Have RT-N66U...any benefit to RT-AC68U upgrade?

[neil0311]

I don't have any AC clients at this point. I use both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands with about 30 devices (phones, tablets, laptops, BD players, TVs...not all connected at the same time).

I'm using the RT-N66U (and have been for about 2 years) with the latest Merlin build, but have considered getting either the RT-AC68U or Netgear R7000.

Before I throw $200 down a hole for no reason, is there any benefit swapping out the RT-N66U for an AC router with only 802.11n devices on the network? I've read that the faster processor along with some other improvements can provide some benefit.

Thought? Waste of money?

 

[L&LD]

I would lean towards the 'waste of money' side of things right now.

If you're just upgrading just because you can; wait until the AC2300 models become available (and stable) and update then if you need to.

I will be doing a full install for a customer with an RT-AC68U (and they have the RT-N66U now) next week. I will come back if I find anything interesting.

I am also personally using the RT-N66U and want to upgrade to the RT-AC68U because I already have two AC capable devices. Next week will make me decide one way or the other.

 

[neil0311]

Thanks. Would be curious as to your experience/findings.

 

[r00t4rd3d]

I really want a Linksys WRT1900AC. I just hope they are good and not like all the rest of the current junk Linksys is making.

 

[kaiguy]

I was wondering the same thing, and decided to pull the trigger. I just got a new MBP with AC wireless, so I wanted to see if there was a benefit to swapping out the N66U for an AC68U. It's only been a couple of days, but I think I'm going to take it back. Here's why:

I only have that one AC device, and it's typically pretty darn far from the router. With the other 5 GHz n-wireless devices in use, I don't think I'll even be getting any speeds higher than what I would have with my N66U.

2.4 GHz seems to be equal or maybe even slightly worse on the AC unit, under my conditions (by no means scientific... just my experience thus far).

I don't have uberfast internet that will take advantage of the faster processor, and the only difference in use between the two routers would be the availability of TimeMachine backups.

When all is said and done--purely for my purposes and device mix--I don't think it's worth the $220 upgrade from a perfectly working N66U. When the next wave of new Asus routers come out, I'll probably give it another shot.

 

[sanke1]

Currently with botched firmware, it's a waste of time and money on RT-AC68U. I am starting to feel a bit of resentment towards it.

Downgrading to earlier firmware makes my wireless unstable and some devices refuse to connect. So I am stuck on 4561 firmware. Sucks hard.

 

[Deepcuts]

I just switched from N66U to AC68U.
I am loving it
I have a 1 Gb/s internet connection and I can say that AC68U is about 200 Mb/s faster than N66U.
Meaning with N66U I could get 750 Mb/s and with AC68U I get 933 Mb/s.
SMB is a lot faster also.

WiFi N is also more stable. It never drops below 24 MB/s within 10 meters.
If you got the cash, get yourself a present.