RT-AX86U to be discontinued?

[RMerlin]

Hmmm, I don't see what's 'Pro' about it.

They added a 10G port, used a new faster CPU and new wifi SoC that supports the extended UNII-4 channels.

 

[RMerlin]

Thanks @RMerlin I'll be interested to see how they perform in the wild. I was actually thinking maybe the Pro Model would also be a WiFi 6E model, but according to the Rog link posted, it doesn't mention AXE. I'm sure there will be threads here to follow as the new models come out.

Wifi 6E is for RT-AXE* models. This is a Pro version of the GT-AX11000, not the GT-AXE11000.

 

[iFrogMac]

OK, so let me clarify, are the GT AX series the only model(s) getting the pro version? There has been no official link for the RT-AX86U Pro. I just want to make sure I'm understanding the thread correctly. When it caught my eye it was because @seadragon had asked about the 86U since he had just gotten it, as well as I have. So at this point, my impression of this discussion is strictly the GT model linked above.

 

[L&LD]

Adding a single 'fast' port is... limiting. The CPU may be faster, but it's not fast. Am I reading the web correctly that UNII-4 channels are only for India?

My hunch seems to still be correct that it still isn't 'Pro'. At all.

 

[RMerlin]

Adding a single 'fast' port is... limiting.

Then get the GT-AXE16000 if you want two more ports...

The CPU may be faster, but it's not fast.

Show me another router with a faster CPU then.

Am I reading the web correctly that UNII-4 channels are only for India?

No, it`s also available in the US.

My hunch is that it still isn't 'Pro'. At all.

What the hell are you expecting them to do? Release a router with an Intel Xeon, 24 10-gigs SFP+ ports and sell it for $2999?

This router is a significant upgrade over the original GT-AX11000. Rather than use yet another new model name, they simply added "Pro" to the existing model name to denote it's an upgraded version of the original model. Your expectations are simply out of touch with reality. This is the fastest CPU Broadcom has to offer, and it's one of the two only home routers that I know of to offer 10 Gigs Ethernet (with the GT-AXE16000 being the other one).

 

[RMerlin]

OK, so let me clarify, are the GT AX series the only model(s) getting the pro version?

There's also an RT-AX86U Pro coming according to the OP, however Asus doesn't seem to have published a product page for it yet, so I can't share the technical details about it.

 

[L&LD]

Yes, my expectations are out of touch with what they are releasing. Doesn't make it a Pro model (except in name only) though.

I expect anyone/someone in 2022 to sell a wireless router with (upgradeable) high-end components for much less than $3K. A 'beginner' model can easily be offered for $1K or less, when BOM is considered.

I'm still betting Asus will still be the first to offer the closest thing possible to this (when is another issue).

Just because Broadcom doesn't offer anything faster doesn't mean we need to sit on our hands.

 

[iFrogMac]

There's also an RT-AX86U Pro coming according to the OP, however Asus doesn't seem to have published a product page for it yet, so I can't share the technical details about it.

OK, thanks for confirming that. I will wait to see what gets published. Since we were only talking about the one model in the thread after the initial posts, I wasn't sure if there wasn't a misunderstanding. So both models will have a Pro version, but the second hasn't been published yet. OK,
Thanks. Will be curious to see what they do with this one.

 

[iFrogMac]

Well, my current RT-AX86U has really shown me what my current needs really are, because of the ability to customize things so specifically compared to other brands.
To function at full speed, my 2.4Ghz smart devices only need 80211g. I found this out through process of elimination when troubleshooting my smart bulbs and comparing how thing functioned on a router with mixed mode vs putting the Asus in legacy mode for 2.4ghz, and for 5Ghz I only need 80211ac, but WiFi 6 will be future proof as I get more devices that can take advantage of it. Beyond that, the majority of my high speed dependent devices are wired by Ethernet.
So, what I'm saying here is, the RT-AX86U will take quite a while to become obsolete for me. My only concern would be if Asus (as questioned earlier in this thread.) drops support for the earlier models after the new ones come out. However, that doesn't seem likely to happen as they still support the AC68U as far as I know and that's the oldest most popular Asus router, I'm aware of.

I was looking on Amazon the other day, and it appears Asus still makes and sells an 80211n router as well.

 

[RMerlin]

So, what I'm saying here is, the RT-AX86U will take quite a while to become obsolete for me.

The RT-AX86U remains a great high-end router that will satisfy most home user needs.

 

[iFrogMac]

The RT-AX86U remains a great high-end router that will satisfy most home user needs.

I've really enjoyed having the flexibility to be able to fine tune the network to my own personal devices and needs. A lot of consumer routers don't give that flexibility. (that's with the stock firmware.). I haven't tried the Merlin firmware yet. Haven't had a specific need to as of yet.

 

[rjih]

Then get the GT-AXE16000 if you want two more ports...


Show me another router with a faster CPU then.


No, it`s also available in the US.


What the hell are you expecting them to do? Release a router with an Intel Xeon, 24 10-gigs SFP+ ports and sell it for $2999?

This router is a significant upgrade over the original GT-AX11000. Rather than use yet another new model name, they simply added "Pro" to the existing model name to denote it's an upgraded version of the original model. Your expectations are simply out of touch with reality. This is the fastest CPU Broadcom has to offer, and it's one of the two only home routers that I know of to offer 10 Gigs Ethernet (with the GT-AXE16000 being the other one).

Doesn't the RT-AX89X have a faster CPU?

 

[RMerlin]

Doesn't the RT-AX89X have a faster CPU?

The RT-AX89X uses a Qualcomm CPU, not Broadcom. While it has a slightly faster clock speed (2.2 GHz vs 2 GHz), it's hard to compare them because they are from different manufacturers (and Broadcom uses a customized Cortex A53 design). The two are probably quite close in terms of CPU performance, the Qualcomm one might possibly be faster at some stuff due to its higher clock rate. I don't think Qualcomm has a hardware crypto module however, which the Broadcom does. I believe the BCM4912 has also more bus bandwidth than the IPQ8078 (however I couldn't find a block diagram of the IPQ8078 to compare against the BCM4912).

Broadcom also has dedicated CPUs for their radios on their higher-end SoC, I don't know if that`s the case with Qualcomm.

 

[maxbraketorque]

The RT-AX86U remains a great high-end router that will satisfy most home user needs.

Your statement seems to suggest that the non-pro AX86U will not be discontinued. Plus, it would be odd to have a "pro" version of something that has no standard version.

 

[iFrogMac]

Your statement seems to suggest that the non-pro AX86U will not be discontinued. Plus, it would be odd to have a "pro" version of something that has no standard version.

I'll still be interested to see what Asus does. I've been really impressed the few weeks of owning the router I have. We'll just have to wait until they publish the specs before we'll know anything for sure, other than a new model is coming.

 

[RMerlin]

Your statement seems to suggest that the non-pro AX86U will not be discontinued.

I have no information about that, sorry. Maybe both will exist in parallel at different price points, or maybe chip shortages is forcing them to migrate to the newer platform. I do not know.

Best to wait until the new model actually hits the market before people start asking Asus about their plans for the RT-AX86U. Usually they allow customers to keep track of EOL status through this page:

End-of-life product list

 

[Gar]

If the older non-pro models are eliminated the price of the newer pro replacements can be lower since there isn't a need to distinguish each, IMO.

 

[tallytr]

Oh shut… I’ve got the Rookie edition last week.

Exactly, no question, who wants to be satisfied with the "loser version", not me, I will be forced to go Pro

 

[SAL9K]

An ax86u with dual-2.5GbE, beefier CPU, 2GB RAM, and access to that upper 5.9GHz would be damn near perfect imo.

 

[DiGz_Au]

Money's on new CPU and wifi chips for ax86u, nothing else.