Looking for a replacment for the RT AX86U

[JohnAsus]

Hi, its been a long while, hope your all ok. Im back with slow down problems using the nordvpn system in my Asus RTAX86U

Looking for a replacement or an addition, anybody recomend what to buy as a replacment

Must have wifi 6, greatbif it has 7 as well

Need the unit to handle NordVpn faster.

Seams if i run a test i get 20mbps then run again 2 minutes layer its 150 mbps my isp gives 350mps

So thinking, the firmwear (merlin) is no longer giving priority to Vpn or something else, i need to buy something faster for VPN mostly, all phones use this, laptops, 1 printer, 1 NAS an laptops, tablets, not all connecting same time.

Any thoughts please

Thanks again

John

 

[Ripshod]

Nord VPN runs between 200 and 362mbps (average 304mbps) on my RT-BE88U.
On a tangent:
There's a method out there to generate a wireguard config for Nord. This maxes out my 500mbit connection.
Just something to think about.

 

[kuchkovsky]

Hi, its been a long while, hope your all ok. Im back with slow down problems using the nordvpn system in my Asus RTAX86U

Looking for a replacement or an addition, anybody recomend what to buy as a replacment

Must have wifi 6, greatbif it has 7 as well

Need the unit to handle NordVpn faster.

Seams if i run a test i get 20mbps then run again 2 minutes layer its 150 mbps my isp gives 350mps

So thinking, the firmwear (merlin) is no longer giving priority to Vpn or something else, i need to buy something faster for VPN mostly, all phones use this, laptops, 1 printer, 1 NAS an laptops, tablets, not all connecting same time.

Any thoughts please

Thanks again

John

Hi. The most direct replacement for your router is the RT-BE86U (a good Wi-Fi 7 model without the 6 GHz band). It has a powerful CPU, so it should be able to handle high-speed VPN without any issues. I use the RT-BE88U, a device with similar hardware but with more LAN ports and a bit better 2.4 GHz band, and I'm able to reach around 1 Gbps over WireGuard. Another device to consider is the RT-BE92U if you want to have a model with 6 GHz, but it has worse Wi-Fi radios and a worse CPU, so I probably wouldn't recommend it for your usage scenario.

Also, I have to say that NordVPN isn't the best choice for a router. It doesn't officially provide WireGuard configuration due to its proprietary NordLynx protocol, and OpenVPN is slow by design, especially for routers. It's better to use a VPN provider like Surfshark, which provides WireGuard configurations.

 

[ColinTaylor]

So thinking, the firmwear (merlin) is no longer giving priority to Vpn or something else

It's something else. I have the same router as you. There's nothing wrong with NordVPN and the current or previous firmware. Whatever issue you're seeing is likely going to still be there on any replacement router.

 

[Ripshod]

NordLynx is based, and built, on Wireguard. The cofiguration files work on any wireguard client. Nord don't provide them directly because of the bandwidth premium, but the configs are freely available directly from Nord's servers.

 

[DAVID LONG]

NordLynx is based, and built, on Wireguard. The cofiguration files work on any wireguard client. Nord don't provide them directly because of the bandwidth premium, but the configs are freely available directly from Nord's servers.

Can you explain this in more detail? I searched but can't seem to find the information. Perhaps I'm not savvy enough to do this on my own.

 

[Ripshod]

Can you explain this in more detail? I searched but can't seem to find the information. Perhaps I'm not savvy enough to do this on my own.

Some lateral thinking is needed. These instructions assume Unifi, and a desktop client.
Apologies, I can't prove that method still works so here is the link I just followed to build a new config (requires linux)

[Instruction] Config NordVPN wireguard (Nordlynx) on OpenWrt

As you guys may know NordVPN supports wireguard for over a year now and unfortunately they're not planning to release configuration files anytime soon. I thought sharing this tutorial here so people can at least enjoy the performance of wireguard. All you need is linux machine or if you don't...

forum.openwrt.org

 

[DAVID LONG]

Some lateral thinking is needed. These instructions assume Unifi, and a desktop client.
Apologies, I can't prove that method still works so here is the link I just followed to build a new config (requires linux)

[Instruction] Config NordVPN wireguard (Nordlynx) on OpenWrt

As you guys may know NordVPN supports wireguard for over a year now and unfortunately they're not planning to release configuration files anytime soon. I thought sharing this tutorial here so people can at least enjoy the performance of wireguard. All you need is linux machine or if you don't...

forum.openwrt.org

OK, thanks anyway.

 

[ducky124]

I recently discovered an issue after updating to the latest version of NordVPN. Even though the VPN protocol was set to "Auto (recommended)," I was running into persistent connection problems. After some digging, I realized that the app was defaulting to the UDP protocol instead of intelligently selecting the best option. Once I manually changed the protocol to NordLynx, everything started working perfectly again.
For context, I'm using an ASUS AX-88U Pro, and I consistently get 900+ Mbps up and down with NordLynx, so the performance is definitely there once it’s configured correctly. If you're seeing similar issues, it's worth double-checking the protocol setting—even if it says "Auto."

 

[ColinTaylor]

I recently discovered an issue after updating to the latest version of NordVPN. Even though the VPN protocol was set to "Auto (recommended)," I was running into persistent connection problems. After some digging, I realized that the app was defaulting to the UDP protocol instead of intelligently selecting the best option. Once I manually changed the protocol to NordLynx, everything started working perfectly again.
For context, I'm using an ASUS AX-88U Pro, and I consistently get 900+ Mbps up and down with NordLynx, so the performance is definitely there once it’s configured correctly. If you're seeing similar issues, it's worth double-checking the protocol setting—even if it says "Auto."

To clarify - he's talking about the VPN client that runs on the router, not the NordVPN app that runs on a PC.

 

[Tech9]

Seams if i run a test i get 20mbps then run again 2 minutes layer its 150 mbps my isp gives 350mps

Your model router can do about 180Mbps on OpenVPN. Lower of fluctuating speed may be external factor and a new router won't fix this. NordVPN doesn't guarantee speed. Server with high load will slow down everyone connected. There is a chance you'll waste money on potential fix and the final result will be exactly the same. This all-network VPN idea is self-inflicted damage. It's nothing more than replacing physical ISP with virtual ISP with aggressive scare tactics advertising. They want your credit card number.

 

[heysoundude]

Your model router can do about 180Mbps on OpenVPN. Lower of fluctuating speed may be external factor and a new router won't fix this. NordVPN doesn't guarantee speed. Server with high load will slow down everyone connected. There is a chance you'll waste money on potential fix and the final result will be exactly the same. This all-network VPN idea is self-inflicted damage. It's nothing more than replacing physical ISP with virtual ISP with aggressive scare tactics advertising. They want your credit card number.

what if they pay with cryptocurrency? Plenty of ways to obfuscate if not eliminate any identifying info depending on the coin used

 

[Tech9]

what if they pay with cryptocurrency?

Payment method in not the only user ID.