AX86S - two different spec power adapters from two sealed routers. Only keeping one, but which PSU to choose?

[Movisman]

Hi all!

I recently picked up an RT-AX86S on Amazon Prime day (here in the UK). However, when it arrived, although the router works, there was something vibrating inside when you touch the bottom of the casing. It was almost as if one of the internal components was touching/rubbing against the inside of the case creating a very slight vibrating/rattle noise. It was quite odd. Anyway, I organised Amazon to replace it.

Yesterday, the replacement arrived, this one feels solid. I have not set it up yet though.
However when unboxing, I immediately noticed a big difference between the power adapters when compared to the initial router I received.

One is a wall wart, rated at 12v, 3.0A, 36W output, brand "APD". It has slide/clip on plugs for UK and EU. Straight adapter barrel type.

The other is a power brick type, rated at 19.5v, 2.31A, 45W max output, brand "AcBel". It has separate leads for UK and EU. Right angled adapter barrel type.

I have attached some images of both types of plug to demonstrate.

On the back of the router itself, it suggests it is happy with either spec, as it says "Input: 12V 3A / 19.5V 2.31A".

The only other differences I can find packaging wise, is that the router supplied with the power brick, shows the firmware version on the box, whereas the other one supplied with wall wart doesn't. Hardware revisions are the same, as is manufacturing year. All made in China.

I will be shortly sending back the 'damaged' router, but I can, in theory, choose which PSU to keep.

Is someone on here knowledgeable about the different PSU types and would recommend one over the other?
Seeing as I have the opportunity to choose, I thought it was worth asking the community for some input and I can keep the best/preferred/most reliable/most recent type - if there is any obvious reason to keep one over the other.

Thank you!

 

[Movisman]

Few more images of the two adapters.

 

[Tech Junky]

It doesn't matter unless you find a way to actually measure the output.

For instance on my 5G gateway the power brick delivers USB pd. It lists 3 modes 15/30/45W. I wanted to go straight PD and get rid of the adapter but needed to know exactly what the needs were to do so. I tested it with a couple of power banks and one worked the other didn't. I plugged it into my TB port and it worked, plugged it into a high W pd wart and it worked. Ordered a power meter for USBC and found it only consumed 5W of power but needed 15V to trigger power up across different sources. Now I can have it in line with a PB that lasts 12+ hours if the power goes out.

 

[bbunge]

Use the one that came with the router you plan to keep. Power brick as you call it.

 

[Tech9]

I would keep this one:

It's easier to plug the cable in any power outlet and hide the actual PS somewhere underneath. This is what I have with my AX86U unit.

 

[L&LD]

The 45W power adaptor is the one I would use/keep.

Having extra power (not the voltage, but the 'amps') is never undesirable in a power supply.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I will be shortly sending back the 'damaged' router, but I can, in theory, choose which PSU to keep.

No, you're meant to return all of the original items to Amazon (the complete package). It might be different if you were dealing directly with Asus on a repair basis, but with Amazon you're just replacing one (complete) product with another.

 

[Movisman]

The 45W power adaptor is the one I would use/keep.

Having extra power (not the voltage, but the 'amps') is never undesirable in a power supply.

Just want to check something with you on this.

You mentioned to keep hold of the 45w one (the brick PSU) because the extra amps are preferable - however it's the lower wattage 36w wall wart which is 3.0A / 12v. Whereas the 45w one is only 2.31A but 19.5v. So the 35w adapter is higher in terms of amperes at 3.0A, but lower overall potential wattage because of the 12v.

Just want clarify which one you suggest I keep hold of - maybe i'm confused by your post in which I apologise! It just sounds like are suggesting I keep the one with the higher amps (3.0A), but this is the 36w wall wart.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Movisman]

I would keep this one:

View attachment 43034

It's easier to plug the cable in any power outlet and hide the actual PS somewhere underneath. This is what I have with my AX86U unit.

Thanks!

Yes, I was leaning towards the brick, because I think I prefer the right angled connector. The straight one really does poke out the back, although I suppose any ethernet cable I have plugged in will too. Also having the plug separate is possibly more flexible from a usage standpoint, as it's easy to buy a much longer C5 connector if I need to change out or extend the mains cable. Plus any heat generated from the brick might be preferable in terms of where it would be placed. Wall warts can get quite toasty!

 

[Movisman]

Use the one that came with the router you plan to keep. Power brick as you call it.

Cheers! Can I ask why?

 

[Movisman]

It doesn't matter unless you find a way to actually measure the output.

For instance on my 5G gateway the power brick delivers USB pd. It lists 3 modes 15/30/45W. I wanted to go straight PD and get rid of the adapter but needed to know exactly what the needs were to do so. I tested it with a couple of power banks and one worked the other didn't. I plugged it into my TB port and it worked, plugged it into a high W pd wart and it worked. Ordered a power meter for USBC and found it only consumed 5W of power but needed 15V to trigger power up across different sources. Now I can have it in line with a PB that lasts 12+ hours if the power goes out.

Thanks a lot for the information Yes true, both should work and it maybe doesn't matter too much - however from a specs point of view, I was curious if 19.5V/2.31A @ 45w (max) is seen as "more preferable" with these routers, vs. a 12V/3A one @ 36w. I think the idea of a separate brick is more appealing, but I would keep the wall wart if the experienced folk on here suggest that it's a better option. Seeing as I have the choice of using either adapter I figured it would be a good idea to check with the community.

 

[Movisman]

No, you're meant to return all of the original items to Amazon (the complete package). It might be different if you were dealing directly with Asus on a repair basis, but with Amazon you're just replacing one (complete) product with another.

Now that i've received a replacement, I will be returning the faulty/damaged router, complete with adapter and everything else. It's not even been set up. But it doesn't make any difference if I send back the wall wart type or the brick type with the damaged router. ASUS clearly ship out routers with random adapters (eg. whatever they can manufacture/get hold of at the time) - as demonstrated by my initial order and the replacement Amazon sent out having totally different adapter styles/specs supplied. Ultimately it doesn't matter which adapter is returned with the faulty unit. They are both 'correct'. However, i'll pick the favoured type based on peoples experiences here, and send back the other along with the damaged router.

Although ultimately, it sounds like the brick type is possibly 'preferred', in which case the router I need to send back will be all 'original' anyway

 

[Tech Junky]

Pick whichever works better for your positioning of the router. if the 90 angle works better then use that one. Brick might dissipate heat better than the wart and last longer. For all we know it just needs the 19V to power on and only .5A to run. If that's the case you could do a PD setup like my gateway using a trigger cable - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FRC39F4/?tag=snbforums-20 Of course you need to match the power requirements for such implementation and the pin size which should be displayed on the brick / wart. Looks a bit bigger than the 5.5 I'm using and might be a 7.4 plug on the end there.

 

[Tech9]

I think I prefer the right angled connector.

I would prefer the straight connector, but the 45W PS is the better one in terms of convenience and max power. Why the straight connector? Because as you noted the LAN cables are straight anyway and the power switch is very close to the power connector. Angled connector makes the access to it more difficult in the most common use position. Most people would prefer the power cable hidden behind the router, not sticking out.

 

[bbunge]

Cheers! Can I ask why?

Sure!
1. Always best to use the power supply that came with the device.
2. Warranty
3. I suspect the 12V 3 Amp rating on the power supply you got. My router is Hardware version 1.0 and is rated at 19V/19.5V and my power supply looks like your 2nd one.
4. Larger brick usually means beefier components to deal better with heat/voltage variations.
5. See #1

 

[Tech9]

Both power supplies are compatible and "original", @bbunge.

 

[Movisman]

Pick whichever works better for your positioning of the router. if the 90 angle works better then use that one. Brick might dissipate heat better than the wart and last longer. For all we know it just needs the 19V to power on and only .5A to run. If that's the case you could do a PD setup like my gateway using a trigger cable - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FRC39F4/?tag=snbforums-20 Of course you need to match the power requirements for such implementation and the pin size which should be displayed on the brick / wart. Looks a bit bigger than the 5.5 I'm using and might be a 7.4 plug on the end there.

Yeah i'd need to measure the barrel size - for my implementation / use case I won't need to go down the PD route at this time, but it's good to know the option is there. For now, I can hide either a brick or wall wart without too much trouble in the location I plan to set it up.

 

[Movisman]

I would prefer the straight connector, but the 45W PS is the better one in terms of convenience and max power. Why the straight connector? Because as you noted the LAN cables are straight anyway and the power switch is very close to the power connector. Angled connector makes the access to it more difficult in the most common use position. Most people would prefer the power cable hidden behind the router, not sticking out.

Yes you raise a good point about the straight connector - when you plug the right angled one in, it's either in the way of the power switch, or you can see the cable 'from the side' of the router. The one goes straight back has no such problem.

That doesn't bother me too much though, as I probably won't be reaching for the power switch too often. I hope not anyway....that's the reason I picked up the AX86S - to replace the horrendous ISP router!

I think I'd probably prefer the 45w PS for convenience/flexibility/potential better heat dissipation and max power. I am just not sure if it is preferable to have a PS with higher amps but lower voltage, or a higher voltage / lower amps but overall higher 'max' power (45w vs 36w).

 

[Movisman]

Sure!
1. Always best to use the power supply that came with the device.
2. Warranty
3. I suspect the 12V 3 Amp rating on the power supply you got. My router is Hardware version 1.0 and is rated at 19V/19.5V and my power supply looks like your 2nd one.
4. Larger brick usually means beefier components to deal better with heat/voltage variations.
5. See #1

Thanks!

As @Tech9 states, both adapters are original and ASUS supplied, so probably only point 4 could really apply here. ASUS seem to just ship out either of these adapters with the AX86S models. Either spec is 'compatible', on the back of the router it states 12V 3A / 19.5V 2.31A - so either will work. It's just they are very different styles and the specification is also different, in terms of the wall wart = higher amps but lower voltage, but the brick = higher voltage / lower amps but overall higher 'max' power (45w vs 36w).

While I have the opportunity to actually pick an adapter, I might as well make the best choice, if there is one.

 

[Tech9]

I am just not sure if it is preferable to have a PS with higher amps but lower voltage, or a higher voltage / lower amps but overall higher 'max' power (45w vs 36w).

The router converts the input voltage to what's needed via multiple step-down regulators, all below 12V. Both power supplies will work.