Replace Asus AC1900/RT-AC68U with the same or upgrade?

[skuba]

Hi. About 3 years ago I got a pair of AC68U and set them as AiMesh. Main router is one end of the house upstairs, other on other end of house downstairs. Worked well for the most part, except upstairs right in the middle of the house where one signal would get weak but not transfer to other.

Well, the downstairs router has been going offline a lot lately. I was able to reset but can't get setup as AiMesh, tried a bunch of times. So I setup as AP as I have the upstairs routers hardwired to downstairs. But now it keeps going offline, or even when working, devices just can't connect to it.

Unless there is a good idea to solve this problem (firmware already up to date) I think it's time for a new router for downstairs. Do I get the exact same one, upgrade to AC86, or go straight to AX86? The AX86S is discounted at $179.

No gaming here. Streaming and work.

Thank you for the advice.

 

[Tech9]

The AX86S is discounted at $179.

Replace both with 2x AX86S if the budget allows. AC-class routers will stay on 386 firmware and not be upgraded to 388 with new features. The support will be limited most likely to critical updates and less often. With AX86-series you'll get much longer support and much better performance.

 

[skuba]

Replace both with 2x AX86S if the budget allows. AC-class routers will stay on 386 firmware and not be upgraded to 388 with new features. The support will be limited most likely to critical updates and less often. With AX86-series you'll get much longer support and much better performance.

Thank you. I could do one now and use as main router. Someone told me to instead get a 3 point Eero mesh and connect to the asus as bridge and I would be better off. Thoughts?

 

[Tech9]

Eero is better "mesh" system than AiMesh, but every new Wi-Fi equipment has to be tested in your specific Wi-Fi environment. No one knows what will work better in your home. What I know for sure is AC68U is 10-years old technology and has to be replaced sooner or later.

 

[Momoh001]

My Asus RT-AX89X seems to be stuck in rescue mode, I’ve been trying everything I Can but it doesn’t turn on fully, the power light just blinks slowly. I tried uploading firmware and even hard factory reset it still won’t turn on

 

[sfx2000]

You'll have better luck posting in the dedicated Asus sub-forums for Asus specific questions...

I've asked moderators to migrate this thread over.