Merlin compatible router with >1gb WAN and Network port?

[thebatfink]

Hi, are there any merlin compatible routers which have multi-gig WAN port and multi-gig network Ports? If none existing what recommendations are they? I really only use a few openvpn clients, an ip-sec server and vpn director in terms of configured functionality on my existing AX88U, so couldn’t lose that.

My broadband provider modem has a 2.5gb port (and I have 10gb switches) but the ports on the AX88U only do 1gb. Thanks.

 

[AndreiV]

Supported models

 

[taffeys]

I believe no ASUS Wireless Router has dedicated "multi-gig" LAN ports and only the Asuswrt-Merlin supported GT-AX11000 and RT-AX86U (AX5700) have a 2.5Gb WAN port. My RT-AX86U's WAN is connected to my cable modem by 2.5Gb ports. If I am mistaken I'm sure someone else will chime-in.

 

[Morris]

I believe no ASUS Wireless Router has dedicated "multi-gig" LAN ports and only the Asuswrt-Merlin supported GT-AX11000 and RT-AX86U (AX5700) have a 2.5Gb WAN port. My RT-AX86U's WAN is connected to my cable modem by 2.5Gb ports. If I am mistaken I'm sure someone else will chime-in.

The 2.5Gb WAN port can be used as a LAN port. I tie this to a 2.6Gb port on my 10-Gb switch allowing me to exceed 1Gb throughput on my WiFi. You will have to do port channel for either the WAN or LAN side to exceed 1-Gb on both.

Morris

 

[thebatfink]

Supported models

Super helpful thanks.

 

[thebatfink]

The 2.5Gb WAN port can be used as a LAN port. I tie this to a 2.6Gb port on my 10-Gb switch allowing me to exceed 1Gb throughput on my WiFi. You will have to do port channel for either the WAN or LAN side to exceed 1-Gb on both.

Morris

I did some more looking around and seems only the RT-AX89X is carrying 2 ports for simultaneous LAN/WAN rather than a single switchable port. I’m not really interested in aggregating ports as I want the speed at each end device.

In any case seems Merlin is out the window then and its back to Asus basics or go something like Unifi Dream Machine or diy pfsense then.

 

[AndreiV]

I did some more looking around and seems only the RT-AX89X is carrying 2 ports for simultaneous LAN/WAN rather than a single switchable port. I’m not really interested in aggregating ports as I want the speed at each end device.

In any case seems Merlin is out the window then and its back to Asus basics or go something like Unifi Dream Machine or diy pfsense then.

Not here yet but this looks intriguing :


TURRIS OMNIA 2022

Yeah, right. So here is what we can share right now in English:

CPU 2GHz Quad-Core 64-bit, more RAM (4GB and higher),Wi-Fi 6, 5G, 2x 10Gbps interface (WAN & LAN), internal SSD option.

Unfortunately, no ETA yet. But we aim for 2022.

 

[JDB]

As already suggested, you could go with the RT-AX89X
The 10G SPF+ Port can have a 10GBaseT transceiver in it - 10GTek make a compatible one - not sure if the SPF+ put you off?

You'd lose Merlin compatibility, but if you are only using VPN as you say then that is in the Asus stock firmware.

I've also got FTTP with up to 10G capabilities (currently only paying for 900Mbps) and a 10G Ethernet backbone/core switch in the house so I'm ready to go multi-gig. I'm waiting for the next gen of routers which will have AXE 6Ghz WiFi and hopefully (from what I've seen) multiple WAN/LAN 2.5G or 10G BaseT ports.

Would be cool if the ISP let you terminate the fibre direct on an SPF+ fibre port and do away with their ONT - that's one less device to power and no copper conversion up to the router.

 

[thebatfink]

No SFP+ is fine, my ISP router has a 2.5gb RJ45 port which I can feed to the routers WAN inout but my switches have dual port SFP+ and RJ45 so could make that work. Right now my service is 1130mb but I’m capping it going into my AX88U with its 1gb port limitation. Also allegedly my ISP is also gearing up for 2gb in the near future which with the Asus Merlin options I guess would be pointless having.

I guess we are just at that point these speeds are being commercially available for homes more broadly so we are waiting for devices to catch up and next gen might deliver as you say.

The Turris device looks interesting but same position, its not available yet. Looks like will have to check this out again in 6 months see what else is available or just go with the 89X. Thanks.

 

[mlord]

I have the RT-AX86U, which already includes ONE 2.5gbit/sec port, for use as either LAN or WAN. That solves half of the problem. Should my ISP ever get around to offering >1gbit service here, my plan is to add a USB 2.5Gbit USB3 dongle to that router, and use it for a second 2.5Gbit port. The groundwork has already been done:

Add Realtek 8156 USB device support to AX86U

This may already be done, may not be possible to do with the AX86U, may make no sense what-so-ever. In my OCD quest to figure out a way to have 2.5gb to the WAN as well as a second means or method to have 2.5gb to my network, as you know there’s only one 2.5gb port on the AX86U, I came across...

www.snbforums.com

Towards 2.5GbE (NBASE-T) on ASUS RT-AX88U with RTL8156B and Asuswrt-Merlin 384.19

The lack of integrated 2.5GbE port makes ASUS RT-AX88U less powerful in my mind, especially when taking its processor BCM49408, which natively supports 2.5GbE, into account. The game however has changed, after I managed to finally reveal the full potential of AX88U with Realtek’s USB-based...

wu.renjie.im

A couple of other devices on my existing 2.5Gbit LAN are already using the Realtek dongles, and they work very well.

 

[unsynaps]

No SFP+ is fine, my ISP router has a 2.5gb RJ45 port which I can feed to the routers WAN inout but my switches have dual port SFP+ and RJ45 so could make that work. Right now my service is 1130mb but I’m capping it going into my AX88U with its 1gb port limitation. Also allegedly my ISP is also gearing up for 2gb in the near future which with the Asus Merlin options I guess would be pointless having.

I guess we are just at that point these speeds are being commercially available for homes more broadly so we are waiting for devices to catch up and next gen might deliver as you say.

The Turris device looks interesting but same position, its not available yet. Looks like will have to check this out again in 6 months see what else is available or just go with the 89X. Thanks.

What futuristic country is your ISP in?

 

[thebatfink]

I don’t understand, why is >1gig futuristic? UK I thought was lagging behind on broadband infrastructural, here one of the more widely available providers Virgin Media has 1130mb and is available in 40% or more of UK homes now. They have already trialed 2.2gb and now in the process of rolling out their Gen5 ISP modem / router with 2.5gb port (after only recently rolling the Gen4 hub for 1gig) so hopefully this is to support 2gb coming soon. In some cities like London, residential customers even have access to 3gb internet connections with CommunityFibre.

 

[Morris]

What I wonder is what applications need 1-Gb or more. A 1080 video stream uses 5-Mb and 4k 20-Mb. Yes your file transfers will be faster yet double the number of house hold members and multiply by 20-Mb and everyone can stream 4k without the need for QOS.

Morris

 

[thebatfink]

I mean by that reasoning, why is anyone pushing the limits of connections. Transfer data faster. I find that quite an odd question for someone with a 10gb network backbone? Netflix isnt the end of the internet.

 

[Morris]

I mean by that reasoning, why is anyone pushing the limits of connections. Transfer data faster. I find that quite an odd question for someone with a 10gb network backbone? Netflix isnt the end of the internet.

My internet connection is 100-Mb. Many creators like my self require fast networks and storage to have manageable workflows and backup. I can move a 1 hour 4K video over my internet link in 15 minutes. As it is, my host can't take the file that fast. I know a lot of ordinary family's that pay for 1-Gb yet I'm not aware of there doing anything that benefits from it. Of cause the ISPs provide crap routers with no QOS yet even then, they could go with a lot slower link and have the same experience.

 

[thebatfink]

Yeah for sure. But we are here in a networking specialist forum, in a custom firmware for after market routers. Thats not really the pass time of mom and pops and their 2 kids on youtube. What if you want to store those video files on offsite / remote storage? Why wait for 80gb to download for that game you just brought. There are lots of things driving large files getting passed around these days.

If you bother to get a connection that can run faster than 1gb, you don’t want then to buy a router which constrains it to 1gb (which is exactly were I ended up), 13% of my connection can not get utilised because I want VPN’s and such and my ISP unit doesn’t support them, but I must use it to establish the connection. Eventually it will go to 2gb which would be pointless with the current lineup merlin firmware supports.

But sure, if people wanna surf the internet, send emails and watch netflix - you aren’t really looking for gigabit / multigigabit internet services.. or likely in Merlins forum.

 

[Morris]

Yeah for sure. But we are here in a networking specialist forum, in a custom firmware for after market routers. Thats not really the pass time of mom and pops and their 2 kids on youtube. What if you want to store those video files on offsite / remote storage? Why wait for 80gb to download for that game you just brought. There are lots of things driving large files getting passed around these days.

If you bother to get a connection that can run faster than 1gb, you don’t want then to buy a router which constrains it to 1gb (which is exactly were I ended up), 13% of my connection can not get utilised because I want VPN’s and such and my ISP unit doesn’t support them, but I must use it to establish the connection. Eventually it will go to 2gb which would be pointless with the current lineup merlin firmware supports.

But sure, if people wanna surf the internet, send emails and watch netflix - you aren’t really looking for gigabit / multigigabit internet services.. or likely in Merlins forum.

I look at it as cost benefit. In most US markets, the cost difference between the minimum speed and 1-Gb is enough to purchase 4 games a year, take the family out once a month, ...
I don't know how to value a 1 minute wait VS 15 minutes and it's a rather personal decision. There are places I pay for the speed as you noticed.

 

[L&LD]

My take on having much greater than I 'need' speeds. 1Gbsp Fibre symmetrical. I'm wondering when I'll be able to 'test' 10Gbps...

First is the cost difference. Today, for 1/15th of the speed, a 'normal' customer pays $10 less a month. That is a benefit of being a long-term customer with the same company (over 25 years).

Second is the fact that the additional speeds come with further benefits. Such as unlimited downloads/uploads. That comes in very handy when I'm connected via OpenVPN back to my router whenever I'm outside the house (always). Even if I never come close to 10% of those limits, this is still a bonus for peace of mind and not having to worry about being over/short of MBs of data.

The third is the time savings when downloads are required, now. Having the option to pay for a 1-minute download vs. a 15-minute download is a no-brainer to me. The money isn't coming with me when I'm gone, but the time saved sure gives me something tangible while I'm alive. Even if I wasn't enjoying exceptional price cuts, this would drive me to faster internet. And is what made me stay on the faster plans each time I tried them for 'free' for a 6-month term.

A few years ago I had made a Pro's and Con's comparison of the speeds I was paying for then, and moving up to 3x faster speeds. The conclusion was that at that time, I was capable and willing to pay up to 80% more for those benefits. After reviewing the scenario after a few short months, the conclusion hadn't changed. But I was working 2 to 3 days less each month (same pay) with no change in the amount of work performed.

I don't buy/order services online. Nor do I settle for what is the advertised price. I call and I talk to someone in person. I don't threaten to cancel my service, raise my voice nor am I rude. I simply have a conversation with the person on the other end of the line, and if what they can offer is in my best interest, I do it. This has worked to my advantage for the last decade or more.

 

[Morris]

My take on having much greater than I 'need' speeds. 1Gbsp Fibre symmetrical. I'm wondering when I'll be able to 'test' 10Gbps...

First is the cost difference. Today, for 1/15th of the speed, a 'normal' customer pays $10 less a month. That is a benefit of being a long-term customer with the same company (over 25 years).

Second is the fact that the additional speeds come with further benefits. Such as unlimited downloads/uploads. That comes in very handy when I'm connected via OpenVPN back to my router whenever I'm outside the house (always). Even if I never come close to 10% of those limits, this is still a bonus for peace of mind and not having to worry about being over/short of MBs of data.

The third is the time savings when downloads are required, now. Having the option to pay for a 1-minute download vs. a 15-minute download is a no-brainer to me. The money isn't coming with me when I'm gone, but the time saved sure gives me something tangible while I'm alive. Even if I wasn't enjoying exceptional price cuts, this would drive me to faster internet. And is what made me stay on the faster plans each time I tried them for 'free' for a 6-month term.

A few years ago I had made a Pro's and Con's comparison of the speeds I was paying for then, and moving up to 3x faster speeds. The conclusion was that at that time, I was capable and willing to pay up to 80% more for those benefits. After reviewing the scenario after a few short months, the conclusion hadn't changed. But I was working 2 to 3 days less each month (same pay) with no change in the amount of work performed.

I don't buy/order services online. Nor do I settle for what is the advertised price. I call and I talk to someone in person. I don't threaten to cancel my service, raise my voice nor am I rude. I simply have a conversation with the person on the other end of the line, and if what they can offer is in my best interest, I do it. This has worked to my advantage for the last decade or more.

It's interesting the differences in plans. Here in NYC, FIOS has no data caps though you do find them on cell plans. They all find ways to take our money :-}

 

[L&LD]

Yes, they do (find ways to take our money).

That's why I'm still working (but yes, I love it too).