RT-AC68U to RT-86U/R7800/RT-AC3200/RT-AX88U?

[junglegym]

Hi,

Just joined but long time reader. Thank you all for great input and content.

Bottom line: which router should I upgrade to RT-86U / R7800 / RT-AC3200 / RT-AX88U if I have a RT-AC68U currently? I picked these choices based on recent threads.

I WAS happy with the RT-AC68U, because it was reliable and hassle-free.

Recently I experienced lag on 4K and GPU-intense/high FPS games - both wired and wifi. Due to increased loads and wireless conflicts. I can see 20 wifi signals, stronger than -65 dbm.

I cover 3 floors/3500 sq ft. Current set-up: ONT/Cat 6 to router, 3 wired computers, all other devices on wifi. Not concerned with strong signal to the ends of the house.
I upgraded the Fios to gig speed.

Which router (RT-86U / R7800 / RT-AC3200 / RT-AX88U) to match?
I value reliabilty and hassle-free operation.
Ideally in the $200 range but would be willing to spend $200+ on the RT-AX88U.
Intend to initially run stock firmware until I have time to flash the unit.
Partial to Asus but have heard positive things about R7800.
Also, concerned about the historical RT-86U reliability issues.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

 

[L&LD]

With your budget already open to the RT-AX88U, there is nothing else to compare to.

Do yourself and the RT-AX88U a favor and leave your current router running for a few minutes longer until you flash 384.16 Beta 2 on it and do a full reset/Initialize routine first. There is no reason to use stock firmware at all. And for the extra 15 minutes or so, you'll save from kicking yourself why you didn't do it sooner too.

 

[OzarkEdge]

There is no reason to use stock firmware at all.

Key man insurance?

OE

 

[junglegym]

With your budget already open to the RT-AX88U, there is nothing else to compare to.

Do yourself and the RT-AX88U a favor and leave your current router running for a few minutes longer until you flash 384.16 Beta 2 on it and do a full reset/Initialize routine first. There is no reason to use stock firmware at all. And for the extra 15 minutes or so, you'll save from kicking yourself why you didn't do it sooner too.

Thanks! Any validity to the argument of saving $ and waiting for the next generation of AX to be released? Or is ~18 mos long enough for the RT-AX88U?

Key man insurance?

OE

Hah! If only. I know it's such a small thing, but it's just one more thing to do. But makes sense to flash it from the outset.

Regarding RT-AX88U, how much weight should I give to the arguments about saving $ and waiting until the next generation of AX is released? Do I run the risk of upgrading to an AC router only to upgrade a few years later to an AX?

 

[OzarkEdge]

Thanks! Any validity to the argument of saving $ and waiting for the next generation of AX to be released? Or is ~18 mos long enough for the RT-AX88U?


Hah! If only. I know it's such a small thing, but it's just one more thing to do. But makes sense to flash it from the outset.

Regarding RT-AX88U, how much weight should I give to the arguments about saving $ and waiting until the next generation of AX is released? Do I run the risk of upgrading to an AC router only to upgrade a few years later to an AX?

I would read the AX*U threads and reviews and then decide based on my own preferences. If I needed to buy and found a good tri-band (for dedicated wireless AiMesh backhaul) AX router with solid references, I'd go for it even though my wireless clients don't need it yet. This assumes 5+ years of ownership.

Otherwise, I'd buy the AC86U knowing I can continue to use it as a powerful AiMesh node with a future AX AiMesh site router.

I respect Asuswrt-Merlin but my network has always served my needs without it. The more one builds up their solutions, the more one has to maintain their built up solutions... I try to avoid this elective overhead... been there done that.

OE

 

[Klueless]

Recently I experienced lag on 4K and GPU-intense/high FPS games - both wired and wifi. Due to increased loads and wireless conflicts. I can see 20 wifi signals, stronger than -65 dbm

Perhaps pause for just a moment? You used the word "recently". Did something change?

Check Asus "status". Sometimes those Gigabit connections will drop to 100 Mbps for "no reason".

Sometimes gaming response has little to nothing to do with you. Sometimes games show high pings while everything else is pinging and running just fine.

What are your FIOS service speeds? (e.g., gig down and ? up). What are you seeing? What are your Asus Traffic Monitors showing? Any concerns there? Is traffic high when you're lagging?

Any signs of packet loss?

Maybe try QoS? Re-prioritize; gaming, browsing, streaming, etc. Oh, wait! You're Gigabit. Scratch that idea.

And WiFi? Any distant or crappy clients pulling down the experience? Conflicts with your neighbor's WiFi system?

Do see if there's anything you can fix before buying. If/when everything is looking a little more better then maybe just replacing the 68U with an 86U or an R7800 is the right mistake.

If it turns out WiFi is just no longer cutting it for that huge house of yours then maybe the tri-band 3200 would be the better mistake because you might use the third band as a dedicated backhaul with an AP, like your old 68U, (in case a wired AP ain't an option).

(You mentioned you upgraded FIOS speeds. Sometimes people upgrade speeds when they are "cutting cable". That means more streaming and old TVs in the far reaches of the house suddenly become players. If the signals from/to them are weak they can pull down the WiFi experience for everyone. And that's for HD never mind 4K.)​

I don't recall if the ol' 68U can keep up with a Gigabit WAN but it should be fast enough where it's not a drag either. Hey, that gave me an idea. (I'm always coming up with bad ideas.) Maybe it can't keep up? Packets get dropped/lost. Try setting the bandwidth parameters to something lower than they really are? (You know I really better make this my last bourbon for the night.)

And, as long as I'm throwing out bad ideas, you might pick up just a tic by disabling IPv6?

 

[L&LD]

I was able to get my RT-AX88U just before Christmas last year at a good price. I thought I had waited too long then (after testing it vs. the then king-of-the-hill, the RT-AC86U).

From the link in my signature below, here were my initial impressions which are still valid today.

RT-AX88U Upgrade https://www.snbforums.com/threads/b...ta-is-now-available.60037/page-31#post-531024

 

[Klueless]

I was able to get my RT-AX88U just before Christmas last year at a good price. I thought I had waited too long then (after testing it vs. the then king-of-the-hill, the RT-AC86U).

Read your link and your benchmarks changed my thinking. I was going to stay away from AX prices but, in this case, performance alone might be worth a couple extra bucks. Thanks.

 

[L&LD]

Yes, it was worth it to me.

But be prepared to test vs. whatever router you have now (and be prepared to start from square one with any settings you may have become accustomed to. In other words, an N&M&M reset/config (Nuclear Reset + M&M Config), including new/never before connected to SSIDs, powering off the entire network and flashing the firmware at least a couple of times (and resetting afterward) too.).

If I didn't do it fully as outlined above, I would not be so vocal about the benefits the RT-AX88U brought to my network experience.

 

[Klueless]

... including new/never before connected to SSIDs

Now that's interesting. I'm a lazy old man. I've always used the old SSIDs. Saved me the trouble of messing with clients. Transparent installation. Haven't been stung ... yet. Apparently I'm also a lucky old man.

 

[L&LD]

New SSID's are easier to implement than having to 'forget', reboot and then re-associate client devices anyway.

Also, Apple devices have a bad habit of remembering networks even between fresh macOS installs (even to a new or different SSD).

 

[Klueless]

New SSID's are easier to implement than having to 'forget', reboot and then re-associate client devices anyway.
Also, Apple devices have a bad habit of remembering networks even between fresh macOS installs (even to a new or different SSD).

Lucky old man it is then. I've never had to set a client to "forget". Don't have any Macs but we've a few iPhones floating around and no problem there either ... yet.

But I've only a few sites. If/when I get stung I will remember your words!

 

[junglegym]

But be prepared to test vs. whatever router you have now (and be prepared to start from square one with any settings you may have become accustomed to. In other words, an N&M&M reset/config (Nuclear Reset + M&M Config), including new/never before connected to SSIDs, powering off the entire network and flashing the firmware at least a couple of times (and resetting afterward) too.).

The time (and possible frustration) that it takes to test / reset / config is what gets to me. It's why I've held onto the RT-AC68U so long.

Perhaps pause for just a moment? You used the word "recently". Did something change?

If/when everything is looking a little more better then maybe just replacing the 68U with an 86U or an R7800 is the right mistake.
If it turns out WiFi is just no longer cutting it for that huge house of yours then maybe the tri-band 3200 would be the better mistake because you might use the third band as a dedicated backhaul with an AP, like your old 68U, (in case a wired AP ain't an option).

What changed? Since Covid-19/stay at home, etc:
-More users (4) online simultaneously all day
-Users accessing work VPNs, 4K videos, GPU-intense/high FPS games, video conferencing, etc
-More neighbors at home = more wifi congestion; I would line my walls with lead if possible, though not sure of the effect on cell service
-Increased overall demand on ISPs throughout the area, which changes on my end may not address; hopefully ISPs significantly increase capacity

In the past, I was able to schedule/shift demand throughout the day, because not everyone was home online at the same time.
Even if this situation only continues for one more week, with "stay at home," last thing I want is for there not to be sufficient/reliable bandwidth.

The price difference made the RT-AC3200 somewhat attractive (vs RT-AX88U) but then I saw L&LD's numbers (https://www.snbforums.com/threads/b...ta-is-now-available.60037/page-31#post-531024), and it makes a convincing case for the RT-AX88U even if I can't take full advantage of AX yet.
The delta between a new RT-AC3200 and RT-AX88U is $50-75, which makes me either want to get an RT-AC86U or just go all out with the RT-AX88U, which seems stable enough after reading more threads.

Thank you both for your input!

 

[Klueless]

What changed? Since Covid-19/stay at home, etc:
-More users (4) online simultaneously all day
-Users accessing work VPNs, 4K videos, GPU-intense/high FPS games, video conferencing, etc
-More neighbors at home = more wifi congestion; I would line my walls with lead if possible, though not sure of the effect on cell service
-Increased overall demand on ISPs throughout the area, which changes on my end may not address; hopefully ISPs significantly increase capacity
In the past, I was able to schedule/shift demand throughout the day, because not everyone was home online at the same time.
Even if this situation only continues for one more week, with "stay at home," last thing I want is for there not to be sufficient/reliable bandwidth.

Ouch. Based on what you said I don't really see a problem with any of your choices.

I looked up the 68U review and WAN speeds are better than I thought. While you're waiting for your order to come in I would consider:

• Making sure QoS is off
• NAT Acceleration / Cut Through Forwarding are enabled
• IPv6 is off
• Running a WiFi analyzer to see if there's any opportunities around channel optimization.

Then I'd start streaming TVs at HD rather than 4K (until the new equipment comes in).

You expressed concern about neighbors and wireless interference. I'd almost say tri-band "mesh" (more 5GHz and less reliance on 2.4 GHz) but you're in a hurry and seem to be looking for a 1 to 1 plug 'n' play swap?

 

[junglegym]

You expressed concern about neighbors and wireless interference. I'd almost say tri-band "mesh" (more 5GHz and less reliance on 2.4 GHz) but you're in a hurry and seem to be looking for a 1 to 1 plug 'n' play swap?

Thanks! I'll look at the current settings.

I thought about tri-band, but the reported throughput was higher with the RT-AX88U, so I purchased it per L&LD's original input. I didn't look at any of the tri-band AXs.

I'm not keen on "mesh" for 2 reasons:
1) I'll apply what OE said to my situation, "The more one builds up their solutions, the more one has to maintain their built up solutions... I try to avoid this elective overhead... been there done that." For me, I don't want to manage more than 1 network appliance. It's just one more thing.
2) From a security perspective, ideally, there would be strong signal to the end of my property line and then zero signal afterward. Absent that capability, I would rather deal with a weak signal in areas around the house/property than provide a strong signal down the street if I were to install a "mesh" network.

 

[JigB]

Hi, I am also looking for a new router and looking at similar options to the OP (had a R7000 that just died after 2 years); however, with 3 hard-wired connections, phones and laptops (guests and those living at home), plus around 10 or so IoT devices, I'm thinking of setting up VLANs (I've had a case, some time back, of someone hacking into one of my cameras - currently using guest wifi to segregate).

Given this, which router/custom firmware gives me solid performance and the ability to configure VLANs?

I have XFinity with 100mbps in a 3-level 2300 sf home. Looking to spend around $170-$200 but could be persuaded to spend more if I need the right equipment.

Cheers in advance!

 

[L&LD]

@JigB I don't think what you're looking for is available for your budget range. But an RT-AX88U with YazFi by @Jack Yaz would surely give you the security and solid performance you're after (note: not via VLANs though).

 

[JigB]

Thanks. When you say that it's not available in my budget range, is that because there are more expensive routers that can achieve this OR that I would need to add additional equipment to the network, say a switch(es)?

 

[L&LD]

As a guess, additional equipment is needed. Both (commercial) routers and switches.

Write down your hard requirements and then do a search for equipment with the capabilities you don't want to live without.

The VLAN aware switches may not be needed in your case, but with three levels on your home, I am guessing you will need at least two.