Possible Router Upgrade

[L&LD]

'Accessories'? I like that!

Get a 16GB or larger USB drive, flash RMerlin firmware 384.16_0 release final or later and then follow the guide below to prepare the USB drive and have amtm, a swap file, and Entware properly prepared and enabled.

Keep in mind that you will not need to install amtm, it is part of RMerlin's firmware since 384.15_0.

amtm Step-by-Step https://www.snbforums.com/threads/amtm-step-by-step-install-guide-l-ld.56237/#post-483421

Some great scripts to test/use would be Diversion (for ad-blocking), Skynet (enhanced firewall), YazFi (for more total control of your Guest WiFi) and one of my favorites, Unbound (makes your router your own recursive DNS resolver and speeds up the network appreciably too).

https://diversion.ch/amtm.html

The link above provides more details and links to the original scripts.

Also, make sure to properly prepare your new router by following the M&M Config and the Nuclear Reset guides and other informational posts in my link below (can always find it in my signature too).

https://www.snbforums.com/members/l-ld.24423/

(Click on the 'Information' tab, if it doesn't take you there directly).

HTH.

 

[LuxDrgn]

I have Diversion, Skynet, FreshJR QOS, spdMerlin, and AutoBW at the moment. But i apparently
missed Unbound

 

[L&LD]

Lucky option '7' in amtm.

The following post may also be useful if you want to test it now.

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/r...ecursive-dns-server.61669/page-66#post-570095

 

[Makaveli]

the AX88U sounds like a winner then. But i will have to keep an eye on the wifi 6e routers. Thank you for all of the
information!

I doubt you are going to be seeing any 6E routers this year. So that will depend on how long you can wait.

 

[LuxDrgn]

After i have unbound installed, is there any other setup on my end? Or does it just work?

 

[L&LD]

It just works.

 

[LuxDrgn]

Awesome. Thank you for that.

 

[cplay]

At similar price points, the RT-AX58U is the router I would buy today over an RT-AC86U. As it seems you're itching to buy something.

If the budget allows, the RT-AX88U is the better long term buy. But as stated above, your connection speeds (100/25 Mbps down/up) can probably be maxed out by your current router already.

By holding off on this (unneeded) purchase today, you may be allowing yourself the chance to do a real upgrade when the WiFi6E routers start shipping sometime later this year.

Does ax58u have aes-ni?

 

[Makaveli]

Does ax58u have aes-ni?

No it doesn't use the same cpu as the ac86u / Ax routers.

 

[heysoundude]

Unfortunately the AC3200 does not support aimesh. I wish it did as I have one collecting dust.

I did not know that.
Is it too late to change my answer?

 

[DKEBeck88]

Hi - I'm in the same boat as OP, and didn't want to start a new thread for roughly the same question. Only difference is that I have the AC87U (which is also now on "limited support" for Merlin).

I have no problems right now with the AC87U - it meets my needs well. I have it all the way on one side of my house and can stream what I need to stream all the way outside on the deck on the far end of the house, so coverage is not a problem (which wasn't the case when I had the N16 running Tomato). I have it set up for FTP and SMB to a USB3 hard drive, and that's it. At one point I had it set up for media server which I ended up never using so didn't configure it again the last time I hard reset. Same with VPN client - the performance hit running VPN client on the router compared to my pc kept me from re-configuring it last time I hard reset.

I don't need to be cutting edge, but I do want to stay secure which is why despite being happy with the router, I'm thinking of upgrading in order to stay on Merlin's full support list. I also, like a lot of people, have a lot of time on my hands.

Budget isn't a huge issue so I'd be able to afford AX88U if that is the end decision - but of course I don't want to spend money needlessly. Back when I first got the AC87u I wished it had more than 4 ethernet ports, but since then everyone in my house has gone wireless so the fact that the AX88U has 8 of them isn't as big of a selling point as it would have been in the past.

So if there is a router out there that has the same (or better) level of future support for Merlin as ax88U that can meet the wireless performance of the ac87u and costs less than the 88U, awesome. I'd also like to avoid some more hidden "gotchas" that a casual user like myself woudln't know right away. Something that comes to mind is that after I bought the AC87u, I heard that it was kind of a pain to program for because of a separate chip for the 5GHz

 

[JDB]

Although you have moved your VPN client to your PC, if you wanted to put it back on the router you could look for one with AES hardware acceleration. I believe the only AX router that supports Merlin (currently) with that is the 88U.

The RT-AC86U also does have it, but is not AX of course.

VPN speed is likely to be your only real immediate gain if you upgrade IMO. The 87U is a very capable router still.

Going to a AX-58U might be an option, it doesn’t have accelerated AES but the CPU should still handle up to 100mbps VPN throughput.

Personally I’d wait it out for 6 months and see what options appear (might even find a lightly used RT-AX88U if you keep an eye out and want to keep the budget in check).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LuxDrgn]

I had to settle for the AX3000. But at that point it really shouldn't make that much of a difference.