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egglestn

New Around Here
Hi
I have a rather elderly RT-AC87U that does the job ok, it streams TV & Music and all the other shiny bits of networked gear I have..But Merlin no longer supports it, and it is beginning to creak a bit..So in a home environment, and given that Christmas is coming, what would be the best router to replace it with up to say (£350 €400 $400)?
It must be able to run Merlin, It must be able to have diversion and be future proof enough, and stability and security are more important than blazing speed (Not huge gamers)

Interested to hear your 2c worth
Cheers
 
What the others said, or the AX88U, but only if you need 8 LAN ports.
 
A supplemental question, I have taken your advice and bought an RT-AX86U which should arrive tomorrow..A couple of probably silly questions, 1) Can I back up and restore my settings from the RT-AC87U? (Google seems to suggest I can, others seem to think I can't) but if I can 2) Should I, or should I do a nice fresh install and set things up from scratch, I have no objection to manually setting it up, but i am fundamentally lazy
Thanks for any input
 
RT-AX86U
Many of us recommend this router highly!
I have both the RT-AC88U and the RT-AX86U. I have to say that the RT-AX86U is a nice router, but it does not have nearly the 2.4GHz range that my RT-AC88U has. I'm assuming it's the quad external antennas, but my RT-AX86U's 2.4GHz signal craps out around 75 feet where the RT-AC88U went out to about 120 feet.
 
I wish I had known that when I made the purchase. Ah well. I may yet get an RT-AX88U and sell this one. I really like the coverage more than a little better speed in closer.
 
I may yet get an RT-AX88U and sell this one

Not sure about it. Seems like AX88U has common 2.4GHz radio issues. I've seen many threads here on SNB, mostly about bad performance. I have one AX88U in my collection and guess what isn't working. I'm looking for a donor board now for a chance to fix it.
 
A supplemental question, I have taken your advice and bought an RT-AX86U which should arrive tomorrow..A couple of probably silly questions, 1) Can I back up and restore my settings from the RT-AC87U? (Google seems to suggest I can, others seem to think I can't) but if I can 2) Should I, or should I do a nice fresh install and set things up from scratch, I have no objection to manually setting it up, but i am fundamentally lazy
Thanks for any input
The AX86U is fast enough to cut the setup time you used to experience by quite a bunch. I've been going back and forth between Asus and Merlin firmware trying to make up my mind which firmware has the features I need. I can set up from factory default in less than 10 minutes and have it running with the settings that are important. I have a few custom device icons I add but do that after the beast is up and running a while.
For now I am on Merlin with Diversion Standard. I do use DoT and DNS Filter but not the DNSSEC from the GUI. 2.4 Guest WIFI. pretty much default WIFI settings - yes, I have SmartConnect with auto channels and DFS enabled. Works very well...for me.
 
The AX86U is fast enough to cut the setup time you used to experience by quite a bunch. I've been going back and forth between Asus and Merlin firmware trying to make up my mind which firmware has the features I need. I can set up from factory default in less than 10 minutes and have it running with the settings that are important. I have a few custom device icons I add but do that after the beast is up and running a while.
For now I am on Merlin with Diversion Standard. I do use DoT and DNS Filter but not the DNSSEC from the GUI. 2.4 Guest WIFI. pretty much default WIFI settings - yes, I have SmartConnect with auto channels and DFS enabled. Works very well...for me.
I have installed the AX86U and flashed the Merlin firmware, Set up was a doddle, (10 minutes start to useable) Very happy with the performance so far, A little bit quicker on wired than previous router, Quicker wifi in general, Range is fine for me (Covers the whole house) and my sense is that it is more stable on both 2.4 & 5 GHz. Diversion was simple to set up. So happy bunny. Thanks for the help and advice
 
Good purchase, the AX86U is the new community darling, and iirc Rmerlins new favorite.
 
I also found much better WAN performance with the RT-AX86U (with its single 2.5 Gb WAN/LAN port) than its predecessor RT-AX88U (reused as wired AiMesh node). I have 1 Gbps down/35 Mbps up cable from Spectrum — the Spectrum-branded modem has a matching 2.5 Gb WAN port. I am seeing 200-300 Mbps higher WAN throughput on the RT-AX86U than the RT-AX88U. I added an inexpensive TP-Link unmanaged switch to add additional LAN ports (lost 4 ports in transition).
 
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I also found much better WAN performance with the RT-AX86U (with its single 2.5 Gb WAN/LAN port) than its predecessor RT-AX88U (reused as wired AiMesh node). I have 1 Gb down/35 Gb up cable from Spectrum — the Spectrum-branded modem has a matching 2.5 Gb WAN port. I am seeing 200-300 Mbps higher WAN throughput on the RT-AX86U than the RT-AX88U. I added an inexpensive TP-Link unmanaged switch to add additional LAN ports (lost 4 ports in transition).
What's your WAN performance measured from a wireless client about 100 or more feet from the router?
 
What's your WAN performance measured from a wireless client about 100 or more feet from the router?
That I'd have to test as I am never routinely that far unless outside. Currently, windchills are expected to hit -30ºF here tomorrow into Saturday, so it might be a bit before I venture out.
 
I also found much better WAN performance with the RT-AX86U (with its single 2.5 Gb WAN/LAN port) than its predecessor RT-AX88U (reused as wired AiMesh node). I have 1 Gb down/35 Gb up cable from Spectrum — the Spectrum-branded modem has a matching 2.5 Gb WAN port. I am seeing 200-300 Mbps higher WAN throughput on the RT-AX86U than the RT-AX88U. I added an inexpensive TP-Link unmanaged switch to add additional LAN ports (lost 4 ports in transition).
wait, you have 35gbps up? That's not a typo?
 
Another data point: I am routinely getting roughly 3 Gbps send and receive physical connection (WiFi 6ax, 160 MHz, 4 streams) between RT-AX86U primary router and RT-AX58U AiMesh node at about 50 feet.
 

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