Thinking of eventually replacing both my ageing RTAC68s

[joltdude]

Vacellating on what route I want to go.. one of my Asus RTAC68s has been very twitchy and needing reboots even after a fresh firmware flash.. pretty much bought it when they first were released... Am debating on just getting a RTAC86 or 88 to replace it.. but kind of want some hardware VPN accelleration and still want support.. the 68s seem to be on the edge of current.... the 66s not so much.... And eventuallly plan to get a second one... Live in a metal lathe faraday cage ... =) Also thought of going with some mesh solution but i think they dont have much oomph as far as performance...
Always can throw me a cureveball with other options im not even thinking about..


-J

 

[L&LD]

Simply flashing the firmware isn't enough, did you do a full M&M Config (see link in my signature below)?

Having said that, the RT-AC86U is a fairly big upgrade over the RT-AC3100, which was, in turn, a big upgrade over the RT-AC68U.

It is currently the best bang for the buck.

Flash RMerlin, erase NVRAM with WPS method, format jffs on next boot, do a complete M&M Config and then add a USB drive, install amtm and format it to Ext4 with journalling enabled and create a swap file (I always use 2GB) and then add scripts as you need.

amtm, Diversion, Skynet, FreshJR QoS, ntpMerlin, Stubby and YazFi. Okay; almost all the scripts available.

 

[coxhaus]

If your router will run well with your wireless turned off then you might just think of upgrading your wireless only and buy a couple of wireless APs. It will be cheaper than replacing your whole router.

 

[Dave Parker]

The AC68U is still being supported by Asus but for how long, that's the question. The AC86U on the other hand is a fairly recent release and hopefully has several years of support. If your budget will allow the 86U would be my choice and much cheaper than the newer AX routers. Have been using mine since November with no issues. Currently on Merlin 384.10.

 

[sfx2000]

If one can keep them going on thru 2019, there will be better HW in 2020...

The 68U is still very relevant, it's starting to show it's age, but still very well supported by both the vendor and third parties - the major issues with the older ones these days are the power supplies - and that's easy to sort out.

 

[L&LD]

Is the 'better HW in 2020' a best guess or something which you can't share more of?

 

[sfx2000]

Is the 'better HW in 2020' a best guess or something which you can't share more of?

Something I can't share - but first round of 11ax hardware is 11ax bolted on to 11ac Wave2 silicon - 2020 you'll see the next step, along with 5G WAN evolution...

 

[L&LD]

Something I can't share - but first round of 11ax hardware is 11ax bolted on to 11ac Wave2 silicon - 2020 you'll see the next step, along with 5G WAN evolution...

Thanks! That is good enough for me. I'll be buying that RT-AC86U now for sure as I'll use it at least for a good year before 'needing' the new hardware coming down the pipe.

 

[sfx2000]

Thanks! That is good enough for me. I'll be buying that RT-AC86U now for sure as I'll use it at least for a good year before 'needing' the new hardware coming down the pipe.

Keep in mind that most turn-around time for upgrades is around 24 months - 11ac Wave2 is still a decent buy these days...

 

[joltdude]

Actually ended up picking up an Asus RTAC86 and are using the other AC68 as a wired AImesh.. was using it as an AP but figured id give it a go.... Though as others said.. think ill hold out on the AX devices for at least another year.... Swapping it out for the main AC68 was a noticable difference....Still trying to figure out channel i want to fix it too.. Having problems deciding on the ideal since 2.4 is saturated and i seem to be locked out of most of the 5ghz channels... A few of my neighbors are using some very wide channels in 2.4 on top of it... (my 2.4 wispy is just a mess)

Thanks for the advice.. Next upgrade is some sort of NAS appliance.. but thats for another thread...
-J