Should MU-MIMO influence my router choice?

[sbakic]

Hello guys, I need to buy new wireless router for home. I will have PC attached to Wifi (PC got MU-MIMO), 5+ mobiles (galaxy S7, s8 etc) and it will need to route at some moment 10+ devices. Should I go with Asus RT-AC68U, or Asus RT-AC87U (because of MU-MIMO).

I am learn about wifi routers for a few days, because I need to buy one that will last 5+ years. And I wanted to buy RT-AC87U just because of MU-MIMO and because I have PC with MU-MIMO and other new phones. But as I see in 2017-2018 this fetaure is still not working as expected + Quantena system with AC87U which, as I read, failed. I even saw results that on long range AC68U has better signal. From my point of view because of buggy MU-MIMO technology and Quantena system I should go with AC86U, but could it route 10+ devices with browsing web (not streaming or anything), and is it right choice?

Thanks.

 

[Chris313AllNight]

Hello guys, I need to buy new wireless router for home. I will have PC attached to Wifi (PC got MU-MIMO), 5+ mobiles (galaxy S7, s8 etc) and it will need to route at some moment 10+ devices. Should I go with Asus RT-AC68U, or Asus RT-AC87U (because of MU-MIMO).

I am learn about wifi routers for a few days, because I need to buy one that will last 5+ years. And I wanted to buy RT-AC87U just because of MU-MIMO and because I have PC with MU-MIMO and other new phones. But as I see in 2017-2018 this fetaure is still not working as expected + Quantena system with AC87U which, as I read, failed. I even saw results that on long range AC68U has better signal. From my point of view because of buggy MU-MIMO technology and Quantena system I should go with AC86U, but could it route 10+ devices with browsing web (not streaming or anything), and is it right choice?

Thanks.

Like you, I go for longevity too. Try this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0752FD3XJ/?tag=snbforums-20 It's been getting rave reviews. Especially once Merlin's FW has been installed on it.

It's one of the top Asus models right now and will blow pretty much any of the others away with the performance. So your choice to go with the 86U is the right one.

Also see the review here: https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wir...900-wireless-router-reviewed?showall=&start=2

That model has been flying off the shelves at the likes of Amazon. So Asus must be doing something right. But don't pay more then the 200 US it retails for at Amazon. If it is offered for more then 200, look elsewhere for the model at the 200 point. Newegg is apparently out and the only remaining ones are selling at inflated 3rd party seller prices.

 

[sbakic]

Like you, I go for longevity too. Try this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0752FD3XJ/?tag=snbforums-20 It's been getting rave reviews. Especially once Merlin's FW has been installed on it.

It's one of the top Asus models right now and will blow pretty much any of the others away with the performance. So your choice to go with the 86U is the right one.

Also see the review here: https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wir...900-wireless-router-reviewed?showall=&start=2

That model has been flying off the shelves at the likes of Amazon. So Asus must be doing something right. But don't pay more then the 200 US it retails for at Amazon. If it is offered for more then 200, look elsewhere for the model at the 200 point. Newegg is apparently out and the only remaining ones are selling at inflated 3rd party seller prices.

Sorry I wrote AC86-U at the end I meant AC68-U vs AC78-U. What do you think about these two?

I read that 4x4 MU-MIMO is actually bad compared to 3x3 SU-MIMO and 3x3 MU-MIMO (as AC86-U) has.

 

[Chris313AllNight]

Sorry I wrote AC86-U at the end I meant AC68-U vs AC78-U. What do you think about these two?

I read that 4x4 MU-MIMO is actually bad compared to 3x3 SU-MIMO and 3x3 MU-MIMO (as AC86-U) has.

If you're interested in the 68U and have a Best Buy or order online, see here: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-wireless-ac-dual-band-wi-fi-router-black/5091000.p?skuId=5091000 It's the latest version of the 68U as far as I'm aware, but the 86U is still the better choice in my opinion. As for the 78U, I've never even heard of it. Are you sure you have that right?

 

[scjr]

Check out Tim’s thoughts on MU-MIMO here:

https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-features/33100-why-you-don-t-need-mu-mimo

The RT-AC1900P that Chris linked you to is a solid router and will handle your needs. If you have the extra money, go with the 86U that Chris recommended.

 

[sbakic]

If you're interested in the 68U and have a Best Buy or order online, see here: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-wireless-ac-dual-band-wi-fi-router-black/5091000.p?skuId=5091000 It's the latest version of the 68U as far as I'm aware, but the 86U is still the better choice in my opinion. As for the 78U, I've never even heard of it. Are you sure you have that right?

I am wrong again, not sure what is happening with me and numbers. The model is Asus RT-AC87U.

 

[doczenith1]

As Tim mentioned in the linked article a few post above MU-MIMO is not all that it's cracked up to be in typical household use. For most people it is recommended to turn it off. The two routers that I currently recommend are the RT-AC66U_B1 which is essentially a repackaged 68U (same internals) at a lower price point. Don't confuse this somewhat recently released router with the older non-B1 version. This router is probably the best bang for the buck Asus router right now. If you want more horsepower and some future proofing the RT-AC86U is the way to go. And if you think that you will use the VPN function on the router then you 100% want the 86U. The 87U is an older model that worked great for some people and was a disaster for others. And to comment on the RT-AC1900P...it fits in between the 66U_B1 and the 86U. The 1900P is a version of the 68U with the clock speed upped from 1.0 GHz to 1.4 GHz. And again..don't confuse the "P" model 1900 with the non "P" model as the non "P" model only has the 1.0 GHz processor. Welcome to Asus's confusing world of model numbers

This thread explains many of the differences that I mentioned above.
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac68u-rt-ac68p-rt-ac1900-rt-ac1900p.35759/

 

[avtella]

It depends, I have 3 MU (2x8265, 1 1x9260) capable laptops and a Nexus 5X which also has MU capability. If you have enough MU capable devices it may give a nice benefit but not something that should be a deal breaker. I wouldn't call it useless though.

As you can see in Tim's article, Broadcom devices/routers usually don't do to well with MU-MIMO enabled infact it may cause more issues, Qualcomm on the other hand actually has a properly working implementation like in the Synology AC2600, Netgear R7800 and ASUS BRT-AC828 all of which use the QCA9984 WiFi chipset. So if you have Broadcom router turn it off and leave it on in a QCA based router, though some Broadcom clients do sometimes revert to a lower link rate regardless of router used.

 

[sbakic]

One more questions, but I will probably go with AC68 version, because AC86-U has just better hardware and higher WIFI + MU-MIMO that I will not need.

I need router for next 5+ years who will provide speed up to 100Mbs/100Mbs with in everyday use of between 5-10 devices (probably all devices will be at 5Ghz) for web browsing. And I want in any moment if others devices are only browsing internet to have max or near max speed as from internet provider (100Mbs/100Mbs) on any device. Will AC68-U version do the job because of dual CPU of 800Mhz or I need to buy newer version like RT-AC1900P with dual CPU of 1Ghz/1.4Ghz? Will low CPU speed affect signal between 5-10 devices? + I know that RT-AC1900P has Shield over the USB connector, because USB3.0 could interference with WIFI signal. Thanks.

 

[scjr]

If you ever going to use VPN, go with the 86U. If not, the 68U should work fine.

 

[Hawk]

As a user who has used 68u and 86u and 88u.I can offer some insight on what I think will be best.

Let start with with mu-mimo, basically this technology is not fully mature and will only work in downlink and with 5 ghz only.

In some cases especially with s7 you will notice link is lower when mu-mimo used. There may be other devices but this one is documented.

When it come to router i will stay away from ac87u, it is more of headache then anything else. Also if my memory serve me correctly 68u doesn't have mu-mimo capability.

You can either get rt-ac88u or 86u or rtac68u. I personally say based on my experience i find rt-ac86u perform better than rt-ac88u and rt-ac68u.

Also rt-ac86 has shown better performance on 5 ghz. Defintely something to consider when choosing router.

 

[avtella]

The Galxy S7 is using a Broadcom WiFi chip, makes sense. Qualcomm (ie Nexus 5X, Killer1535, QCA6174A and many more seen within new Android phones) and Intel (8265ac/9260ac) have properly functioning mature client MU chips as far as I know. Basically most new PCs especially the mid to high end ones should work fine as they pretty much in most cases are either QCA/Intel WiFi chips.

 

[doczenith1]

I need router for next 5+ years who will provide speed up to 100Mbs/100Mbs with in everyday use

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that your ISP provided speed 4 years from now will be much higher than 100 Mbps

The 1.0 GHz 68u will do 940 Mbps with CTF NAT acceleration enabled so no need to spend extra for the 1.4 GHz version. Looking at Amazon.com prices the 68U/1900 is priced at $156 while the virtually identical hardware wise 66U_B1 is priced at $100. Note that the 68U stands vertical while the 66U_B1 sits flat.

Will AC68-U version do the job because of dual CPU of 800Mhz or I need to buy newer version like RT-AC1900P with dual CPU of 1Ghz/1.4Ghz? + I know that RT-AC1900P has Shield over the USB connector, because USB3.0 could interference with WIFI signal. Thanks.

I doubt you could even find a new 68U with the 800 MHz cpu anymore. Same applies to the shielded USB. I think those unshielded models are also well out of production.

 

[sfx2000]

Check out Tim’s thoughts on MU-MIMO here:

https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-features/33100-why-you-don-t-need-mu-mimo

@thiggins - thinking about writing up a paper as to what those results happen...

There's some deep insight that probably needs to be shared, and it reflects the results observed in the article.

That being said - No issues with recommending a MU oriented Router/AP, just don't enable MU...