Can I use an N66U as a bridge for my wired game consoles AND as a 5Ghz wifi repeater simultaneously?

[rrrebo]

Currently using an N66U Dark Knight as my primary router. I had a bridge for my game consoles, but it just up and died. I am thinking of buying a new Asus AC router (1750 or so, probably), and moving my N66U to the living room to be a bridge for my consoles.

What I WANT is for the N66U to be a bridge for the wired gaming consoles, AND also extend my 5Ghz signal in my living room at the same time. My previous Dlink would only do one or the other.

I have looked at many posts today, but I cannot seem to find a clear definite answer if this is possible, either with stock, Merlin, or DDWRT firmware.

 

[L&LD]

I do not think any Asus offers that with stock or RMerlin firmware (hope I'm wrong). But DD-WRT would, I'm almost 100% sure.

I would not suggest an AC1750 router today. The RT-AC66U for example has the same basic hardware as the RT-N66U you're using now and has been superseded by the RT-AC68U, ime, not to mention later models. Especially in the 5GHz band for range and throughput. You might not even need an extender, depending on how you can locate a newer router.

What I would look for in your shoes was the ability to bridge using the 2.4GHz band and offer 5GHz WiFi simultaneously.

Stock, RMerlin, john9527's or hggomes forks (based off of RMerlin's work) would offer you the highest performance because they use official Asus drivers. DD-WRT has third party (open source) drivers that do not offer the same performance, even if they enable the features you need.

Another possibility is to buy two RT-AC56U routers. Use one for the bridge. Use the other to extend both the 2.4GHz band and the 5GHz band.

The price for two RT-AC56U routers will probably be less than the price of a single RT-AC68U (be patient and find them on sale).

The RT-AC56U has the same basic hardware as the RT-AC68U except for internal and one less antennae.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/asuswrt-merlin-378-55-3_hgg-final-mod.26524/page-2#post-199549

As the above link shows, the RT-AC56U is an impressive little router. Even if it is classed as an AC1200 product, it performs at a much higher class.

 

[rrrebo]

Excellent reply, thanks! My house is only 2000 sf, but my router is in one corner. I'm going to try running some cable and mounting it closer to the middle of the house, so I may not need a 5Ghz extender, that's true. The 5Ghz gets very weak out in the yard or on the porch; the 2.4Ghz is fine everywhere. Price is also an issue, but I think I can probably swing an AC68U. If the 5Ghz radio performs better than the N66U, I'm golden. I'll just set up the N66U as a bridge and be done with it.

Thanks again!