Seeking ASUS expert advice.

[markman34]

Hi All,
First post here but I've had my eye on this forum for some time. I know there's a lot of knowledge here
I recently upgraded to 1Gb internet. I have been very happily using 500Mb on my aiMESH system for many years.
Current setup is 2 RT-AC66U B1 (OEM firmware) with 100' cat5 backhaul. The router is in the basement with the modem and the node is main floor.
We are a family of four. 4+ laptops, desktops, xbox, ~30 smart home devices, home phone and 4 tv's with IPTV/streaming. Everything is running through the router.
I get 900Mb on a desktop hardwired to the router. I can run 800Mb on a wired connection to the node. (Not unhappy with these results.) Wireless coverage and speeds have always been acceptable. ( I've never seen a speedtest in the GUI that runs over 250Mb. So that's weird)
I have so many questions.
I looked at a RT-BE86U that's currently on sale for $260 CAD thinking that I could "future proof" my setup. I wonder how well that will play with my older RT_AC66U hardware in a aiMESH setup. Is it worth the upgrade or am I just throwing money away?
I've never used the Merlin firmware and know my old 66U's are no longer supported, but would the latest merlin firmware improve my experience?
What the heck is with the USB shared drives?! What a PITA! (This is something I'd like to address as I have a power hungry desktop running 24/7 as a file server)
I will have a hundred questions before I'm done but save them for later.
I'd love any suggestions on improving my setup. HW, Tweaks etc.
TIA

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[bbunge]

Questions are no problem. But, you will get many different recommendations.
It is time to retire the AC66U_B1. My opinion, and experience, is to use a good AX or WIFI 6 router and node. WIFI 7 or the BE routers may be OK in time but if you do not need WIFI 7, don't.
I like my RT-AX86U Pro router and AiMesh node on Ethernet backhaul. I have 100 Mbps FIOS and that is plenty for my family. The AX86U Pro, AX88U Pro and the AX6000 seem to be the most recommended WIFI 6 routers. You could use a lower cost AX device as an AiMesh node. Yes, you could use the AC66U_b1 as an AiMesh node but it could limit the WIFI abilities of the main router.
As for the network storage, it is well worth the investment to get a NAS. Or, use a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 as a NAS with a powered external drive.
As for Merlin firmware? it is OK and I have used it in the past and have tested the recent releases. But if you do not want to spend the time configuring the router stay with the Asus firmware.

 

[Tech9]

I looked at a RT-BE86U that's currently on sale for $260 CAD thinking that I could "future proof" my setup.

You won't future proof anything with single dual-band limited Wi-Fi 7 router plus 12+ years old technology "node" with limited AiMesh compatibility. You have to replace the entire system. Even if you replace both routers with RT-BE86U - you are not getting above Gigabit on wireless anyway unless you want to take chances in DFS and you have compatible clients with 160MHz wide channel support.

If what you already have is working okay for your needs and is mostly trouble free - keep using it. If you chase the ISP plan upgrade and have future proofing ideas - it will cost you a lot, will bring new issues and the future proofing may never happen for the life of the product. If you want AiMesh experience as close as possible to the way ASUS made it work - my advice is to use stock Asuswrt on all units, router and nodes.

 

[Tech9]

By the way, ASUS ExpertWiFi EBR63 is currently CAD169 on Amazon Canada. It's from "business class" line of products, white in color, compact in size, runs Asuswrt 3006 firmware with new modern user interface and expanded AiMesh features. Two wired together in AiMesh may make nice looking home system with high wife acceptance factor for CAD338. It will be also significant upgrade over existing RT-AC66U B1 units and won't break the bank.

 

[markman34]

Thank you all for your thoughts.
With the new internet plan, my isp has sent me a new xb8 modem.
I won’t be purchasing anything in a rush.
My newest plan is to pull some cable and relocate the xb8 modem to an ideal location in our home and see how it performs. I can then drop the hardwired 66U’s with the radios shut off at the locations I use Ethernet.
If I’m not happy with the performance of the xb8, I can easily bridge the xb8 and return to my current aimesh arrangement.
If at that point I want to improve things, I can pick up some new hardware.
I was previously unaware that the node’s wifi limitations would drag down the capabilities of a new higher spec router.
So much easier to learn these pitfalls before grinding through the learning curve on my own.
Anyone have thoughts on the xb8?
Anyone successfully disable the hidden hotspot networks on these isp modems? (The lack of transparency surrounding these is just unbelievable)
Thank you.

 

[Tech9]

Anyone have thoughts on the xb8?

It will save you time in experiments if you get the two ExpertWiFi units above (or something similar) and directly replace your aging unsupported RT-AC66U B1 units. You'll be good to go for about 4-5 years. Just like @bbunge I would recommend staying away from lower end Wi-Fi 7 products. Overpriced and with issues.

 

[bbunge]

The EBR63 is $149.99 on Amazon in the US. Looks like a pretty good deal....

 

[Tech9]

This model is essentially RT-AX58U V2 hardware running more modern firmware with added features. Since it's relatively new and marketed for business applications I expect it to have somewhat good support going forward. Not the latest and greatest, but looks nice for home setup and not expensive. Two identical units will play together well with guaranteed compatibility. Available Ethernet backhaul is a big plus for performance and stability.

 

[RMerlin]

I expect it to have somewhat good support going forward.

Hopefully better than the BRT-AC828...

 

[Tech9]

Hopefully better than the BRT-AC828...

Let's not talk about this one...

 

[markman34]

By the way, ASUS ExpertWiFi EBR63 is currently CAD169 on Amazon Canada. It's from "business class" line of products, white in color, compact in size, runs Asuswrt 3006 firmware with new modern user interface and expanded AiMesh features. Two wired together in AiMesh may make nice looking home system with high wife acceptance factor for CAD338. It will be also significant upgrade over existing RT-AC66U B1 units and won't break the bank.

View attachment 69475

Thanks Tech,
I've done a little reading on this unit. Definitely interested.
The expert has at least one feature, VLAN, that I've been missing with the 66U's. (Although it's something that wouldn't be needed after the kids are out of the house)
I'm thinking about buying a single ERB63 (Christmas present for me) and using one old 66u to connect the basement. (the kid's space but my old hardwired desktop/file server is down there and I'd like to maintain it's place on the network shared by the TVs) Either hardwired connections or wired/wireless connections in the basement. (I ran some cable and moved the primary router to the main floor)
Do you think the wireless limitations of the 66U would limit the performance of the EBR63's wireless capabilities?
Do you think the 2.4 performance of the EBR63 would be more stable for streaming than the old 66U's? I keep seeing that the consumer products have stronger wireless performance than the business grade does. Our 66U's provide ~30-45 dBm SS and ~70-90 dBm noise to our TVs on 2.4Ghz.
We've rarely been disappointed with the performance of the 66U's but like every home, we're using more devices/data every year. We've had occasional buffering on our iptv. There have been reoccurring times that I'd have to reboot the router manually because of some problem that I have never been able to identify.
Thanks everyone for anything you have to offer.

 

[Tech9]

Someone else may help you with mix-and-match. I don't like and can't recommend work half done. What I suggested was based on your needs and vendor preferences, on fair price and running modern firmware with good set of features out of the box. If the price is too high - I can't recommend anything better.

 

[markman34]

Thx.
If the RT-AX68U pro wasn’t sold out everywhere, it would be in the running.

 

[Tech9]

RT-AX86U Pro was released Dec 2022, it was one of the most recommended good price/performance options, but was unfortunately killed quickly by the market shift to BE products.

 

[markman34]

I ended up ordering two units. The EBR63 and the RT-BE3600. Still waiting on the EBR63 but I think I'll be returning it.
I've been tinkering with the BE3600 ($120 CAD) and am impressed. I don't think I need additional wireless coverage in our house. eg. Aimesh setup. All wifi7 features disabled.
For the basement, I hooked up an old 10/100 switch to get the wired devices connected. (xbox, server, phone, futures) Everything wireless has at least acceptable signal. I do have one TV that is rather insulated from signal but I'm not against running a cable to that location in time.
I love the new features. VLAN, Instant Guard and I'm sure there are many that I haven't seen yet.
Still have to get all the loT devices moved over to the dedicated network, (PITA) but impressed with what a modern unit can do.

 

[Tech9]

I've been tinkering with the BE3600 ($120 CAD)

The cheapest BE3600 router I see is CAD200, but happy you found your solution.