Looking for the best option for a pre owned router

[Matt832]

I've had an Asus RT-AC87u for a number of years, been mostly happy with it, but for some reason I lost the USB ports yesterday. I have a 4T NAS drive connected via USB 3 port and use that to stream media to all my devices. At this point budget is very tight, plus I have no need for the latest and greatest. I do have a large area to cover, ~3500 sq ft., recently added an older Asus RT-N53 router as an access point due to weak WiFi in my family room. Also had some weird issues with the 87u dropping Internet but not wifi to my phones and tablets - but not my laptops. Need Gig connections, have Comcast 250mbs down.

So, What is out there that is a year or two old that has a good reputation? Looked at a Netgear 7000 and 8000, have decent prices on ebay but see issues with those, the Asus 88u seem to be the go to but a bit pricey at this point. Had a bad experience with a low end Tp- Link years ago, would consider it if it has been improved over time.

 

[coxhaus]

I would not buy a pre owned router unless I knew it was actively supported. With Cisco small business networking gear Cisco publishes the dates but with consumer networking gear I don't think that happens.

 

[L&LD]

I have to agree with @coxhaus, even if I sell preowned routers to some customers. The difference is I don't buy them unless they are fully functional for me for at least a week of my personal use. Then, I still offer a 'warranty' to those I do end up reselling. I've never had to 'honor' that warranty yet, but I also don't accept every used router that comes my way.

Unless you can effectively 'throw out' the used equipment and buy new at any given time, I would suggest new from the beginning.

 

[dosborne]

I have a 4T NAS drive connected via USB 3 port and use that to stream media to all my devices.

Curious. If it is a NAS, why are you running it through your router? Why not run it directly on your network?

+1 on not buying something used. You never know what shape it is in and you may want the warranty. Better off waiting and saving up and buying something new.

 

[L&LD]

@dosborne I read that as a 4TB NAS drive (such as a WD RED).

 

[thiggins]

Amazon Warehouse Deals. Never had a bad experience and 90 day returns. NETGEAR R7800. ASUS RT-AC86U.

 

[Val D.]

I've had an Asus RT-AC87u for a number of years, been mostly happy with it, but for some reason I lost the USB ports yesterday.

Yes, mentioned in your thread here:
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/asus-rt-ac-87u-lost-both-usb-ports.63194/

Make sure you don't power high-current USB devices off router's USB ports, like portable HDDs, for example. All routers these days use just minimum required passive cooling and the more current passes through voltage regulators the more heat is generated. This particular RT-AC87U has some heat related issues reported.

Use the router temporary with no USB devices attached, replace it when you find a good deal for something better.

 

[Trip]

@Matt832 - Since your router's wireless and ethernet ports work well enough, I'd approach this problem from a different angle altogether and use this opportunity to buy yourself a proper NAS. Hanging a drive off a consumer all-in-one can work, yes, but it's not really optimal as a network sharing solution, compared to a dedicated, standalone box with its own autonomy and processing power.

A single-bay Synology DS120j is only $84 on Amazon Warehouse deals. A much better use of capital at this point, IMHO.

 

[Matt832]

Yes, I think I agree. Looked at some hard drive the other day and prices have dropped a lot since I last looked, fairly cheap to set up a nice Raid system.

 

[coxhaus]

@Matt832

A single-bay Synology DS120j is only $84 on Amazon Warehouse deals. A much better use of capital at this point, IMHO.

Funny when I try your link it show $99 for prime not $84. I found it and ordered one.

 

[dosborne]

A single-bay Synology DS120j is only $84 on Amazon Warehouse deals. A much better use of capital at this point, IMHO.

In the past, a 2-bay unit was often only $5-$10 more than a 1-bay, but would be a much more useful device. Not saying this is necessarily the case now, but worth checking. Gives you the flexibility of leaving the bay empty, or mirroring or increased capacity, or easy migration to a larger drive in the future, or a removable backup, ...

 

[coxhaus]

I wanted to see what Synology is like. I have always run my own Microsoft server. This 1 unit NAS attracted me because it is such low power. I can put it in a closet and it won't over heat. I live in Texas and it is hot even with AC during July and August.

I turned my server rack off almost 2 years ago. I have run many RAIDs in my life a lot of them hot swap. So I totally understand RAID. My last hot swap home server was an 8 drive Microsoft Home server. I am trying to move on an upper closet shelf with my Cisco gear.

 

[Trip]

a 2-bay unit [...] gives you the flexibility of leaving the bay empty, or mirroring or increased capacity, or easy migration to a larger drive in the future, or a removable backup

Beyond what would be baseline viable for @Matt832, I almost thought to suggest a 2-bay, for all the reasons you stated. From what I can see they're a tad more than a $5-10 premium, but still not too bad. Here's a DS218j for ~$141 on Amazon Warehouse. I'd stick with Synology or QNAP for their software quality over the likes of Buffalo, TerraMaster, Netgear, etc.

I wanted to see what Synology is like.

I use them a lot as backup repositories for my clients who don't want/need enterprise storage arrays, and they do really well for that role. I just setup a 4-bay DS918+ with Active Backup for G Suite for a client who wanted a local copy of his firm's Google data and it works like a charm.

 

[cplay]

Second hand 86u all day everyday AS LONG AS MFG 2019.

The 2018 routers are notorious for issues. Get seller to show you bottom of box and you will find MFG year.

 

[Val D.]

The 2018 routers are notorious for issues.

This is an assumption only not backed-up by any credible information source. All RT-AC86U units are the same HW version. Of course units manufactured in 2019/2020 have less failure reports, most are simply less than 1 year old. Do you have any failure rate data for 2021? Again, I would not recommend re-manufactured or second-hand RT-AC86U with partial or no warranty. Purchase off eBay is out of question. Everyone is free to make own decisions and take own risks.

 

[distilled]

Of course units manufactured in 2019/2020 have less failure reports, most are simply less than 1 year old.

This.

It is like saying that 85% of all traffic accidents occur within 10 miles of home. Of course they do, because that is where most driving occurs.

 

[dosborne]

The biggest issue in buying used is of course, are you just inheriting someone else's problems. Not saying that is always the case, but if someone buys a router (or anything) and is selling it a couple of months later, you must ask yourself, "Why?".

Is the deal (discount vs new) significant enough to justify the potential risk? If it doesn't work out, is there enough warranty left? Is it transferable?

In some case the risk is worth it. At least with used (and ignoring hardware failure - i.e. fraud) you could potentially turn around and resell it for roughly the same price as your cost.

Assuming you take all that into consideration, the choice is ultimately yours. IMO, unless something is less than half the cost of "new", and not too "old" in relative terms for the item being considered, I wouldn't even consider it.

 

[Matt832]

Well as I stated in my OP, budget is tight right now. I don't have an issue risking $40-60 on a used router. At this point $150+ is not an option. Lots of Linsys EA8500s out there as well as Asus 88us. My 87U works- as a router- but it's created an issue with my media. I have moved my 4T USB drive to my main computer and tried to setup Gerbera as a UPNP server, my UHD player can see it but Gerbera can't see my 4T drive, have to dive down and get permissions correct.

To be honest I'm feeling a little scattered at the moment with all that is going on. Simply plugging in a external drive to my router is definitely easier. Might do as suggested and invest in a true NAS and keep my router.

 

[DarkKnight75]

Well as I stated in my OP, budget is tight right now. I don't have an issue risking $40-60 on a used router. At this point $150+ is not an option. Lots of Linsys EA8500s out there as well as Asus 88us. My 87U works- as a router- but it's created an issue with my media. I have moved my 4T USB drive to my main computer and tried to setup Gerbera as a UPNP server, my UHD player can see it but Gerbera can't see my 4T drive, have to dive down and get permissions correct.

To be honest I'm feeling a little scattered at the moment with all that is going on. Simply plugging in a external drive to my router is definitely easier. Might do as suggested and invest in a true NAS and keep my router.

So to understand correctly...your somewhat knowledgeable IT tech...built an ms server with raid and your hanging a usb drive of your router for backup purposes and your asking which router to buy for your 3500 sq ft home? You could also have googled this and probably found your answer alot faster...just saying...