ASUS Routers and LTE modems - recommendations that work

[Shadovv]

Hi everyone,

For the couple of last weeks I have been struggling to get my ASUS AC87U Router to work with an LTE modem: Huawei E3272 (hi-link). As a result of my experiments I got it to the state where I can browse most pages, while other always "freeze" on same advert servers or don't load everything properly. Online games are also not playable, since it seems there is a huge packet loss at some point and the game simply freezes ruining your ranking.

As you can imagine im very disappointed with the state of ASUS firmware, since it clearly states 3g/4g compatible on the box but semi-functional solution is all you can expect even with merlin-rt releases. Warning to all buyers - wish I knew it before I got my pricey RT-AC87U.

Now I was wondering if anyone could share with me combos that actually work (router + lte modem) so I could still do some fast x-mas shopping and have a working internet connection at home?

Your input is much appreciated!

 

[waltersmith]

It's been like this for years with Asus routers. They keep advertising 3g/4g but in fact it is not reliable or automated. In the end, the best solution for failover I found was to demote my ASUS router to AP mode and add a Peplink as the primary router. It is 100% reliable with 3g/4g and even does notifications etc when failing over. You can configure instant or delayed failover and use the monitoring method of your choice to configure a failover. And Peplink actually provides better firewall and the rest on router features.

Asus only does one thing well, wireless range, so that's all I use it for. It's the same with all new or old ASUS routers.

Edit - The Peplinks can also hold a 3g/4g connection full time if failover isn't what you are looking for.

 

[Shadovv]

Thank you for sharing and I'll look today for a router that can actually connect to the internet via 3G/4G modem.

It's a real shame that ASUS advertises something they cant deliver.

 

[The Dino]

I have the same issue when I use modem in HiLink mode. The only full working solution for me is Merlin fork 374.43 (is the most current in which it works) and E3272 flashed to modem fw. Then I use NDIS mode (RAS is too slow) in modem. In this combination everything works fine, but there are other drawbacks (you need to make your own scripts that have been described here in the forum)...

 

[Shadovv]

I hope more people will speak up about the problems of ASUS routers with USB LTE modems and we will finally get a fix for the firmware.

For now I can not recommend buying an ASUS router unless you're 101% sure that you will never use a LTE connection even as a back up. Taking into account that every connection might have problems this situation is bound to happen sooner or later for everyone owning an USB modem that works happily in an laptop but ASUS router will have issues...

 

[core5]

I can't speak for the 87u, but I've been using a Sierra 313u for the last few days on my RT-AC66U. The initial setup was a pain, but basically, I updated the firmware using the windows utility; unlocked it with DC-unlocker (~$12); then verified it was running on my T-Mobile SIM using my desktop. With that done, I plugged it into my router, and ran the internet setup wizard.

Now, for some reason, the thing takes about 5-10 minutes to get the 4G modem up and running. That may be why failover doesn't really work since it takes so long to setup. Windows 7 registers about 8 devices in the modem, 4 of which are separate modem IDs, so that could be the root cause of the delay when it's connected to the router.

The nice thing about the 313u is you can get a locked one on eBay for around $15 and unlock it for $12. So even if it doesn't work, you're only out $25. There is a newer version of the same modem called 340u which uses a 28nm qualcomm modem instead of the 313u's 40nm. I think it supports a couple of other LTE bands (if you need them). You can get a locked one on eBay for $25.

Also, you'll need to the use USB extension cable with the 313, becuase the modem gets so hot in the back, it'll cause the 313u processor to throttle down, due to heat soak, and you get crappy performance.

 

[fraatti]

I have the same issue when I use modem in HiLink mode. The only full working solution for me is Merlin fork 374.43 (is the most current in which it works) and E3272 flashed to modem fw. Then I use NDIS mode (RAS is too slow) in modem. In this combination everything works fine, but there are other drawbacks (you need to make your own scripts that have been described here in the forum)...

I have used same method almost for a half year. Last time I have to reset router, 4g connection uptime was 34 days. Sometimes uptime is less, but if I have known this issue with 4g sticks I would have been choosen different router. Nowdays there are also better 4g sticks like e3372. With this speed it would take ages that asus will support them.

Dovado offers really good ones. It has connection tracker. If connection is lost it will try make new connection. If it won't succeed it will cycle power in usb connector and build connection again.