Asus RT-86U or Asus ROG GT-5300

[kingshawarma]

Hey everyone,

I am buying a router today and replacing my Asus AC-3100 (constant issues with disconnects, it has factory reset itself 4 times in the past 2 months. Attempted numerous fixes mentioned on this site but no luck).

I am deciding between the RT-86U or the ROG GT-5300. The 86U is $199 and the GT-5300 is 249. I know on this site it is highly recommended to purchase a Asus router that is supported by Merlin. I do not plan on playing around with any extra features, the router will be turned on and placed and I will follow guides on this forum that are meant for first time initialization for routers. I have 18 wireless devices (6 laptops, 6 cell phones, 6 smart TVs, and 6 wired (console, security camera system that is active to be remotely monitored 24/7, 2 IP TVs, 1 VOIP phone, and a PC)

For the extra $50, not sure if it will be worth it to jump to the GT-5300 for the average user. Only reason why I picked the 86U is because there are hundreds of forums mentioning how stable and reliable that model is.

What do you all think?

 

[Trip]

The 86U's reliability has supposedly gotten better later on in its production run (many early units had various hardware issues, which is why you'd never want to buy one used/refurb, IMHO). If just choosing between these two, I'd do a new 86U, plus Merlin for stability, and avoid GT models altogether, precisely because they likely will never receive Merlin support. And yes, it can make that much of a difference in day-to-day stability.

 

[kingshawarma]

The 86U's reliability has supposedly gotten better later on in its production run (many early units had various hardware issues, which is why you'd never want to buy one used/refurb, IMHO). If just choosing between these two, I'd do a new 86U, plus Merlin for stability, and avoid GT models altogether, precisely because they likely will never receive Merlin support. And yes, it can make that much of a difference in day-to-day stability.

For my use, would the stock firmware be enough or should I use the Merlin firmware regardless?

 

[Trip]

I'd err on the side of Merlin, personally. If it is supposedly as stable as generally regarded, then it should be a largely set-and-forget affair anyways, few, if any, updates required. Those who are more seasoned at running both, like @L&LD, could likely give you better insight into the overall reliability difference.

 

[K-2SO]

For my use, would the stock firmware be enough or should I use the Merlin firmware regardless?

Get the AC86U. It will do what you need and more. Run Asus stock on it, see if covers your needs. Load Merlin only if you need any of the extra features. Latest Asus stock is very stable. Current Merlin is based on 81352. Asus released 2 more versions after that with features not yet available in Merlin. It's up to you.

 

[psychopomp1]

There's been many reports of the 2.4ghz radio going kaput on the 86U. Of course Asus will replace the router if under warranty but how do you know you won't get another dud? GT-AC5300 is far better especially since it has 3 radios so perfect if you have tonnes of wifi clients. Granted, there's no Merlin fw for the GT but Asus stock fw is stable now, though when the GT was first released the fw was buggy as hell hence why Asus were releasing fw versions every 2 minutes for the GT.

 

[Smokey613]

I admit to being very biased.

RT-AC86U running Merlin and yes, buy a NEW one! Mine has been rock solid.