ASUS RT-AC5300

[toor]

anyone have a copy of 3.0.0.4.380_753? Mine is on 630 and says its the latest.

 

[doeboy]

Well I bit the bullet and decided to go ahead and buy the 5300 from NewEgg. I was contemplating buying the 88U, but thought that I should go all out to future proof myself and hopefully won't have to buy a new router for another 3-4 years. I am upgrading from my N66U that I bought soon after it was available and it has served me good, but I am tired of all the weak areas in my house which aggravates me. I will report back when I install my router sometime next week on how it works compared to the N66U. On a side note, what are the best ways to test my network before and after to help provide a better and more accurate review?

 

[12darline]

anyone have a copy of 3.0.0.4.380_753? Mine is on 630 and says its the latest.

Try this:
http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac88u-rt-ac3100-rt-ac5300-initial-firmware-releases.28053/

 

[sm00thpapa]

When does this router launch?

 

[toor]

Try this:
http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac88u-rt-ac3100-rt-ac5300-initial-firmware-releases.28053/

Thanks a ton, appreciate the link and thanks Merlin as well.

FYI, the router has already launched.

 

[thiggins]

Well I bit the bullet and decided to go ahead and buy the 5300 from NewEgg. I was contemplating buying the 88U, but thought that I should go all out to future proof myself and hopefully won't have to buy a new router for another 3-4 years.

These expensive routers with new chipsets DO NOT "future proof" you. Nor will they cure all your dead spots.

You just signed up for a series of unstable firmwares and probable disappointment on range extension.

 

[doeboy]

Well it will more future proof myself than having the N66U still in service while having abundant amount of devices in my house that has AC and cannot utilize it. It also has the MU-MIMO which is barely catching on right now, which in turn will sort of future proof myself so when the devices start carrying them I and other users will be ready. I also think that this router should provide the 20 more feet within my house to take care of my dead spots. I only have one dead spot in my house, but I do get service in it so this bump in technology should provide the extra 20 feet so that my devices can pull more than a 1Mbps on speedtest.net and will help them from disconnecting. I am not asking it to try and cover another 200 yards worth of dead spots within my house, just about 20 feet into my bedroom in the basement. Everything everyone has said so far has been great on this launch unlike the 87U launch which was horrible and if it doesn't provide me any better service, which I highly doubt, then I still have my N66U to use as a repeater.

 

[System Error Message]

looking at the ASUS 5300 it is very disappointing because while it may have the best wifi and some chips in it it still only has 4 gigabit LAN ports. What use is 5Gb/s of wifi when you dont have the wire to back it up? taking practical rates you still need to bond 3 ethernet ports just to keep up so it means you need a managed switch too which adds to the cost.

Ofcourse if you have only the ASUS 5300 as the only network equipment in your house than it may work fine but from a network engineering perspective the 5300 is bottlenecked by ethernet.

The game acceleration feature can be achieved by using a good router and configuring it well. All it does is tag gaming packets and process them first which you can do in a configurable router and you wont have to worry about it getting outdated as new games come out as gaming routers use predefined profiles to identify games so they wont work with new games (they get outdated quickly and rely on firmware updates) whereas in a configurable router you just adjust the rules to work with new games. On network side if you rely on LAN gaming and use wifi, mikrotik is capable of applying layer 2 QoS and filters.

 

[whsbuss]

looking at the ASUS 5300 it is very disappointing because while it may have the best wifi and some chips in it it still only has 4 gigabit LAN ports. What use is 5Gb/s of wifi when you dont have the wire to back it up? taking practical rates you still need to bond 3 ethernet ports just to keep up so it means you need a managed switch too which adds to the cost.

Ofcourse if you have only the ASUS 5300 as the only network equipment in your house than it may work fine but from a network engineering perspective the 5300 is bottlenecked by ethernet.

The game acceleration feature can be achieved by using a good router and configuring it well. All it does is tag gaming packets and process them first which you can do in a configurable router and you wont have to worry about it getting outdated as new games come out as gaming routers use predefined profiles to identify games so they wont work with new games (they get outdated quickly and rely on firmware updates) whereas in a configurable router you just adjust the rules to work with new games. On network side if you rely on LAN gaming and use wifi, mikrotik is capable of applying layer 2 QoS and filters.

Sounds like you advocate the 88U b/c of the 8-port GB

 

[System Error Message]

well the AC88U is more sensible even if it had half the ports. Unless you only use 1 network device in the whole house and everyone uses wifi the AC5300 isnt a sensible option. Its more that the AC5300 doesnt have things to keep up with wifi (assuming applications used more wifi). Currently as it stands the practical wifi rates doesnt make the AC5300 need more than 1 gigabit ethernet port but when applications do manage 90% of wifi utilisation it is going to need 3 ports bonded just to keep up. And while some may be thinking about wireless ISPs consumer wifi is short range but also if used by a cafe for example to fully make use of it assuming applications do use more than it means needing more WAN ports.

 

[thiggins]

It also has the MU-MIMO which is barely catching on right now, which in turn will sort of future proof myself so when the devices start carrying them I and other users will be ready.

MU-MIMO is not enabled yet in Broadcom-based 4x4 routers.

You do NOT benefit by buying into MU-MIMO routers early. It is a hellaciously complex technology and will need a good deal of time to move down the learning curve. Broadcom has thrown non-standard technology into its implementation (1024-QAM) that provides no practical benefit and could cause compatibility problems with QCA-based MU-MIMO devices.

I hope the product works out for you. My point is that you could have upgraded to AC technology for a lot less.

 

[doeboy]

I agree that I could have upgraded for a lot less, but I would have upgraded to the first or second generation of AC routers and could be behind the times within the next year or so. Who knows within the next 2-3 years the MU-MIMO technology expands and more and more devices use it more which means I won't have to upgrade again because I will already have it within this router. I believe that this router, if it is as good as the reviews I have read from users so far, should be able to last me and my family for another 3-4 years easy.

I don't often spend big money on devices, but when it comes to something that I will keep for 3-4 years I tend to buy stuff that can last that long without the need to upgrade again. I debated on buying the 88U as well, but I personally do not have the need for 8 ports since 95% of my equipment is wifi based and for this deal I could get the regular 3100 for $279 or the 5300 and a top tier modem for $339 after mail in rebate. If I ever need the port space I could always buy a switch to increase the amount of ports.

 

[DaveMishSr]

As nice as this looks, I'm picking up an AirPort Extreme tomorrow. Too much pain with the 87u. I'll keep checking back to see if this works as advertised. I do like the idea of smart connect and two 5 ghz for a bunch of busy wifi clients, but really just want reliability for now

If I were in the market for a router I would seriously consider the RT-AC68P. The AC1900 standard is still the "old reliable" that simply works & gets the job done. The "P" has the upgraded 1.4GHz cpu. If one were to be especially prudent then a refurbished or open box unit should be had on NewEgg at a relative bargain.

 

[karkor]

Hello i have some questions about this router is it worth to wait for EU one or should i just buy the US? and about the difference is it only will be having US with 1-11 channels and EU with 1-13 channels and the other thing is the ac adapter that's it? or there is more like maybe wireless range? wireless speed? or anything else maybe?

 

[l0ud_sil3nc3]

solid the entire time, this has been one of the best experiences I have had with an Asus router, much better than the AC 87U it replaced.

 

[Jeffb]

solid the entire time, this has been one of the best experiences I have had with an Asus router, much better than the AC 87U it replaced.

Great, I ordered and should have Monday, to replace an 86U that has been in service fro several years. I did not need the 8 port 88U, so I thought I would take a chance as I can send it back.

 

[sm00thpapa]

MU-MIMO is not enabled yet in Broadcom-based 4x4 routers.

You do NOT benefit by buying into MU-MIMO routers early. It is a hellaciously complex technology and will need a good deal of time to move down the learning curve. Broadcom has thrown non-standard technology into its implementation (1024-QAM) that provides no practical benefit and could cause compatibility problems with QCA-based MU-MIMO devices.

I hope the product works out for you. My point is that you could have upgraded to AC technology for a lot less.

If MU-MIMO is not enabled in any broadcom based routers why are companies advertising it and putting it on the outside of the box? That's false adverting and people are getting suckered into buying it.

 

[NightOwl326]

If MU-MIMO is not enabled in any broadcom based routers why are companies advertising it and putting it on the outside of the box? That's false adverting and people are getting suckered into buying it.

That is why I hey say mu-mimo ready. On your endless visits to Bestbuy do you read the boxes?

 

[ssahnan]

I knew exactly what I was buying in that it had tech that either wasn't enabled on it yet or tech that my devices wouldn't take advantage of. So I'm good with the fact that yes, it has tech not needed by anyone out there. I bought things with this router that will do me absolutely zero good. At peace with that.

I tried it to see if it delivered better range, reliability and a working smart connect, all things I didn't get out of the ac3200. To that end its delivering lights out on all fronts. I wanted to see if a newer generation build could deliver a better performing router in real world every day moments and it's what I'm getting so far. I get a connection that holds at the far end of the house where it would not with a ac3200, a ac68 before that and so on down the line in generations of Routers that I have tried. At that far end, I'm also getting good enough performance that I have ditched the repeater I inevitably went to in other generations. Thirdly, the smart connect is working much better then on any fw with the ac3200, not getting the disconnects and I'm getting a more then workable speed wherever I work on a device from.

I know the hardware is all known beforehand, I know most of it has been seen in other devices so to that end I don't know why my performance is noticeably better. But I can't deny that a newer generation on that known and previously used hardware is giving me the router I've endlessly been pursuing for years. All I know is it's been two weeks or so, no major hiccups, stable performance and that damn repeater hasn't been plugged in once. I haven't rebooted because of faltering or disapearing performance once. For the first time, I'm not curious or looking forward to what their next router is going to be like.

The singular most profound realization I've had about this router? Not one person of my family(kids, wife, parents when they visit daily) have complained one bit that 'it's not working again! Not one singular peep. The obsessive techie in me will always find a fault here and there and true to form I have with this one too but in that crucial real world run, the family isn't seeing one interruption in their lives due to wireless being down, connection this or that and so on. We have one ssid that is covering the entire house, I can't tell you how happy that makes me.

 

[monakh]

These expensive routers with new chipsets DO NOT "future proof" you. Nor will they cure all your dead spots.

You just signed up for a series of unstable firmwares and probable disappointment on range extension.

This. The man knows what he is talking about.

Having said that, I foolishly pulled the trigger on the new 5300 (when what I was really considering was the AC88 or 3100). Darn, what was I thinking! Only saving grace would be to get Merlin's firmware on this. I can't believe Asus can't be bothered to send Merlin a new router every time it's launched while Netgear gave away tons of X8s for free under their Friends and Family program.