As for what appears to be a desire for stability & a known quantity, I'd say stick with what you know. However, if you've got any devices that have 802.11ax functionality, may I suggest researching the AX models. I've an AX58U; I've not yet been able to get stable functionality using its VPN Client (ProtonVPN; side note: they've P2P servers in the US now for everyone wanting to watch US Netflix or w/e). However, I've not attempted it for the last ~7 months(?). It's been awhile; that I know. I'll be attempting again, but I'm not sure when I will. The AX88U plays well with ProtonVPN, so despite the higher price tag, that may be an option. Not that ProtonVPN is what you use, just that if it works & my AX58U has issues, well, the AX88U (or others) would likely work. I can't say which others will work well with your VPN. I'm sure others will be able to.
Thanks for this. My setup is as follows.
I have the AC86U and I also have the AX88U which is on a persistent VPN assignment plus the smart DNS. so my media players can reach any country.
On my laptop, I can just connect to the main router 86u and not be on a VPN and switch vice versa when on need.
The setup works rock solid. Here are my findings. When I purchased the AX88U, my intention was to make it a primary device and keep the 86U in the place where the AX88U stands, however, no matter what one says here are "my" findings.
1. The AX was unstable, the speeds would start off extremely well on my Lenovo 940 aX but then would get to 10 Mbps whereas the AC would always hover around 45-50 on file transfers. Eventually, I did the AX setup by disabling the AX mode and use it as an AC router, and that works very well today. barring the lack of the 2.4 range.
2. Movie streaming from my laptop with the AX would hang all the time. I've updated the wifi drivers from Lenovo and intel but that didn't help in any way.
3. The 2.4 wifi range was miserable. Seriously, like 1/3rd of what the 86U has. I really don't know how Asus could build such a product. I requested the store to switch it out for an AC86U but that was denied.
4. I have about 15 86U's installed at multiple friend's places due to the VPN and router recommendation and NO ONE complains of the range on the 86U. I also have a stash of two ubiquities hidden away in my closet and that too didn't have such a robust range as the AC86U.
I'm planning on adding another router in my bedroom to add as a node as my trusted 86U although having great signal till my bedroom does show signs of having difficulty at times, especially during VOIP calls.
Since returning is not possible here, I wanted to check before I rebuy the 86U (which I have done already. It's coming from Amazon. US so will take time its own time). I plan on getting the new one as a primary router with the latest beta on merlin and VPN configuration and do a reset of my old Chinese 86U with the latest merlin and add it as a node. I hope the region changes won't create an issue as the Chinese version has region change options in it. It even boots to Chinese on a hard reset. I have to use google translate to get into the menu and change it to English. Not a big deal
