Best bang for you buck router?

[Magnus33]

Presently own a RT n66u which is a fine router but the wireless n is less then impressive.

As The AC routers have a much better wireless N speed it seems a upgrade is in order.

The RT-AC68U seems good but from looking at its specs seem more like its a markting ploy rather then a true upgrade from the RT-AC66U.

Since i am going to be putting Merlin on this is thought its best to ask here.

What are your thoughts?

 

[L&LD]

I have seen a few of my customers RT-AC66U's fail. Most were replaced with the RT-AC68U and in addition to better performance, they are already up longer than the failed first generation products. So no, it is not a marketing ploy from my experience.

The RT-AC68U is the router I would buy, if I had to buy today and wanted maximum stability along with performance. And for reference, I am running an RT-N66U myself.

If I had the luxury of waiting to purchase, I would be eagerly looking at the 3rd gen AC products coming in a few weeks from today.

If I had to buy today and wanted maximum performance with increasing stability (with each new firmware) then the RT-AC87U or the RT-AC3200 would be the routers I would be looking at (depending on various factors, including if router USB storage performance mattered to me or not).

 

[Magnus33]

Hardware failures are never good.
The 87 seems to be the better deal with the 3200 being little in the way of improvement over the 87 itself for the added cost.

Still either are certainly powerful enough to do the job.

 

[RMerlin]

The RT-AC68U seems good but from looking at its specs seem more like its a markting ploy rather then a true upgrade from the RT-AC66U.

It's not marketing, the two are vastly different devices. The RT-AC68U has a USB 3 ports, which can push data at about three times the speed of the RT-AC66U. The CPU is also roughly three times faster, which translates in much faster VPN performance, or a maximum WAN throughput of around 350 Mbps vs 150 Mbps if you run the router with NAT acceleration disabled (for instance if you happen to use QoS).

Also, AiProtection is only available on the RT-AC68U, and is a very nice layer of protection to have at the gateway.

For 30-40$ more, I would definitely get the RT-AC68U before the RT-AC66U.

 

[Magnus33]

I some how got the names confused.
The AC3200 seems more hype then actually hardware that improves things greatly at the moment.

The AC68U as you mentioned RMerlin seems to be the way to go with plenty of power for a decent price.

My N66u has been reliable and hard working device but its lacking in power these days.

Thanks for all the feedback

 

[RMerlin]

The main interest of the RT-AC3200 is if you have a large mixture of wireless devices, and you want to split the slow ones from the high speed ones, so they don't impact one another. It's a niche product, targeting a very specific scenario.

 

[cockytrumpet]

If I had the luxury of waiting to purchase, I would be eagerly looking at the 3rd gen AC products coming in a few weeks from today.

Ooh! Where can I drool over said products?

 

[L&LD]

Though from last year, this is one indication of what should / might be coming soon.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2142...it-will-deliver-10-gigabit-wi-fi-in-2015.html

 

[kamaaina]

Since there is a fork running Merlin now on the r7000 you could consider that one as well. The r7000 has a slightly faster CPU compared to the ac68 but the asus has slightly better wifi range. It appears price wise the 68 might be the better deal if you are ok with getting a refurbished one, for example. The newer versions run higher ddr speeds it seems. Both overall excellent machines and probably still the most mature might performance routers with Merlin ddwrt and tomato options.


If you don't need as much wireless range then the ac56 is a great router for little money. Or the infamous netgear 1450 that can be obtained cheaply refurbished and then flashed into an r6300v2. No Merlin there, but the 56u/r Is supported and often cheaper than the ac66u.

 

[TonyH]

Hardware failures are never good.
The 87 seems to be the better deal with the 3200 being little in the way of improvement over the 87 itself for the added cost.

Still either are certainly powerful enough to do the job.

Hmmm,
You are answering your own question, LOL!

 

[Chrysalis]

The ac68u is definitely a decent upgrade to the point I am sort of regretting not buying it instead of the ac66, aside from the hardware differences it also has firmware enhancements.

The ac66u is still a great router in my eyes, but the ac68u is definitely better.

To add to merlin's comments if you use pppoe on the ac66, it will max out at about 70mbit throughput without CTF.

 

[sfx2000]

If staying with ASUS - the AC68 series is the one to get - it's stable (finally), fast, and good support from the community. It's also on the tail end of the pricing chain, which makes it a great value..

I can't recommend the 87U or RT3200 - my best guess is that these are evolutionary dead ends...

 

[L&LD]

If staying with ASUS - the AC68 series is the one to get - it's stable (finally), fast, and good support from the community. It's also on the tail end of the pricing chain, which makes it a great value..

I can't recommend the 87U or RT3200 - my best guess is that these are evolutionary dead ends...

I would agree with your last statement at this time, but of course, price vs. other options might still make them a good choice.

 

[supervolcano]

It's not marketing, the two are vastly different devices. The RT-AC68U has a USB 3 ports, which can push data at about three times the speed of the RT-AC66U. The CPU is also roughly three times faster, which translates in much faster VPN performance, or a maximum WAN throughput of around 350 Mbps vs 150 Mbps if you run the router with NAT acceleration disabled (for instance if you happen to use QoS).

Also, AiProtection is only available on the RT-AC68U, and is a very nice layer of protection to have at the gateway.

For 30-40$ more, I would definitely get the RT-AC68U before the RT-AC66U.

Hi Merlin,

Could you compare the 87U with the 68U please. I'm currently looking to upgrade from the 66U.
Thank you.

 

[RMerlin]

Hi Merlin,

Could you compare the 87U with the 68U please. I'm currently looking to upgrade from the 66U.
Thank you.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/as...ireless-ac2400-gigabit-router-reviewed.18742/

 

[supervolcano]

Thanks Merlin for the link. It's quite expository and informative.

 

[joltdude]

Presently own a RT n66u which is a fine router but the wireless n is less then impressive.

As The AC routers have a much better wireless N speed it seems a upgrade is in order.

The RT-AC68U seems good but from looking at its specs seem more like its a markting ploy rather then a true upgrade from the RT-AC66U.

Since i am going to be putting Merlin on this is thought its best to ask here.

What are your thoughts?

I'd go for the 68P if you do not need the features of the 87 and the 3200.. It has a slightly newer dual core CPU than the original 68U.. Although in the US, you can only find it at Best Buy (groan) Think of it as a 68U refreshed...Also it seems to have a little better 5 performance than the original 68 (the whole throttling fiasco I think )

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...-band-wireless-ac1900-gigabit-router-reviewed

 

[Magnus33]

Got the AC68U as it seemed the best buy.

Now to set it up lol