Rotating upgrades for Asus routers I own. Deciding on which to replace with

[joltdude]

Already have an RT AC68U (primary) and RTAC 66U (AP), plus a Securifi Almond + to play with (Extender)
Iv had some wierdness (loading the web UI) with the 66 esp post firmware update, even after setting back to factory defaults.. Sometimes it doesn't like to take a flash.. .. Am pondering either getting another AC68 (perhaps the P flavor and use it as the primary while putting the older 68U in place of the 66... Or get the 88 when its released and replace the 68 with that and roll the 68 over to where the 66 was and use it as an AP.. Some have mentioned that useing the 68s as a matched set tends to have less issues and a bit better performance than the mixed networking, even if its only primarily an AP..

-J

 

[Trip]

First off, make sure you read up and confirm you're doing your flashes properly. Another thing to try is to clear NVRAM completely and redo your configs from scratch between upgrades. Very often, a jump between firmware versions while trying to preserve settings can cause mayhem in ways that are often unpredictable and hard to troubleshoot. If the factory firmware is still falling short, you should explore RMerlin's cleaned-up firmwares (if you haven't already) or AdvancedTomato.

Stepping back, is there any particular reason you're sticking with Asus? Certain features? Familiarity? Other? If reliability is what you're going for, there are many other ways to go about it.

 

[joltdude]

First off, make sure you read up and confirm you're doing your flashes properly. Another thing to try is to clear NVRAM completely and redo your configs from scratch between upgrades. Very often, a jump between firmware versions while trying to preserve settings can cause mayhem in ways that are often unpredictable and hard to troubleshoot. If the factory firmware is still falling short, you should explore RMerlin's cleaned-up firmwares (if you haven't already) or AdvancedTomato.

Stepping back, is there any particular reason you're sticking with Asus? Certain features? Familiarity? Other? If reliability is what you're going for, there are many other ways to go about it.

Bit of both.. Like the features of Merlin's firmware and the familiarity of the UI...
Unfortunately I live in an RF cage.. so having an additional AP is a must..
Tend to only occasionally dirty flash the 68.. but if something comes up I just reset to factory and manually reenter the settings .. But always a clean flash with reset on the AP.. But i still end up in recovery mode on the 66 more often than not.. . Iv pondered going to a true AP system like the Ubiquity Uni-Fi and have two of them and do away with the 66 altogether..

Im open to other suggestions.. Im all ears..

 

[Trip]

Baring some the scenarios where reboots are desired, or necessary due to upgrade(s), you really shouldn't have to ever reset quality networking gear at any point inside its designed life span. Even though a vast majority of consumer-class stuff would fool you into thinking otherwise, it's really just a sign of half-baked development, cheap hardware and/or poor design. Simple as that.

As for your scenario, without promising you anything, I'd bet a proper flash to AdvancedTomato on your 66U will solve your issues there. It's bullet-proof for basic AP and routing duty. I've thrown countless little RT-N12s out there in the wild running AT and they're solid. If it's flashed with AT and still randomly going to recovery on you, then up she goes onto eBay, or I'd just make a nice frisbee-throw of it into the trash can (fold down the antennaes before throwing, they fly better that way!).

Me, I tend to separate wireless from routing altogether. Better for so many reasons. So <insert favorite wired gigE router> + EnGenius/UniFi/XClaim/Open-Mesh, etc. Usually yields monstrously better results that run-of-the-mill stuff. But YMMV

 

[joltdude]

Baring some the scenarios where reboots are desired, or necessary due to upgrade(s), you really shouldn't have to ever reset quality networking gear at any point inside its designed life span. Even though a vast majority of consumer-class stuff would fool you into thinking otherwise, it's really just a sign of half-baked development, cheap hardware and/or poor design. Simple as that.

As for your scenario, without promising you anything, I'd bet a proper flash to AdvancedTomato on your 66U will solve your issues there. It's bullet-proof for basic AP and routing duty. I've thrown countless little RT-N12s out there in the wild running AT and they're solid. If it's flashed with AT and still randomly going to recovery on you, then up she goes onto eBay, or I'd just make a nice frisbee-throw of it into the trash can (fold down the antennaes before throwing, they fly better that way!).

Me, I tend to separate wireless from routing altogether. Better for so many reasons. So <insert favorite wired gigE router> + EnGenius/UniFi/XClaim/Open-Mesh, etc. Usually yields monstrously better results that run-of-the-mill stuff. But YMMV

Definitely plan on giving AdvancedTomato a go on the 66 for now. there's a lot of can't.. Having actual plaster and lath on the walls AND ceilings in a condo does make it a bit tricky for wiring/installing crap on walls and ceilings.. Still considering separating the AP from the router. then might or go to a different router . I do have a nice 24 port managed Dell switch on the backside of the router however.. Now if it were PoE... Have looked at openmesh and unifi.. Been watching openmesh upgrade to dual frequency.. Other issue is doing it on the cheap. ...