Release ASUS RT-AC86U Firmware version 3.0.0.4.386.48260

[DarkKnight75]

Its more that all AC routers are no longer a high priority for ASUS whereas previously the AC86U was an ASUS darling for a while. Anyone who is addicted to frequent OEM firmware updates should move over to an AX router. The good news though is that ASUS is still accommodating the AC86U in the binaries they are providing to Merlin.

About once a month I find myself thinking that I should consider getting an AX86U, but then I remind myself that my AC86Us have performed flawlessly for many years with excellent performance.

Yep...mine died in an electrical storm 3 months ago and bought another (solid AC router)..had severe issues with an AX86U...may hold out for the AX86u PRO

 

[jsbeddow]

...may hold out for the AX86u PRO

Shhh...you risk wakeing a certain user that repeatedly insists that this model is garbage, even though it is only nominally out in circulation (review samples only as far as I can tell, at least outside China).

Disclaimer: I too am (secretly?) waiting for it, as I am currently running an RT-AC86U that is over 3 years old. Word on the street says it will probably self-destruct any day now .

 

[Tech9]

wakeing a certain user that repeatedly insists that this model is garbage

Who has AX86U Pro? I may get one when it becomes available. Current AX86U is a big disappointment for me. Waste of $250.

 

[jsbeddow]

I agree; yet as I said previously, one of our "Part of the Furniture" members keeps saying that it will be terrible, not worth taking a chance on, doesn't deserve the "Pro" moniker, and that the only high end Asus router model worth even considering is the GT-AX6000.

 

[Tech9]

Interesting, I haven't seen this. Must be the one who lives in my ignore list. He's good there. A bit forum QoS doesn't hurt.

But seriously - if you have good working AC86U and mostly AC clients, you don't need to rush. It's an awesome router, when it works.

 

[L&LD]

I agree; yet as I said previously, one of our "Part of the Furniture" members keeps saying that it will be terrible, not worth taking a chance on, doesn't deserve the "Pro" moniker, and that the only high end Asus router model worth even considering is the GT-AX6000.

Please don't imply things I haven't said. Just quote me (in full) and stop being childish.

I have never stated anything you say above.

 

[TexasFlood]

Current AX86U is a big disappointment for me. Waste of $250.

Sorry you had a bad experience. Guess I'm lucky. My AX86U was $230 and is the best router I've ever had. It was a huge step up from my RT-AC68U. It's the first router I've had that provided 5GHz coverage across all floors of my entire house and has been completely stable. It has never crashed or needed a reboot. I love mine.

 

[Tech9]

It was a huge step up from my RT-AC68U.

I'm comparing it to AC86U. It's has about 30% better range than AC68U.

 

[TexasFlood]

I'm comparing it to AC86U. It's has about 30% better range than AC68U.

I know you think highly of your AC86U. I came very close to buying one. It was significantly cheaper, I think around $70 at the time, than the AX86U.

I'd read reports of heat issues with the AC68U which didn't seem to be the case with the AX86U. And I tend to keep routers a long time so a newer model seemed like a good idea for long term support. It did cost more but that might not be as significant as it seems amortized over how long I typically keep a router.

I have no idea what percentage better range the AX86U has. All I know is the AC68U was limited enough to make housewide 5GHz use impractical but it works great with the AX86U.

I don't know if I made the right decision but it's worked out well so far.

 

[Tech9]

I'd read reports of heat issues with the AC68U which didn't seem to be the case with the AX86U.

You're still confusing two completely different model routers. AC68U (2013) is the most successful Asus router. Very reliable and still actively supported. It has no heat issues. AC86U (2017) is the first Asus HND model. Much less reliable with common hardware failures and QC issues, plus firmware bugs.

 

[TexasFlood]

You're still confusing two completely different model routers. AC68U (2013) is the most successful Asus router. Very reliable and still actively supported. It has no heat issues. AC86U (2017) is the first Asus HND model. Much less reliable with common hardware failures and QC issues, plus firmware bugs.

That was a typo. I'd fix it if I could but that doesn't seem possible. I should've reviewed the post one more time before posting. I know the difference between the models.

 

[Tech9]

Got it. My AC86U is special indeed. It has multiple repairs and mods, war veteran. 2x VRMs replaced, 2.4GHz IC reflowed, cooling modded, case modded, 2x 70mm detachable fans, etc. It's AC86U Pro model, Survivor Edition.

Both AC86U and AX86U are used for fun, not part of my main network.

 

[TexasFlood]

Got it. My AC86U is special indeed. It has multiple repairs and mods, war veteran. 2x VRMs replaced, 2.4GHz IC reflowed, cooling modded, case modded, 2x 70mm detachable fans, etc. It's AC86U Pro model, Survivor Edition.

Both AC86U and AX86U are used for fun, not part of my main network.

Sounds like a souped up classic car

There was a TV show on the other day, guy found an old Ford Mustang Mach 1 428 Cobra Jet in a garage. Reminded me of my teenage years. We bought that body from a salvage yard but the engine and transmission were gone. We found the right transmission but couldn't find the right engine. Ended up putting a 250 straight six in instead. Hey, it still looked good and got better had milage

 

[Tech9]

Sounds like a souped up classic car

Since most clients are still AC-class (and N-class in IoT), it sound to me more like $110 router (CAD150 sale price in Canada) can outperform in certain conditions $240 one (CAD330 sale price for AX86U) to existing clients. The only real issue with AC86U is the reliability, but newer production year ones are perhaps fixed. Otherwise it has stellar performance due to excellent AC Wave 2 BCM4366E radio + working MU-MIMO. All routers with this radio perform very well at distance. Also, AX86U has reported issues with some ISPs:

Asus AX/AXE Slow Upload Speeds

I’m having a slow upload speed using the AX86U compared to my old AC3100 have 500/500 AC3100 used to get the full speed wired and wireless AX86U is getting 500/300 on wireless only (A while ago I saw a post about the same issue on the 88 and I went through it all and didn’t find any...

www.snbforums.com

You got lucky indeed. Your experience is better because you're coming from much older AC68U - a model from 2013 with BCM4360 radio without own processing unit. It relies heavily on the main CPU and the more things run on this router, the more overall performance is impacted. AC86U doesn't suffer from performance issues with much faster ARMv8 CPU. It also has the same VPN performance as AX86U - the same CPU cores.

 

[Fandroid]

I'm having breaks on Teams meetings and I've been trying to figure out if it's router or ISP problem. Using pingplotter at 1 second interval I'm having 5 to 10% of packet loss to the router when using WiFi at close distance on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Is this normal or a sign of router problem?

 

[Tech9]

Is this normal or a sign of router problem?

Not normal, but not necessarily router problem.

 

[Fandroid]

I'm having breaks on Teams meetings and I've been trying to figure out if it's router or ISP problem. Using pingplotter at 1 second interval I'm having 5 to 10% of packet loss to the router when using WiFi at close distance on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Is this normal or a sign of router problem?

Update: I've a mesh system that was connected directly to cable modem and didn't have packet loss. Disabled wi-fi from router and connected the mesh system to the router and the result is packet loss similar to router WiFi. Any setting on the router that may be causing this?

 

[Tech9]

Any setting on the router that may be causing this?

No one can give you an advice based on this limited information. Reset your router to factory defaults, configure it manually (don't use old configuration files), keep most settings at default (unless you really need something changed). This router and this firmware don't have the issue you are experiencing.

 

[VANT]

Both AC86U and AX86U are used for fun, not part of my main network.

What router are you using on your main network?

 

[Tech9]

What router are you using on your main network?

Netgate 5100