Question on Asus Router Quality

[Briant73]

So far I have tried 3 Asus router, one N66U and two AC66U which I have either been unlucky or just expected too much from them. I am coming from a DIR-655 and thought it would be a good time to upgrade.

The first one was an Asus N66U, router came with latest firmware and booted up fine but always seemed sluggish, got bogged down at times and was hot to the touch. I tested both wired and wireless. In retrospect I probably should have tried a nvram clear/reset and FW re-install but decided with the new AC66U router being released to just return the n66u and get the new AC66U.

First AC66U came with a corrupted FW from the factory, did the FW recovery but was never happy with it's performance but unit was only warm to the touch. I wasn't happy the unit came with a corrupt FW so ordered a second AC66U.

Second AC66u is extremely hot to the touch (especially the base of antennas), worse performance than first one and was actually older than the first one also. If I had to pick one I would take the first one even though it had a corrupt FW from the factory and possibly a hardware issue that caused it.

I am going to return the second AC66u along with the first one. My question is should I just give up on Asus or wait a bit and give their routers another try? I thought about Linksys and Netgear but some reading on those two brands I am not sure they'd be a better fit.

 

[DaveMishSr]

So far I have tried 3 Asus router, one N66U and two AC66U which I have either been unlucky or just expected too much from them. I am coming from a DIR-655 and thought it would be a good time to upgrade.

The first one was an Asus N66U, router came with latest firmware and booted up fine but always seemed sluggish, got bogged down at times and was hot to the touch. I tested both wired and wireless. In retrospect I probably should have tried a nvram clear/reset and FW re-install but decided with the new AC66U router being released to just return the n66u and get the new AC66U.

First AC66U came with a corrupted FW from the factory, did the FW recovery but was never happy with it's performance but unit was only warm to the touch. I wasn't happy the unit came with a corrupt FW so ordered a second AC66U.

Second AC66u is extremely hot to the touch (especially the base of antennas), worse performance than first one and was actually older than the first one also. If I had to pick one I would take the first one even though it had a corrupt FW from the factory and possibly a hardware issue that caused it.

I am going to return the second AC66u along with the first one. My question is should I just give up on Asus or wait a bit and give their routers another try? I thought about Linksys and Netgear but some reading on those two brands I am not sure they'd be a better fit.

I would have stuck with the RT-N66U. The RT-N66u and RT-AC66u normally run at ~140° F, a little higher if you raise the tx power. As for flashing I always erase the NVRAM before and after flashing, redundant I know but I am anal. If after flashing to the newest firmware, whether it's Asuswrt, Asuswrt-merlin or TomatoUSB, and clearing the NVRAM you still have issues then it's time to request a RMA. As for another brand, Linksys vs Netgear, I cannot make any recommendation.

 

[Briant73]

I would have stuck with the RT-N66U. The RT-N66u and RT-AC66u normally run at ~140° F, a little higher if you raise the tx power. As for flashing I always erase the NVRAM before and after flashing, redundant I know but I am anal. If after flashing to the newest firmware, whether it's Asuswrt, Asuswrt-merlin or TomatoUSB, and clearing the NVRAM you still have issues then it's time to request a RMA. As for another brand, Linksys vs Netgear, I cannot make any recommendation.

For my Asus routers I haven't touched the TX power from stock, the N66U was what I consider very warm to hot just touching the outer case top and bottom. Now the second AC66U is extremely hot to the touch especially when I touch the base of the antennas. The first AC66u got warm to very warm IMO. Just to make it clear I'm not talking about internal temp readings just touching the plastic case and antennas. The second AC66U was hot enough that I pulled my fingers away due to the temp after touching the antenna base.

 

[RMerlin]

All I can say is through my job, I have to deal with a lot of Asus hardware, especially motherboards, monitors, laptops and routers. We've been using exclusively Asus motherboards for close to 10 years now in every system that I build at work (probably amounts to 100-150 systems over time), and have had almost zero DOAs with their motherboards.

We haven't sold that many routers (maybe 20), and every issue I can remember was down to firmware or end-user configuration issues.

So overall, my personal exprience would be that hardware-wise, Asus generally makes quality products, with very few hardware failures. I suspect that the corrupted/missing firmware that has been happening recently with the AC66U might have been the result of a faulty batch.

Temperature-wise, I wouldn't worry about it. Those chips are expected to run rather hot. If you monitor the temperature, it's normal to hit a bit over 60C with these.

The performance issues can be down to many different reasons. Sometimes an nvram erase solves the issue (old leftover settings I suspect). Sometimes, it's just your NIC interface that doesn't really like the chipset used by the router (the N66U and AC66U both use a Broadcom chip). You could try to switch to a different manufacturer for this (the RT-N56U for instance uses a Ralink chip).

We used to sell Linksys routers before I made us switch to Asus. Linksys products have gone down in quality and performance since Cisco bought Linksys, while the price have remaining too high. Personally, I hate the fact they only use internal antennas these days - I see a big difference in coverage. The days of the awesome WRT54G are gone, I'm afraid.

My early experiences with Netgear had always been negative. Back from their first pre-wifi routers, down to major problems with their NAS/SAN products (the two Netgear SANs we sold were returned by both customers as they were completely unreliable). I must admit I haven't touched a Netgear router in the past 2-3 years, so it's quite possible that they have improved since then. But once again, I'd be careful as to what chip it uses. If your problem lies in compatibility issues with Broadcom, getting a Broadcom-based Netgear router wouldn't resolve your problem.

 

[Briant73]

All I can say is through my job, I have to deal with a lot of Asus hardware, especially motherboards, monitors, laptops and routers. We've been using exclusively Asus motherboards for close to 10 years now in every system that I build at work (probably amounts to 100-150 systems over time), and have had almost zero DOAs with their motherboards.

We haven't sold that many routers (maybe 20), and every issue I can remember was down to firmware or end-user configuration issues.

So overall, my personal exprience would be that hardware-wise, Asus generally makes quality products, with very few hardware failures. I suspect that the corrupted/missing firmware that has been happening recently with the AC66U might have been the result of a faulty batch.

Temperature-wise, I wouldn't worry about it. Those chips are expected to run rather hot. If you monitor the temperature, it's normal to hit a bit over 60C with these.

The performance issues can be down to many different reasons. Sometimes an nvram erase solves the issue (old leftover settings I suspect). Sometimes, it's just your NIC interface that doesn't really like the chipset used by the router (the N66U and AC66U both use a Broadcom chip). You could try to switch to a different manufacturer for this (the RT-N56U for instance uses a Ralink chip).

We used to sell Linksys routers before I made us switch to Asus. Linksys products have gone down in quality and performance since Cisco bought Linksys, while the price have remaining too high. Personally, I hate the fact they only use internal antennas these days - I see a big difference in coverage. The days of the awesome WRT54G are gone, I'm afraid.

My early experiences with Netgear had always been negative. Back from their first pre-wifi routers, down to major problems with their NAS/SAN products (the two Netgear SANs we sold were returned by both customers as they were completely unreliable). I must admit I haven't touched a Netgear router in the past 2-3 years, so it's quite possible that they have improved since then. But once again, I'd be careful as to what chip it uses. If your problem lies in compatibility issues with Broadcom, getting a Broadcom-based Netgear router wouldn't resolve your problem.

Thanks for your comments. M old dlink 655 works so I have time to look for deals and see what updates are done.

Asus - I like their routers interface and design overall just think I had bad luck. Also there have been reports of poor 2.4ghz performance by others so maybe as the FW matures so will the performance.

Linksys - I have read similar comments to what you said by others and the cloud management interface bugs me. I know linksys claims there will be separate stand alone FW updates but when I go to their site and check the stand alone FW download is back from like March/April timeframe.

Netgear - I had one Netgear router which needed rebooted every so often and didn't impress me overall but still checked out some customer reviews on Amazon. What I found was more than a few people writing that their router stopped working correctly or at all, and after contacting Netgear they were informed the router has two warranties 90 days on Software/Config and 1 year on hardware. Now according to these commenters Netgear support would not budge from blaming FW issue and offered the owners a paid support option since the 90 days were past and even after paying Netgear support still didn't fix the issue. Not sure if this is true but I rather not find out the hard way.

 

[Briant73]

Just an update I went back to my old dir-655 and did multiple tests from speedtests.net on both a wired computer and a wireless client (iphone). The day before I did the same with the ac66u hooked up and the results were telling - dir 655 speeds were always consistent and high, ac66u speeds were very inconsistent and lower than I am used to.

I'm using TW Road Runner with just a basic cable modem. I know there are many factors that can cause differences in the results but it was telling how my 655 was consistent time and time again with results whereas the second AC66U was all over the place. Now the Asus definitely had a higher signal throughout my home.

 

[mikeg]

I am also in the same situation as you , my ac66u does not work ok. Get
dropped connections on the 5 GHz-band and can not telnet in to the device either. I have a TP-Link WDR4300 which I use and wait for Asus to fix the
problem with a new fw. No problem with lost connection on the TP-Link and
I have a speed of 270 Mbps on my Dell laptop and just 135 Mbps if I connect to the ac66u. Maybe we have had bad luck with our units ?

Just an update I went back to my old dir-655 and did multiple tests from speedtests.net on both a wired computer and a wireless client (iphone). The day before I did the same with the ac66u hooked up and the results were telling - dir 655 speeds were always consistent and high, ac66u speeds were very inconsistent and lower than I am used to.

I'm using TW Road Runner with just a basic cable modem. I know there are many factors that can cause differences in the results but it was telling how my 655 was consistent time and time again with results whereas the second AC66U was all over the place. Now the Asus definitely had a higher signal throughout my home.

 

[RMerlin]

I am also in the same situation as you , my ac66u does not work ok. Get
dropped connections on the 5 GHz-band and can not telnet in to the device either. I have a TP-Link WDR4300 which I use and wait for Asus to fix the
problem with a new fw. No problem with lost connection on the TP-Link and
I have a speed of 270 Mbps on my Dell laptop and just 135 Mbps if I connect to the ac66u. Maybe we have had bad luck with our units ?

Can you see if flashing my firmware resolves your issue? If it does, it's probably your router crashing due to a known issue related to GRO (an optimization feature that Asus has enabled in their build and that I disable in mine due to the crashes it creates). If it is, then the good news is Asus are aware of the issue, so it will no doubt be resolved in a future update.

I assume you did double-check to ensure you had telnet enabled on the router.

 

[Briant73]

I am also in the same situation as you , my ac66u does not work ok. Get
dropped connections on the 5 GHz-band and can not telnet in to the device either. I have a TP-Link WDR4300 which I use and wait for Asus to fix the
problem with a new fw. No problem with lost connection on the TP-Link and
I have a speed of 270 Mbps on my Dell laptop and just 135 Mbps if I connect to the ac66u. Maybe we have had bad luck with our units ?

I know some people claim to have AC66U hardware revision A2, both of mine were A1. I wonder if there is a version A2 and what differences are there with it compared to the A1 version?

 

[chkwong]

Mine is HW A1

 

[mikeg]

I know some people claim to have AC66U hardware revision A2, both of mine were A1. I wonder if there is a version A2 and what differences are there with it compared to the A1 version?

I have Hardware version A1.

 

[SoCalReviews]

Just a note to anyone who feels their RT-N66U or RT-AC66U is running hot. I have two RT-N66Us wall mounted side ways in my room. I have no problems with excessive heat. I can detect the presence of warm air ventilating from the top of both routers (which would normally be the left side of the router if the antennas are the top) and when running both radio bands under heavy usage the routers only get warm (not hot) to the touch. The part where the antennas are attached are not hot or even warm. Not only does this sideways wall mounting seem to provide a better natural flow of air through the bottom...over the internal heat sink fins and out the top vents (normally would be the left side vents) but it also allows for better visual aesthetics and more convenient function with the Ethernet wiring coming out of the side of the router instead of the top.

The routers are positioned with one stacked directly above the other and there is about twelve centimeters of clearance between them. The length wise appearance shows the LED lights in a vertical row on the left side and all three antennas are straight (not angled at all) and pointing to the right and toward the corner... or only a few centimeters from the corner of the wall. After some experimentation I didn't find any wireless signal advantage to having the antennas at different angles and positions so I kept them straight and to the right. The bottom router is mounted about one and a half meters from the floor with the second router above it. I am using all Cat7 Shielded/Shielded Twisted Pair (S/STP) for Ethernet interconnect cable (Rosewill brand) to help minimize signal leakage and interference between the wireless routers, modems and other computer equipment that are in close proximity to each other. Wireless signal coverage through my house and outside is very good for both routers on both the 2.4 and 5 Ghz bands.

 

[mikeg]

I know some people claim to have AC66U hardware revision A2, both of mine were A1. I wonder if there is a version A2 and what differences are there with it compared to the A1 version?

Mine is revision A1 too. I have asked Jeremy at Asus the difference between those two.

 

[mikeg]

Can you see if flashing my firmware resolves your issue? If it does, it's probably your router crashing due to a known issue related to GRO (an optimization feature that Asus has enabled in their build and that I disable in mine due to the crashes it creates). If it is, then the good news is Asus are aware of the issue, so it will no doubt be resolved in a future update.

I assume you did double-check to ensure you had telnet enabled on the router.

I have updated to your latest fw and no it did not solve my issue. I tested with
wired connection and had the same disconnect as wireless. Get a dhcp-adress
but no internet connection. You assume correctly : I have enabled the telnet
prior to trying to telnet.
Jeremy at Asus have the information and I am waiting for an answer from him.
I had a lot of trouble with the RT-N66U - had 4 units replaced before I tried
this new one. Am I unlucky or is this an issue of uality - test before shipping ?

 

[chkwong]

Mine is revision A1 too. I have asked Jeremy at Asus the difference between those two.

Please tell us when you have the answer, thanks!

 

[RMerlin]

I have updated to your latest fw and no it did not solve my issue. I tested with
wired connection and had the same disconnect as wireless. Get a dhcp-adress
but no internet connection. You assume correctly : I have enabled the telnet
prior to trying to telnet.
Jeremy at Asus have the information and I am waiting for an answer from him.
I had a lot of trouble with the RT-N66U - had 4 units replaced before I tried
this new one. Am I unlucky or is this an issue of uality - test before shipping ?

I highly doubt you got so many defective units, so it must be something in your setup that's not working properly. To cover the basics:

- Make sure all your network cable are labeled Cat 5e or Cat 6. Cat 5 isn't rated to work with Gigabit ports
- That includes the cable between the router and the modem
- Leave the modem off for 5-10 mins then turn it back on to ensure it properly gets reset and the ISP starts answering requests from the router
- If possible, set the modem to Bridged mode, and put any PPPoE authentication in the router
- A lot of things to fiddle with regarding Wifi. See the numerous posts on this for the basics.
- Make sure the router isn't plugged in a power plug where you have other large equipments plugged (like a laser printer). If you do, use a surge suppressor (or at least see if the issues happen when you use the other equipment).

 

[mikeg]

I just know for a fact that the store where I bought the Asus router mentioned that they had a lot of buyers who had their Asus routers replaced. So , no I DO think that there where issues with the devices.
Just to explain my setup : I have my ISP:s router , a Zylex still connected
because of IP-Phone and IP.TV , the dual-band routers : the Asus and TP-Link is connected from the Zylex lan-ports. No problem with the TP-Link.
The Asus I have NO attached wired connections just wireless. As I have tested different settings , used inssider to manually set channels on both the
2.4 and the 5 GHz bands I wonder what else I could make for adjustments.
All other aspects cable and eveything about power is checked.
What I really want to know know is the difference between Hardware Version A1 and A2.

mi

I highly doubt you got so many defective units, so it must be something in your setup that's not working properly. To cover the basics:

- Make sure all your network cable are labeled Cat 5e or Cat 6. Cat 5 isn't rated to work with Gigabit ports
- That includes the cable between the router and the modem
- Leave the modem off for 5-10 mins then turn it back on to ensure it properly gets reset and the ISP starts answering requests from the router
- If possible, set the modem to Bridged mode, and put any PPPoE authentication in the router
- A lot of things to fiddle with regarding Wifi. See the numerous posts on this for the basics.
- Make sure the router isn't plugged in a power plug where you have other large equipments plugged (like a laser printer). If you do, use a surge suppressor (or at least see if the issues happen when you use the other equipment).

 

[chkwong]

Mine is revision A1 too. I have asked Jeremy at Asus the difference between those two.

According to service support from ASUS in Hong Kong, there is no difference between HW A1 and A2.

 

[CL-Jeremy]

Mine is revision A1 too. I have asked Jeremy at Asus the difference between those two.

According to service support from ASUS in Hong Kong, there is no difference between HW A1 and A2.

Yes, from what I have been told, there have been no hardware changes from version A1 to A2.