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GT-AC5300 vs RT-AC86U

czrabode

Occasional Visitor
Hi. I have an ATT gigabit connection and a house prewired for CAT5.

I was thinking of getting a GT-AC5300 (and maybe a second one in AP mode) but got scared about the reviews on it so I am instead thinking of getting an RC-AC86U (and maybe a second one in AP mode).

But do you think I will hit bottlenecks with the AC86U since I have a gigabit connection?

Will I see significantly different real world performances between the two?


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Hi. I have an ATT gigabit connection and a house prewired for CAT5.

I was thinking of getting a GT-AC5300 (and maybe a second one in AP mode) but got scared about the reviews on it so I am instead thinking of getting an RC-AC86U (and maybe a second one in AP mode).

But do you think I will hit bottlenecks with the AC86U since I have a gigabit connection?

Will I see significantly different real world performances between the two?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I tried both and my opinion is the GT is overrated and not worth the additional $200. The 86u in my tests had better range (not much but it was less). Very happy with the 86u I have.
 
AC86U definitely not a bottleneck for handling a GB WAN connection. Its quite capable. Main advantage of the AC5300 is if you have many wireless clients connecting. The second 5 GHz band will allow better distribution of the wireless bandwidth among many clients.
 
I agree. As far as VPN speeds go, they both perform extremely well but if you want to use Merlin's firmware and be able to use other programs such as AB solution, Skynet then AC86U is the router to go with. There is no Merlin's FW for GT-AC5300, only stock FW:(.
 
AC86U definitely not a bottleneck for handling a GB WAN connection. Its quite capable. Main advantage of the AC5300 is if you have many wireless clients connecting. The second 5 GHz band will allow better distribution of the wireless bandwidth among many clients.

I do have 35 devices connected.

Is the GT stable enough these days?


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Interesting...I have a similar amount of devices too. Frankly, I have not any dropped connection or other issues so far. I know there have been quite a few mixed reactions about it in the "ROG owners" thread...https://www.snbforums.com/threads/rog-rapture-gt-ac5300-owners.38794/.

It is a workhorse when it comes to VPN and the speeds have been quite good (98% to those offered by my ISP). I do miss Merlin's FW and don't care much for the ROG interface but I am willing to stick with this for a while. I wish there was Merlin's FW for it but I realize that will not be an option.
 
I do have 35 devices connected.

Is the GT stable enough these days?


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All or nearly all are wireless? If they are distributed around your house, then definitely consider two AC86U's with the second operating in AP mode. It would be better than a single GT-AC5300.
 
Last edited:
All or nearly all are wireless? If they are distributed around your house, then definitely consider two AC86U's with the second operating in AP mode. I would be better than a single GT-AC5300.

Yes I would say 90% of them are wireless and they all seem to be connected at all times. Have not needed to reboot this router at all so far.


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Have you guys not have had wireless signal drop randomly on the 86U ?
I had this and I returned it in yesterday after having owned it for a week. So now I am on the lookout for a new router but just wondering if I got a bad piece and if I should give 86U another chance given that it is on sale at Staples in my area.
 
I have two AC86U's. The first one that I still have and use as my primary router dropped the 5 GHz signal a few times when it was brand new (back in January 2018) on the as-received firmware, but then I haven't had any issues since then. I can't remember if upgrading the firmware or doing a full reset fixed it. The second one that I bought that serves as my AP has been perfect since day one. Both are completely stable in all respects. No odd log entries, no unexplained reboots. They just run and run.
 
Same here. Bought my 86U last December. Immediately flashed Merlin's F/W and not a single issue. I did get tripped up one time when it chose 192.168.50.1 as it's IP address after a reset.
 

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