Time for a router upgrade (to AC-86U)....

[KGB7]

You haven’t provided evidence why exactly your N66 is being pushed to its limits.

I used to have 8 people connected to Asus RT-AC1200 router. It’s the bottom of a pile $30 router. I paid $30 at Microcenter 2 years ago.

It worked flawlessly while everyone was streaming or surfing the web. I would torrent at 150Mbps Over WiFi while half the people were streaming videos with no issues.

Even TP-LINK TL-WR841N got the job done in same environment while 8 people were connected to it via WiFi. Even while I was playing GTA5 on PS4.

So why do you need to replace your N66 router??

 

[OzarkEdge]

You haven’t provided evidence why exactly your N66 is being pushed to its limits.

I used to have 8 people connected to Asus RT-AC1200 router. It’s the bottom of a pile $30 router. I paid $30 at Microcenter 2 years ago.

It worked flawlessly while everyone was streaming or surfing the web. I would torrent at 150Mbps Over WiFi while half the people were streaming videos with no issues.

Even TP-LINK TL-WR841N got the job done in same environment while 8 people were connected to it via WiFi. Even while I was playing GTA5 on PS4.

So why do you need to replace your N66 router??

OP wants to retire an N router for an AC router. You seem to be asking why because your AC router was good enough for you. OP wants to enjoy AC speeds, too.

OE

 

[rmassung]

I was in your shoes 2 weeks ago, had an N66U since 2013, then upgraded to a AC68U in 2018. With my wife and 2 kids now home for the foreseeable future, I noticed at any time a combination of 4 laptops, XBOX/PS4, 2 Apple TV's (1080p/4k), various WiFi plugs, iPhones, tablets and 2 Amazon Echos using bandwidth in the first 2 weeks time we were stuck at home, I needed an upgrade with most of the devices being on WiFi.

I looked at the AX3000 but I didn't have any WiFi6 devices and getting those seemed years off and the AC86U had a nicer AC throughput than the AX3000 (1024QAM (5GHz) : up to 2167 Mbps compared to AX 802.11ac : up to 867 Mbps). So I purchased the AC86U last week when an online vendor had a 20% off special.

It came last Friday and I couldn't be happier. Sitting in the same place my TX went from 700 t0 1,100+ (channel 149). The only problem I had was a firmware issue with 2 of my wifi light plugs that took me a week to figure out due to Code = ID0IT

I am running stock ASUS firmware, 81792. I might go over to Merlin again like my old routers but not until the new Open NAT function is incorporated. It really helps with the kid's gaming. I use AI Protection for adult sites also.

Now all devices are on 5GHz with the smart plugs and non-essentials being on 2.4GHz. The gaming devices are LAN. Today my wife and I had Zoom/MS Teams meetings and the kids were doing Fortnite cross play with no hiccups or interruptions on anyone's devices.

The setup was easy and the people on the forum have really helped out a lot. Even though being a lurker, unregistered user for years but not posting hardly any and reading replies to common questions I have had.

EDIT: Grammar, clarify what I purchased

 

[OzarkEdge]

So I purchased the AC68U last week when an online vendor had a 20% off special.

You mean the 86U?

OE

 

[maxbraketorque]

I wouldn't be put-off by the AC86U quality issues suggested by reading the forums and Amazon. I have four AC86Us (two each at two locations), and all have worked flawlessly since day one. However, it is interesting to contemplate whether the AX58U makes more sense to purchase than an AC86U. For AC and N performance, the AC86U has more transmit/receive channels than the AX58U which can help with reception and speed, even for a typical 2x2 AC or N wifi client.

 

[RMerlin]

I am running stock ASUS firmware, 81792. I might go over to Merlin again like my old routers but not until the new Open NAT function is incorporated. It really helps with the kid's gaming. I use AI Protection for adult sites also.

It's just a UI gimmick. It doesn't do anything special beside enable UPNP (if it wasn't already enabled), and let you forward ports the same way the Virtual Server page already does.

 

[rmassung]

It's just a UI gimmick. It doesn't do anything special beside enable UPNP (if it wasn't already enabled), and let you forward ports the same way the Virtual Server page already does.

Yeah, nothing I couldn't do manually. But it sure makes it easy with the ports already populated.

 

[RMerlin]

Yeah, nothing I couldn't do manually. But it sure makes it easy with the ports already populated.

That's assuming their list is kept up-to-date, and that they keep adding new games (which I personally doubt). You'll end up spending more time manually adding future games anyway.

 

[HallStevenson]

Just checking back in.... Thanks for the replies everyone. I did end up with the AC86U. There were only two downsides: 1) The 3-1/2 hour wait at Microcenter (made the mistake of going in the days following when many, many folks obviously got their stimulus checks - the number of new PC builds, 65" TVs, etc that came out the door was impressive !!) and 2) our smart devices like ecobee t-stat, smart switches/plugs, Google Home, etc don't seem to have an easy way to 'move' to a new WiFi network. One suggestion was 'use the same SSID, password, etc'. I like to change ours up, much to the annoyance of my wife and kids.... It was "Echo Base Hoth" and is now "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft" ('and Wizardry' makes it too long.... ).

Oddly, it shipped with the original f/w release that the AC86U came with, if I'm not mistaken. I quickly updated it to the current ASUS f/w and the following day, I'm back on Merlin's f/w.