Asus RT-AX82U vs RT-AX86U for small one bedroom apt 877sq ft.

[iFrogMac]

Hey all,
I'm new to the community. I've tried to do my own research and reading first before posting questions. Here are a couple of questions I have based on my setup, and also reading I have done to obtain answers.

I live in a one bedroom apartment (approx 877 sq ft) and I'm trying to pick the best router.

I've always preferred Apple AirPort Extreme routers because I use a lot of Apple products, and Airport just works. After Apple discontinued Airport, I've been in search for a new router, even though I have a 6th Gen APE that works just fine, it's aged, and no longer receiving updates. To help boil things down without too many extra details I'm going to skip ahead to what I'm working with now.

Originally I purchased a TP-Link C4000, but since it hasn't had firmware updates in over three years, I don't consider it a secure device, or at least one I'd trust long term.

Then after using that a couple years, I purchased a TP-Link AX4400 back in March of this year. That router is stable, and I have no issues with it other than the web management on TP Link routers is limited and require the mobile app, plus advanced features are only available through HomeShield Pro. While I don't need a lot of what would be bundled in the subscription, it's still nice to have when needed.

Enter the Asus RT-AX82U. I love the Asus web management, it reminds me of DD-WRT when it comes to how many things can be tweaked. I was hesitant to buy an Asus though because of some of what I've read about stability. Thankfully this Router has been Rock solid and I've just needed to tweak things for my environment and devices to resolve a couple minor out of the box config glitches, but has been fine since.
Since I just purchased the Asus from Amazon yesterday, I have 30 days from then to test and decide if I want to keep it.

I was initially looking at the 86U but for whatever reason the only search results I could find on google said it only supported up to 35 devices, while the 82U did 250 (directly from Asus) (from microcenter on the 86u specs) and I have more than that (mainly low bandwidth smart devices like bulbs and some echo speakers, and a couple Google ones as well. Beyond that my heavy duty devices are wired, except for my phone which is WiFi 6 capable and an older iPad that's 80211ac.

I know based on the specs on paper the 86u sounds better, but personally I don't think it would make a difference for my situation. However, I wanted to ask just so I can make a choice to exchange or return in time. I bought the TP-Link from Office Depot, and they have such a short return policy I'm stuck with it now. Well, even with a month I still would be, but 14 days is short.

Anyway, with all this out of the way, I'm happy with the 82U, and I think I made a good buy based on features I need to cost. I got it for $195 on Amazon. And I think it's going to be a better router long term to the TP-Link routers. I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss any details to consider.

Mostly I stream video online and locally over the wired LAN and the smart lights do routines throughout the day, and I listen to music with the Echos and audiobooks, etc.

The heaviest stuff I do on the iMac (wired by gigabit Ethernet) is download large files such as OS updates, or Linux ISO files, etc. I have gigabit internet from Spectrum. I just got it the end of April.

I'd be welcome to any feedback anyone can give, thanks.

P.S. I've had official computer repair, and some networking training, as well as broadcast but I don't keep up with the latest standards so I usually fall behind.

 

[Tech9]

I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss any details to consider.

RT-AX82U is the "gaming" version of RT-AX58U with fancy design, some RGB and unlocked 2 radio streams. RT-AX86U is much better hardware router. If it's too expensive for you, RT-AX86S is the cheaper version. Both have faster ARMv8 CPU with AES support (~200Mbps OpenVPN).

 

[iFrogMac]

RT-AX82U is the "gaming" version of RT-AX58U with fancy design, some RGB and unlocked 2 radio streams. RT-AX86U is much better hardware router. If it's too expensive for you, RT-AX86S is the cheaper version. Both have faster ARMv8 CPU with AES support (~200Mbps OpenVPN).

I could do the 86U, I just wasn't sure if I needed to because I'm not a heavy user, I'm one person, so it wouldn't be for a big house hold. Also because I like colored lights, the RGB attracted me to the 82U as Well. I was also curious, the TP-Link AX4400 I am stuck with has similar hardware as the 82U, but is sold as a 6 stream router. It has 6 Antenna while the 82 has 4 external and the 86U. So since I primarily want the Asus for software experience, does the TP-Link have a better wireless configuration? I know it has a triple core and not quad core but can it still do more streams than either Asus ?

EDIT: here is a link to the TP-Link router I have. these were the specs I know I am good with and were using to base the Asus purchase on: https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/wifi-router/archer-ax4400/

 

[Tech9]

Also because I like colored lights

Keep the AX82U then, if the lights are so important for your Wi-Fi equipment.

but is sold as a 6 stream router

Some manufacturers count 2.4GHz + 5GHz radios, 2x2 + 4x4 = 6 streams. Marketing trick.

know it has a triple core and not quad core

What cores is more important, not the count. AX86S is dual-core and still faster than AX82U.

 

[iFrogMac]

Keep the AX82U then, if the lights are so important for your Wi-Fi equipment.



Some manufacturers count 2.4GHz + 5GHz radios, 2x2 + 4x4 = 6 streams. Marketing trick.



What cores is more important, not the count. AX86S is dual-core and still faster than AX82U.

OK, Ill give it a couple more days to see how it continues to work. Keep in mind. I had planned to try an Asus Router prior to me getting the TP-Link routers, and I was actually looking at the 86, and 88U. I decided to go with TP-Link because reading reviews and forum posts people were giving me the impression Asus routers were not reliable especially lately. So because of how much they cost, I didn't want to spend a lot and have something go wrong out of my return window. So, since this is my first Asus, I could use it as a test run and if it proves reliable get something better after wifi 6e is mainstream, or whatever is new then. Since most of my wireless devices are 2.4ghz only, and the iPhone is my only wifi 6 device, and then the rest of my devices are Ethernet, most people would have probably told me I don't even need a wifi 6 router yet. However, I wanted to try it. Are you, or someone else able to confirm that the 86U can do more than 35 devices? That was my main turn off when doing research. Fore reference: here is the site Google gave me with that info on it. https://www.microcenter.com/product/627040/asus-rt-ax86u-ax5700-dual-band-wifi-6-gaming-router
Edit: I just found this where Asus said it's the same number as the 82U 250: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/questi...rnet-security-mesh-wifi-support-black/6443999. So, micro center must have had the wrong info, but it's deceptive because it's the top result in Google search results.

 

[Tech9]

Are you, or someone else able to confirm that the 86U can do more than 35 devices?

You don't have 35 active devices. Most IoT are on idle until called. Most dual-band consumer routers can support about 60-64 clients, 30-32 per radio. Your AX82U is no different.

giving me the impression Asus routers were not reliable especially lately

Nothing new is reliable. It's made to fail so you have to buy another. Business in 21-st century. You perhaps know already.

 

[iFrogMac]

You don't have 35 active devices. Most IoT are on idle until called. Most dual-band consumer routers can support about 60-64 clients, 30-32 per radio. Your AX82U is no different.



Nothing new is reliable. It's made to fail so you have to buy another. Business in 21-st century. You perhaps know already.

Thank you for the feedback. I did want to mention, that I found a good article by Dong Knows which is a reliable site from what I've seen. He answered a lot of the questions I had in the article, and while he said what you have about the 86U having better specs, he also gave examples of situations where it would matter and where it wouldn't. I feel I made the right choice for my first router from Asus based on that because the examples he gave don't really apply to my current living and usage case.

I don't have anything that can take advantage of the 2.5G port, and I don't host VPNs or NAS storage on the router. I just use it to route the internet connection and for a basic smart home. I'm also going to watch the rumors that come out about Apple, I hear they are bringing back Airport, so it could be a good solution for me, depending on what they do. So for now, I think the game plan is to continue to use the 82U as long as it works, and the colors from the lighting fit in with my lava lamp collection, and then if I have problems within the amazon return window, I'll send it back, and go back to the TP-Link and see what Apple does. Like I mentioned, the TP-Link has been stable, I just wanted the more advanced web management Asus offers. I probably could have gotten the RT-AX68U Office Depot had and been ok. However, the 82u is on par with TP-Link AX4400 that I have, so since I was happy with the TP-Link, I'm pretty sure as long as the Asus stays stable, I'll be happy with it.

I was curious about the Specs, and that's why I asked here, but I think I ended up answering my own question in the process of posting here, and reading Dong's article on the two routers.

Thanks again,

Have a good evening

 

[Tech9]

good article by Dong Knows

There is a good article there? Donkey Kong probably knows more.

 

[pb9]

I decided to go with TP-Link because reading reviews and forum posts people were giving me the impression Asus routers were not reliable especially lately. So because of how much they cost, I didn't want to spend a lot and have something go wrong out of my return window.

I can vouch for the ax86U. A couple of months ago, I got frustrated and posted here to not buy the ax86u. It turned out to be a combination of my ISP, old versions of drivers for my wireless cards. Since I got those issues fixed, absolutely no problems with the router.

I have a 5000 sq ft home and corner to corner, there is no disconnects, no lag for video calls or streaming, etc. Sometimes there are 4 of us streaming 4k videos, my son playing games on the PC and no issues.

It is da beast.

 

[iFrogMac]

I can vouch for the ax86U. A couple of months ago, I got frustrated and posted here to not buy the ax86u. It turned out to be a combination of my ISP, old versions of drivers for my wireless cards. Since I got those issues fixed, absolutely no problems with the router.

I have a 5000 sq ft home and corner to corner, there is no disconnects, no lag for video calls or streaming, etc. Sometimes there are 4 of us streaming 4k videos, my son playing games on the PC and no issues.

It is da beast.

Thanks for your feedback. I might still consider it but I wanted to remind you and others that: While the 86U does have better specs than the 82u when it comes to performance. I've been using the 82u for a few days now without problems. The 86U's advantages don't really apply to my setup. I've still been reading different reviews from people who have had experience with both units and the common theme that I come away with are these main factors:

1. They have larger homes
2. They usually have families so multiple people using the network
3. They do more demanding tasks, and have more devices that can take advantage of the new wifi standards in full.

Myself on the other hand made my current purchase by these factors:

1. I live in a one bedroom apartment that's only 877 sq ft
2. I only have one WiFi 6 compatible device (iPhone 12 Pro Max) and it can't even use 160 MHz channels it peeks at 80 MHz
3. My 2.4GHz devices are all low bandwidth 80211n at most. (mostly wifi smart bulbs, and a few Amazon smart Plugs, and Echo devices (audio only)
4. My iMac, and streaming devices are all wired either by Gigabit Ethernet, or 10/100 Ethernet.
5. While it is true, that when I upgraded to Spectrum's 1Gbps package, they did give me a new modem with a 2.5Gbps port, however because of the rest of the network setup, I would currently never be able to take advantage of it without spending a bunch of unnecessary money. First to get a compatible switch, and then trying to find a thunderbolt 2 adapter for the iMac that would enable it for more than 1GB. Personally it's not worth it since I don't require the extra speed.
6. I don't use VPN software, or use a router for a NAS, so I none of the features people lean toward with the 86u apply to me. So spending extra for stuff I won't use doesn't make sense. (especially since the 82u is stable and giving me my paid for internet speeds.)

The other thing I wanted to remind people of here is, I didn't want an Asus router for the hardware (in terms of what people look at here). I wanted the web management software because it's the closest to DD-WRT in a factory firmware. None of the TP-Link Routers I've owned support third party firmware, and If I don't need to use third party firmware to do something, I'd prefer not to.

In closing, I also wanted to mention that before WiFi 6 came out, and Apple discontinued support for AirPort, I used the 6th Generation AirPort Extreme for quite a few years until the lack of updates became a concern. Then I got a NETGEAR R7000 and put DD-WRT on it over the stock firmware, and used it and then killed it by mistake by tinkering with it too much to learn how the OS on a router is installed and works, and accidentally completely erased the router so it no longer even booted.

Moving on from that, I tried the C4000 from TP-Link which is a TRI-Band router with a 1.8 chip, but dual core, and stopped using that after no firmware for it came after 3 years.
Then, March of this year, I bought the TP-Link AX4400 which is a slightly slower model but has the guts of the AX73. It's a stable Router, but I wanted more out of the web management than TP-Link gives. So I started again researching Asus Routers, and picked the 82U based on the SciFi look, and it has the same hardware as the TP-Link which I've been happy with.

So, at this point since I really can't take advantage of Wifi 6, I'll wait for the next standard to become mature, and then decide then. By then, I'll probably have a lot more devices that would make the extra cost worth it.

Honestly, if I had thought about it before, the AC86U probably would have been a good fit too for my current setup. However, wanting to keep up and learn about the new standards, and since I wasn't happy with lack of firmware updates. I decided to try a Wifi 6 router with my phone. As usual, I still hold to that the internet has far more hype over this stuff than what's realistic.

Hopefully I've helped put things in prospective.

One more thing, when 80211N was becoming the new standard, I purchased a business line Linksys that at the time was the price of the 86u and got burned, it bricked and overheated so that's when I went Airport and stopped looking at third party routers. Now, I have no choice if I want to at least have an up to date AC compatible router. I've also considered building my own router, at some point and separating the router from the access point so it's not in one unit. Either way, unless I have problems, it looks like the 82u will be my driver for a while. My apartment has colored LEDs in my lamps, and I have a lava lamp collection, so the 82u fits right in.

EDIT: I included the history to show that I've had various routers with different specs, and haven't noticed a performance difference on the network. The only difference I noticed was going from the AirPort to the C4000, and it was minor, and it was the difference in 80211ac generations. With the AX4400, and 5400 82u, I get the same speeds.

 

[iFrogMac]

Here is a screenshot of the 82U status on a typical day with me. I was streaming from Plex which runs on the iMac to one of the Roku's sometimes I'll use the Apple TV 4K units, or the Shield TV Pro (if I want lossless audio)
I was on the computer at the same time and the smart devices were doing their things based on Alexa routines I've created. So based on that, I'm barely using the power I have in this device.

 

[iFrogMac]

Hey,
Just coming back to the thread I started at the beginning of the month to post that I've gone with the 86U, and have had a much better stability experience, especially with older devices on the 2.4 band. Seems like after doing more reading, and hands on experience with both models, the 86U is the better buy, especially when found on a deal.

 

[Tech9]

Why did you ask questions here, if you don’t trust the answers? Now you have wasted your time and some of ours too.

 

[iFrogMac]

Why did you ask questions here, if you don’t trust the answers? Now you have wasted your time and some of ours too.

How did I waste time? people suggested the 86U was the better of the two. I just wanted to make sure I didn't need to pay the extra first. After I started seeing more and more stability issues with the first router, I took people's suggestions and got the one suggested after I found a good price on it, and came back to say I agree with the suggestions, even if just on a stability level. I've returned the RT-AX86U to amazon so as far as the comparison, it's resolved. As far as trust, I don't trust non Apple routers, I've been burned too man times. However, with Airport being a discontinued product, while my 6th Gen 80211ac model still works, it's no longer a supported model, so I just wanted to make sure I would get something I was happy with. Pretty much compared to Apple's Airport, very few routers have the "it just works feel" nothing really took the place of "it's perfect" feeling.

I apologize if I came across wrong, I'm just very particular, and want to make sure I have accurate info.

 

[Tech9]

Good you asked for AIO router only. If it was about component system, it would take you a year to "make sure" you have accurate info about all the options available. Enjoy your new router!

By the way, don't compare Asus to Apple. Asus is a well known global player, but Apple's R&D department has the budget to buy the entire Asus or Netgear company just to check what they are up to.

 

[sfx2000]

I've always preferred Apple AirPort Extreme routers because I use a lot of Apple products, and Airport just works. After Apple discontinued Airport, I've been in search for a new router, even though I have a 6th Gen APE that works just fine, it's aged, and no longer receiving updates. To help boil things down without too many extra details I'm going to skip ahead to what I'm working with now.

I've seen many Airport Extreme folks move over to Synology - RT2600ac, which is Wave2 and very mature, and they're recently announced their WiFi6 solution.

 

[iFrogMac]

I've seen many Airport Extreme folks move over to Synology - RT2600ac, which is Wave2 and very mature, and they're recently announced their WiFi6 solution.

Funny you mention the Synology, it was the first router I had started considering shortly after the Airport was discontinued. I liked what I saw in reviews. I had tried a Nighthawk R7000 for a while, but I really don't care for Netgear products now. Whenever I've tried them, I've had stability issues. Which is where my interested in Asus comes in. Initially I put DD-WRT on the R7000, then I tried the ASUSWRT port, while it's not suggested to talk about running AsusWRT on non Asus routers here, I'm just mentioning it to say that I liked the UI so much that I wanted to try an Asus Router. I pulled out of the Synology because I started seeing people who reviewed it report it was sluggish in the UI, then again people complain about Asus and any other router for the same kinds of problems. as well.

By the way, I did see mention of the Synology WiFi 6 router, and I did look it up on Amazon a while back, it looks like a nice router, and I did find a review for it on YouTube. I still like the UI, it's interesting to see a Desktop style OS on a router. Do their NAS units use the same GUI?

Also, I've heard rumors about Apple bringing Airport back, but until I see confirmation, I think it's just wishful thinking.
I will say though, because I've been primarily an Apple user, that's why I'm attracted to flashy products. Apple always combined visually appealing together with functionality. So that's why the Asus Gundam products appealed to me. Even the RGB on the 82U.

@sfx2000 Thanks again for the feedback, If the Asus RT-AX86U doesn't work out long term, and Apple hasn't done anything with Airport as rumored, I'll start looking into synology.
By the way, I could have gotten the Asus AC86U and been OK, but when looking at what people were saying about the two, many recommendations were to go with the AX86U over the AC version to future proof, and for the overall better hardware.

 

[Tech9]

I could have gotten the Asus AC86U and been OK

I don't know what do you read, but this is the most problematic and unreliable Asus router around.

 

[iFrogMac]

I don't know what do you read, but this is the most problematic and unreliable Asus router around.

I got the impression from reading the thread on this forum where users were comparing the two, and it gave me the impression that the AC86U was a stable router and if you didn't need WiFi 6, it was the one to get unless you wanted to future proof, which is what people were suggesting anyway was to go with the AX86U (which I did) to get the newer hardware. Maybe I misunderstood what I read.

EDIT: I'll add a correction here, I also read a lot of Reddit threads as well as threads from this forum, so I've gotten a mix of info from both sources.

 

[Tech9]

I got the impression from reading

You've got a wrong impression. Router model with hardware and software issues. If you read more around you'll find multiple dead and overheated AC86Us. A very recent thread is discussing software bug preventing some scripts from running properly. Future proofing with a home router? Your AX86U doesn't seem to be Wi-Fi 6 certified product. Draft Wi-Fi 6 specifications. What did you future proof with it? It's just a good router to use now.