AC86 v Blue Cave

[bigfatron]

Can anyone shed any light how these stack up in day to day use and pros and cons? Currently have an AC68 and was considering an upgrade. The AC68 does a generally good job but I have the odd iffy spot due to concentrations of pipes, thick walls and so on. So basically i'm just looking for any improvement in reach/penetration over what I already own. Connection wise i'm currently hooking up..

5GHz - A windows desktop, occasionally a couple of laptops when we're working at home, plus 4/5 Android devices
2.4GHz - an IP cam, Echo and a couple of smartplugs
Wired - TV and STB
WAN Connection - via ISP's router in modem mode, 200 down/20 up

- Blue Cave appeals slightly on the spousal approval front as the looks of the AC68 means its squirrelled away in a corner and partially obstructed by the TV. So looks-wise it may allow me to put it in a slightly more open position and it sounds like the WiFi performance of it is decent.

- AC86 seems well thought of and seems like an evolution of the 68 that's done me well.

I had also given thought to going for something like an Orbi (recent prices are quite good) although i'm not convinced my property (3 bed, 2 floors) is quite big enough to justify and could end up being counterproductive. I do have the odd spot where signal is poor now due to thick walls and concentrations of pipework (I have to be very specific where the desktop's WiFi adaptor is placed to get best signal).

 

[John Navas]

I'm a fan of the RT-86U, but I doubt you would see much improvement over the RT-AC68U. To improve your coverage, you might want to add either one as a 2nd wireless router using AiMesh.

 

[Klueless]

... squirreled away in a corner and partially obstructed by the TV

So test out your hypothesis and "unsquirrel" your existing router for a few days. Put it in the best position you can and see what happens. If you like what you see then the Blue Cave might be a decent option.

If the new positioning yields a just a single bad spot/area you might look at a Blue Cave augmented with a wired access point or a range extender. You could reconfigure your current router to serve that need.

If the new positioning still yields multiple bad spot/areas you might be looking at multiple APs or Extenders. IMO that's where mesh comes to play.

I tend to agree with @John Navas ... although I have seen better WiFi range/performance with my 86U I'd be skeptical if it would simply "fix" all your problems.

Do backup your impressions with a WiFi analyzer and/or speed tests from multiple locations.

 

[bigfatron]

So test out your hypothesis and "unsquirrel" your existing router for a few days. Put it in the best position you can and see what happens. If you like what you see then the Blue Cave might be a decent option.

If the new positioning yields a just a single bad spot/area you might look at a Blue Cave augmented with a wired access point or a range extender. You could reconfigure your current router to serve that need.

If the new positioning still yields multiple bad spot/areas you might be looking at multiple APs or Extenders. IMO that's where mesh comes to play.

I tend to agree with @John Navas ... although I have seen better WiFi range/performance with my 86U I'd be skeptical if it would simply "fix" all your problems.

Do backup your impressions with a WiFi analyzer and/or speed tests from multiple locations.

Cheers. I've already tried some fairly short term tests on different positions that've yielded better results. Aesthetics means the AC68 isn't going to stay in any of them permanently though.

I did manage to run some Cat6 between Xmas and new year to the "problem" room. This ended up as something akin to microsurgery as I had to drop it through the boards and down some existing trunking to get to downstairs, but I could neither lift the boards nor access but a tiny part of the trunking! So that's solved a fair bit of the problem. So for now my desktop is on a wired connection and i've got enough WiFi signal at the desk to be usable for home working. I'll see how things go and possibly look at APs depending on how things go now i've got the cable run as a usable backbone.

 

[Klueless]

I've already tried some fairly short term tests on different positions that've yielded better results. Aesthetics means the AC68 isn't going to stay in any of them permanently though.

Starting to sound promising? If (when?) you're happy with a particular placement you should be able to simply swap it out for the wife friendly Blue Cave : -)

I did manage to run some Cat6 between Xmas and new year to the "problem" room.

Awesome! If/when you swap out the 68U with the Blue Cave then you should be able to reconfigure the ol' 68U into being a wired access point and connect it to your new Ethernet drop. You can then "rewire" the desktop by simply connecting it to the ol' 68U / new access point.

 

[bigfatron]

Starting to sound promising? If (when?) you're happy with a particular placement you should be able to simply swap it out for the wife friendly Blue Cave : -)

Awesome! If/when you swap out the 68U with the Blue Cave then you should be able to reconfigure the ol' 68U into being a wired access point and connect it to your new Ethernet drop. You can then "rewire" the desktop by simply connecting it to the ol' 68U / new access point.

Yeah, that's certainly one of the possible plans I have.