Asus RT-BE92U or RT-AX86U PRO

[geralds34]

My AX-86S(dated 2021) has started to randomly reboot every 3-4 days, which is the main router in the house. I also have an RT-AC86U(2018) which is used as an AP, and it is still working fine.

Don't see much hope to figure out whats going on AX-86S, its been rebooting on the last two releases of Merlin, and figure it just age etc.

The RT-AX86U Pro is in short supply here in Canada, but some stores still have the odd stock for $210.
The RT-BE92U is readily available for $320.

I do have 3 Gbps up/dn service, but if it was 1/1 Gbps or even 150/150 Mbps it would make no difference, as the VPN connections to work are throttled.

Is the AX86U Pro still considered the better, more seasoned router?

$ wise, these two units work out the same to me, as the closest AX86U Pro to me is an hour away in next town.

Only two of us in the house, heaviest useage is when downloading linux ISO releases, which is 10GB every couple of weeks.
Like to have a device that we last as long as the AC86U has!

 

[Ripshod]

IMHO stay away from the RT-BE92U. Amongst other things it has a weak 2x2:2 5Ghz band - okay if you have only one 2x2 device, but add others and it will struggle.
Only buy a wifi 7 router if you have, or will soon have, devices that can take advantage of it. Asus' Pro range are popular, but in my opinion (based on specs, uptake and price) the best of the bunch is the RT-AX86U Pro.
* Other brands are available

 

[Spartan]

My AX-86S(dated 2021) has started to randomly reboot every 3-4 days, which is the main router in the house. I also have an RT-AC86U(2018) which is used as an AP, and it is still working fine.

Don't see much hope to figure out whats going on AX-86S, its been rebooting on the last two releases of Merlin, and figure it just age etc.

The RT-AX86U Pro is in short supply here in Canada, but some stores still have the odd stock for $210.
The RT-BE92U is readily available for $320.

I do have 3 Gbps up/dn service, but if it was 1/1 Gbps or even 150/150 Mbps it would make no difference, as the VPN connections to work are throttled.

Is the AX86U Pro still considered the better, more seasoned router?

$ wise, these two units work out the same to me, as the closest AX86U Pro to me is an hour away in next town.

Only two of us in the house, heaviest useage is when downloading linux ISO releases, which is 10GB every couple of weeks.
Like to have a device that we last as long as the AC86U has!

My previous setup was the RT-AX86U Pro as the main router and GT-AX6000 as the node.

I wanted to try WiFi 7 and did a lot of research, the BE88U and BE86U didn't make sense to me as they lack the 6GHz band so I wouldn't be getting the most out of the WiFi 7. Then there is the GT-BE98 which is triple the price of the BE92U.

I was scared though as I saw many reviews stating that it overheats but since I was out of choices, I figured I'd give it a shot and return it if I have any issues.

To my surprise, it has been perfect, I bought two BE92U routers and connected them in a wired backhaul AiMesh and haven't had one disconnection since day one. I enabled MLO and now my devices switch between the 2.4, 5GHz and 6GHz band seamlessly and I'm getting insane speeds on wireless.

what really boggles my mind is how the cheaper BE92U has the 6GHz band yet the BE88U and BE86U which are double the price don't.

 

[geralds34]

IMHO stay away from the RT-BE92U. Amongst other things it has a weak 2x2:2 5Ghz band - okay if you have only one 2x2 device, but add others and it will struggle.
Only buy a wifi 7 router if you have, or will soon have, devices that can take advantage of it. Asus' Pro range are popular, but in my opinion (based on specs, uptake and price) the best of the bunch is the RT-AX86U Pro.
* Other brands are available

Suggestions, in the sub $250 CDN range? As I have fibre now, I fiddle less with my netowrk gear now, would like to set it and forget it, just patch when new patch is released.

 

[Ripshod]

I have my own experience and a unique setup with, @Spartan pointed out, no 6GHz band. That's no loss to me right now.
RT-AX86U Pro is the goto right now, best balance of features vs price. But your setup/environment will be totally different to mine. Have a look on the manufacturers' sites and see exactly what's on offer and what you can make good use of.

 

[degrub]

Swap out the power wall wart if you can. See if it feels hot, cold, or warm before you unplug it. Just an idea.

 

[Tech9]

Suggestions, in the sub $250 CDN range?

What about free... using what you already have? Swap your routers, make RT-AX86U main with RT-AX86S node. The latter is not very good for Asuswrt-Merlin since it has only 512MB RAM with under 100MB available after boot. RT-AX86U has 2x RAM, 1024MB. Reset to factory defaults, configure manually and I'm sure they'll work well enough for you for years. You may not need to buy a new router at all.

 

[geralds34]

What about free... using what you already have? Swap your routers, make RT-AX86U main with RT-AX86S node. The latter is not very good for Asuswrt-Merlin since it has only 512MB RAM with under 100MB available after boot. RT-AX86U has 2x RAM, 1024MB. Reset to factory defaults, configure manually and I'm sure they'll work well enough for you for years. You may not need to buy a new router at all.

The Main is the AX86S with an AC86U used as an AP. The AC86U by most accounts, should have burned up years ago....

 

[Tech9]

Ah, okay... in this case reset and reconfigure your RT-AX86S and if you prefer Asuswrt-Merlin on it go light with scripts. This router runs low on RAM and if it gets to the the point swap file is needed - it's dead. Or try stock Asuswrt on both routers until you find a suitable for your budget and needs replacement.

 

[RMerlin]

Check if the AC adapters of your two routers are similar, and if so try swapping them. Router instability has occasionally been caused by a faulty AC adapter. Replacing it would be cheaper than a new router.

 

[geralds34]

Check if the AC adapters of your two routers are similar, and if so try swapping them. Router instability has occasionally been caused by a faulty AC adapter. Replacing it would be cheaper than a new router.

Put my hand on the AC adapter several times over last few days, and it room temp, not least bit warm. But, I will pull the power out, and then plug back in, to see what is in the log file. The adapter is plugged into a APC UPS, so I assume no spikes or power outages, and modem shows no outages, and it shares the UPS.

 

[geralds34]

Below is a portion of the log file , edited to show when the AX86A rebooted on its own. Yes, an IP was replaced with Laptop.....

Anything of value in this logfile?

Apr 14 16:36:30 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 16:36:35 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 16:36:35 miniupnpd[2023]: upnpevents_processfds: 0x5dfd0, remove subscriber uuid:8a438669-c053-43fd-ba7c-272f2c5eb98c after an ERROR cb: http://laptop:2869/upnp/eventing/qplpmndudy
Apr 14 16:37:34 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 16:37:34 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 16:37:34 miniupnpd[2023]: upnpevents_processfds: 0x5dfd0, remove subscriber uuid:e0a118d4-682d-4e87-b7b3-3466b66e966e after an ERROR cb: http://laptop:2869/upnp/eventing/sjpzyjizfq
Apr 14 16:37:51 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 16:37:51 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 16:37:51 miniupnpd[2023]: upnpevents_processfds: 0x5dfd0, remove subscriber uuid:3ec8afb7-1274-46e6-ae16-90f32d002487 after an ERROR cb: http://laptop:2869/upnp/eventing/sgcchdebbb
Apr 14 16:50:55 acsd: acs_set_chspec: 0x1003 (3) for reason APCS_CSTIMER
Apr 14 17:19:26 acsd: acs_set_chspec: 0x1003 (3) for reason APCS_CSTIMER
Apr 14 17:38:52 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 17:38:56 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 17:38:56 miniupnpd[2023]: upnpevents_processfds: 0x5dfd0, remove subscriber uuid:af81e892-30c1-446d-84d2-c1ccebc794e3 after an ERROR cb: http://laptop:2869/upnp/eventing/fpaulxdrnu
Apr 14 17:39:37 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 17:39:37 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 17:39:37 miniupnpd[2023]: upnpevents_processfds: 0x5dfd0, remove subscriber uuid:5ca165f9-f1f9-4222-a2f4-db1844be3919 after an ERROR cb: http://laptop:2869/upnp/eventing/mdrtmwjstd
Apr 14 17:40:10 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 17:40:10 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 17:40:10 miniupnpd[2023]: upnpevents_processfds: 0x5dfd0, remove subscriber uuid:17108e10-7712-42b6-b2fd-f168acd0e509 after an ERROR cb: http://laptop:2869/upnp/eventing/mublglmogv
Apr 14 17:47:56 acsd: acs_set_chspec: 0x1007 (7) for reason APCS_CSTIMER
Apr 14 18:16:25 acsd: acs_set_chspec: 0x1007 (7) for reason APCS_CSTIMER
Apr 14 18:43:45 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 18:43:50 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 18:43:50 miniupnpd[2023]: upnpevents_processfds: 0x5dfd0, remove subscriber uuid:7fd1fc31-b179-43f2-a6d3-1b3ee92d8e60 after an ERROR cb: http://laptop:2869/upnp/eventing/ossgwdzwbo
Apr 14 18:44:40 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 18:44:40 miniupnpd[2023]: upnp_event_process_notify: connect(laptop:2869): Connection timed out
Apr 14 18:44:40 miniupnpd[2023]: upnpevents_processfds: 0x5dfd0, remove subscriber uuid:60f4529f-b60a-4317-844e-c03a813e5718 after an ERROR cb: http://laptop:2869/upnp/eventing/axdgikomqh
Apr 14 18:44:56 acsd: acs_set_chspec: 0x100a (10) for reason APCS_CSTIMER

AX86S restarted on its own (On Latest Merlin SW)

Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel: klogd started: BusyBox v1.25.1 (2025-04-09 18:50:18 EDT)
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel: Linux version 4.1.52 (merlin@ubuntu-dev) (gcc version 5.5.0 (Buildroot 2017.11.1) ) #2 SMP PREEMPT Wed Apr 9 19:11:26 EDT 2025
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel: CPU: AArch64 Processor [420f1000] revision 0
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel: Kernel command line: root=ubi:rootfs_ubifs ubi.mtd=0 rootfstype=ubifs coherent_pool=4M cpuidle_sysfs_switch pci=pcie_bus_safe rootwait
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel: Virtual kernel memory layout:
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel:     vmalloc : 0xffffff8000000000 - 0xffffffbdffff0000   (   247 GB)
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel:     vmemmap : 0xffffffbe00000000 - 0xffffffbfc0000000   (     7 GB maximum)
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel:               0xffffffbe00000000 - 0xffffffbe00700000   (     7 MB actual)
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel:     fixed   : 0xffffffbffabfd000 - 0xffffffbffac00000   (    12 KB)
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel:     PCI I/O : 0xffffffbffae00000 - 0xffffffbffbe00000   (    16 MB)
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel:     modules : 0xffffffbffc000000 - 0xffffffc000000000   (    64 MB)
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel:     memory  : 0xffffffc000000000 - 0xffffffc020000000   (   512 MB)
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel:       .init : 0xffffffc000713000 - 0xffffffc00074d000   (   232 KB)
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel:       .text : 0xffffffc000080000 - 0xffffffc0007122b4   (  6729 KB)
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel:       .data : 0xffffffc00074e000 - 0xffffffc00091dfc0   (  1856 KB)
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel: Do not need to create mapping for reserved memory phys 0x000000000e000000 virt 0xffffffc00e000000 size 0x02000000 for rdp1
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel: creating mapping for reserved memory phys 0x000000000b400000 virt 0xffffffc00b400000 size 0x02c00000 for rdp2
Dec 31 19:00:16 kernel: creating mapping for reserved memory phys 0x000000000a900000 virt 0xffffffc00a900000 size 0x00b00000 for dhd1

 

[Tech9]

To rule out hardware issues - load latest available stock Asuswrt, hard reset to factory defaults (WPS method), configure manually and see how it behaves after. Disable UPnP if not needed, lock channels so your router is not constantly hunting for better channel (as seen in logs above). I have posted compatibility fail-safe settings some time ago here, use for reference. Use WPA2-Personal for both bands, bug was reported for WPA2/WPA3-Personal mixed mode in later Asuswrt and Asuswrt-Merlin. Good luck!

 

[RMerlin]

Put my hand on the AC adapter several times over last few days, and it room temp, not least bit warm.

That won't help diagnose is the AC adapter is faulty or not. As I suggested, check the specs of the RT-AX86S and the RT-AC86U adapters. If they are the same voltage, similar current and have the same barrel plug, swap them and see if the instability switches to the other router.