RT-AX86U vs RT-AX86S as AiMesh node

[got_milk]

Hi all,

I have a new RT-AX86U on the way to replace an eero Pro 6 mesh system that thanks to eero's policy of forced firmware updates has been causing me grief for the past few months.

Because of where the fiber is run into the house and terminated, my only possible placement choice for the RT-AX86U is in the basement front corner of the house. With the eero system, I used the second node with wired backhaul on the upper floor in the opposite corner of the house. Between the two, the result was fairly good coverage and performance generally anywhere.

I'm trying one RT-AX86U to start, but I suspect the far reaches of the house (plus the backyard) might be too far away/too many walls to penetrate for decent performance which up until now was bolstered by a second eero leaf node. If that's the case, I was planning to order a second RT-AX86U to use as a wired AiMesh node installed in the same spot I had the second eero. I see now however there is an RT-AX86S unit, which seems to be a "cut-down" version of the RT-AX86U for almost $100 less (CDN).

If the only purpose is to be an AiMesh node bolstering wireless performance/range, is there any reason I would go with another RT-AX86U versus picking up a RT-AX86S? Do they use the same wireless radios/chipsets and all that?

Thanks!

 

[L&LD]

The main reason for me would be that you won't get a 2.5GbE backhaul with the (much lessor) 's'. Which may or may not be important to you, but will be if your ISP speeds are 1Gbps or better (symmetrical). And keep in mind that you can achieve 2.5GbE performance with Cat5e cable (I'm using this with a 100' run of Cat5e).

For the price difference, having matched routers not only gives you full capabilities, but also 100% matched firmware, and the possibility to use the node as the main router if the current main router goes south, the RT-AX86S seems like a poor choice to me.

While an extra $100 seems like a big deal, the negatives indicated above are not worth gambling with (you're trying to solve stability problems, after all). Particularly when this is a one-time cost. You can always wait for the better model to go on sale too, of course.

Also, don't forget to check out the GT-AX6000 too. About 20% better throughput at the same distance or farther. And both the WAN and LAN are 2.5GbE capable.

 

[got_milk]

Great points - I hadn't noticed that the 'S' drops the 2.5GbE which I definitely would want to take advantage of, the in-wall runs are Cat6. I'm currently on a 1000/500 connection - I'm not expecting that to change anytime soon, my ISP is a "small" rural provider so I'm considering myself lucky that they're offering anything gigabit at all. 2.5GbE on the WAN side isn't a priority for me because of that.

What's the reliability on the GT-AX6000 like? I went with the RT-AX86U purely on its reputation for being pretty rock solid - I'm a work from home employee so stability is paramount (although I'd like to maximize performance where I can, too). It's been around awhile and people seem to be generally happy so that was reason enough for me to order it.

 

[L&LD]

At 1000/500 connection speeds, your rural provider doesn't sound so small!

The GT-AX6000 is too new to really know what long-term reliability is like today. But with RMerlin firmware 386.7_2 has earned a spot in my home again (currently running RT-AX86U main, GT-AX6000 AiMesh node via 2.5GbE backhaul).

I don't see it being less reliable than the RT-AX86U though. And when I can (time & budget), I will definitely get another GT-AX6000 as the main router.

If your provider overprovisions, the 2.5GbE WAN port will already be useful today.

Depending on the prices in your area, the GT-AX6000 is the more feature-packed router and therefore should be the one that is as future-proof as possible. Again, look for sales (no point in 2022 to pay full price anymore).

I would buy 2x units of whatever you choose (or, like me, one of each!) and only open one box at a time, fully testing the router as the 'main' before deciding if you even need to open the second unit up.

And between the RT-AX86U and the GT-AX6000, the latter is the one to be made the 'main', of course.

 

[got_milk]

You'd be surprised how small they are! Their fiber footprint is still limited to only a few small communities; I just happen to be lucky enough to live in one where they rolled it out first.

Unfortunately they don't overprovision (I wish) - if anything they underprovision slightly. From the "residential gateway" they installed (I have no idea what it is - it has no manufacturer/model markings I can find but it has a password-protected web UI) that acts as the ONT I only get 850/500. I'm also pretty sure the Ethernet out from the gateway is just gigabit, so that would be a bottleneck anyway.

I think ultimately I'm happy with the RT-AX86U as my choice - it's on sale at Amazon and the GT-AX6000 is about $150 more currently. I'm also not sure it would pass the "visual test" with others in the household, especially if I needed an AiMesh node somewhere. I may just take your advice and grab a second one now in case I need it while it's discounted and send it back if I don't.

Thanks!

 

[BreakingDad]

What's the mesh like without the wired backhaul @L&LD ie. wireless with two ax86u

 

[elorimer]

I added an AX-1800s as a mesh node for my AC86U with wired backhaul for $70. My NAS servers are based off of Xeon D-1521s, so internally I'm either 1GB or 10GB and nae twixt, so not much advantage in spending more.

 

[Tech9]

I was planning to order a second RT-AX86U

I would get a second AX86U just because I don't like mix and match, but the 2.5GbE port on it won't be very useable. The rest of the ports are up to Gigabit and common 2-stream AX devices can barely touch Gigabit on Wi-Fi. Aggregate throughput benefit only to multiple devices and you may not even notice the difference. One single 2.5GbE port is a limitation. GT-AX6000 has two, but you have to live with the ugly face hugger.

Get two EVA Edition, if you need a divorce. Pack your bags before they arrive.

 

[L&LD]

What's the mesh like without the wired backhaul @L&LD ie. wireless with two ax86u

Like every other repeater setup. Less than optimal if your ISP speeds are 1Gbps symmetrical or better.

 

[got_milk]

I would get a second AX86U just because I don't like mix and match, but the 2.5GbE port on it won't be very useable. The rest of the ports are up to Gigabit and common 2-stream AX devices can barely touch Gigabit on Wi-Fi. Aggregate throughput benefit only to multiple devices and you may not even notice the difference. One single 2.5GbE port is a limitation. GT-AX6000 has two, but you have to live with the ugly face hugger.

Get two EVA Edition, if you need a divorce. Pack your bags before they arrive.

View attachment 43657

I did end up ordering a second RT-AX86U in the end just in case. I really don't need 2.5GbE and probably won't for a very long time - I rarely if ever do local file transfers or anything like that. If I do hook them up together in AiMesh I'll use the 2.5GbE anyway because why not but it's far from a dealbreaker.

Thanks for enlightening me about the EVA Edition, I'll keep that in my back pocket for...emergencies.

 

[Tech9]

I'll keep that in my back pocket

If by "that" you mean the router, you'll need a backpack. It's huge.

AX86S would work the same way as AX86U. They both have the same radios. As I said, I would pick AX86U just because the main router is AX86U. Otherwise you won't notice any performance differences. To make you feel better - most likely both AX86U and AX86S will be discontinued soon and replaced by AX86U Pro model, coming in few months. It will have the same CPU and radios like GT-AX6000, but with single 2.5GbE port again.

 

[BreakingDad]

Like every other repeater setup. Less than optimal if your ISP speeds are 1Gbps symmetrical or better.

and if they are 500/30 ?

 

[L&LD]

At those ISP speeds (and slightly higher), they'll work much better.

But will still be noticeably slower (latency) than a single, well-placed, central single router (at that point, a single GT-AX6000 may be even better).

But if wireless backhaul AiMesh is required, it will be a good experience, overall.

 

[BreakingDad]

well-placed, central single router

I dream of that day. Perhaps when I buy the retirement house.