Should I upgrade from my RT-AC87U? Go with the RT-AC1900P V3?

[Sushiglobster]

I have my RT-AC87U and while it does okay...I've recently been taking a look at its overall performance. Because of my living situation I can no longer use a Cat5 cable to my desktop and yesterday, purchased the Linksys AC600 MU-MIMO USB adapter. The connection is great in terms of actually staying connected and I have zero lag spikes now which makes gaming online a joy. However, speed tests only show 160Mbps out of the potential 300Mbps on Cox cable. Now I know that there's now way I could hit 300Mbps through wireless. That's asking a lot, but I figured with this new USB adapter and my RT-AC87U I'd be able to hit at least north of 200Mbps.

The router is one room over from where my desktop is. I'd say probably about 25-30 feet away. Signal strength is Good, but not maximum. My link speed to the router shows 433Mbps.

Is it worth it to upgrade the router? There's a Best Buy down from me that sells that RT-AC1900P V3 model. I confirmed it yesterday when I got the USB adapter.

Should I just...live with this? 160Mbps is very fast, but if I'm missing out on better performance and benefits of a new router, I'd like to know.

 

[WMConey]

Honestly, the question to ask yourself is whether the "extra" speed will make any practical difference in what you use your wireless for day to day. Its all too easy to go on the quest for better specs....

... and I say this this as someone who does it all the time!

 

[pete y testing]

My link speed to the router shows 433Mbps.

but that is the maximum , if its this adapter

http://www.linksys.com/au/p/P-WUSB6100M/

its max rates are

433M on 5 gig and 150M on 2.4 gig and seeing as you can only connect to one band at a time the max it will ever be is 450M

plus the adapter is only usb 2

basically its a wireless AC adapter when you really dont want a wireless AC adapter , to be honest its basically crap

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now atm there is only 1 ( one ) wireless AC adapter that can do anything above 1300M and its a pce type card , there are also only 2 usb adapters that can even do 1300M

the only adapter that will do the full ( or close to ) 1733M of your 87u is the asus pce-ac88

the only usb adapters that will do 1300M

asus usb-ac68

dlink dwa-192

most other usb adapters come with a max rate of 867M on 5 gig and 300M on 2.4 gig and then there are the crippled single stream AC adapters like the one you have

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so can you take back that adapter and get another , perhaps one of the ones i posted as then your wifi wont be the bottleneck and yes you should get close to if not match your internet speed , i have an asus rt-ac68u connected to the older asus pce-ac68 and get 70MB/s ( around 560Mbps ) with ease

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however your now actually updating if you where to go from an asus rt-ac87u back to an asus rt-1900ac as your actually going backwards

the 87u is 1733M 5 gig and 600M on 2.4 gig

the rt1900ac is 1300M on 5 gig and 600M on 2.4 gig

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just looking at the best buy web site the following are their best usb adapters

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/netgear...usb-3-0-adapter-black/8860004.p?skuId=8860004

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/linksys...usb-3-0-adapter-black/9404119.p?skuId=9404119

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/tp-link...and-usb-adapter-black/2080021.p?skuId=2080021

all of which are only 867M on 5 gig and 300M on 2.4 gig

if you can fit it you would be far better of getting something like a pce type adapter that is fitted into your comp like the asus pce-ac68 or pce-ac88

 

[sfx2000]

Is it worth it to upgrade the router? There's a Best Buy down from me that sells that RT-AC1900P V3 model. I confirmed it yesterday when I got the USB adapter.

Pretty much a wash between these two - if the 87U is stable for you, then stick with it - not going to see any improvement with other Router/AP's there...

 

[L&LD]

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to not only setup an RT-AC3100 for a customer, but also had the chance to use it in my network for a couple of days too.

Background:
I have an 'original' RT-AC68U with RMerlin firmware (800MHz dual processor, 256MB ram).
My ISP was Fibre with 100/20 D/U speeds @ 1ms latency (using Adaptive QoS).
The RT-AC3100 has 1.4GHz dual processors and 512MB ram).
Customers ISP is Fibre 50/10 D/U speeds @ 1ms latency (using Adaptive QoS).
Customers home is about 5000 SqFt on three floors.
Router 'had' to be installed in basement, no options there at all.


In my use, the RT-AC3100 offered a substantially more responsive network over the RT-AC68U (note that my ISP speeds are well below the limits of either router). The dslreports scores indicated A's and A+'s with the better router (though they weren't bad with the '68U either). In short, if I had the money to spend, I would have bought an RT-AC3100 for myself too.


In my customers home, we compared it to the ISP supplied router and 'extender' AP (connected via Ethernet).

While the 2.4GHz signal was adequate (we were getting close to 75% of the wired speeds) in most areas, the 5GHz band would 'show' and disappear as an available ssid (even with the laptop on a counter, not moving) and was basically unusable to connect devices to.

The users at the house were ecstatic to move to Fibre (initially), but effectively, the WiFi experience was not much better than the cable modem they were using before.

After setting up the RT-AC3100 router with RMerlin's firmware and enabling AiProtection (all) including DNS (OpenDNS family) settings and setting up Adaptive QoS and IPv6 (native), we switched out the ISP's router, removed the ISP's AP and turned on the RT-AC3100 and let it boot up.

The results were nothing less than stellar. The 2.4GHz band was now offering more than the ISP 'paid for' speeds (about 55Mbps down, 12 up) and even more surprising, the 5GHz band was usable in the farthest reaches of the home with the closer locations (still a floor and a few walls away from the router) getting an even more impressive 57Mbps down, 15Mbps up (on Ookla speedtest).

On dslreports, the router showed A+ for overall, bufferbloat and quality.

While it may take some convincing to spend the money for my network, for the customer, this was an easy decision (particularly after he saw the results as he followed me around the home comparing to what his previous speeds were).

Since that install was performed, my ISP speeds have changed too.

I am now paying for 150/150Mbps u/d speeds that is much less than what I was paying previously for 100/20Mbps service.

I know that the RT-AC3100 would be even more benefit to my network now. I'm saving my pennies as we speak.


I'll agree with the above poster that mention that the adaptor is not up to par. But I would also venture to say that the router may not be 'up to par' anymore either.

If you're able to test and then return (if needed) the RT-AC1900P if it's not fit for (your) use, I would.

 

[doczenith1]

In my use, the RT-AC3100 offered a substantially more responsive network over the RT-AC68U (note that my ISP speeds are well below the limits of either router). The dslreports scores indicated A's and A+'s with the better router (though they weren't bad with the '68U either). In short, if I had the money to spend, I would have bought an RT-AC3100 for myself too.

I may have a buyer for my 68U B1. Would you recommend the 88U/3100 over the 1900P (at the $165 sale price)? The only extra option I use is the AiProtection. No QoS. I have minimal wireless devices with the fastest one being an AC 2x2 cell phone.

 

[L&LD]

I may have a buyer for my 68U B1. Would you recommend the 88U/3100 over the 1900P (at the $165 sale price)? The only extra option I use is the AiProtection. No QoS. I have minimal wireless devices with the fastest one being an AC 2x2 cell phone.

Are you saying the RT-AC3100 is $26 more than the RT-AC1900P? Yes, I would do this in a heartbeat.

(Double the ram, double the nvram and I'm pretty sure even better RF components, design, firmware and WiFi drivers for the RT-AC3100 over the 'refreshed' RT-AC68U platform that the RT-AC1900P is).

 

[doczenith1]

No, I'm saying that the 1900P is sometimes available on sale for $165 vs it's normal $200 price tag. So, what I was trying to convey is if you think RT-AC3100 at $269 is worth the extra money over the 1900p at $165.

 

[Darcy]

Are you saying the RT-AC3100 is $26 more than the RT-AC1900P? Yes, I would do this in a heartbeat.

(Double the ram, double the nvram and I'm pretty sure even better RF components, design, firmware and WiFi drivers for the RT-AC3100 over the 'refreshed' RT-AC68U platform that the RT-AC1900P is).

The AC3100 is that much better than the AC1900P? I know it has double the ram and have read much debate about that on here...lol. Aren't the chips the same? I know it's faster 3100 over 1900 but can a normal consumer even take advantage of that? Just asking as I am not as knowledgeable as you in this area. I bought my AC1900P for $155 about a month and a half ago and doubt I would spend the extra $40 for things not needed. I wouldn't be surprised if the AC1900P goes even lower now.


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[Darcy]

No, I'm saying that the 1900P is sometimes available on sale for $165 vs it's normal $200 price tag. So, what I was trying to convey is if you think RT-AC3100 at $269 is worth the extra money over the 1900p at $165.

I think the AC1900P has been at $165 for over a month now. I got it for $155 by having them price match a AC68 off Amazon. It looked the same and the girl behind the counter had no clue...lol.


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[L&LD]

The AC3100 is that much better than the AC1900P? I know it has double the ram and have read much debate about that on here...lol. Aren't the chips the same? I know it's faster 3100 over 1900 but can a normal consumer even take advantage of that? Just asking as I am not as knowledgeable as you in this area. I bought my AC1900P for $155 about a month and a half ago and doubt I would spend the extra $40 for things not needed. I wouldn't be surprised if the AC1900P goes even lower now.


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I would doubt that the latest designs (RT-AC3100, RT-AC88U and RT-AC5300) share too much with the latest revision of the RT-AC68U (except for the 1.4GHz dual processors) which is now over 3 years old (design).

And as I stated, for $26 getting double the RAM, NVRAM and WiFi drivers (at a minimum) is more than a value play for me.

I am not saying it is worth it from the RT-AC1900P that you already have (unless you can sell it close to what you paid for it). But it is a better router by all measures.

 

[doczenith1]

And as I stated, for $26 getting double the RAM, NVRAM and WiFi drivers (at a minimum) is more than a value play for me.

The price difference between the 1900P and AC3100 is $104 when the 1900P is on sale. I'm not sure where the $26 figure came from. I would be selling my 68U B1 and buying either the 1900P or AC3100 thus my original question on if you think that the AC3100 is worth the additional $104 based on your first hand experience with the AC3100 vs your 68U A1.

 

[Darcy]

The price difference between the 1900P and AC3100 is $104 when the 1900P is on sale. I'm not sure where the $26 figure came from. I would be selling my 68U B1 and buying either the 1900P or AC3100 thus my original question on if you think that the AC3100 is worth the additional $104 based on your first hand experience with the AC3100 vs your 68U A1.

In defense of L&LD It came from the fact that the AC3100 was on sale for $191 at Best Buy last week. It's still on sale but at $250 now. I read a lot of different perspectives in these forums and with everything coming down the line in the next year or two i wouldn't spend big bucks on a router right now for minimal gain and for features that don't work or are not active yet.


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[L&LD]

The price difference between the 1900P and AC3100 is $104 when the 1900P is on sale. I'm not sure where the $26 figure came from. I would be selling my 68U B1 and buying either the 1900P or AC3100 thus my original question on if you think that the AC3100 is worth the additional $104 based on your first hand experience with the AC3100 vs your 68U A1.

As Darcy mentioned, BB had the RT-AC3100 on sale for $191.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac3100-191-at-bestbuy.34778/

As for your currently stated question, the question of whether $104 more is worth it depends on how long you normally keep your wireless routers in use for. If you are planning to buy something better in the next year, save the money and get something better next year. If you are planning to buy something in the 202x time frame, the $104 additional is worth it for me for the newer drivers, double the ram and double the NVRAM space. Whether it is worth it for anyone else will depend primarily on their available budget.

Given the budget though, the higher spec'd hardware is always worth it if the purchase is made for long term use.

 

[SoCalReviews]

The 1900P is a pretty solid router. Stability and reliability weighs a lot in my book. Both 2.4 and 5Ghz are really stable and reliable. However if you are looking for a true "upgrade" the 3100 is a notch ahead with the 4 x 4 technology (which only works with a compatible client), newer full featured firmware and of course more RAM ... but for the record my 1900P never uses all the 256 RAM that it has as it is so I'm not sure what adding 256MB more of unused RAM is going to do for the performance.

The bottom line is whether you want to spend the extra money for the 3100. It's a bit more of an upgrade than the 1900P but not that much. I'd lean towards the 3100 if price was not that important. Meh... since you already have the 87U I'd probably go with a discounted 3100 myself so I could add some bragging points about having the newer design and then you don't have to question yourself whether you should have gotten the more expensive one.... but for about $160 cost the 1900P with 3 x 3 technology is really good and you may not see much difference between the two since both have the 1.4Ghz BCM processor and newer radios. The other option is to wait a few months for that new super fast Asus business class router using the QCM chipset... price yet to be determined though.

 

[SoCalReviews]

As Darcy mentioned, BB had the RT-AC3100 on sale for $191.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac3100-191-at-bestbuy.34778/

Given the budget though, the higher spec'd hardware is always worth it if the purchase is made for long term use.

I would probably lean towards the 3100 if I was in his shoes but not because I think the slightly higher specs (mostly the extra RAM) will make it noticeably better but simply I'd get it because the 3100 is overall a newer design. I have to say though that the 1900P is as solid as a rock. It's fast and furious. It's tried, true and tested. It's a more compact package. It's value can't be overlooked. IMO either one would be some improvement over the 87u especially with 5Ghz but I never owned the 87u so I can't speak from experience.

 

[L&LD]

The 1900P is a pretty solid router. Stability and reliability weighs a lot in my book. Both 2.4 and 5Ghz are really stable and reliable. However if you are looking for a true "upgrade" the 3100 is a notch ahead with the 4 x 4 technology (which only works with a compatible client), newer full featured firmware and of course more RAM ... but for the record my 1900P never uses all the 256 RAM that it has as it is so I'm not sure what adding 256MB more of unused RAM is going to do for the performance.

You can't tell how much a low ram system is being held back by looking how much ram it uses. The os (all os's) is programmed to use the available ram as efficiently as possible. It knows it needs some free, so it leaves as much free as it can.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/moving-to-upgrade-or-not.34772/#post-281500


The proof of that is the test I made between my RT-AC68U and the RT-AC3100 using an identical configuration (using john9527's NVRAM Save/Restore utility). Percentage wise, the routers used about the same ram. Absolute capacity was almost double though for the RT-AC3100 (in exactly the same use).

I am sure that having more of the os code pieces loaded in ram contributes to an even smoother experience with the RT-AC3100 over the RT-AC86U. Even allowing for the fact that the newer router has a 75% faster processors too.

 

[Darcy]

You can't tell how much a low ram system is being held back by looking how much ram it uses. The os (all os's) is programmed to use the available ram as efficiently as possible. It knows it needs some free, so it leaves as much free as it can.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/moving-to-upgrade-or-not.34772/#post-281500


The proof of that is the test I made between my RT-AC68U and the RT-AC3100 using an identical configuration (using john9527's NVRAM Save/Restore utility). Percentage wise, the routers used about the same ram. Absolute capacity was almost double though for the RT-AC3100 (in exactly the same use).

I am sure that having more of the os code pieces loaded in ram contributes to an even smoother experience with the RT-AC3100 over the RT-AC86U. Even allowing for the fact that the newer router has a 75% faster processors too.

But what about testing the AC3100 to the AC1900P?


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[L&LD]

But what about testing the AC3100 to the AC1900P?


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That, I haven't done yet.

As I've stated elsewhere on these forums though, I don't think the RT-AC1900P to be equal.

 

[pete y testing]

i have tested the rt-ac68u against the rt-ac88u and rt-ac5300 and there is a substantial difference in overall performance of the gui in general as well the wifi coverage and range

i have a wemo switch down the other end of the house that just wont connect even when using the rt-ac68u or pretty much any 1900ac class router or below , however with the 2156M class routers it connects no worries , the wemo's dont have great wifi adapters in them but the extra coverage the 2156M class provides is enough to get to where its needed