New router time??

[tsunami2311]

So i have AC66U, with nothing really wrong with it other then with QOS the router cpu is hitting 100% usage soon as it hits 100mbit, it will go much higher and faster with QOS off but, that not really option.

They are how ever complaining about the wifi does not cover the whole house.. would the
ASUS RT-AC5300
or
ASUS RT-AC3200

Fix this range issue? I would think either or would fix the issue of 100mbit with QOS on maxing out the cpu. The wtfast on the ac5300 intrests me speciallly seeing it it is lifetime.

Mind you the router and Modem are in my closet about 1/4th the way from middle of house, Moving the router and modem isnt really an options as this would require more holes to be made which isnt happening or should I just get extender? which I would rather not cause that just another thing I would have trouble shoot if something goes wrong with the wifi.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S9SGNNS/?tag=snbforums-20

 

[sfx2000]

You don't need a new router - the AC68U is more that good enough...

Stop logging into to check things - they'll just worry you - it's ok...

The Facebook, Google, Amazon, Netflix won't be any faster with a shiny new router, seriously it won't - better to sort out the client side, move the router around a bit (in WiFi, location is everything)...

 

[tsunami2311]

I dont have ac68u (dual core) i have ac66 (single core) read.

and my issue with the RANGE and limit about 100mbit with qos on cause cpu is peged at 100% and speeds wont be any faster.

I might pay for 100mbit but i get more 150mbit that will never be seen with qos on

 

[sfx2000]

If you want to stay in the Asus camp, and that's reasonable enough - I would suggest looking at the RT-AC3100 or the RT-AC88U perhaps...

the AC3200/AC5300 don't have much to offer actually - but people have money to spend...

 

[pete y testing]

They are how ever complaining about the wifi does not cover the whole house.. would the
ASUS RT-AC5300
or
ASUS RT-AC3200

you may want to read this thread before you go any further

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/advice-on-ac5300-router.32155/

as the OP in that case went from an rt-ac66u to the ac5300 with no increase in coverage on 5 gig but it did apparently help the 2.4 gig coverage

sure the faster cpu will help with overall grunt and handling of data but wireless coverage wise you prob really need to look at a second wireless access point connected back to your main router via ethernet

 

[gffmac]

I'm considering going for the AC3200 from my N66U, my download speed from ISP is now 200Mbps the N66U is struggling to keep up with parental controls etc enabled. Hopefully the AC3200 will be better going forward price and feature wise.

 

[L&LD]

The RT-AC66U and the even older RT-N66U are simply outdated today, particularly with an ISP that offers high speeds for upload and download.

The RT-AC3200 platform is also dated (even if not as much) and while better vs. the above routers in some aspects, I still would not recommend one today.

The RT-AC3100, the RT-AC88U and the RT-AC5300 (pick your budget point) are the ones to consider. Particularly if you want a router to last as long as the RT-N66U has (over 4+ years) in at least some network environments.

All have better range, throughput and processing power from anything available/designed from a half decade ago when compared with up to date firmware and using some or most of the features Asus routers have had available for years now.

The price has jumped considerably (and unfortunately). But what they offer is much more than the hampered hardware from years ago.

Take advantage of return periods and test as many as you can (back to back if possible) in your specific environment and return the model(s) that don't suit your purpose.

 

[RMerlin]

People shouldn't look at Asus's router line up as having last year's models being "outdated". When Asus releases new high-end models, you've all noticed that these newer models are always more expensive than the previous one. They aren't replacing last year's lineup, they are extending it. So, go with your needs and budget, not with the year of release. This isn't a car. My personal recommendation list goes like this:

RT-N12: Dad wants to read the news, sis wants to Facebook, and that's about it. We just want to go online.
RT-N66U/RT-AC66U: basic dual band
RT-AC56: Entry-level AC
RT-AC68U: your average, solid 802.11ac router. Usually the best recommendation if you are an average power user.
RT-AC3200: you need two separate 5 GHz radios
RT-AC88U: You want more ports, need faster VPN and USB performance, intend to rely on MU-MIMO, have a lot of high-speed wifi clients
RT-AC5300: you need two separate 5 GHz radios AND you need faster VPN, USB sharing performance

This list doesn't take into account the numerous "secondary" models that Asus has in different markets, such as the RT-N18, RT-AC55U, etc...

There is nothing wrong in buying an RT-AC68U today if it fits your needs and budget. It's not as if Asus were dropping support after 18 months, unlike some manufacturers do...

 

[pete y testing]

succinctly explained and beyond wisdom , perhaps reworded this should be a sticky as it would help with us repeating the same things over and over

my download speed from ISP is now 200Mbps the N66U is struggling to keep up

now the wan - lan throughput on the n66u isaround 732M so should not be causing any sort of bottleneck ,

CPU1:Broadcom BCM4706(600 MHz)
FLA1:32 MiB (Spansion S29GL256P10TFI01)
RAM1:256 MiB (Samsung K4T1G164QF-BCF7 x 2)

its cpu may be a little slower but its got lots of ram

so if you are taxing the cpu too much with parental filtering etc you may notice smoother performance with a router with a faster cpu

the 3200ac has


CPU1:Broadcom BCM4709A0(1 GHz, 2 cores)
FLA1:128 MiB (Spansion S34ML01G100TFI00)
RAM1:256 MiB (ESMT M15F2G16128A-BDB)

so its got quite a bit more grunt under the hood cpu speed wise

the 3200 i found to be very good when put into service on my home network and handled my tribes abuses without any complaints

i will say however with the new rt-ac68u that is now also 1 gig cpu etc you would also get about the same performance and prob save some money

once you move up to wave 2 class router things get quite expensive quite fast

 

[mabhz]

RT-AC68U: your average, solid 802.11ac router. Usually the best recommendation if you are an average power user.
RT-AC3200: you need two separate 5 GHz radios
RT-AC88U: You want more ports, need faster VPN and USB performance, intend to rely on MU-MIMO, have a lot of high-speed wifi clients

Merlin, excellent post, specially for illiterate users like me, who look at a 1.000U$ with 15 antenas and immediatly think: Holly Jesus! Thats the solution for my dead spots!! I gotta replace my 12 antena router right now!!

So, if you dont mind, i´ll pop the question every newbie who reads your comment is too afraid to ask:

AC 68U evolution into AC 88U = I definitely cant expect any minimal improovement as far as stronger signal and better coverage? Not even more 1,5/2meters in my house?

Why there are so many reviews on Amazon.com or Newegg.com with people saying a AC88U/RT3100 or a RT5300 removed all the dead spots they had with "old" AC68U, RT3200, AC87, etc??

 

[sfx2000]

RT-AC3200: you need two separate 5 GHz radios
RT-AC5300: you need two separate 5 GHz radios AND you need faster VPN, USB sharing performance

I doubt that anyone "needs" two 5GHz radios co-located in the same AP - no matter that Broadcom promotes...

 

[sfx2000]

For the Asus camp - the RT-AC68 series is a classic - excellent performance, excellent 3rd party support, and it's getting to a price point where value oriented shoppers should seriously consider it. In many ways, it is the spiritual successor to the WRT54G, which it shares a lot of low level code DNA (design is similar, names have changed, but the architecture is largely unchanged).

IMHO - the RT-AC3100 has the potential to be at the same place as the 68 series - simple enough - two radios, one switch... and simpler is better, IMHO...

Go to the 88U and you have another 3rd party chip to worry about, go to the 5300, and that's an extra radio... and for most folks, neither the extra radio or the extra four ports is a big benefit there...

I'm just curious why Asus didn't go all out and do the RT-AC5388U - so that way they can get even more sales - as 5388 is a bigger number than 5300...

 

[Clark Griswald]

- as 5388 is a bigger number than 5300...

Math verified

 

[RMerlin]

AC 68U evolution into AC 88U = I definitely cant expect any minimal improovement as far as stronger signal and better coverage? Not even more 1,5/2meters in my house?

There might be, but it will be minimal, not something worthy of the doubled price tag.

Tim posts very extensive reviews about range and coverage, look at his test results, you'll see what kind of performance difference can be expected. It's just not major enough to make someone base his decision on this critera alone.

As for Newegg and Amazon reviews, quite frankly, reviews on online reseller sites are quite often garbage. You have a mixture of paid-reviewers, clueless users who don't read instructions manuals and don't know what they are doing, fanboys excited about their latest purchase (or bashing products that are not from their favorite company), and people riding on placebo. Positive and negative-alike, unless people mentions test methods or provide environmental details, those reviews are unreliable.

 

[RMerlin]

Go to the 88U and you have another 3rd party chip to worry about

I'm not worried by this additional switch. Realtek != Quantenna, and adding an extra switch to a network device is fairly basic design work.

If your local market only sell the RT-AC88U, it's unlikely to generate any exclusive issue.

 

[RMerlin]

I doubt that anyone "needs" two 5GHz radios co-located in the same AP - no matter that Broadcom promotes...

If you have more than one high usage wireless client, it can be a positive improvement to your network.

 

[pete y testing]

If your local market only sell the RT-AC88U, it's unlikely to generate any exclusive issue.

and this is the case for asus australia , they are not going to release the 3100 here as they want to focus on the 88u and 5300 as their flagsip devices with the 5300 aimed at the domestic home user market and the 88u aimed at the soho / work environment / power user

of course we are a much smaller market here so it prob a case of how many routers is too many for what is a small market in terms of per capita

 

[gffmac]

'i will say however with the new rt-ac68u that is now also 1 gig cpu etc you would also get about the same performance and prob save some money'

Is this a newer model with 1ghz cpu? Googling around it seems to state its 800mhz.

 

[pete y testing]

Is this a newer model with 1ghz cpu? Googling around it seems to state its 800mhz.

the original 68u was 800mhz , but recent version updates now see it with a 1ghz cpu for the r and p i believe

 

[gffmac]

the original 68u was 800mhz , but recent version updates now see it with a 1ghz cpu for the r and p i believe

Great if I went for this Id have to try and make sure I got the newer version.

In terms of features what would I be missing over the ac3200 ?