Upgrading from N66U to AC86U a good move?

[aris]

Yeah, i've had this little router for a long long time. It has paid for itself - and is still going strong but I have an itch for an upgrade. It is no longer supported by the latest Merlin updates, and it has a tendency to stop accepting new connections requiring a reboot. Not the end of the world, but perhaps it is time to move to something new!

I don't want to spend silly money on a router - i've seen the AC86U at a somewhat acceptable price on Amazon - is this the right way to go, or would I be better off going for an AX88U which is DOUBLE the price. Is there something in between which I could spend a little bit more money on and get better value?

I'm pretty happy with ASUS - and in particular Merlin. It has served me well. usage is 100mb broadband (possibly going to 200+ in the future), and lots of IOT and personal devices connected.

If I don't go the ASUS/Merlin route - I was considering an investment in a PF-Sense setup with Ubiquity access points - but this may be overkill and would be costly.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[JDB]

The 86U will serve you just fine. I have 350mbps fibre and run all sorts on mine with no issues.
Save upgrading to the X range for another few years when the clients that can take advantage are more widespread.


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[L&LD]

The RT-AC86U is an excellent router, but you may want to consider the RT-AC66U_B1 model too. Usually can be found for much less cost and is a great upgrade over the RT-N66U.

This is basically the RT-AC68U with upgraded hardware and actually runs the same RMerlin firmware too.

While the RT-AC86U is superior in range and throughput, the '_B1 may be the better buy right now if you're thinking to upgrade again in a year or less. The September or October timeframe is when WiFi 6 specifications will become official (if they aren't pushed to a later date again), and shortly afterward may be the time to upgrade to that standard then.

With either choice, RMerlin 384.15 Beta 1 is considered stable for many and with the built-in amtm Entware and script support, it will open up the choices of how you want your network to behave with security and performance in mind.

I am seeing the RT-AC66U_B1 for half the cost of the RT-AC86U when both are not on sale. That would go a long way towards being on the WiFi 6 standards sooner while also giving you a nice upgrade to the stability and the performance of your network today.

 

[DarkKnight75]

I upgraded from my 8 yr old n66u that was acting up to an ac86u last year. For the most part it's been solid on Merlin. You cant go wrong with the other choices mentioned either.