Asus RT-AX86U pro vs RT-AX82U

[GreyHawkz]

I recently purchased the Asus RT-AX82U. I primarily use wifi, streaming devices - Nvidia Shield / Apple TV 4K. I am in a 2 story home; appx 2200 sq ft. Streaming devices speed test are in the 350-500 mbps range. Apple TV 4K appears to be faster. Trying to decide if I should return and get the Asus RT-AX86U pro ($50 diff). Is this a better option? I am on a 1gb fiber connection. Will I get higher speeds on this one?

 

[Volt]

If we speak about the Wi-Fi performance, then very unlikely, especially at 5GHz. If you got the RT-AX82U V2, it uses the same BCM6715 that RT-AX86U Pro uses. If you need to run various CPU-intensive tasks like VPN, then Asus RT-AX86U Pro is definitely a better option.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Will I get higher speeds on this one?

Very unlikely. You're being limited by the capabilities of the streaming devices not the router. But 350-500 Mbps is more than enough for streaming video so even if you increased the speedtest scores that wouldn't translate into any practical difference.

 

[Tech9]

Trying to decide if I should return and get the Asus RT-AX86U pro ($50 diff).

This router will get 3.0.0.6 Pro firmware at some point if it matters to you. Performance to clients will be about the same, no difference in user experience.

 

[GreyHawkz]

@Tech9 @ColinTaylor Thanks for the clarification. Thinking about swapping out the RT-AX82U for the AX86U Pro since it has higher hardware specs.

 

[maxbraketorque]

@Tech9 @ColinTaylor Thanks for the clarification. Thinking about swapping out the RT-AX82U for the AX86U Pro since it has higher hardware specs.

As Tech9 said, the more substantial difference is the firmware the two routers can run in the future. The AX82U will forever be on 3.0.0.4.388, but the AX86U Pro will eventually receive the 3.0.0.6.102 firmware. For this reason, the AX86U Pro should have a longer support life.

 

[Tech9]

the AX86U Pro should have a longer support life

This is not very certain because Asus now manufactures RT-AX82U V2 and releases double image firmware files covering both V1/V2 versions. The newer V2 version has the same 5GHz radio as RT-AX86U Pro and it's hard to say for how long it will be supported. I wouldn't be surprised if they both have similar life span. With exception of marketing decisions this hardware can be supported for quite some time. Asus recently released ExpertWifi EBR63 with similar to RT-AX58U V2 hardware.

 

[GreyHawkz]

@Tech9 Just checked my AX82U... It is V1 hardware. Guess it doesn't have the same 5ghz radio as RT_AX86U? :-(

 

[Tech9]

No, I would pay extra $50 for RT-AX86U Pro.

 

[GreyHawkz]

No, I would pay extra $50 for RT-AX86U Pro.

Yep! Just boxed it up and exchanging it. It think the extra $50 for a bit higher hardware specs and radio is worth it. Thanks!

 

[GreyHawkz]

No, I would pay extra $50 for RT-AX86U Pro.

Setup AX86U Pro; certainly a difference right out of the box with default settings. Getting 386 DL/186UL outside by fence; appx 45/50 ft from router inside. Inside speeds are over 600DL/700ul. This is with default settings. No tweaking