Asus AX92u vs Asus XT8

[leerees]

I currently have a network of 8 x AX92u's. There's definitely been some ups and downs with prior firmware but my units are now running extremely well.

I am building a new site which will initially only need 2 nodes, it will be connected to 1Gb/s symmetrical fibre. I am thinking this would be an ideal time to go for the XT8's. Unfortunately with Asus, newer doesn't always mean better so I would like to weigh up the pros and cons.

AX92u has dual core 1.8ghz, XT8 has quad core 1.5ghz. Which CPU has the best single core performance?
Does the XT8 have the same (or better) range than the AX92u?
Has anybody here upgraded from AX92u to the XT8?
One of the "hidden" features of the AX92u was the ability to operate with a wireless backhaul but also have triband mode with the clients sharing access with the 5ghz2 160mhz backhaul channel. This means clients get the full 1gbps. Can the XT8 also do this?

 

[L&LD]

Which has more RAM? Which has the newer SDK? What are the radio configuration specs? 4x4:4 or better? For both router models?

The 1.5GHz based XT8 seems like a poor choice to me today.

 

[leerees]

Which has more RAM? Which has the newer SDK? What are the radio configuration specs? 4x4:4 or better? For both router models?

The 1.5GHz based XT8 seems like a poor choice to me today.

The AX92u has an inferior 2.4Ghz radio (wifi4) and one of the 5ghz channels is only AC vs the 2 AX 5ghz channels on the XT8.

They both have the same amount of RAM. (512MB)

What would you go for instead of the XT8? I'm seeking a mesh solution similar to the AX92u.

 

[L&LD]

My signature should give you a hint.

Losing Internet (WAN) connection: ASUS RT-AC88U

I'm having a problem that eludes my troubleshooting abilities. The setup is Comcast/Xfinity Netgear CM1150V cable modem ASUS wireless router RT-AC88U (5.5 yr old) Latest Merlin firmware (386.3_2) Everything runs fine for days or weeks, then the router loses its Internet (WAN) connection...

www.snbforums.com

 

[leerees]

My signature should give you a hint.

Losing Internet (WAN) connection: ASUS RT-AC88U

I'm having a problem that eludes my troubleshooting abilities. The setup is Comcast/Xfinity Netgear CM1150V cable modem ASUS wireless router RT-AC88U (5.5 yr old) Latest Merlin firmware (386.3_2) Everything runs fine for days or weeks, then the router loses its Internet (WAN) connection...

www.snbforums.com

The link you posted is for the AX86 and AX88. What's your opinion in the AX92 vs XT8. I'm aware the XT8's are newer and benefit from 2 x AX channels, but I'm cautious with Asus.

The antennas are inside the unit whereas the AX92u has external antennas. I'm wondering if that effects range.

I wish Asus would make 2 x 4x4 AX channels, that way we wouldn't need to share the backhaul to achieve 1gbps with clients.

 

[L&LD]

I gave my opinion already. Not the 'AX92 nor the XT8.

 

[leerees]

The AX86 and AX88 are only Dual Band.

 

[L&LD]

I thought you were looking for an AiMesh system that worked?

And to clarify, unless you're talking 3 physical radios, with full bandwidth on each, it is still a dual-band system to me. Regardless of what the marketing may indicate.

 

[leerees]

I thought you were looking for an AiMesh system that worked?

And to clarify, unless you're talking 3 physical radios, with full bandwidth on each, it is still a dual-band system to me. Regardless of what the marketing may indicate.

You should consider giving Asus' mesh solutions another look. There was issues in the past, but AIMesh works great these days.

The AX92u has 2x2 AC on the first radio and 4x4 AX on the second.

However, it's still good for splitting the load. The 2x2 AC band offers 500mb/s real world speeds.

The AX channel is extremely fast, offering client connects upto 2gbps and under 1ms latency, I've not seen that on any other Asus routers, including the AX86u.

You also get the 2.4ghz band, which is a poor effort as it's only WiFi 4.

 

[L&LD]

I'm using AiMesh right now. Connected at 2.4Gbps and can hit my 1Gbps ISP speeds (symmetrical) on either the router or the AiMesh node.

Under 1ms latency? How are you measuring that?

386.1 Final 2x RT-AX86Us 2.5GbE Backhaul

Glad that you have a system that is working well for you. But it's not the only one that is capable, and it is certainly not the most economical.

2x RT-AX86Us in wired backhaul mode are superior, overall.

 

[leerees]

I'm using AiMesh right now. Connected at 2.4Gbps and can hit my 1Gbps ISP speeds (symmetrical) on either the router or the AiMesh node.

Under 1ms latency? How are you measuring that?

386.1 Final 2x RT-AX86Us 2.5GbE Backhaul

Glad that you have a system that is working well for you. But it's not the only one that is capable, and it is certainly not the most economical.

2x RT-AX86Us in wired backhaul mode are superior, overall.

I ping my isp's local ookla speed test server. The ping never changes so can be used as a baseline to compare wifi vs ethernet.

AX86u gets lots of good feedback on here. It's just the fact it's only Dual Band that puts me off. It would not be suitable for me as I use wireless backhaul.

Just out of curiosity, can you try doing some ping tests to test the latency of your WiFi vs ethernet. I'm wondering if there are any differences between the different Asus router models or if they all have the same results. For example, does the AX89x have lower latency than the AX86u, and where does the AX92u fit in as a lot of people here think it's inferior due to having dual core cpu

Asus never tell us these things so it's hard to know.

 

[L&LD]

I don't do ping tests normally. There is no need for my use. A network is either fast enough, or it's not. I can tell just using it (wired or wireless).

Best gaming routers for 2021 - CNET

First up is the first gaming router I'd recommend to most people, and a router I'd recommend to just about anybody, truth be told. It's the Asus RT-AX86U, and it replaces our previous top pick... the Asus RT-AC86U.

Latency​

The best of the bunch? That'd be our top pick, the Asus RT-AX86U. Across 90 speed tests at my home, it didn't see a single spike above 20ms, which is truly outstanding.​

The RT-AX86U is in a league of its own. As was the RT-AC86U before it (a long time ago now).

 

[leerees]

I don't do ping tests normally. There is no need for my use. A network is either fast enough, or it's not. I can tell just using it (wired or wireless).

Best gaming routers for 2021 - CNET








The RT-AX86U is in a league of its own. As was the RT-AC86U before it (a long time ago now).

I just read the article and they state that the ping to their speed test server was 15ms and the AX86u produced an average ping of 20ms. That's poor compared to my current setup, which has an additional ping time of 1ms on AX

 

[L&LD]

You're doing some selective reading.

See the full review instead.

Asus RT-AX86U review

 

[leerees]

You're doing some selective reading.

See the full review instead.

Asus RT-AX86U review

I did read it. It says his baseline ping to the speed test server was 15ms, yet the AX86u recorded 20ms via Wifi. That's an additional 5ms.

If I ping 8.8.8.8 from my router it records 10ms latency. If I ping from a client connected via 5ghz it's only 1ms higher.

Router:
PING 8.8.8.8 (8.8.8.8): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: seq=0 ttl=120 time=10.405 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: seq=1 ttl=120 time=10.613 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: seq=2 ttl=120 time=10.487 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: seq=3 ttl=120 time=10.510 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: seq=4 ttl=120 time=10.488 ms

--- 8.8.8.8 ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 5 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max = 10.405/10.500/10.613 ms


Client:
Pinging 8.8.8.8 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=11ms TTL=119
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=11ms TTL=119
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=11ms TTL=119
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=11ms TTL=119

Ping statistics for 8.8.8.8:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 11ms, Maximum = 11ms, Average = 11ms

The AX86u might be the best of the bunch in the link you posted. But from where I'm standing, the AX92u has lower latency. I'm trying not to make this a competition, I generally want to understand why the results are different. Surely, they are all broadcom chipsets and should offer the same performance.

This is really important for me as I'm about to build another network and latency is the absolute highest priority for us. Although we are lucky to have symmetrical 1gbps in our area, unfortunately, the lowest ping possible is 10ms. This is the latency from the head end into the ISP's network.

 

[L&LD]

No, it's not a competition. I'm trying to learn (more) too.

The lowest ping I can achieve from the router to my ISP's DNS servers is less than 1ms (0.836ms). 1Gbps Fibre symmetrical service.

Using 9.9.9.9 I'm at 1.167ms.

Using google servers is not an option in my home.

On a new laptop with an Intel AX210 adaptor at an indicated 1.3Gbps (out of 2.4Gbps) the ISP DNS servers are less than 14ms away. Note I did not go out of my way to maximize this connection (obviously). I'm just sitting/typing on my favorite chair and connected to the (wired) node.

While 9.9.9.9 is less than 7ms away.

Yes, comparatively, my results may be worse than yours, percentage of, but I still believe the RT-AX86U may be the superior option overall.

For reference, on fast.com, I'm still hitting 920Mbps with an 8ms loaded latency value.

All while on battery power and using the 'Best Power Efficiency' settings on the laptop.

Client device specs: Intel i7, 48GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Intel AX210 WiFi 6E adaptor.

What client device are you using, and what kind of specs (and settings) are you using it with?

 

[leerees]

I'm using an Intel i7-4930k, 32GB RAM, 80GB SSD with Intel AX200 WiFi 6 adaptor. Running in AX mode 160mhz channel. It's a very old PC.

Unfortunately, my pings are always 10ms bare minimum. UK FTTH connections often consist of one company that provides the infrastructure, and another company (the ISP) to do the rest. The 10ms latency comes from the infrastructure provider. In the UK, BT is the best ISP. BT users can see pings to Google of 4ms.

That 1ms ping to google from your router is amazing (you must have a very good ISP). However, what concerns me is that your laptop is getting 7ms, so that's a WiFi latency of 6ms.

Here is my fast.com stats (the nearest AX92u node is in the next room)
920
Mbps

Latency
Unloaded
11 ms

Loaded
19 ms

I have a Samsung Galaxy s21 Ultra and a Dell XPS 9310, they get the same pings. However, sometimes the Dell XPS connects in AC mode which ads an extra 1ms. It has a built in killer WiFi card and it's junk.