Asus router suggestion with Merlin support, 2.5Gbps Ethernet WAN, Wifi6

[MKANET]

I'm curious what are my choices if I wanted to get an Asus router with Merlin firmware support, 2.5Gbps Ethernet WAN port, and Wifi 6? I'm curious what the most affordable "great" router would be that does all of this.

I currently have an Asus RT-AC5300. However, it doesn't have a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port to accomodate the full speed of my new 1Ghz cable modem. I know there's a Asus Rt-AX89x coming out.. however, I'm not sure if it even has merlin support; and, I might not be able to afford it anyway.

 

[L&LD]

Zero choices right now. Save your money today and keep saving for when it is available.

 

[MKANET]

Thanks for letting me know. So, you're saying to save up for the the Rt-AX89x when it comes out? No other Asus routers will do it?

 

[L&LD]

No, save up for a future RMerlin supported router with the features you need.

None are currently available today.

 

[jsz]

I'm curious what are my choices if I wanted to get an Asus router with Merlin firmware support, 2.5Gbps Ethernet WAN port, and Wifi 6? I'm curious what the most affordable "great" router would be that does all of this.

I currently have an Asus RT-AC5300. However, it doesn't have a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port to accomodate the full speed of my new 1Ghz cable modem. I know there's a Asus Rt-AX89x coming out.. however, I'm not sure if it even has merlin support; and, I might not be able to afford it anyway.

AX89X is Qualcomm based hardware. Wont be getting support.

Your only option might be AX86U which is "officially released", but not currently stocked in western markets. Price should be around $280~ USD but theres no confirmation other than the chinese MSRP being 1999 yuan.

Then its up to RMerlin if he wants to support this specific model.

 

[businesstx]

I'm in China at the moment and these are the prices of the aforementioned Asus routers as of 10 June 2020.
I can't read Chinese but it looks like there is a big sale on 17 June 2020 so they might be cheaper then:

Asus AX86U
https://item.jd.com/100012950722.html
1869 RMB = 265USD

Asus AX88U
https://item.jd.com/69027424506.html
1999 RMB = 283 USD

Asus AX89
https://item.jd.com/100009370816.html
4999 RMB = 708 USD

 

[businesstx]

You could try taobao.com and tmall.com as they are generally slightly cheaper than jd.com however, the locals tell me jd.com sells new original products whereas the other websites might contain second hand or refurbished products also...

 

[MarkyPancake]

I believe ASUS don't add English language support to their Chinese market routers, so something to consider as well.

 

[jsz]

Its not worth importing. different regions support different channel banks aswell.

 

[businesstx]

@MarkyPancake

The info was provided to give an idea of prices, but you mentioned a good point to consider.
My TP-Link router is in Chinese only but the QNAP I bought here was in English (but I did check that before buying).

Also, if you are importing, it is probably not worth it as products round here are not always the same quality as in the UK ... and the probability of DOA is quite high based on my experience. It is not such a big problem if you are here as exchanges and refunds are done quickly but if you are importing, the delivery costs will not be refunded and communication will be difficult.