RT-AX86U PRO page now up ...

[Ripshod]

If all firmwares after 384 is a problem, well we need to run more then 2 year old firmware. Cannot possibly be all AX88U with 386+ firmware having a problem? Then all kinds of boards would be floded with complaints, and Asus could not have released the firmwares. So do we have any idea why some have problems while others not?

Mine is absolutely sweet. Only problem I've had with merlin firmware was a long delay connecting to WAN causing issues with ntpd - that was 386.7_2

 

[Spartan]

If all firmwares after 384 is a problem, well we need to run more then 2 year old firmware. Cannot possibly be all AX88U with 386+ firmware having a problem? Then all kinds of boards would be floded with complaints, and Asus could not have released the firmwares. So do we have any idea why some have problems while others not?

I wish I knew. At first I thought I had a lemon but then I thought, if 384.xx firmware NEVER gives me a disconnection issue and any firmware with 386.xx would randomly disconnect, something must be wrong. Like the laptop would be connected to the router and if I check the ASUS Router page it says connected but there would be no internet connectivity. Rebooting the router would fix it but it would happen more often than not it was not usable for me. It would also disconnect my IP Phone which is connected to the router as well so it was interrupting my work all the time as I work from home. At that time, I bought a cheap NETGEAR Nighthawk AX6 (RAX50) and that router never had an issue and now finally upgraded to the GT-AX6000 and also no issues.

 

[Morgon]

B&H had these in stock, apparently pretty quickly - I bought one and it's now listed as Request Alert again.

Amazon also has them but no Prime shipping (at time of post). I'm impatient and went with B&H, since they mentioned Tuesday (1/17) delivery.

 

[Ars92]

B&H had these in stock, apparently pretty quickly - I bought one and it's now listed as Request Alert again.

Amazon also has them but no Prime shipping (at time of post). I'm impatient and went with B&H, since they mentioned Tuesday (1/17) delivery.

So did you get yours already? How is it so far?

 

[leerees]

the only reason I wanted to get the RT-AX86U is that you keep saying your latency is lower. This is my latency now (using the best Monoprice LAN cables BTW if you remember I had asked you before for a suggestion, don't waste your money, the latency didn't improve with those cables)

View attachment 44471

I initially wanted to get the RT-AX86U based on your recommendation and low latency but that all changed with the announcement of the PRO model. Still not sure if it's worth the upgrade.

I require low latency due to my job (every ms counts). We short listed 2 routers. The AX86u and the AX92u. The AX92u consistently beats the AX86U in latency tests by 2ms - 4ms, both unloaded and under load.

It's reasonable to assume the XT8 and XT12 also have lower latency but do your own testing. I wouldn't trust review sites.

 

[Spartan]

I require low latency due to my job (every ms counts). We short listed 2 routers. The AX86u and the AX92u. The AX92u consistently beats the AX86U in latency tests by 2ms - 4ms, both unloaded and under load.

It's reasonable to assume the XT8 and XT12 also have lower latency but do your own testing. I wouldn't trust review sites.

That post was a while back. I got 2x GT-AX6000s and put then in AiMesh. Very pleased with the setup, wireless range, and speed.

 

[wouterv]

I got the RT-AX86U Pro as replacement for the good old RT-AC68U, it compares like the VW beetle of years ago to a modern E-Car.
My use is quite plain and straight forward with a RT-AC1900U as Media Bridge.

One setting I can not exactly justify yet: 802.11ax / WiFi 6 mode, this is shown under 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
Even with the setting Disabled, under 5 GHz you can select:

Maybe it is just a glitch, I would expect AX would not be listed anymore.

 

[Tech9]

One setting I can not exactly justify yet

There are many UI bugs in Asuswrt if you look at details. According to the help tip AX clients can't connect to RT-AX86U on Auto mode:

No wonder if it's still the same copy/paste in RT-AX86U Pro.

 

[wouterv]

The RT-AX86U Pro edition:

Lol, AX devices can never connect according Asus

 

[Tech9]

We don't even have 802.11ax capable interface. It's 802.11ac according to the GUI. What AX devices?

One of the most annoying things I find in Asuswrt is multiple options with complete lack of dependency. You can have 2.4GHz set to Legacy in General and 1024-QAM, MU-MIMO and Explicit Beamforming in Professional. The options are just there no matter if they apply to the current setup or not.

The many GUI bugs show level of attention to details. Unfortunately, very low. Like the firmware was rushed and no one ever checked anything.

 

[wouterv]

The firmware glitches are most likely related to all the branches of the same firmware base for the numerous different router versions.
It seems to lack a clear modular structure to allow use or change of the different modules for the different routers, resulting in irrelevant left overs from the firmware set they used to build the next router version from.
Modern times seems to demand for numerous different router models, or numerous different car models of one manufacturer.
The RT-AX86U Pro does support AX, confirmed by my iPhone 12

 

[wouterv]

I think the RT-AX86U Pro will be returned the coming days.
Despite various settings it is not able to keep up connections at 2.4 GHz with e.g. the printer.
The good old RT-AC68U is back in place, if that turns out to be stable again it is bye bye to the RT-AX86U Pro.

 

[RMerlin]

I think the RT-AX86U Pro will be returned the coming days.
Despite various settings it is not able to keep up connections at 2.4 GHz with e.g. the printer.
The good old RT-AC68U is back in place, if that turns out to be stable again it is bye bye to the RT-AX86U Pro.

This is a compatibility issue with that old printer, not a fault in that modern router. Disable those advanced features on the 2.4GHz band like beamforming and AX support.

 

[wouterv]

2.4 GHz is basically set to N only, with the "usual" additional features disabled (like I have on the RT-AC68U).
Not only the printer show disconnects, also the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 frequently lost the connection.
Things are back stable with the RT-AC68U.

 

[Tech9]

Remove connections and re-connect, but that doesn't guarantee success. I also found AC86U works much better to existing AC clients than AX86U. For some reason my AX86U has 4-6dBm less sensitive radios as well. I have posted some fail-safe settings for AX86U here, perhaps you can try on Pro.

 

[wouterv]

Done all that, connections deleted / forget and connect again.
Same settings as the RT-AC68U, or factory defaults, AX disabled, beamforming on / off, fixed channel (after checking what channel seems best with a site scan) and auto channel, fixed IP address set in the printer or fixed assigned by the router, all no long term success.
With the RT-AC68U back it is stable for 12 hours again.

 

[Tech9]

You haven't fully and properly reset your new router, perhaps. If you did it for less than 1h time - it doesn't count.

 

[Steve23]

Looked today. The only shopping button for the RT-AX86U Pro on Asus' website is the Notify me button. On other sites I checked, it was either not listed/found or it is listed as being shipped from Hong Kong.

I have been trying to compare features for the Pro and non-Pro models. Asus doesn't provide a compare feature, so this becomes a rather manual process of studying. I noted a couple of things, namely...

1) Under the WAN section of the Tech Specs, it shows a feature called Let's Encrypt.[1] Searching Asus' web pages for more information about this yields nothing. What is this?

2) A quick peek at an updated article on DongKnows [2] and a read there in the comments makes mention that the Pro supports VLAN function on ethernet ports. This is a feature I have been aching for on a consumer-level router. I don't want my TV or other IoT devices on my LAN. I want them separated. If I can assign one ethernet port to be isolated like this and have access only to WAN, I can connect a switch and use that for my TVs. streaming boxes, etc., which I still prefer to use with wired connections. This also allows me to use fewer routers so that my setup looks less like Mission Control.
If this is true, I will happily acquire an RT-AX86U Pro.

3) Asus already has a FAQ on their website showing how to set this up [3]. It mentions that this is supported by two router models but also teases that support for more is coming. I wonder which others!

EDIT: Even though Asus offers a FAQ with instructions for how to set this up and it indicates that this is one of the two models supporting the feature, there's no mention of this feature in the RT-AX86U Pro product listings.

Refs
[1] https://www.asus.com/us/networking-...rs/asus-gaming-routers/rt-ax86u-pro/techspec/
[2] https://dongknows.com/asus-rt-ax86s-vs-rt-ax86u-vs-rt-ax86u-pro/
[3] https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1049415/

 

[wouterv]

Check this link for the new features like VLAN in the beta firmware:

Beta - RT-AX86U_Pro Beta firmware 9.0.0.6.102_3506

This seems to have gone under the radar... https://www.asus.com/networking-iot-servers/wifi-routers/asus-gaming-routers/rt-ax86u-pro/helpdesk_bios/?model2Name=RT-AX86U-Pro ASUS RT-AX86U Pro Firmware version 9.0.0.6.102.3506 Version 9.0.0.6.102.3506 Beta Version 54.47 MB Be noted: This is an...

www.snbforums.com

 

[Treadler]

Those of you with RT-AX86 Pro, how are you finding it? A good router? Fast/slow?