

My favorites are always the models that I have used myself and have a long history (with me) of solid, stable, and performant operation (at least 6 months). That would be the GT-AX6000 right now.

75C isn't hot for these routers. Their SoCs are rated somewhere around 120C (even though you will see network glitches at temps closer to 95C to 100C.

If the power consumption is that important, you can put the router on a cheap timer that can turn it on/off multiple times a day. I believe though that would be hurting your equipment more than any benefits you'd get from lower electricity costs.

 

[mister]

My favorites are always the models that I have used myself and have a long history (with me) of solid, stable, and performant operation (at least 6 months). That would be the GT-AX6000 right now.

75C isn't hot for these routers. Their SoCs are rated somewhere around 120C (even though you will see network glitches at temps closer to 95C to 100C.

If the power consumption is that important, you can put the router on a cheap timer that can turn it on/off multiple times a day. I believe though that would be hurting your equipment more than any benefits you'd get from lower electricity costs.

Thanks a lot for your opinion. I appreciate it very much. I read about temperature problems with the ac86u , thats why I inform myself about potential substitution candidates.
Thanks again. Hugo

 

[Helder Santos]

Sorry but I never metered their power.
And now I just sold my two ax88u.

 

[SuperFreaky]

I just got an insane deal on the gt-ax6000 brand new $340 aud ($220 usd).
Returned my Ax86u pro I recently got off Amazon as it was more expensive. Big win for me

 

[Helder Santos]

I'm waiting for another deal to buy a second one and set it in mesh!

Enjoy!

 

[torstein]

And that $100 price difference evaporates quickly when you add in the 2.5GbE additional Port, and the fact that the RT-AX86U isn't getting any 3.0.0.6.xxx firmware updates at all (effectively dead, to me). Not to mention the better CPU, Radios, and the fact that 3+ years from now, that $100 or less price difference will be long forgotten (and worth more like a $300 price difference to me, today, given the above).

Will the AX11000 get the 3.0.0.6? Or is it being cut off as well like ax86u? And why are they being cut off? Arent they good routers capa le pf running the newest firmware or is it just sneaky tactics from asus to sell new routers? What does this mean for merlinwrt? Will ax86u (non pro) soon be obsolete and EOL? I bought the ax867 spcifically bevause i suspected it would get many years of firmware, longer than thei other models due to popularity.

 

[SuperFreaky]

Will the AX11000 get the 3.0.0.6? Or is it being cut off as well like ax86u? And why are they being cut off? Arent they good routers capa le pf running the newest firmware or is it just sneaky tactics from asus to sell new routers? What does this mean for merlinwrt? Will ax86u (non pro) soon be obsolete and EOL? I bought the ax867 spcifically bevause i suspected it would get many years of firmware, longer than thei other models due to popularity.

Ax86u no longer sold retail in Australia i don’t know about other countries
Ax86u pro is now all you can buy

 

[L&LD]

Will the AX11000 get the 3.0.0.6? Or is it being cut off as well like ax86u? And why are they being cut off? Arent they good routers capa le pf running the newest firmware or is it just sneaky tactics from asus to sell new routers? What does this mean for merlinwrt? Will ax86u (non pro) soon be obsolete and EOL? I bought the ax867 spcifically bevause i suspected it would get many years of firmware, longer than thei other models due to popularity.

I don't have any info on that. But that model has never been a compelling purchase option.

Business decisions aren't based on what a corporation can offer to the customers, or is based on what they can do (or, think they can do) for the shareholders.

The non-pro RT-AX86U may not be obsolete or EOL, but buying one new today is a false economy.

I don't know what model the 'ax867' is, but popularity isn't a reason for long support, nor is a high price either. The days of expecting RT-AC68U levels of support (9 years and counting) are long gone. I believe that was always tied to the fact that AC class WiFi was stagnant.

With WiFi 7 here, wireless development may plateau again and we may see the situation repeat once more. With the current and/or the Gen 2 WiFi 7 routers to continue to be relevant into the next decade.

But I wouldn't hold my breathe for that to happen. The manufacturers are making too much money when the WiFi standards get updated (incrementally, or substantially).

 

[torstein]

I don't know what model the 'ax867' is.

Soory, typo, meant AX86U.

The days of expecting RT-AC68U levels of support (9 years and counting) are long gone.

That's precisely the router I was thinking of. It was my first Asus, and I remember reading somehwere here that Asus apparantly kept supporting it due to its popularity and units sold. That and the AC86U, so I naturally assumed AX68U and AX86U would follow suit. I guess that's not the case? The AC68U long life is a one time thing?

Makes you wonder, if our Wifi-equipment is so short lived and relatively swiftly replaced, what's the point of getting several hundred dollars / close to four figures deep into expensive AXE-mesh-systems, when in two years time everything is obsolete because Samsung and Apple's new phones are WiFi7.

I hope you're right about WiFi7 - that it will be the new long term support version like AC. WiFi7 seems like what WiFi should have been from the start - one client being able to utilise all radios all at once.

 

[L&LD]

I don't upgrade my routers because of what my phone may (or may not) be capable of.

I test new models against what I currently have and if I see real improvements to my use, and I can sell the old equipment at a good price, only then do I even consider upgrading.

Yes, close to four figures to routers seems insane. But spending three figures to feed three people is also insane. That is why I only consider purchasing items when on sale (and they have to be really good sales). The price I can't control. But what I can control is what I spend things on.

I didn't upgrade my network this past decade to have 'WiFi x' level hardware. I upgraded because each move made a real difference to my internet/network use. And to me, that is all that counts.

I don't buy into marketing claims, nor their '3x faster...' promises. I don't buy hardware that isn't at a certain level (vs. what is available at the time of purchase, i.e. I like 'balanced' hardware), and I don't buy (or not buy) certain services because of the common chanted mantra of 'I won't use it fully' (I don't use electricity, fuel, or any other resources fully either...). I test, and if I find benefits for my use, I buy.

Sometimes that means spending more than I expected. With services (ISP speeds, specifically, usually that means I spend less (for more).

What I notice with the better (balanced) hardware and superior (Fibre, symmetrical) ISP speeds is a lower latency to my online sites. Faster downloads (when I need to do that) are just a bonus.

With WiFi 7 client devices coming online in the next few months, I too expect a noticeable performance increase in my network usage (when I have those clients myself). However, as I stated above already, I don't expect the standards to stay stagnant either (they can't), so the treadmill cycle will continue.