choosing between AX88U and AX82U

[zero7404]

have been casually looking at some ASUS models to replace the AC87U I have .... i think the AX88U is as flagship as I would go for my home network.

i only have 1 gaming console and don't have much interest in maximizing/prioritizing gaming beside overall improvement to serving all the devices in my home reliably and with the security benefits of AiProtection Pro. I don't have any wifi 6 capable clients, so I would not be taking advantage of that until i buy a device that uses it.

with that being said, i'm looking at some $100 difference between buying an AX88U and buying an AX82U.

I don't mind that the AX82U is not yet supported by merlin. i probably wouldn't notice the difference between 3-core and 4-core CPUs either. would the AX82U be a overall good upgrade/replacement for my AC87U ?

the constraint i am working with is having the most recent model possible in order to get longer life out of the unit firmware-wise.

 

[Adooni]

why not AX86U? it have very good wi-fi and it is now 1st chose for a lot users. Read this post https://www.snbforums.com/threads/new-in-the-charts-asus-rt-ax86u.73072/

you will see big difference between AX82U (1,5GHz CPU and no hardware acceleration) and AX86U(or AX88U) - 1.8GHz with hardware acceleration. If you will plan to use VPN or QoS with AX82U internet speed will be /2-3 (up to 100Mbit). AX86U have the best wi-fi coverage.

if you consider AX88U you should buy AX86U. No point to pay extra for AX88U

for me RMerlin is truly the only reason to buy Asus router did you read what extra features like amtm (RMerlin addons) give.

 

[digits n bits]

I’ve used both the RT-AX82U and the RT-AX88U. The AX88U at this point is too old to even consider. The AX-82U is nothing special at all.

Personally along with a lot of other people on here think the AX86U is the best dual band router ASUS has ever put out. I don’t really do a lot of gaming and I didn’t buy it for that. But except for firmware updates I haven’t touched it at all. It’s fast, good coverage and it has Merlin.

 

[zero7404]

thanks for the replies

the 86 is designed to stand and wont work with my network ‘landscaping’ … so i’m looking for something suitable to replace the 87U. easier to swap out with a router that sits flat and in the cabinet i cannot stand up the 86 model.

 

[L&LD]

A router in a cabinet? Consider updating its location, location, location (and getting a far better router in the process too).

 

[Elmer]

I have an 88 and I'm happy with it. It has a quad processor, hardware acceleration, and 1 GB of ram - all are very important if you have lots of devices on your network, and if you have an internet plan >400 Mb. That said, I think the 86u (apparently there is an 86s - much less powerful version) is the "new generation" 88, so it would be my choice going forward. Also the 86u has " WAN/LAN: 2.5G/1Gbps multi-Gig port," a future proof addition not available on the 88. You said you wanted AiProtection Pro, but be aware that as soon as you turn on trendmicro's "AiProtection Pro," you'll take a 60 to 100 Mb speed hit. At least that's been my observation. Instead of AIProtection Pro, I use DNS servers having malware lists. You'll also take a speed hit with Adaptive QOS - it did turn off hardware acceleration, but thankfully that has changed recently, although you'll still still see a significant hit with higher speed internet. I feed a smart switch with link aggregation, and let the switch handle QOS while making sure all my heavy users are hard wired. That may not help with wifi, but I'm getting A+ reports on bufferbloat, so something is working. The 82, I wouldn't even consider, assuming you have multiple devices (e.g. smarthome), gigabyte internet, and plan to keep the device for some time.

 

[zero7404]

A router in a cabinet? Consider updating its location, location, location (and getting a far better router in the process too).

even inside the media cabinet, i have full wifi strength on all of my devices anywhere inside my home. i prefer concealing electronics/appliances that i don't need to interact with frequently. i can understand that some folks like to showcase their stuff or optimize location to maximize reception, that's fine also.

 

[zero7404]

I have an 88 and I'm happy with it. It has a quad processor, hardware acceleration, and 1 GB of ram - all are very important if you have lots of devices on your network, and if you have an internet plan >400 Mb. That said, I think the 86u (apparently there is an 86s - much less powerful version) is the "new generation" 88, so it would be my choice going forward. Also the 86u has " WAN/LAN: 2.5G/1Gbps multi-Gig port," a future proof addition not available on the 88. You said you wanted AiProtection Pro, but be aware that as soon as you turn on trendmicro's "AiProtection Pro," you'll take a 60 to 100 Mb speed hit. At least that's been my observation. Instead of AIProtection Pro, I use DNS servers having malware lists. You'll also take a speed hit with Adaptive QOS - it did turn off hardware acceleration, but thankfully that has changed recently, although you'll still still see a significant hit with higher speed internet. I feed a smart switch with link aggregation, and let the switch handle QOS while making sure all my heavy users are hard wired. That may not help with wifi, but I'm getting A+ reports on bufferbloat, so something is working. The 82, I wouldn't even consider, assuming you have multiple devices (e.g. smarthome), gigabyte internet, and plan to keep the device for some time.

appreciate the feedback. even though i'm getting that users heavily lean on the 88 and 86 models, my question was purely technical: is the AX82U technically superior to the AC87U in every aspect ... and is there any advanced feature I have with the AC87U that I will not have with the AX82U ?

if i am dealing with planned obsolescence - one way or another - i won't go shopping around for the high-end expensive models if less expensive models by asus offer what i want.

 

[L&LD]

It's not just displaying the hardware or maximizing the signals that the proper location is important. It's also about proper cooling for maximum life for the hardware too.

Many ways to hide things in plain sight. Be creative and open up your options at the same time too.

 

[Tech9]

you will see big difference between AX82U (1,5GHz CPU and no hardware acceleration) and AX86U(or AX88U) - 1.8GHz with hardware acceleration. If you will plan to use VPN or QoS with AX82U internet speed will be /2-3 (up to 100Mbit).

AX82U is the same hardware as AX58U. I have one and I run some quick tests on it. Without NAT acceleration it can do 300Mbps no problem. It doesn't have AES support, so OpenVPN only is limited to about 100Mbps. Adaptive QoS doesn't disable NAT acceleration, so no speed issues there. AX82U is a "gaming" version of AX58U with unlocked 4x4:4 5GHz radio and RGB lights. To common 2-stream AX/AC client both routers have the same performance.

if less expensive models by asus offer what i want.

See above.

 

[zero7404]

screenshot 2021-09-04 at 11.58.56.mp4

drive.google.com

here is a video of the status page on my router, during that time this is what's working ...

wireless activity:
1 laptop streaming netflix (5GHz)
1 laptop general surfing (5GHz)
2 ipads streaming youtube (5GHz)
1 iphone streaming music (5GHz)
1 printer idle (2.4GHz)
1 household appliance idle (2.4GHz)

wired activity:
1 xbox playing fortnite
1 roku idle
1 NAS copying a 10GB file to a client computer


Not sure if the AX82U will have improved AC speeds over my AC87U ?

Otherwise, the AX82U has a release date that's much newer than my AC87U and will likely be supported for some years ahead. Looking at the video and noting this is typical usage for the router, it doesn't look like it's heavily taxed on hardware resources.

 

[Tech9]

If it works properly and covers your needs, why bother replacing it? Asus still releases patches and fixes, the latest firmware is from 05/2021.

 

[zero7404]

it is still working fine. i was not originally considering replacing it either. but in this discussion (post # 30 in the below discussion) it was suggested. was doing some casual research related to this and thought maybe it's a good idea to upgrade with the age of my hardware being up there. but ultimately i still think i am ok with what i have.

looking at this thread we are talking in, it seems like i am being steered towards the more expensive line even though the question was purely asking for technical comparison for those routers i named in the OP.

Looking to install merlin firmware (coming from stock)

@zero7404 you're welcome to skip any steps that you don't feel necessary in both the M&M Config and the Nuclear Setup guides, at your own risk (to stability, reliability, and performance). :) The guide may be from 2015, but getting a router to a good/known state hasn't changed much since then...

www.snbforums.com

 

[Tech9]

looking at this thread we are talking in, it seems like i am being steered towards the more expensive line even though the question was purely asking for technical comparison for those routers i named in the OP.

Asus has a lot of freelance sales people around. Most don’t even read your questions or requirements. Use what you have for now, upgrade when you need. I don’t see post #30 in above thread, you’ve hit someone in my ignore list.

 

[zero7404]

@Tech9 i really appreciate your honesty, it's truly rare in the world we live in today. post #30 in the referenced thread was by L&LD

until updates are officially depreciated by ASUS for the AC87U i'll keep on using it.

 

[L&LD]

@zero7404, that linked post 30 did not suggest to you a new router (as the 'answer'). There were caveats which you seem to gloss over.

If you re-read it again, you will see that you're doing what I suggested you to do in the first place.

If you don't understand the answer provided, please ask for clarity next time.