recommendation for AC68U replacement

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I'm looking for a replacement of my trusty AC68U. I have seen similar posts recently, and recommendations like RT-BE86U and RT-BE88U seem more high-power than I need and more expensive than I'd like. Let me tell you about my situation; I look forward to your suggestions.

My home internet has 450 down/40 up, which is more than sufficient for my needs. Rarely if ever would I have more than 6 devices connecting at the same time (and most of the time, only a couple of devices make heavy/sustaining connections). I do not need mesh network; I do uses devices one (wood) floor above the router so good wifi is helpful. I don't use any of the asus security stuff (I run pihole + unbound on a separate device); I do use diversion and skynet on my current AC68U. I don't have NAS. I don't use vpn, although I might need to use openvpn at some point (I don't understand the significance/difference between running vpn on the router vs the actual device -- this is a question, not an argument).

My AC68U services me well, and I am looking for something that is future proof but without breaking the bank. Feel free to ask questions, and thanks for your help!

p.s. Needless to say I'd like to run merlin on the new routher!

 

[Tech9]

Nothing new will have the long support RT-AC68U had. Popular around fair price AX-class models are RT-AX86U Pro, RT-AX88U Pro, GT-AX6000. For a chance of even longer support you have to choose BE-class model, but skip RT-BE92U and expensive 4-band GT-BE98 Pro due to mixed user feedback. This leaves you with RT-BE86U and RT-BE88U, but they are not really Wi-Fi 7 in Wi-Fi performance being dual-band models. If you want true Wi-Fi 7 with 6GHz band you have to go with RT-BE96U. Good luck.