Netgear R7000 or Asus AC68U

[QuietWon]

I have been reading for a while , but first post... thank you all!

I am about to replace a ac66u that is almost 2 years old. One of the antenna "connections" is damaged from a fall, it is working ok but i have replacement warranty from Staples so I figure it is time to upgrade.

I have been running Merlin's firmware on it and have been very pleased. It is easy and reliable. I have recently dug into DD-WRT and flashed the R7000 as a possible replacement (Kongac dd-wrt-sp2 build 24865M) and I have found it is a lot more work that I expected but I can see some advantages.

I like the idea of the ac68u because I can run Merlin or DD-wrt but the ac68u seems to run very hot. This is a concern because I have it located in a very central location in the house with limited airflow. Whereas the R7000 gets very good reviews, has a better processor and runs much cooler and happens to be cheaper. After playing with the R7000, I am having trouble getting the NAS working reliably and I am losing my internet connection occasionally .

So I am wondering should I take the time to figure out the issues with the R7000 and dd-wrt and give up the option to take the easy way with merlin. Yes, Merlin's software is what is keeping me in the asus ring!

Features I can not live without: OpenVPN, FTP, Samba Server. (faster file transfer rates would be nice but my main devices are hard wired)

What are your thoughts, thanks.

 

[Trip]

One option you might want to consider with the R7000 (or AC68U), if you haven't already, is a shibby TomatoUSB release (link). I've run all that stuff with it on several models (namely the cheap and RAM-abundant WNR3500Lv2) with full-functionality and often better stability than DD-WRT. Sometimes certain functions take some wiki/forum searching and/or massaging depending on brands/models being connected, but most mainstream gear should interface just fine.

On a separate note, if it's not exorbitant, I think it may be wise to re-buy that 1 or 2-year replacement plan, irrespective of brand or model router. I personally don't use Asus all that often, partially due to past failures, a mediocre RMA experience and current failure rates I'm seeing in reviews, but regardless, it's all similar enough these days in parts and assembly that I think you'd agree hardware failure at just one day post warranty coverage is somewhere between understandable and anticipated. Such is the state of things...

Another completely different way to go might be a MikroTik box, but RouterOS can be quite the wild animal for the unprepared/unwilling, so that may or may not have legs for this project, depending more on the amount of time/energy you want to invest.

Hope some of those ideas help.

 

[RogerSC]

I'd suggest going with the R7000 and dd-wrt. You're not on your own, there's a dd-wrt forum for help when you have problems. Also, I'd suggest starting with 24345M "OLDD" Kong build, since it has been pretty stable. The 24865M build is the newest build, and isn't considered stable at this point. Kong hasn't been around for a while now to work on stabilizing it.

At any rate, dd-wrt on the R7000 will do what you want to do.

Note that tomato for ARM-based routers currently isn't stable. There are unimplemented features, and various other problems. Take a look at this thread:

http://www.linksysinfo.org/index.php?threads/tomato-for-arm-routers.69719/

 

[QuietWon]

Thanks,

RogerC, I think you are right about the R7000 after playing with the KongAC build a little more I feel I am doing the right thing, especially for my education in the medium term. (I did downgrade then went back to the latest build - but you put me on the right track to solving my problem.)

Trip, I think I will start off with Kong's build just because that is where I started based on the research I did. As my education grows I may find a need to go elsewhere.

I have started to understand the open source stuff better with the branches and do and don't. I took some time! The toughed thing to get a grasp of are the roots of all the different types of builds/hardware and what is OLD (most of it) and ultimately compatible with what you have.... For example: in dd-wrt we have Optware, OTRW2, Entware and how do they relate to the hardware you have...

If you are reading this post you likely are a educated consumer. If you want something that works, with the option to play; Buy an Asus product (I highly recommend Merlin's builds) If you are going to play, or already know how to play and performance/price is a factor go with the R7000. If you think you might keep the original firmware DO NOT buy a Netgear, Asus is so much better choice!!