Asus AC86U HW version R1.8

[vshindgi]

Hello guys,

I have purchased Asus AC86U renewed router ai mesh pack of 2 routers in almost more less than it's original half price..from Amazon it shows HW version R1.8 and product mfg year is 2020 and it's made in china, I saw many other posts that says there Hw version is 1.5.. what could Asus had changed in this version of hardware and how much beneficial is for us?

Thanks in advance

 

[vshindgi]

Hello guys,

I have purchased Asus AC86U renewed router ai mesh pack of 2 routers in almost more less than it's original half price..from Amazon it shows HW version R1.8 and product mfg year is 2020 and it's made in china, I saw many other posts that says there Hw version is 1.5.. what could Asus had changed in this version of hardware and how much beneficial is for us?

Thanks in advance

Anyone interested to reply?

 

[L&LD]

All AC class routers today are not worth buying (for the long term). At half price they are still too expensive. Doesn't matter the version number they're on either.

 

[Tech9]

Anyone interested to reply?

I've never seen h/w revision 1.8, but it has to be better because it can't be worse. The original h/w revision 1.5 router has a long list of issues. Perhaps the most unreliable Asus model in recent years. I wouldn't buy this router in 2023. It's the very first Asus HND platform router and turning 6-years old in mid 2023. It still has unresolved software issues and chances for fix are very slim. It may receive few more firmware updates, if lucky. Probably won't be.

 

[Sachb]

All AC class routers today are not worth buying (for the long term). At half price they are still too expensive. Doesn't matter the version number they're on either.

Only AC class router worth buying is the Netgear R7800 AC2600 router.

 

[L&LD]

There are no AC class routers worth buying at all, particularly as time marches on from my original post almost a month ago. Long-term.

 

[Sachb]

There are no AC class routers worth buying at all, particularly as time marches on from my original post almost a month ago. Long-term.

For those who want to save some money, they can still get an excellent router which is Netgear R7800, the strongest range in its class. Infact It has way better range than my Netgear WiFi 6/Wifi6E routers

 

[L&LD]

The range is unimportant when available with AiMesh (or other brands' versions).

 

[Sachb]

The range is unimportant when available with AiMesh (or other brands' versions).

For me the AiMesh seemed to be very unstable, never tried the Netgear Orbi and don't even care cause, Orbi has no USBs for SMB server.
At the moment, since I'm living in a 2 BHK flat, with concrete walls, the DLINK DAP 1860 is still rocking as I'm using this extender in Wireless Bridge mode where the Extender passes the main wifi's signal to my 2nd router in the room, and then the 2nd router transmits it to all my clients.

I could achieve a throughput of around 700 mbps in the room.

Best setup for me so far!!! May not work for you, but it worked really well for me.
You seem to not recommend the extenders, cause you haven't tried one in wireless bridge mode i suppose.
AiMesh is just a gimmicky marketing fluff that either works or is a complete disaster.

Link: https://www.snbforums.com/threads/using-the-wi-fi-extender-the-right-way-for-max-speed.77619/

 

[L&LD]

No, I have experience with 'extenders'. They're a poor substitute for proper placement, wired APs/AiMesh, or when needed for long-term use. Your use case is very niche, and I'm glad it works for you.

'XXX' features are all gimmicky marketing fluff. But for an Asus/RMerlin-powered network, it has become less gimmicky with each new model released.

And, btw, you know that wireless AiMesh is exactly the same as a repeater/extender, correct?

That is why I usually recommend wired backhaul AiMesh setups.

 

[Sachb]

No, I have experience with 'extenders'. They're a poor substitute for proper placement, wired APs/AiMesh, or when needed for long-term use. Your use case is very niche, and I'm glad it works for you.

'XXX' features are all gimmicky marketing fluff. But for an Asus/RMerlin-powered network, it has become less gimmicky with each new model released.

And, btw, you know that wireless AiMesh is exactly the same as a repeater/extender, correct?

That is why I usually recommend wired backhaul AiMesh setups.

It also depends on wall outlets, I have 2 wall outlets, so one is occupied by the extender, and another one 2M away is for my 2nd router in the room.
Yes I know wireless AiMesh is repeater/extender mode, but if wiring isn't possible then it's a hit or a miss with them.

If one is going for a Wireless AiMesh, having Tri-Band setup for AiMesh is quite important for best performance to avoid retransmission on the same radio. Having 2x 5Ghz helps a lot.

 

[L&LD]

In my experience, buying a Tri-Band router is money wasted when that cash can be put toward a wired solution. Having more WiFi is detrimental for all, when it's not strictly necessary.

Sure, some installations may call for it. That doesn't make them ideal. They're still n-1 removed from that ideal.

And if AiMesh is hit or miss, then so will an extender/repeater.

For any wired-capable device(s), if physical hard wiring isn't possible, the next best thing is a router in Media Bridge mode, not wireless AiMesh or an extender/repeater.

For wireless devices, I haven't seen an installation yet where better/proper placement of the main and/or nodes didn't give a huge performance increase for the network overall.