Best router choices for Merlin support on a budget

[Wallace_n_Gromit]

@OzarkEdge What linux kernel does the 86U run? I have been drooling over the 86U on newegg.com and amazon.com. The price is currently $161.72US on both sites. I have tried to find this information within snbforums.com and searching online. Maybe that's too geeky information for most search engines. I seem to recall that @RMerlin mentioned that his builds on routers with linux 4.x.x have that SAD DNS spoofing vulnerability mitigated (timing randomization) by default.

the 68U has Linux version 2.6.36.4brcmarm

 

[MarkyPancake]

One of my four AC86Us is 2018 vintage. Still going strong serving as the main router in my household. Overall, I'm puzzled by the AC86U failure rate. There seems to be a real issue, but I have four in-service now that were purchased piecemeal over a three year period, and all chug right along without a hitch. I guess I've been lucky.

My AC86U is a 2017 model and still going strong with, I reckon, around 30,000 hours of total uptime and counting.

 

[muffintastic]

Personally AC is dead just like 2.4Ghz.

Why not future proof and go with an RT-AX86U. [WiFi 6]

 

[Smokey613]

Personally AC is dead just like 2.4Ghz.

Why not future proof and go with an RT-AX86U. [WiFi 6]

Don’t tell my network it’s obsolete! I have 38 devices on it and only 1 ( iPhone Pro Max 11 ) supports wifi 6. Not only that, but 2/3 of the wifi clients are 2.4g only.

 

[sorinut]

Personally AC is dead just like 2.4Ghz.

Why not future proof and go with an RT-AX86U. [WiFi 6]

If you live in an area without much interference from other people's wifi, does it really matter? I live on a large bit of land and I can barely pick up a neighbors wifi, so I haven't found a reason to be concerned about wifi 6 and such. Anything beyond 2.4g doesn't seem to do well between floors either. My router is in the basement and I can't get 5ghz on end of my house.

I just can't find any reason to go wifi 6, so I use the 86u. Hell, with the LTE fork, my old 56u works fine at my girlfriends house and handles her 250mbit Spectrum service without a hiccup.

 

[Clark Griswald]

@sorinut
But what about all those wifi 6 devices

I would upgrade, but my current LAN/WAN is running smooth.

Stay Safe Everyone

 

[MarkyPancake]

Once the AX86U is at a price I'm happy to pay, I fancy seeing what it's like, but until then, I'm happy with our AC86U router and AC68U node setup. I've still got my N66U as well, collecting dust in its box now though.

 

[Wallace_n_Gromit]

Once the AX86U is at a price I'm happy to pay, I fancy seeing what it's like, but until then, I'm happy with our AC86U router and AC68U node setup. I've still got my N66U as well, collecting dust in its box now though.

What version of the Linux kernel do owners of the RT-AC86U have?

I know my version on my older RT-AC68U is 2.6.36.4. RMerlin has mentioned that some of the routers he supports have Linux kernels of 4.x.x. I wonder if that is the newer AX models only.

On a side note: I tried to type in a short "cat" command you could use in an ssh session in your router that would offer up that information. But every time I tried to save it in my post I get an error message posting it. Just weird, never seen that type of behavior posting to this site before. I can post without that info but not with it.

 

[Smokey613]

What version of the Linux kernel do owners of the RT-AC86U have?

I know my version on my older RT-AC68U is 2.6.36.4. RMerlin has mentioned that some of the routers he supports have Linux kernels of 4.x.x. I wonder if that is the newer AX models only.

On a side note: I tried to type in a short "cat" command you could use in an ssh session in your router that would offer up that information. But every time I tried to save it in my post I get an error message posting it. Just weird, never seen that type of behavior posting to this site before. I can post without that info but not with it.

On my 2020 RT-AC86U:

XXXXXXXX@RT-AC86U-89D0:/tmp/home/root# uname -srm
Linux 4.1.27 aarch64

 

[L&LD]

@Wallace_n_Gromit did you try putting it inside a 'code' box? What about spacing the letters out?

 

[Wallace_n_Gromit]

@Wallace_n_Gromit did you try putting it inside a 'code' box? What about spacing the letters out?

I tried typing it out directly and using the ["] Quote symbol. Got the error message. Trying the [</>] "code box" thingy now.... NOPE! get the error message:

Oops! We ran into some problems. Please try again later. More error details may be in the browser console.

EDIT: spacing it out cat / proc / version << That worked, but it's really weird, maybe somebody here doesn't like me anymore.

2nd EDIT: March 15, That explains That!

 

[Wallace_n_Gromit]

On my 2020 RT-AC86U:

XXXXXXXX@RT-AC86U-89D0:/tmp/home/root# uname -srm
Linux 4.1.27 aarch64

Thanks, I've been thinking about upgrading my router. Just trying to weigh the pros and cons. Having a more modern Linux kernel would definitely be a plus

 

[Clark Griswald]

AC86/AC88 setup working smooth for The Griswalds.

 

[Wallace_n_Gromit]

Well, I did it. bought the Asus RT-AC86U from Bestbuy.com. Amazon had a better price, bestbuy "Price Match" chat session matched it--free shipping. I used a debit card that had an additional promo of 10% off any bestbuy.com purchase (That's why I went with bestbuy). SWEET!

Now the weird thing: Right after I ordered I was starting to close the best buy browser session and the amazon browser session, and on the Amazon website saw a new lower price! Is anyone else seeing $159.81US? So I chatted with another Bestbuy "Price Match" chat session rep. and they modified the existing order to reflect the new Amazon offer.

I guess it's possible that Amazon regularly throughout the day modifies prices, just thought it was weird to see that new price (after days at the old price) LITERALLY right after I ordered on bestbuy. <<Amazon know something?

Price Check(ed) today Amazon: 2-25-2021 $159.82US. I find it amusing to have such a modest price change from day to day.

 

[Lee MacMillan]

Now the weird thing: Right after I ordered I was starting to close the best buy browser session and the amazon browser session, and on the Amazon website saw a new lower price! Is anyone else seeing $159.81US? So I chatted with another Bestbuy "Price Match" chat session rep. and they modified the existing order to reflect the new Amazon offer.

I guess it's possible that Amazon regularly throughout the day modifies prices, just thought it was weird to see that new price (after days at the old price) LITERALLY right after I ordered on bestbuy. <<Amazon know something?

I just looked and it is indeed $159.81.