OpenVPN Wi-Fi 7 Router Recommendation

[Shazb0t]

I've been running an RT-AC86U with Asuswrt-Merlin for several years and it's been starting to act up recently. I know the firmware support was EOL sometime ago so it's time to look at purchasing something new. I see there are some Wi-Fi 7 options with Merlin support available now. I run PIA VPN utilizing OpenVPN on my current router and have appreciated the hardware acceleration that the AC86U offers. Is there an optimal new choice out there with the same features to replace this router? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[bennor]

There is a specific subforum here for WiFi7 series routers. Maybe read through there, if you haven't done so already, to see what people are using and issues they may or may not be having with their routers.

ASUS BE Routers & Adapters (Wi-Fi 7)

Use this forum for posts related to the ASUS 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) devices.

www.snbforums.com

 

[Shazb0t]

There is a specific subforum here for WiFi7 series routers. Maybe read through there, if you haven't done so already, to see what people are using and issues they may or may not be having with their routers.

ASUS BE Routers & Adapters (Wi-Fi 7)

Use this forum for posts related to the ASUS 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) devices.

www.snbforums.com

I posted here because I intend to use Asuswrt-Merlin.

 

[RMerlin]

Depends on your needs. The RT-BE86U would be the direct replacement to your RT-AC86U. If you want 6 GHz support, then look at the RT-BE96U.

There's also the RT-BE92U, but I can't remember if it has AES acceleration, which you would want for your OpenVPN tunnel. It has weaker wifi than the others however.

I posted here because I intend to use Asuswrt-Merlin.

His advice is to look through the existing posts in that sub-forum to gather feedback from users of these other models. This might help you make a decision.

 

[bennor]

I posted here because I intend to use Asuswrt-Merlin.

Yes, and there are people using Asus-Merlin on their routers having discussions in that WiFi subforum. Further, like RMerlin indicates it was intended to help provide additional feedback on various WiFi 7 series routers to help with one's decision. If nothing else, discussions in that subforum may reveal issues specific to WiFi 7 routers regardless of firmware used that one may want to be aware of prior to purchasing a WiFi 7 series Asus router.

 

[lgkahn]

if you dont need wifi 6 ie3 just 5 and 2.5 the bt88u is a better router than the 86 it has more and better ports and a faster cpu..

 

[Tech9]

and a faster cpu

Both RT-BE86U and RT-BE88U have the same CPU.

 

[lgkahn]

yes your right the bt92 has the slower CPU. the bt88 has more memory

 

[Tech9]

None of the above will speed up OpenVPN significantly though. RT-AC86U can do about 180Mbps with current OpenVPN, the new ones may reach 300Mbps or so. @RMerlin can provide more accurate numbers, but not a night and day difference and it still depends on the server load, not guaranteed. For fast OpenVPN speeds and when the server allows - x86 hardware.

 

[RMerlin]

I just ran a fresh speed test with a ProtonVPN OpenVPN tunnel, I reach 345 Mbps on a BCM4916 CPU.

 

[sl4fko]

Depends on your needs. The RT-BE86U would be the direct replacement to your RT-AC86U. If you want 6 GHz support, then look at the RT-BE96U.

There's also the RT-BE92U, but I can't remember if it has AES acceleration, which you would want for your OpenVPN tunnel. It has weaker wifi than the others however.


His advice is to look through the existing posts in that sub-forum to gather feedback from users of these other models. This might help you make a decision.

BE86 is a ripoff. A dual band only wifi 7 router without 6 GHz radio; not that 6 GHz signal is important or usefull (only for short distances and no walls...) but because of that it does not even meet basic wifi 7 specs! FOR 250 EUR!!!

Look elsewhere for options, there are cheaper and perhaps better...

 

[Tech9]

BE86 is a ripoff. A dual band only wifi 7 router without 6 GHz radio

Many countries still have no 6GHz band available.

 

[RMerlin]

BE86 is a ripoff. A dual band only wifi 7 router without 6 GHz radio; not that 6 GHz signal is important or usefull (only for short distances and no walls...) but because of that it does not even meet basic wifi 7 specs! FOR 250 EUR!!!

Look elsewhere for options, there are cheaper and perhaps better...

It`s not a ripoff, you pay for what you get. If you want 6 GHz, then buy the more expensive RT-BE96U, or the lower end RT-BE92U (which also has a weaker CPU). Otherwise, if you want to save money, or your country does not allow 6 GHz, then the RT-BE86U and RT-BE88U are the models to get.

Different SKUs will cover different needs, budgets and regions.

 

[kuchkovsky]

BE86 is a ripoff. A dual band only wifi 7 router without 6 GHz radio; not that 6 GHz signal is important or usefull (only for short distances and no walls...) but because of that it does not even meet basic wifi 7 specs! FOR 250 EUR!!!

1. Wi-Fi 7 doesn't require the 6 GHz band. It's just an option, not a requirement.
2. 6 GHz isn't that useful, considering its limited range, and 5 GHz is still pretty fast with Wi-Fi 7. That's what I get on my dual-band router:
   
3. It's better to have a dual-band 4x4 than a tri-band 2x2, and a tri-band 4x4 is much more expensive than the RT-BE86U.

 

[Tech9]

The OP actually needs CPU and not wireless speed. RT-BE86U is the cheapest ASUS router with BCM4916. This OpenVPN connection to PIA is going to be ~300Mbps anyway. BE-class router for eventually longer support, not because it has BE wireless.

 

[Ripshod]

Why chase OpenVPN speeds? Has wireguard even been suggested yet?

 

[RMerlin]

Why chase OpenVPN speeds? Has wireguard even been suggested yet?

The provider has to allow generating Wireguard config files - not every providers do. For example, ProtonVPN does, but not NordVPN.

No idea if PIA (his current provider) does.

 

[Ripshod]

The provider has to allow generating Wireguard config files - not every providers do. For example, ProtonVPN does, but not NordVPN.

No idea if PIA (his current provider) does.

PIA advertises wireguard VPN, with downloadable config files.

 

[Tech9]

If PIA provides WireGuard configuration files - a router with flow cache bypass in firmware and modern CPU will be a significant speed upgrade. I believe @RMerlin reached Gigabit in tests with BCM4916 based hardware.

 

[RMerlin]

With ProtonVPN:

My Internet connection is symmetric 1 Gbps FTTH, so the download is pretty much capped by it right now (my max speed is around 1060-1080 Mbps). CPU usage is not capped:

CPU:  0.0% usr 41.4% sys  0.0% nic 24.3% idle  0.0% io  0.0% irq 34.1% sirq