AC-87u

[Nigel Jones]

I'm looking for a router to use instead of an ISP router (a Virgin Media SH3 which will end up being relegated to modem mode). I'm hitting some weird Ethernet issues, plus poor wifi range on 5 Ghz - a small 3 story house.

My internet connection is 220 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up.
My desktop is wired (AV2000 powerline, full speed)
I have a variety of phones, tablet (MS surface pro), laptops in the house - though none will go above about 866 Mbps 5Ghz for now. A top end MacBook being added soon.

The AC-68u is a pretty safe bet. A real "classic"
The AC-88u is newer/faster, but at rather a cost premium (twice the price)

I run OpenVPN on a Pi currently, may wish to run on router. Also QoS/prioritization may be of interest which could increase CPU load (making a faster processor/more ram beneficial)

I can actuall get an AC-87u for about the same price as the 68u (110 UKP), but having read up on SNB & other places I can see there are some concerns with
- it's architecture and throughput (GB lan+wifi) -- unlikely an issue for me
- The Q* 5 Ghz radio
though recent posts here seem to be quite ok and it seems applauded for range

What's the current firmware like? Are there limitations with merlin or does pretty much everything work? Did the Q drivers improve? Are asus still supporting/updating decently

My gut feel says to take a punt on the 87u

 

[pete y testing]

I have a variety of phones, tablet (MS surface pro), laptops in the house - though none will go above about 866 Mbps 5Ghz for now.

so seeing the coverage between the 68u and 87u is minimal and the 68u is the preferred device i would suggest you dont throw your money at the 87u

whats the price of the ac3200 as you may be better of with it and the price of the rt-ac3100 as its better spec'd

My gut feel says to take a punt on the 87u

my suggestion is dont trust your gut

 

[Nigel Jones]

The ac3200 is decently priced (I can get an amazon warehouse deal for around £126 vs £110 for the 68). I hadn't considered it as I don't feel I need the dual 5 Ghz channels -- however it is newer and a faster CPU (slightly) than the 68u so if well regarded it's an option. The ac3100 would be perfect but hard to find in the UK except from a few small sellers, where it's priced no cheaper than the ac88u on amazon

 

[Nigel Jones]

I decided to try the ac-3200 as it's slightly more traditional but at least also has the 1Ghz processor. I don't need the extra wifi but I can get the router for 125 ukp.

Sadly the ac1900 and ac68p or indeed ac3100 aren't available in the uk

 

[FTC]

Good choice.I have been quite happy with my RT-AC3200 in the last 18 months.. The CPU will provide you with good performance for things such as Samba and VPN. .. you can even overclock it and it is very stable.. once you select a good firmware for it (I am using latest hggomes one). Regarding the extra wifi channel, I am dedicating it for IPTV so that it gets unaffected by other traffic (as long as your WAN connection is fast enough).

 

[joegreat]

Same to say about my AC87U: Rock solid and great performance with the "tweaked" Merlin version (same as @FTC uses ) - only at the beginning I saw some firmware issues, but with the updated versions things are fine.

 

[Nigel Jones]

So I've had the ac3200 a few days now and the firmware (merlin) is great.

I've been experimenting with the dual wifi and not sure I need it but wanted to have slower clients/weaker sig on one channel... Fast on the other. So far smart connect is obscure at best.

I noticed the router is rather hot even when idling... The extra radio probably doesn't help.

Overall wifi is better than Isp router but not as improved as id hoped


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