Our RT-AC68W with Merlin

[stevenm]

continues to chug along and have no complaints about range or speed.

Will we benefit with a new router?

 

[Tech9]

Your router is still supported by the manufacturer and secure enough for home use.

If you have no complaints about range or speed - continue using it. Obviously it's good enough for you.

 

[L&LD]

Yes, a new router will give tangible benefits depending on your current ISP speeds, near/future ISP speeds, and your sensitivity to improved performance (mostly, lower latency and increased throughput at the same distance or greater).

The AC class models are effectively obsolete today. Sure, will work fine for older client devices and low ISP speeds, but security, features, and lowest latency are but a dream for them.

I suggest you be proactive in getting a current, fully supported router (i.e. your digital front door to your network, devices, and other personal information), rather than scramble when disaster strikes.

The RT-AX68U, GT-AX6000, and RT-AX88U Pro are all excellent choices today (depending on the ISP speeds, and the longevity required of the new router.

 

[stevenm]

Judging by the Merlin website, it still seems quite popular...

 

[L&LD]

Yes, stats skew reality.

10 years of support will make it seem like the best Asus and RMerlin have to offer.

Looking at it a little deeper, it is obvious that it is on its last legs today. No 388.xxx support, not capable of running ISP speeds of much greater than ~500Mbps in a small home/apartment. Very old kernel and SDK (they never get updated, once a model is released).

Be thankful for the extra long support this model has received. More than likely this will never be repeated going forward.

But being proactive is only beneficial, at this point. You've rung out the maximum value possible from this product.

 

[Tech9]

Judging by the Merlin website, it still seems quite popular...

Still usable for many folks around. Average Internet speed in many countries is under 100Mbps.

 

[ColinTaylor]

continues to chug along and have no complaints about range or speed.

Will we benefit with a new router?

Probably not. If your current router is already delivering the speed and range you need then changing the router is unlikely to make much difference. I went from an RT-AC68U to an RT-AX86U and the difference wasn't noticeable to the end user. As always, YMMV.

You don't say how you use your current router or what your ISP speeds are. If you're using things like QoS, AiProtection or the built-in VPN, or have some "-ax" Wi-Fi clients, then you could see an improvement. If you just have a simple network with only -n and -ac Wi-Fi devices then you might as well keep your money in the bank. Wait until your needs change or it stops receiving firmware updates and then buy something new. By then there'll probably be something better or newer, or the current models will have dropped in price. As usual with technology there's no such thing as future-proofing.

 

[Tech9]

RT-AX86U Pro is a good replacement model, but when it comes down to $150 and the 3.0.0.6 firmware is less buggy.