Should I get the AC68U or the AC87U for 10€ more?

[Nazgulled]

Hi,

I've been looking into getting an Asus Router and I initially looked at the AC66U and the AC68U. After a few reviews and forum posts, I've decided to go for the AC68U. However, when looking up for prices, I've found the AC68U for as low as 160€ (~177USD) but also found the AC87U for 170€ (188USD); which is a price difference of just 10€ (11USD).

This is a very small price difference and I should probably get the AC87U but...

My current apartment is not very large and it's kinda like an open space. I mean the entrance hall (which is small) is connected to the living room without a door which is connected to the kitchen without a door too (but with a half-glass wall); the entrance hall leads to the bedroom (and that one has a door lol).

All this to say that the extra wireless power of the AC87U is not that big of a deal for me, the AC66U is probably more than sufficient. Also, I probably don't have any devices that use the full potential of the AC87U. However, since the prices are very similar, I want to be future-proofed. One day I'll be moving out to a bigger house (I hope, but probably not that BIG) and a better router would probably help in this regard. At that time, I'll probably have different devices which could take advantage of the better wireless on the AC87U (or not). However, I truly believe the AC68U is more than enough for me, now and in the not-so-distant future (in 15/20 years probably not).

Feature wise, I believe they are both the same minus a slightly different more powerful hardware, correct? Or do they differ in features. For instance, adaptive QoS. I know the AC87U has it, does the AC68U has it too? Is this feature worth the extra 10€? Any other feature worth it on the AC87U?

One last thing... I much prefer the design on the AC68U and it fits better where I want to place it. The AC87U looks like an armored router, doesn't look like on a living room. The AC68U probably looks much nicer.

Given all this, what would be your recommendation, the AC68U or the AC87U?

 

[PolarBear]

Given all this, what would be your recommendation, the AC68U or the AC87U?

Hi Nazgulled

From reading a lot of threads on this forum, it would seem that people generally have a lot more problems with the RT-AC87U than with the RT-AC68U.

Reading your post, I get the feeling that you would prefer to simply install your new router, then forget all about it. You don't see messing about with your router and trying different settings an interesting hobby in itself. Would this be correct ?

Communication between the router and your laptop or mobile phone is a two-way process. A strong signal coming from the router is only part of the picture - if your laptop or phone cannot reply just as "loudly", a strong signal from the router does not really help. So for distant rooms, installing an additional access point is generally a better solution.

You also mention that the RT-AC68U looks nicer. This may be important, especially if there are others in your household for whom aesthetics are important ......

The RT-AC68U is also less expensive than the RT-AC87U, even if the latter is on sale.

For these reasons my recomendation would be for the 68U, but of course others may disagree.

 

[Puppa]

The 87U has reportedly caused excessive battery drain on more than a few mobile devices, and I am unaware of any fix yet for the issue. The 68U will probably be less of a headache for you judging from that one issue alone (there are others). If you can get an RT-AC68P instead of the U variant, go for that.

 

[Nazgulled]

Thanks for your opinions guys

Reading your post, I get the feeling that you would prefer to simply install your new router, then forget all about it. You don't see messing about with your router and trying different settings an interesting hobby in itself. Would this be correct ?

Actually no

Of course I don't want to spend every single day configuring and tweaking the router to my linking, but I'll be sure to spend some time with it at the beginning to setup everything the way I like it, just like any other new gadget I acquire. I'm actually interested in installing the Merlin firmware, I like to tinker like that. Probably not to an extent like many of the people on this forum

If you can get an RT-AC68P instead of the U variant, go for that.

What exactly are the differences? Cause that model is 40€ more expensive and I can't find it cheaper...

 

[Puppa]

It has a 25% faster CPU clock compared to the AC68U. CPU bandwidth was my main problem I faced with my 68U. That said, I believe the 87U has the same CPU as the 68P. It's just that the 68P doesn't have that historically unreliable Quantenna QSR1000 hardware in it, which has been the source of lots of 87U trouble.

 

[Nazgulled]

I'll probably get the 68U. A lot more people seem to have that model opposed to the 87U and they seem happy with their choice. Thanks for everyone's opinion

 

[Marc66]

I would go for the 68U
87U has lots of problems


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[Nazgulled]

I would go for the 68U
87U has lots of problems

Yeah, I'm pretty much decided on that one

Thanks.