Need advice on choosing an ASUS Wireless Router

[pdalton]

We have FIOS' Quantum internet/TV/phone service. The internet "speed" we're paying for is their 75 Mbps upload/75 Mbps download choice. The router we have is Verizon's Actiontec MI424WR Rev 1.

We have two main wireless network issues we hope to address by purchasing a new router and using it with the Actiontec. Being able to have a Guest network (the Actiontek doesn't provide one) and getting more range (our home is two story - about 3500 sf).

Of course, overall improved wireless performance is the next wish.

In terms of what is connected to our network: We have 3 PCs, an Onkyo Receiver, an Oppo Blu-Ray Player, a SONOS Bridge, a SONOS Connect, and a Roku2, all as wired connections (there's also a Chromecast plugged into a USB port on the Blu-Ray player - I don't know whether that counts or not); and we have two wireless printers, two notebook computers, two tablets, two phones, and two SONOS players that connect wirelessly. In addition, we have friends and family who come over frequently and want to connect their multiple devices via our WiFi - thus, the need to have a Guest network.

We understand that the Actiontec router can be configured so that it will continue to handle the FIOS TV and phone, but to pass handling of all of the wired and wireless internet connections to a separate (hopefully more capable) router. So that's what we believe we'd like to do.

We've read good things about ASUS routers in general, but we're finding that choosing one is a challenge. There are many recommendations for the AC68U (or AC68P) and we've also read good things about the AC88U (particularly that it has 4 more wired ports that the others) and the AC3200.

What we would like to have are pros/cons of these 3 routers for our home. 8 Gigabit connections is nice, but I presume we can accomplish essentially the same by attaching a 5, 8, or 10 port Gigabit switch. If so, then the number of ports on the router really isn't an issue. I'm sure all can provide Guest network(s), but we're having trouble determining which is likely to provide the most range and whether we need a two or three band router.

Any and all thoughts and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Nullity]

Between the RT-AC68U and RT-AC88U, the primary difference seems to be price. The later revisions of the *-68U hardware apparently have increased the CPU speed (800 to 1000?).

With so few devices, even an ancient wifi AP should be able to meet your requirements. My aging RT-N66U can push ~200Mbit wirelessly.

For reference, Netflix advises 5Mbit for HD streams, and 25Mbit for Ultra-HD (4K?) streams.

 

[pdalton]

Thanks a lot. Any thoughts about the physical range issue? The FIOS router we have now can't reach all through the house and certainly not into the garage or back yard. So if one of the ASUS models will reach out farther, I'd like to know which one.

 

[doczenith1]

Disclaimer: I'm no expert but below is what I've learned on this site over the past year. I'm sure the experts will also chime in with some valuable information.

Primary difference between 68U and 88U is the 68U is a 3x3 router and the 88U is a 4x4 router. 88U also adds upgraded more powerful internals and is the current generation where the 68U is the previous generation of Asus routers. I opted to upgrade my N66U with the 68U as I don't anticipate owing a client that can do 4x4 in the foreseeable future. Rangewise it seems like from reading posts on this site that the 88U may provide slightly better throughput at greater distances than the 68U.

You mentioned the 3200. That is the previous generation of the tri-band routers which adds a second 5 Ghz band. The 5300 is the current gen of the tri-band routers. Both are similar to the 68 and 88 in that the newer gen router is 4x4 vs 3x3 for the previous gen. One of the benefits of the second 5 Ghz band is to separate faster wireless clients from slower wireless 5 Ghz clients i.e. a 3x3 laptop and a 1x1 cell phone. It is my understanding that separating the clients allows the faster clients to operate at higher speeds.

If your primary needs are WAN traffic then it seems like the dual-band routers would be sufficient but if you need fast LAN speeds then the tri-band may fit your needs better.

Hope this helps,
Al

 

[pdalton]

Thanks a lot! That's also very helpful!

I guess that pretty much narrows it down to the AC68U or the AC88U, then.

Quick pricing look @ Amazon - AC68U is $173.95; AC88U is $299.99 (or $279.99 "like new"). So $105-125 more for: Next gen tech, 8 vs. 4 gigabit ports, 3 vs. 2 bands, maybe faster throughput for some clients, & maybe more range. So it seems we're just left with a money decision . . . .

Thanks again for the info.

 

[sfx2000]

RT-AC68U series is a very good choice... it's been around for a while, and great third party support (RMerlin)...

Alt choice - RT-AC3100, but on the wrong side of the price/performance equation compared to the RT-AC68U series..

Alt2 choice - RT-AC88 - it's the 3100 plus four extra ethernet ports.

Devices to consider avoiding...

RT-AC87 series - problematic for many, works great for some

RT-AC3200 - for most folks, no different in performance between it and the RT-AC68 series, the extra 5GHz radio and curiously odd implementation of "SmartConnect" - if one wants to sit and try to tweak those settings while everyone is trying to use the WiFi, enjoy! Anyways, with the RT-AC68U where it is on the price curve, the AC3200 isn't a compelling choice...

RT-AC5300 - lots of money... most of the same concerns that RT-AC3200 has, and while a decent performer, not enough to justify the extra spend... one will get the same performance with the RT-AC3100 is most use cases...

 

[L&LD]

Just a couple of quick notes on the above posts:

All current WiFi routers are two bands (not three), even if they have 3 radios.

RT-AC87U - works great for many, but problematic for some (cannot go by the forum posts here, many will join to fix a problem, almost nobody will join to praise a working product).

What may be gained (depending on the environment, clients and type of network use) of a 4 antennae (or higher) router vs. a 3 or 2 antennae router is higher range, throughput and of course the future promise (when clients become more widely available) of MU-MIMO. The radio design is (or at least, should be)more sophisticated in a router with more antennae. Even with clients with less than the maximum number of antennae the router offers, performance will be (usually) better.

All the above may seem to be pointing to this being a 'money decision', but I would beg to differ.

What is called for here is to test the range and models you're interested in in your actual environment. Return the product that is inferior for you.

 

[sfx2000]

RT-AC87U - works great for many, but problematic for some (cannot go by the forum posts here, many will join to fix a problem, almost nobody will join to praise a working product).

True... but the issues that create the most noise on that device are pretty basic, and perhaps frustrating to those that post - and for every single post we see, I consider that 10 others are seeing the same problem, but don't reach out...

Anyways - price points being where they are - even within the Asus product line, there's little reason to go for the 87U these days...

I still think the AC1900 class RT-AC68 series is the best bang/buck solution if someone is shopping for an Asus Router/AP - based on performance, and the third party support, and Asus continues to aggressively support this device compared to other AC1900 class vendors (they've moved on...)

 

[Klueless]

... reach all through the house and certainly not into the garage or back yard

I like everything I've read on this thread so far. Myself, I lean towards "cheap". AC68U (or even N66U) cheap. 3,500 square foot house, garage and backyard? You can throw the money you save towards an access point to cover whatever your wireless router can't reach. And about 50 bucks for an 8 port Gigabit switch.

Start planning your device placement now. While you are somewhat limited by where your ISP comes in a long-ish Ethernet cable should at least allow you to go to a different corner of the room if it makes sense to do so.

Load a Wi-Fi analyzer onto one of your smart phones, walk around the house and get an idea how the existing signals look. Disconnect your existing Actiontec and plug it into other locations to see if you can get better coverage. (Even though it's disconnected you should still see wireless signals.)

(At my house the ISP came into the floor far corner of house. When I got my router I punched a small hole through the floor, ran a cable along the basement ceiling and up through the far diagonal corner of the same room and mounted it on a shelf. The result is it's more center to the house and overall coverage is much better.)

Fine tune placement with whatever new device you get and best of luck.

If your testing shows an obvious need for an access point you might want to re-tune your placements with that in mind. Like sooner than later.

PS I'm surprised your Actiontec does not support guest. We got a low end Actiontec with our low end service and even it supports guest. Had to login and configure it but it was there.

 

[L&LD]

True... but the issues that create the most noise on that device are pretty basic, and perhaps frustrating to those that post - and for every single post we see, I consider that 10 others are seeing the same problem, but don't reach out...

Anyways - price points being where they are - even within the Asus product line, there's little reason to go for the 87U these days...

I still think the AC1900 class RT-AC68 series is the best bang/buck solution if someone is shopping for an Asus Router/AP - based on performance, and the third party support, and Asus continues to aggressively support this device compared to other AC1900 class vendors (they've moved on...)

We are saying the same thing (be wary of the RT-AC87U).

But for every post we do see about a positive response to that model, there are probably thousands of people that don't reach out. So, my point stands. Great for many, not so good for a (vocal) few.

 

[L&LD]

I like everything I've read on this thread so far. Myself, I lean towards "cheap". AC68U (or even N66U) cheap.

Cheap is relative.

The RT-N66U was and still is a great router. But the RT-AC68U and above designs all win on many fronts (particularly when price is taken into consideration).

If one buys routers every few months to a year, cheap would be the way to go for the long term.

If one buys routers every few years (most consumers; two times a decade, at most), then cheap is the best way to spend equivalent money and get worse performance every time you upgrade (and for the duration of that purchase too).

 

[pdalton]

Cheap is relative.

If one buys routers every few months to a year, cheap would be the way to go for the long term.

If one buys routers every few years (most consumers; two times a decade, at most), then cheap is the best way to spend equivalent money and get worse performance every time you upgrade (and for the duration of that purchase too).

I'm not sure I understand the second paragraph of the quoted portion.

I certainly would like to do this now and not have to think about it again for many years. Maybe that means the AC88U might be a better investment than the AC68U? But I've also read that "futureproofing" is something of a fool's errand.


Everyone - These are really helpful thoughts. Thank you very much!

 

[L&LD]

I'm not sure I understand the second paragraph of the quoted portion.

I certainly would like to do this now and not have to think about it again for many years. Maybe that means the AC88U might be a better investment than the AC68U? But I've also read that "futureproofing" is something of a fool's errand.


Everyone - These are really helpful thoughts. Thank you very much!

My idea of 'future proofing' is to spend the least amount of money for the most amount of performance for the longest amount of time.

The RT-AC88U may be better than the RT-AC68U (with at least 40% more processor performance right out of the box it may technically be usable 40% longer, assuming an linear progression of performance needed vs time in use), if one could also 'guarantee' that one specific model would actually last as long as another will.

On the other hand, if trying to 'future proof' by blindly shoveling money at a problem, that is a fool's errand. (an example here might be the tri-radio powered RT-AC5300 in an environment where many 5GHz devices don't and probably won't ever exist for the foreseeable future, or, even if they do, they do not need to be segregated to different radios for acceptable (overall and device specific) performance).

If you anticipate moving to 1GB ISP speeds sooner rather than later (within a year or two at the latest), the RT-AC5300 may prove to be the most economical choice today if you want all your and your guests connected devices to enjoy that goodness the moment the ISP flips that switch for you. If you think that by the time you do make that move you'd rather have the latest router hardware available then, well, the RT-AC68U might make better sense today.

When I am able to, I usually buy the most powerful hardware I can afford and then let the uncertain future fall where it may.

After all, money does me no good simply sitting as an account balance somewhere.

 

[bones5050]

I'm not sure I understand the second paragraph of the quoted portion.

I certainly would like to do this now and not have to think about it again for many years. Maybe that means the AC88U might be a better investment than the AC68U? But I've also read that "futureproofing" is something of a fool's errand.


Everyone - These are really helpful thoughts. Thank you very much!

I have the RT-AC88 and love the router, excellent wifi coverage and throughput. If you want a router to last for a few years, that would be my recommendation.

 

[L&LD]

I should add that the RT-AC3200 would not be on my 'considered' list. Same base hardware as the RT-AC68U with an extra radio does not make it a compelling option.

 

[sfx2000]

I should add that the RT-AC3200 would not be on my 'considered' list. Same base hardware as the RT-AC68U with an extra radio does not make it a compelling option.

Concur - the RT-AC68U is the workhorse of the lineup - solid... mature... and AC1900 class is still the best bang for the buck.

RT-AC3100 is the likely successor at some point...

 

[pdalton]

Thanks everyone!

 

[Klueless]

Cheap is relative.

The RT-N66U was and still is a great router. But the RT-AC68U and above designs all win on many fronts (particularly when price is taken into consideration).

If one buys routers every few months to a year, cheap would be the way to go for the long term.

If one buys routers every few years (most consumers; two times a decade, at most), then cheap is the best way to spend equivalent money and get worse performance every time you upgrade (and for the duration of that purchase too).

As always I learn from every pearl of wisdom you share.

It's just where I come from a 75Mbps x 75Mbps service is simply awesome! I suffer with a 5Mbps x 0.35Mbps but even that came with an Actiontec modem/router that supports a guest SSID (pdalton's number one reason for buying a router). It seems to me a simple call to his ISP might score him a more current modem/router?

(I did a quick Google and I think they might have something that not only supports guest but also 5Ghz?)

If so then that takes care of need #1.

Need #2 was better wireless range.

• If need #1 (a Guest SSID) is resolved (as per above) now we're looking at an Access Point.
• If need #1 was not resolved (as per above) then I'm absolutely on board with all the comments regarding state-of-the-art versus trailing edge. But ...
  • I'm just not convinced state-of-the-art is going to cover a 3,500 square foot house plus garage plus backyard.
  • So pdalton could be looking at the cost of a new router plus the cost of an access point.

Ideally a local store would let him buy a high end router, try it, and return it for a lower end router plus access point should that be the case?

Just as an aside I bought my WRT54G back in 2005. For the first few years my B devices held it back and even today it outperforms my 5 x 0.35Mbps service. Actually I'm not even sure why I used it all this time, when my ISP replaced my modem with a modem/router I guess I could have boxed it up. The only reason I replaced it (just a couple of months ago) was because I got my N66U for free. Guess I lean cheap because that's the side of the tracks I'm from : -)

 

[L&LD]

As always I cling to every pearl of wisdom you pass out!

It's just where I come from a 75Mbps x 75Mbps service is simply awesome! I suffer with a 5Mbps x 0.35Mbps but even that came with an Actiontec modem/router that supports a guest SSID (pdalton's number one reason for buying a router). It seems to me a simple call to his ISP might score him a more current modem/router?

(I did a quick Google and I think they might have something that not only supports guest but also 5Ghz?)

If so then that takes care of need #1.

Need #2 was better wireless range.

• If need #1 (a Guest SSID) is resolved (as per above) now we're looking at an Access Point.
• If need #1 was not resolved (as per above) then I'm absolutely on board with all the comments regarding state-of-the-art versus trailing edge. But ...
  • I'm just not convinced state-of-the-art is going to cover a 3,500 square foot house plus garage plus backyard.
  • So pdalton could be looking at the cost of a new router plus the cost of an access point.

Ideally a local store would let him buy a high end router, try it, and return it for a lower end router plus access point should that be the case?

Just as an aside I bought my WRT54G back in 2005. For the first few years my B devices held it back and even today it outperforms my 5 x 0.35Mbps service. Actually I'm not even sure why I used it all this time, when my ISP replaced my modem with a modem/router I guess I could have boxed it up. The only reason I replaced it (just a couple of months ago) was because I got my N66U for free. Guess I lean cheap because that's the side of the tracks I'm from : -)

I can agree with the logic you provide (particularly as it pertains to your situation), but do want to point out a couple of things though.

• 3500SQFT over two floors is not a lot for a modern router (only a maximum of 1750SQFT effective/actual). Depending on how the garage is situated (attached or separate) and how big that backyard is, a single router with effective placement may be able to accommodate those requirements too.
• If any local store doesn't allow for a return (if not fit for use), I would not shop there (I know, we don't all have such a choice though).
• An AP may actually be needed for the areas outside the main home. But an RT-N12 D1 can be had for about $25 (see a very recent thread for details). Sure, not AC class WiFi, but a good, strong dependable signal nevertheless.
• With 75/75 service that the OP has now, it is highly unlikely that a lower end (aka 'cheaper' solution) will give him the performance needed to take advantage of his service level. Now, or in the future when both his ISP speeds will very well be increased and, the number and level (AC vs. N class) of clients continually go up too.

In the end, we all take the best option paths for our particular situations.

If we can do it while saving money at the same time, that is a bonus.

 

[Klueless]

RT-N12 D1 can be had for about $25

Great tip.

BTW: You are correct on all points. I've been living in legacy land and the fixed income world for much too long : -)

Now that I've adult children and grandkids who've moved in with me I suspect I'll be making updates to both my network and my thinking. Maybe downgrade TV package, dump HBO, etc. and get Netflix. Replace POTS w/ VoIP. Use the savings to upgrade from 5 x 0.35 Mbps to 30 x 5 Mbps (which I would now need).

(Or just downgrade everything and maybe they'll all move out?)