Asus RT-AC66U or Netgear R6250

[cheenachatze]

I got the Netgear router a few weeks ago, I can still return it. I found several Asus routers for sale on Kijiji for less than the Netgear, but I will not be able to return them. I have two wireless-AC machines, and soon might have a third. I see that Asus is still releasing new firmwares for a model that's over a year old, and I find that encouraging that they still support this product. Is it worth returning the Netgear and getting the Asus? Is the Asus firmware stable enough? I don't really care about the USB ports, since I use NAS. Thanks for any input.

 

[stevech]

Opinion:
Asus has far better engineering. But they push the envelope on state of the art and first to market.
Netgear sells tomatoes. Some good, some not. You get what you get.

Do you really need 11ac and its immaturity?

 

[cheenachatze]

Thanks for your answer. I already upgraded 2 client machines to AC, and may also buy a Macbook Pro that supports AC1300, so it makes sense to go with Wireless-AC router. I only wonder if the Asus, which is first generation AC, is stable. I've been using the Netgear R6250 for a few weeks, and I can't complain about the performance. I did not need to reboot it even once, except when there was a firmware update. However, I can save $50 if I go with Asus. Hence my dilemma.

 

[stevech]

sounds like you want to be an early adopter. That's fine. Given such, Asus is likely a better choice in that they do try to get their bugs correctly promptly, unlike Netgear.

You asked only about two vendors.. did you look at the other 11ac vendors too?

 

[cheenachatze]

I did. I was tempted by the TP-Link Archer C7, because it's cheaper and was well reviewed here. However, Tim Higgins found that it does not play well with Broadcom clients, and one of my machines uses that. Thanks again for your input, I think I will get the Asus.