My RT-N66U died, is the RT-AC1900P a worthy successor?

[Apav]

Hi guys,

So I've owned my RT-N66U for almost five years. Besides it feeling scalding hot to the touch, I've had absolutely no problems with it. Never figured out why it was so hot, it was sitting on top of my desk with plenty of airflow (in NY, so room temperature was never too hot), but it probably died from overheating. I'm looking to get a replacement that is just as widely regarded as the RT-N66U is, but newer. I'd also like for it to be supported by Asuswrt-Merlin for years to come, which narrows down my options to a select few. From what I can tell, the RT-AC1900P is similar to it in price and reviews. I can get it using a leftover Best Buy gift card for about $130 so it seems like a good buy, but I just wanted to make sure that there aren't any known issues with this model that I am missing. Mainly I am worried about it running hot and shortening its lifespan like my previous router. Also, will OpenVPN still function the same like it did for the RT-N66U? I'm a little confused about this line from this post:

Also, OpenVPN development will now fork away from Asus's own OpenVPN support, as with 382 they moved their code into a closed-source library. This means that future developments made by Asus for OpenVPN won't be available in Asuswrt-Merlin, however since our current OpenVPN implementation is already more advanced (offering OpenVPN 2.4 support for instance), I believe this is the best course of action.

Thank you for the help!

 

[scjr]

I have the 1900P and it’s a solid router. Mine doesn’t run hot. Asuswrt-Merlin 384.4 beta2 running strong. I don’t use VPN, but it will continue to be supported in both firmwares.

 

[ColinTaylor]

The RT-AC1900P would be a good choice IMHO. It's a variation of the AC68U range (which Asus keep selling under different names, like the RT-AC66U-B1) but with a faster processor making good for VPN.

The other option might be the RT-AC86U which is "next-gen" and very fast, but it's a new platform so only time will tell whether Asus keeps supporting it.

 

[Apav]

I have the 1900P and it’s a solid router. Mine doesn’t run hot. Asuswrt-Merlin 384.4 beta2 running strong. I don’t use VPN, but it will continue to be supported in both firmwares.

The RT-AC1900P would be a good choice IMHO. It's a variation of the AC68U range (which Asus keep selling under different names, like the RT-AC66U-B1) but with a faster processor making good for VPN.

The other option might be the RT-AC86U which is "next-gen" and very fast, but it's a new platform so only time will tell whether Asus keeps supporting it.

Thanks guys! I'm glad to hear it doesn't run hot. I'd expect it to be less frequent of an issue, with the vents being exposed to the open air instead of sitting on the bottom. I looked at the RT-AC86U, but unfortunately it's not for sale at Best Buy and I'd like to use this gift card with my purchase. The RT-AC1900P is only $20 cheaper, so it can't be that much slower right?

 

[scjr]

Thanks guys! I'm glad to hear it doesn't run hot. I'd expect it to be less frequent of an issue, with the vents being exposed to the open air instead of sitting on the bottom. I looked at the RT-AC86U, but unfortunately it's not for sale at Best Buy and I'd like to use this gift card with my purchase. The RT-AC1900P is only $20 cheaper, so it can't be that much slower right?

VPN will do much better with the 86U, if obtaining higher speeds through VPN is important. If the N66U did everything you needed up to this point, the 1900p will be an upgrade and a solid choice.

 

[ColinTaylor]

The RT-AC1900P is only $20 cheaper, so it can't be that much slower right?

Actually it is. TBH processor speed in a router isn't usually relevant, as you have seen with the N66U which has a very slow CPU. But where it does matter is with things like VPN where there is a lot of encryption. The AC86U has a faster processor and hardware encryption making it very fast for that task.

What is your ISP line speed? If you only have a 30Mb line then CPU speed is irrelevant.

 

[CaptainSTX]

Thanks guys! I'm glad to hear it doesn't run hot. I'd expect it to be less frequent of an issue, with the vents being exposed to the open air instead of sitting on the bottom. I looked at the RT-AC86U, but unfortunately it's not for sale at Best Buy and I'd like to use this gift card with my purchase. The RT-AC1900P is only $20 cheaper, so it can't be that much slower right?

It is fine but if you want to run a VPN client the 1900P has only 1/4 the speed of the AC86.

 

[Apav]

VPN will do much better with the 86U, if obtaining higher speeds through VPN is important. If the N66U did everything you needed up to this point, the 1900p will be an upgrade and a solid choice.

Actually it is. TBH processor speed in a router isn't usually relevant, as you have seen with the N66U which has a very slow CPU. But where it does matter is with things like VPN where there is a lot of encryption. The AC86U has a faster processor and hardware encryption making it very fast for that task.
What is your ISP line speed? If you only have a 30Mb line then CPU speed is irrelevant.

It is fine but if you want to run a VPN client the 1900P has only 1/4 the speed of the AC86.

I see. Well that's a shame that I can't get it. Need a new router by tomorrow as the whole house is without WiFi. The only place that has it in stock is here and it looks like it ships from China. The rest is either out of stock or back-ordered.

My speed is 100 Mbps download and 35 Mbps upload. The only time I really use OpenVPN over WiFi is to play region locked games on my PS4, and I never felt like I needed something faster than my RT-N66U so I think I will be alright with the 1900P.

 

[ColinTaylor]

My speed is 100 Mbps download and 35 Mbps upload. The only time I really use OpenVPN over WiFi is to play region locked games on my PS4, and I never felt like I needed something faster than my RT-N66U so I think I will be alright with the 1900P.

In which case the 1900P will be a nice upgrade.

 

[Sanna1967]

+1 for the 1900p

 

[VANT]

I would have paid 20$ more for RT-AC86, without thinking about it.

 

[RMerlin]

will OpenVPN still function the same like it did for the RT-N66U?

Asus's stock firmware has changed - mine is still the same, only that I will no longer be keeping my implementation in sync with theirs.

 

[Apav]

I would have paid 20$ more for RT-AC86, without thinking about it.

Yea I'd like to have gotten the newer and better model, certainly for $20 more, but I can't find it in stores anywhere and I needed a replacement ASAP. I'm not too remorseful, as I'm sure the 1900P will be overkill for my needs even years from now and since technically I got it for $70 less than the RT-AC86.

Asus's stock firmware has changed - mine is still the same, only that I will no longer be keeping my implementation in sync with theirs.

Ah I see now. I assume your implementation is still more advanced so this doesn't affect anything I guess. Glad to see you here, I had some side questions about the VPN settings if you don't mind. Is there a network lock feature for OpenVPN in the newer firmware that I can enable or do I have to manually edit my settings to get that set up? And is there a way to manually exclude some devices on my network from the VPN, so they go through just my ISP when the VPN is running? I couldn't figure out how to do that on my previous router, if it's possible at all. Thanks!

 

[RMerlin]

https://github.com/RMerl/asuswrt-merlin/wiki/Policy-based-routing