Upgrading from AC68U to AX68U

[Kado]

Hello,

The title says it all.
I have a Asus RT-AC68U with a 120mm fan on the back for cooling, running great with RMerlin firmware, Skynet firewall and Diversion, but I can upgrade to the RT-AX68U for like 60€ by selling my current router, this in a way feels like greed as the current one works fine and I have no WiFi 6 devices and WPA3 does not seem to be as secure as they reported, however the RT-AC68U is an "old" router, I have mostly smartphones and IoT devices via wireless, 2 wired PCs and one NAS connected. Any comments if this is a good upgrade?

Thanks,

Kado

 

[Gar]

If everything works and you don't need 6 than why bother? I have an AC68 as a backup and will always keep it since its been so reliable and Merlin supported. I don't use 6 either.

 

[bbunge]

Sure! Newer hardware and I believe it is a 64 bit Linux.

 

[Tech9]

Keep the RT-AC68U. Perhaps the most reliable Asus router.

 

[Adooni]

no, If you do not needed do not do it . I have AC68U working at one location from 2013 did not have even one challenge.
you change to new AX router and issues start with wi-fi, need to reboot every day a week or whatever etc.

 

[L&LD]

There is no need for this upgrade, and certainly not merely to the RT-AX68U.

Use your working network as-is and save up for an RT-AX86U to see what a real upgrade means (or the successor to the current king at the time you need to upgrade, of course).

Right now, the 'new' RT-AX68U is too new, too unproven, and resource-crippled vs. the slightly more expensive RT-AX86U which has proven to be a workhorse in the last half-year.

This 'upgrade' doesn't seem like a worthwhile one (not even for 60€). Trading in a stable/known working setup for (surprises) rarely results in a successful conclusion.

 

[Kado]

Thanks for all the advice, I will keep my current router.

 

[Kado]

Well, I took @L&LD advice and got myself a RT-AX86U, should arrive tomorrow.

 

[Waylo]

Thanks for posting this. I had the exact same question and will consider the AX86U, though will hold off for now.

 

[ojigi]

For a while I thought I had bricked my beloved RT-AC68U and rushed to buy a RT-AX68U as it was on sale until midnight (and significantly less than AX58U).

But, after reading this I'm considering returning it directly and use my RT-AC68U (that I managed to recover) until the AX8&U comes down in price.

 

[shivanayak]

I am thinking of having two 'routers' to form a mesh network. So I was thinking of buying two RT-AC68U to make it a mesh network.
Any alternative suggestions are welcome.

 

[L&LD]

From all accounts, the RT-AC68U's are past their prime (for AiMesh networking use).

Possibly 2x RT-AC66U_B1's may work (a much more powerful successor to the 'AC68U).

But if you just want to enjoy the network, then AiMesh v2.0 starts at 2x RT-AC86U's (preferably with wired backhaul). The top end is 2x RT-AX86U's (preferably with wired 2.5GbE backhaul).

What are your ISP speeds? If below 100Mbps up/down, the 'classic' RT-AC68U's may be enough. If below 400Mbps up/down, the RT-AC86U's should be sufficient. The RT-AX86U's are excellent for 1000Mbps up/down ISP speeds.

 

[shivanayak]

I have 300Mbps speed, I would go with wired backhaul. I have two TP-Links , one in router mode and another in AP mode.
Looking mesh for seemless transition while moving from one room to another.

Do you recommend any other brand for better Mesh performance in same price range.

Thank you for your advice.

 

[L&LD]

I don't know if other brands are better mesh routers, but Asus + RMerlin supported routers are the best consumer routers period (security, reliability, and long term support) if that is also important to you over just mere performance (which they also do have, of course).

What worries me most about other brands is not just the short support periods offered (via firmware updates), but more importantly the old, obsolete and insecure code base they run on.