AC1900 Now or Wait and See on AC3200?

[Logic Bus]

Currently I'm using a DIR-655. I can't complain about it -- my two Nest thermostats never lose connection to it. But I added a Wemo outlet switch (and motion detector) and I've noticed a couple instances of weirdness: I've come home twice to one or both Wemo devices disconnected and needing to be reset, and once I watched my iPhone go from full signal to nothing for ten seconds, then back to full signal. Not sure if the Wemo is the cause or if it's a coincidence.

I've got the Asus RT-AC68U at the top of my Amazon wish list. But $200 is a lot of money and my current router is mostly very stable.

I've also read about the Smart Connect feature on AC3200 routers. This is kind of a dream feature for me. I briefly had a TP-Link Archer C7, and I hated how my phone would always stay on the 2.4 GHz band, even when I was close enough to connect to the 5 GHz band. (I actually returned the Archer C7 because my Nest thermostats lost connection constantly and the 2.4 GHz band would lose Internet predictably.)

Numerous reviews on SNB say stick with AC1900 routers for now. But how long until the kinks get worked out on the AC3200 models? November of this year? December?

I don't want to regret a purchase. I don't want to buy the RT-AC68U and wake up the next day to read that the rest of the world has moved on to AC3200 routers. But I don't want to buy an even more expensive AC3200 model only to find that Smart Connect -- the primary reason I'm considering it -- is a bust.

And back to the RT-AC68U -- Is this a no-brainer for upgrading from the DIR-655? Again, I'd regret the purchase if the Nest thermostats -- or Wemo devices -- lose connection frequently.

Bonus question: RT-AC68P: Better than U/R?

 

[thiggins]

All the RT-AC68s are the same. Different suffixes for marketing reasons.

It's unlikely AC3200 will win the day. If you read our AC3200 reviews, you'll find Smart Connect isn't as intelligent as it is said to be about client steering. Part of the problem is that companies have locked out some Smart Connect features. But a big factor is that some clients are just stubborn and can't be steered easily.

Unfortunately, you can't buy ANY wireless router and be guaranteed you won't have client disconnect problems. Some products just don't like other products due to subtle implementation differences. 802.11 has a LOT of specs in it, but doesn't cover every instance.

If you want to lessen your chances of client problems, don't go higher than AC1750 class. AC1900 and up implement 256-QAM in 2.4 GHz, which is non-standard and some clients may have problem with it.

 

[hank81]

I have the AC68U and in my case my Nexus 5 switches perfectly from 2.4Ghz to 5Ghz when i'm close enough whithout losing connection at any moment, although the Nexus 5 features a Broadcom radio as the Asus router, a factor wich perhaps helps.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Logic Bus]

I have the AC68U and in my case my Nexus 5 switches perfectly from 2.4Ghz to 5Ghz when i'm close enough whithout losing connection at any moment

I'm assuming you set both networks with the same SSID/password? Like a poor man's Smart Connect? And no issues?

The only devices in my home that will be moving around on a regular basis are two iPhones.

 

[hank81]

Well, I use a different SSID for each band, but it also works sharing the same SSID for both.

But now that you mention your iPhones, you should search in the forum because you'll find lots of useful threads about issues with Apple devices when switching bands.

 

[Logic Bus]

All the RT-AC68s are the same. Different suffixes for marketing reasons.

Small Net Builder posted a review of the RT-AC68P, saying of it: "V2 revision of Broadcom-based AC1900 router with a faster processor and improved storage throughput."

 

[thiggins]

Small Net Builder posted a review of the RT-AC68P, saying of it: "V2 revision of Broadcom-based AC1900 router with a faster processor and improved storage throughput."

Sorry, was a bit hasty in my reply. The 68P has some component differences, described in the review. Overall, I didn't find the 68P better, just different. It actually ranked lower than the 68U. But in real-world, it's probably a toss-up.

 

[Logic Bus]

I purchased the RT-AC68P.

Several SNB articles say wait on AC3200, get an AC1900 router now, and the forums echo that sentiment.

I went with the RT-AC68P rather than the U or R version. The USB improvement/shielding was was the main factor.

 

[JokerPower]

By the way, where can I find 68P in Dublin? Only U

 

[bilboSNB]

I read in a post on these forums that the ac68p is only available at Bestbuy in the US. Tres annoying.

I am also looking to upgrade, ac and more processor power and it has been between the AC87U and AC68U, and now I am considering the R7000 also given the fact merlins fw has been ported.

The more I read the less inclined I am to get the 87U.

 

[System Error Message]

firstly all those routers have the same broadcom CPU but with different clocks and they all have the same overclock ceiling. I have an AC68U that runs at 1400Mhz all the time.

The 2nd thing you might want to look at is that some of these routers have tiny CPUs used to accelerate wifi traffic processing. This only matters if you intend to use the CPU to handle other things. They also have different wifi chips that affect their wifi performance, range and stability.

The 3rd thing is that if you have multiple wifi clients that all support MU-MIMO than the AC87U would work well otherwise consider an AC3200 or R8000.

The thing about smart connect is that ASUS lets you configure it so i dont think its a bust. If you have the free airwaves than having multiple radios and multiple devices you can assign them to different radios manually if you have issues. Ive never had any issues with the asus routers yet except for the quick range and bandwidth drop and i use merlin firmware.

If it is within your budget the AC3200 is worth it. It runs cooler than the AC68U without any mods and the usb3 is placed in a different place. Even the buttons and antennas are better. It is much bulkier though.

 

[bilboSNB]

Oh right so the ac68u and r7000 cpus are fundamentally the same then, definitely leaning towards the ac68u now then. The 3200 is a bit pricey.

Is it easy enough to oc the 68u? Custom CFE is it?

 

[System Error Message]

I just use merlin's firmware and use a few commands but with the AC68U you will need a fan to keep it cool on both stock and overclock.

the AC3200 and R8000 have tiny CPUs to handle wifi traffic whereas the AC68U uses main CPU. CPU wise the routers may be the same but they have different features and hardware like the wifi chips that affect their wifi performance, features like antivirus and such.