RT-AC66U - Disappointing so far...

[RMerlin]

Do you have any idea whether or not ASUS is aware of the issue and if they're going to do anything about it?

Asus and Broadcom have been actively working on a new wireless driver for the past few weeks to resolve various issues related to wireless stability and performance. So yes, they are aware on the issue(s), and are working on it.

 

[italyguy01]

266 firmware is much better for performance and signal strength!

 

[acvdmolen]

You are definitely not the only one, there are threads here specifically dedicated to questioning the 5 ghz drop off after days or hours.

It probably is FW related, but in the mean time resetting the router or changing the settings seems to temporarily fix the issue.

I have exactly the same problem with the latest firmware.
I have tried de latest version from TMerlin but than i have an SMB (Sharing) problem with my Synology shares.

 

[Sparxxx]

Well... I double checked everything but this router is a pain in the butt.

I have to reboot it once-twice a day because of huge latency or simply not working.

No idea why this is happening as I have tried a lot of options (I`m pretty knowledgeable and experienced). Only thing left would be a different/custom firmware... any suggestions?

My previous WNDR3700 was ROCK STABLE!

 

[italyguy01]

I have exactly the same problem with the latest firmware.
I have tried de latest version from TMerlin but than i have an SMB (Sharing) problem with my Synology shares.

Have you tried 266 firmware?

 

[Sparxxx]

small question guys.
Is there a way to limit the Download Speed of a specific IP or MAC Address? With default firmware.

Thanks

 

[claymoh]

My previous WNDR3700 was ROCK STABLE!

I still love my RT-AC66U, since I figure some of this is growing pains. At the same time, yup, had a WNDR3700 and it was very very good and stable. I do remember in the early days it too needed tons of loving care and was "eventually" what it is today. Maybe .4xx and merlin tweak of that will come out with new wireless drivers and fix all these little nuances.

 

[mikeg]

The issue here is why it takes so long for Asus to fix the issues with the AC66U.
I payed more than $ 300 for mine and I do not feel that I am getting the value for that amount back. We can discuss the design and other things but the important thing for me is to have a product which delivers today and not sometime in the future....

I still love my RT-AC66U, since I figure some of this is growing pains. At the same time, yup, had a WNDR3700 and it was very very good and stable. I do remember in the early days it too needed tons of loving care and was "eventually" what it is today. Maybe .4xx and merlin tweak of that will come out with new wireless drivers and fix all these little nuances.

 

[Nerre]

The issue here is why it takes so long for Asus to fix the issues with the AC66U.

The reason is usually spelled "quality control".

Also, many of the issues might originate from Broadcom and not Asus. That is probably valid for all WiFi issues.

 

[mikeg]

If the reason should be "quality control" then I wonder why Asus relesed
it at all before they had fixed the problems disregarding if it is Broadcom problems or not. I am interested in a working unit not why or why not it does not work. I am not interested to throw out my money for something that does not work and wait several months for a solution.

The reason is usually spelled "quality control".

Also, many of the issues might originate from Broadcom and not Asus. That is probably valid for all WiFi issues.

 

[bluepoint]

If the reason should be "quality control" then I wonder why Asus relesed
it at all before they had fixed the problems disregarding if it is Broadcom problems or not. I am interested in a working unit not why or why not it does not work. I am not interested to throw out my money for something that does not work and wait several months for a solution.

Wireless AC hasn't been finalized and we all know the technology is still in infancy. Expect hard roads to come and I'm sure you knew these when you buy the Asus AC66U. It is the exact reason I bought N66U cause I know N is standardized.

 

[mikeg]

No , I actually bought the AC66U because I had problems with the N66U.
What annoys me further is the announcement of the Asus RT-AC67U when the problems with the AC66U has not been solved YET.

Wireless AC hasn't been finalized and we all know the technology is still in infancy. Expect hard roads to come and I'm sure you knew these when you buy the Asus AC66U. It is the exact reason I bought N66U cause I know N is standardized.

 

[bluepoint]

No , I actually bought the AC66U because I had problems with the N66U.
What annoys me further is the announcement of the Asus RT-AC67U when the problems with the AC66U has not been solved YET.

Companies will do what they have to do to earn money. It's up to you to research before you buy a hardware. Have you done that, you'll know wireless AC has not been ratified by the wireless body that is testing/improving the technology, all they have are guidelines that might change in its final stage. Incompatibilities with other hardwares is to be expected at this stage. Many of the early adopters of a beta technology like this one are enthusiast that just wants to play and don't expect too much.

 

[Sparxxx]

F*ck this piece of sh*t. Worst router I had in a decade.
2.4Ghz is messed up really really bad. 80% packet loss, speed not higher than 1mbit.

If Asus won`t release a new firmware by tomorow , I'll bring it back and get me a Netgear/Linksys.

From today I will never ever touch or recommend an Asus Network product again

 

[doubleroll]

F*ck this piece of sh*t. Worst router I had in a decade.
2.4Ghz is messed up really really bad. 80% packet loss, speed not higher than 1mbit.

If Asus won`t release a new firmware by tomorow , I'll bring it back and get me a Netgear/Linksys.

From today I will never ever touch or recommend an Asus Network product again

Wonder if you have a defective unit. I replaced a Linksys EA4500 with the AC66 and get much better results.

 

[Sparxxx]

Well... I can't really tell if it`s faulty or not. It simply doesn't work in 2.4Ghz network.

Since there are many other people complaining about the same issues I guess it`s faulty designed or faulty SoC design. No idea.
Even how hot it runs must tells me something...

PS: is there a special RESET method like a hard reset or something? Maybe this might help.

 

[civuck]

I'm not sure if it's easier or harder to hear that others are not having 2.4ghz issues, but for what it's worth I have not had any with my AC66U with .270 firmware.

 

[Sparxxx]

yeah, well this thing is definitely broken.

I have restored to default and installed Merlin's firmware but nothing changed.
2.4Ghz is unusable. Lot's of drop outs and speed does not go beyond 1mbit/s.
5Ghz is rock stable and super fast.

This might not be the best place to ask but what would you choose between Netgear R6300 and Linksys EA6500 ? .

Or should I get the money back, use WNDR3700 and wait for new AC models?

 

[civuck]

yeah, well this thing is definitely broken.

I have restored to default and installed Merlin's firmware but nothing changed.
2.4Ghz is unusable. Lot's of drop outs and speed does not go beyond 1mbit/s.
5Ghz is rock stable and super fast.

This might not be the best place to ask but what would you choose between Netgear R6300 and Linksys EA6500 ? .

Or should I get the money back, use WNDR3700 and wait for new AC models?

From what I have read, the Netgear R6300 would have been my second choice to the AC66U.

RE: your 2.4ghz issues - what type of network adapter are you using? Do you have the option to test another or test with another device entirely?

Also, can you post a screenshot from the inSSIDer app of your 2.4ghz "neighbourhood" to understand how much traffic there is?

Finally, out of curiosity, how fast are you seeing 80mhz bandwidth / 5ghz file transfers as that's been my personal AC66U pain point this week?

 

[Sparxxx]

Well I have tested on two different notebooks + 1 iMac. Same issue on all of them and they all have different wireless adapters in them (one I know 100% is Intel 6300N).

On 5Ghz I get about 12-14MB/s download speeds (torrent).

The 2.4Ghz gets stuck at around 200-350Kb/s download speed on all the tested devices.
Also without downloading 70-80% packets are lost on pinging google.com or over 700ms response time (usually it is 10-12ms)