ASUS RT-AX86U Pro

[joebloogs]

I am about to order an RT-AX86U Pro to replace my aging RT-AC68U....to be fair, RT-AC68U has served me over 8 years without a glitch and is still going strong, but i feel like it has fallen behind, as far as technology goes.
My question is...will i notice anything different in functionality with RT-AX86U Pro? Is reboot time shorter with the RT-AX86U Pro?

 

[Tech9]

It will be very noticeable performance upgrade for both WAN and LAN/WLAN with very likely wider coverage area. Reboot time is about 4 times faster. In addition you get new Asuswrt 5.0 features and extended support. Asuswrt-Merlin supported model as well, currently on Asuswrt 4.0 base.

 

[joebloogs]

It will be very noticeable performance upgrade for both WAN and LAN/WLAN with very likely wider coverage area. Reboot time is about 4 times faster. In addition you get new Asuswrt 5.0 features and extended support. Asuswrt-Merlin supported model as well, currently on Asuswrt 4.0 base.

Thank you for your input...I do use Asuswrt-Merlin on the RT-AC68U so will be using Asuswrt-Merlin on the RT-AX86U Pro too...I am glad reboot time is considerably faster as RT-AC68U takes ages to reboot.
Not worried about coverage that much, as my house is two floors concrete building and RT-AC68U had no problem sending the signal to the far end even on the second floor.
I am happy as the RT-AX86U Pro has a 2.5G port which an be used as a second WAN input, as this will free one of the 4 LAN ports for me...
You see, i have two ISP's going into the router and up to now, i have been using one of the LAN ports as WAN to enter the second ISP connection into the router..

 

[bennor]

My question is...will i notice anything different in functionality with RT-AX86U Pro? Is reboot time shorter with the RT-AX86U Pro?

While things may depend on your use case, yes you will likely notice an improvement over the RT-AC68U.
Yes the RT-AX86U Pro will likely boot faster than the RT-AC68U (mine does), where you may get a longer delay is if using RT-AX86U Pro's DFS /160Ghz frequency on the 5GHZ. Depending on your location you could have the 5Ghz take up to 5 or more minutes to come online due to how DFS negotiates the frequency with other frequencies used by radar and other services.

As someone who went from RT-AC68U to RTAX86U Pro, it was an improvement over the RT-AC68U in my use case. You get added benefits of a 2.5Ghz port for either WAN or LAN if you need it. You get ASUSWRT5.0 (Guest Network Pro and VLAN - 3.0.0.6.x firmware). You get more RAM/NVRAM, better processor, and don't have the low NVRAM that plagues the RT-AC68U. You get the ability to configure a 5th LAN port (either 1GB or 2.5GB) on the RT-AX86U Pro versus 4 LAN ports on the RT-AC68U. Several of my WiFi clients are getting faster WiFi speed with the RT-AX86U Pro. You get Wireguard VPN with the RT-AX86U Pro. There are likely other benefits I'm not thinking of off the top of my head.

But the biggest disadvantage of the 10 year old RT-AC68U is that it is EOL by Asus and likely won't be receiving any future firmware updates (beyond a serious CVE vulnerability fix). If you use Asus-Merlin firmware, the developer (RMerlin) will likely be ending support for the AC series routers by the end of 2024. The RT-AX86U Pro should continue to be supported by Asus firmware and the Asus-Merlin firmware (3004.388.x firmware branch for now) for the next couple of years at the very least.

As always YMMV based on your use case.

 

[bbunge]

Thank you for your input...I do use Asuswrt-Merlin on the RT-AC68U so will be using Asuswrt-Merlin on the RT-AX86U Pro too...I am glad reboot time is considerably faster as RT-AC68U takes ages to reboot.
Not worried about coverage that much, as my house is two floors concrete building and RT-AC68U had no problem sending the signal to the far end even on the second floor.
I am happy as the RT-AX86U Pro has a 2.5G port which an be used as a second WAN input, as this will free one of the 4 LAN ports for me...
You see, i have two ISP's going into the router and up to now, i have been using one of the LAN ports as WAN to enter the second ISP connection into the router..

As you are a Merlin user now you will be pleased with Merlin on the AX86U Pro.

Caution! Set the new router up manually. Do not try to use the settings file or backup from the old router. You may know this but it is worth repeating....

 

[Tech9]

so will be using Asuswrt-Merlin on the RT-AX86U Pro too

You may want to explore the new Asuswrt 5.0 first. Asuswrt-Merlin is still Asuswrt 4.0 based, no Pro firmware specific features.

2.5G port which an be used as a second WAN input

Dual WAN feature was never reliable on Asus routers, but test your luck. There is a custom script as well improving fail back/over.

 

[joebloogs]

Dual WAN feature was never reliable on Asus routers, but test your luck. There is a custom script as well improving fail back/over.

I have never used fail over mode in dual WAN...always Load Balance and it works OK for me...
You see, one of my connections has 4 times the bandwidth of the second connection, so i use that as my Primary WAN and pretty much every client is connected to that,
My second connection is only 1/4 of the first, but has better latency, so i prefer to use that for my mobile gaming...
Load Balance mode gives me the chance to assign my ipad to use this connection as Secondary WAN for gaming on ipad...
so, since ipad is the only client on Secondary WAN i get no interruptions while gaming due to other clients using the bandwidth...
downside is, i cannot use Mobile Gaming Mode on Load Balance as it requires Fail Over mode to work...(not that i know if Mobile Gaming mode would do a difference)

 

[Stettin]

While things may depend on your use case, yes you will likely notice an improvement over the RT-AC68U.
Yes the RT-AX86U Pro will likely boot faster than the RT-AC68U (mine does), where you may get a longer delay is if using RT-AX86U Pro's DFS /160Ghz frequency on the 5GHZ. Depending on your location you could have the 5Ghz take up to 5 or more minutes to come online due to how DFS negotiates the frequency with other frequencies used by radar and other services.

As someone who went from RT-AC68U to RTAX86U Pro, it was an improvement over the RT-AC68U in my use case. You get added benefits of a 2.5Ghz port for either WAN or LAN if you need it. You get ASUSWRT5.0 (Guest Network Pro and VLAN - 3.0.0.6.x firmware). You get more RAM/NVRAM, better processor, and don't have the low NVRAM that plagues the RT-AC68U. You get the ability to configure a 5th LAN port (either 1GB or 2.5GB) on the RT-AX86U Pro versus 4 LAN ports on the RT-AC68U. Several of my WiFi clients are getting faster WiFi speed with the RT-AX86U Pro. You get Wireguard VPN with the RT-AX86U Pro. There are likely other benefits I'm not thinking of off the top of my head.

But the biggest disadvantage of the 10 year old RT-AC68U is that it is EOL by Asus and likely won't be receiving any future firmware updates (beyond a serious CVE vulnerability fix). If you use Asus-Merlin firmware, the developer (RMerlin) will likely be ending support for the AC series routers by the end of 2024. The RT-AX86U Pro should continue to be supported by Asus firmware and the Asus-Merlin firmware (3004.388.x firmware branch for now) for the next couple of years at the very least.

As always YMMV based on your use case.

I was going to make a new post, but the forum software suggested I visit this thread. Here was what I was going to post about a situation very close to yours.

So I have two RT-AC68U, one is an AiMesh node with Ethernet backhaul. I know I should get both of these to the last release of firmware before I do anything. After that, what would be the logical steps and correct order to "demote" my main RT-AC68U, converting it to an AiMesh node of my new RT-AX86U Pro, and also reassign the existing AiMesh RT-AC68U to the RT-AX86U Pro? I also want the new router to assume the same IP space as the old router. New is currently 192.168.50.1 and old is 192.168.1.1. With the change in IPs I want to make sure I don't screw anything up. I've already manually set up the new router the same settings (aside from IP range), and slightly different wireless network names that I'll rename after the swap.

As for the physical layout, I have Ethernet going to the opposite side of my house on both the top and bottom floor. With just the one Ethernet backhaul, I have essentially one connection going through my main office, where my Internet comes in, to another patch panel in my laundry room, and jumpered straight to my living room. I plan to add a switch in the laundry room panel so that I'll have Ethernet going to both upstairs and downstairs. So I'll end up with 1 cable going from my RT-AX86U Pro to a swtich, then two cables from my switch, one to each AiMesh node.

 

[bennor]

After that, what would be the logical steps and correct order to "demote" my main RT-AC68U, converting it to an AiMesh node of my new RT-AX86U Pro, and also reassign the existing AiMesh RT-AC68U to the RT-AX86U Pro?

No doubt others will have their own suggestions that may be better, but the basics is to do the following.
Load the very latest firmware (either stock Asus 3.0.0.6.102_34336 or Asus-Merlin 3004.388.8_4) to the RT-AX86U Pro.
Manually configure the RT-AX86U Pro. You can use the same LAN IP address as that used on the prior router.
Once the RT-AX86U Pro is confirmed running properly only then should you consider adding the old RT-AC68U routers as either AP nodes or AiMesh nodes. Most will suggest using stock Asus firmware on AiMesh nodes since you loose most of the Asus-Merlin features when putting the router into AiMesh node mode.
Perform a hard factory reset on the routers designated as AiMesh nodes then follow Asus's general directions for adding the older routers as AiMesh nodes to the main RT-AX86U Pro router.

[AiMesh] How to setup AiMesh system (Web GUI)? | Official Support | ASUS USA

[AiMesh] What is Ethernet Backhaul Mode/Backhaul Connection Priority in AiMesh System and how to set up in different scenarios? | Official Support | ASUS Global

One thing to be aware of. Because the AiMesh nodes are older routers, they may not support certain features of the 3.0.0.6.102_x firmware that otherwise would be passed down to a AiMesh node that is running the 3.0.0.6.102_x firmware . It is also possible the older AiMesh nodes may reduce the capability of the WiFi on the main router so it can handle the older router's WiFi capabilities. Only way to know for certain is to set everything up and test to see what if any limitations one may experience using older routers for AiMesh nodes. In certian use cases it may be better to configure the older router's as AP nodes rather than AiMesh nodes.

[Wireless Router] How to enter the Access Point(AP) mode settings page (WebGUI)? | Official Support | ASUS Global

 

[bbunge]

@bennor is right. The AC68U used as an AiMesh node will reduce the AX86U Pro 5 GHz bandwidth to 80 MHz and limit the channels available. Retire the AC68U and get a used AX Asus router.

 

[Stettin]

@bennor is right. The AC68U used as an AiMesh node will reduce the AX86U Pro 5 GHz bandwidth to 80 MHz and limit the channels available. Retire the AC68U and get a used AX Asus router.

No doubt others will have their own suggestions that may be better, but the basics is to do the following.
Load the very latest firmware (either stock Asus 3.0.0.6.102_34336 or Asus-Merlin 3004.388.8_4) to the RT-AX86U Pro.
Manually configure the RT-AX86U Pro. You can use the same LAN IP address as that used on the prior router.
Once the RT-AX86U Pro is confirmed running properly only then should you consider adding the old RT-AC68U routers as either AP nodes or AiMesh nodes. Most will suggest using stock Asus firmware on AiMesh nodes since you loose most of the Asus-Merlin features when putting the router into AiMesh node mode.
Perform a hard factory reset on the routers designated as AiMesh nodes then follow Asus's general directions for adding the older routers as AiMesh nodes to the main RT-AX86U Pro router.

[AiMesh] How to setup AiMesh system (Web GUI)? | Official Support | ASUS USA

[AiMesh] What is Ethernet Backhaul Mode/Backhaul Connection Priority in AiMesh System and how to set up in different scenarios? | Official Support | ASUS Global

One thing to be aware of. Because the AiMesh nodes are older routers, they may not support certain features of the 3.0.0.6.102_x firmware that otherwise would be passed down to a AiMesh node that is running the 3.0.0.6.102_x firmware . It is also possible the older AiMesh nodes may reduce the capability of the WiFi on the main router so it can handle the older router's WiFi capabilities. Only way to know for certain is to set everything up and test to see what if any limitations one may experience using older routers for AiMesh nodes. In certian use cases it may be better to configure the older router's as AP nodes rather than AiMesh nodes.

[Wireless Router] How to enter the Access Point(AP) mode settings page (WebGUI)? | Official Support | ASUS Global

@bbunge I am cheap, so I don't want to spend extra money on AX routers if I don't need to. I don't have any AX devices anyway, so I don't see any performance decrease. I have two computers connected via AC adapters, the rest of the PCs are Ethernet. Other devices are just phones and tablets that I don't think support AX anyway. I'd rather have the extended coverage that one main router + 2 AiMesh nodes would provide.

@bennor Thanks for the advice. I definitely want to use Ethernet Backhaul, so I don't think setting these up as AP nodes would be of any benefit to me. If anything it would slow down my wireless further, in addition to being forced to 80MHz, right?

 

[Stettin]

I'm on my main router now RT-AX86U and I can't seem to add the old router as an AiMesh node. I was trying with Ethernet backhaul and there seems to be an IP conflict as the old router is trying to use 192.168.1.1 (same as the AiMesh master). I tried configuring as a router 192.168.1.2 then switching to the AiMesh node, and it resets the router and it tries to use 192.168.1.1 again, causing an IP conflict. Has anyone successfully linked up an RT-AC68U to an RT-AX86U? If so what were the exact steps? The FAQ method isn't working. I've also tried with no ethernet connections, but not sure how exactly that is supposed to work as nothing asks me what the SSID/PW is for wireless.

 

[degrub]

did you factory reset the AC ?

 

[bennor]

I'm on my main router now RT-AX86U...

Do you have a RT-AX86U or do you have an RT-AX86U Pro? They are NOT the same router. Its important to make sure you are asking about the correct router model. You previously indicated you had a RT-AX86U Pro.

No problem using a RT-AC68U as a AiMesh node (connected via Ethernet) with a RT-AX86U Pro running 3.0.0.6.102_34336. As degrub indicates, did you reset the RT-AC68U to factory default? That is one of the requirements when trying to add an AiMesh node. See the previously posted Asus support links on how to setup AiMesh.

 

[Stettin]

did you factory reset the AC ?

Do you have a RT-AX86U or do you have an RT-AX86U Pro? They are NOT the same router. Its important to make sure you are asking about the correct router model. You previously indicated you had a RT-AX86U Pro.

No problem using a RT-AC68U as a AiMesh node (connected via Ethernet) with a RT-AX86U Pro running 3.0.0.6.102_34336. As degrub indicates, did you reset the RT-AC68U to factory default? That is one of the requirements when trying to add an AiMesh node. See the previously posted Asus support links on how to setup AiMesh.

Sorry, this is the Pro model, as previously indicated - updated to 3004.388.8_4 (Merlin). I updated the RT-AC68U to the latest Merlin release 386.14_2. Do I need to be on ASUS Stock? I mainly bought the router for the Merlin support. I did a factory reset and I've used a second computer to connect to the router to confirm. When I do the factory reset, it defaults to the 192.168.1.1 main address. If I connect them via ethernet, when I go to my main computer and refresh the web interface, it connects to the RT-AC68U. I am wondering if I need to do the factory reset and AiMesh via wireless first, then switch to Ethernet backhaul afterward. I have tried that, but the router never detects when I attempt to add it as an AiMesh node. Here's an example of one of my runs:

When I was documenting the steps below, I made it farther than ever before, but it still eventually failed

• I've held the reset button while powering on the router. The power button goes to flashing slowly.
• I can access 192.168.1.1 - shows "ASUSTek -0 CFE miniWeb Server".
• I can pick "Restore default NVRAM". It returns "Command nvram erase completed."
• I click reboot and get "Command reboot completed."
• EULA pops up when I go to 192.168.1.1 (Age 16)
• Privacy Notice
• Click Advanced - "I Want to use this as an AiMesh node"
• Click Next - "Press Next button to reset this AiMesh node, and then place the AiMesh node stand by near your AiMesh router" (This is less than 3ft away)
• Main router - Ethernet Backhaul is off, I also have WPS enabled
• Main router - click add AiMesh Node
• Main router detected the AiMesh Node, showed a MAC and started the process. I kept pinging 192.168.1.1 and eventually tried the web interface, and it showed up from my RT-AX68U Pro master node. It was taking a long time to count up the percentage so I went to lunch and when I came back I saw an error message:
  Unable to add your AiMesh node RT-AC68U (XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX) to your AiMesh system due to the following situations. Please check and try again.
  1. Someone else is trying to set up an AiMesh system. Please wait 1 minute and try again.
  2. your AiMesh router and node should be within 3 meters of each other during the setup process.
  3. Make sure your AiMesh node is powered on.
  4. Your AiMesh node has been upgraded to AiMesh-supported firmware.
  5. Your AiMesh node has been reset to default
• If you want to find another available AiMesh node nearby, please click "Search"
• I accepted the EULA/Privacy on the AiMesh node, then picked advanced, and AiMesh node again.
• For a brief moment, the connection establishes as I'm pinging -t 192.168.1.1, and when it comes back up, the login for the Pro master node is available, then the error message for adding shows up again.

Does anyone have the exact steps I should be following to initially set this up with Ethernet Backhaul? If I go Ethernet, maybe setting my main router temporarily to 192.168.1.2 to avoid the initial IP conflict?

 

[bennor]

Do I need to be on ASUS Stock?

Many here will recommend the AiMesh node be flashed with stock Asus firmware since you loose many of the Asus-Merlin features using the router in AiMesh node mode.

RT-AC68U｜WiFi Routers｜ASUS Global

ASUS has a range of wireless routers suitable for every purpose. Whether it's for your home, for business trips, or for any other need or environment, there's an ASUS router for you.

www.asus.com

Perform a hard factory reset on the RT-AC68U.

[Wireless Router] ASUS router Hard Factory Reset - Method 1 | Official Support | ASUS Global

1. Turn the router off.
2. Press and hold the "WPS" button and turn the router on.
3. Power light is on (keep holding the WPS button).
4. Release the WPS button after the power LED light starts flashing.
5. Power light stops flashing and the router will automatically reboot.

After performing the hard factory reset do not access the RT-AC68U GUI, rather you would start the AiMesh paring through the RT-AX86U Pro's GUI. Connect the RT-AC68U's WAN port to the RT-AX86U Pro's LAN port. If you have more than one RT-AC68U, connect and setup each one as a AiMesh node, one at at time.

[AiMesh] How to setup AiMesh system (Web GUI)? | Official Support | ASUS USA

[AiMesh] Can I set up wired connection between AiMesh routers (Ethernet backhaul)? | Official Support | ASUS Global

 

[Stettin]

Many here will recommend the AiMesh node be flashed with stock Asus firmware since you loose many of the Asus-Merlin features using the router in AiMesh node mode.

RT-AC68U｜WiFi Routers｜ASUS Global

ASUS has a range of wireless routers suitable for every purpose. Whether it's for your home, for business trips, or for any other need or environment, there's an ASUS router for you.

www.asus.com

Perform a hard factory reset on the RT-AC68U.

[Wireless Router] ASUS router Hard Factory Reset - Method 1 | Official Support | ASUS Global

After performing the hard factory reset do not access the RT-AC68U GUI, rather you would start the AiMesh paring through the RT-AX86U Pro's GUI. Connect the RT-AC68U's WAN port to the RT-AX86U Pro's LAN port. If you have more than one RT-AC68U, connect and setup each one as a AiMesh node, one at at time.

[AiMesh] How to setup AiMesh system (Web GUI)? | Official Support | ASUS USA

[AiMesh] Can I set up wired connection between AiMesh routers (Ethernet backhaul)? | Official Support | ASUS Global

@bennor Thanks for the advice. I noticed a post for FW_RT_AC68U_v300438651729 (February release!) for stock, so I downloaded it and installed with the CFE miniWeb Server. I did the hard reset and connected WAN to the RT-AX86U Pro's LAN. The scan detected the AiMesh node, but I got the same error message saying another AiMesh System was being set up. I decided to go through the configuration wizard to at least get to the router main page and confirm the new Asus stock version reflected correctly. It did, so I went to the administration page and selected AiMesh node. It said the device would be reset to begin the process. I started the scan on the main router and it detected the node, and after processing for a while, it came back with a success. I wish I wrote down the screens from the GUI on the node, because I know they were different than before when I was on Merlin trying with the GUI.

For my OLD main router I'm going to flash the stock firmware and try a hard reset and adding without logging into the GUI one more time to see if that works. If not, I'll try the configure as router first, then picking AiMesh afterward. I'm not sure why it worked this way, since it is against your directions.