Upgrade from RT-N66U - Need traffic monitoring

[smasher]

I've got an RT-N66U that I'm happy with, running Merlin 380.70.

What it lacks is useful traffic monitoring and stats. Ideally, I want to be able to see what clients connect to what servers/web-sites, and when they're connecting. Bonus if I can store that data on a USB-drive, so it's persistent between reboots and doesn't "wear out" the internal flash memory.

Also I very much like having four SSIDs. More would be even better.

And I need to authenticate with my ISP with username and password via PPPoE.

IIUC, the AC68U/Merlin can do all of this, but the AC86U can't do good traffic monitoring. Is that right?

Are there any other brands/models/firmwares I should consider?

I've got the cheapest/slowest fibre connection available, which is about 30/10. Sure, faster routers are better and more future-proof, but I don't need crazy-fast speeds. I only recently retired my WRT-54G/DD-WRT, after it died.

Thanks.

 

[Grisu]

maybe Johns fork with Merlin features and newer patches would be better, even if it may not help to solve your requests.

 

[ColinTaylor]

IIUC, the AC68U/Merlin can do all of this, but the AC86U can't do good traffic monitoring. Is that right?

Not quite. The AC86U doesn't have the "per client" Traffic Monitor because it is not compatible with the new platform, but that is of no concern to you because you already know from your N66U that it doesn't provide the information you want. However, all the routers from the AC68U upwards have the Traffic Analyser which is probably what you want.

http://demoui.asus.com/TrafficAnalyzer_Statistic.asp

P.S. Don't worry about "wearing out" the flash memory, that's not a problem.

 

[smasher]

Yeah, then it would be the Traffic Analyser that I want.

Since numerical order obviously doesn't correlate to newest, latest, and greatest, what models should I consider as "AC68U upwards"?

Are there any features from the N66U that I might lose in an upgrade? Are any of the stock features not implemented in Merlin?

Thanks again.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Since numerical order obviously doesn't correlate to newest, latest, and greatest, what models should I consider as "AC68U upwards"?

Realistically it's anything that isn't one of the old MIPS based routers (RT-N66U and RT-AC66U), so that's all of the routers that are currently listed as supported by Merlin here.

Are there any features from the N66U that I might lose in an upgrade? Are any of the stock features not implemented in Merlin?

The only thing I'm aware of is AiMesh which Merlin doesn't support. Probably easier if you tell us what features you rely on.

 

[smasher]

AiMesh would be cool, but I don't need it now.

Otherwise, aside from wanting the Traffic Analyser, what I'm currently using is

• SSHD
• 4x SSIDs
• PPPoE authentication to ISP via username/password

Am I correct in understanding that anything "better" than an AC68U might add speed, but wouldn't add any significant features or wifi range?

 

[ColinTaylor]

• SSHD
• 4x SSIDs
• PPPoE authentication to ISP via username/password

All of the Merlin firmwares offer those features.

Am I correct in understanding that anything "better" than an AC68U might add speed, but wouldn't add any significant features or wifi range?

Yes, it would add "speed" for the 5GHz clients because they can connect using "ac" instead of "n". When I went from my N66U to an AC68U the difference on 5GHz was significant. The "range" was about the same but the area covered was noticeably more "robust" or "consistent" (it's hard to put into words).

There's won't be any appreciable difference in WiFi range between the different models. The more expensive models have a faster processor which is useful if you're running processor intensive tasks on the router like VPN.

 

[smasher]

So it looks like the AC68U is the cheapest one that does more than I need. Are there any other routers/firmwares from other brands that I should consider?

I'm seeing that one of my least favourite direct-from-China websites has fan-kits for the AC68U. Is that a completely unnecessary accessory?

 

[Grisu]

I'm seeing that one of my least favourite direct-from-China websites has fan-kits for the AC68U. Is that a completely unnecessary accessory?

No need for it, unless you see CPU temps above ~80°C then you may think about it. Well built units will stay below @25 room temp.
Maybe you get an RT-AC66U_B1 (!!!) way cheaper than take it, same in other housing (but only 1x USB).

 

[smasher]

Where I am, it looks like the RT-AC66U_B1 would be very hard to find, and only very slightly cheaper than an AC68U.

The AC68U runs cooler than the N66U? I typically see my N66U around 55-60°C, with load averages near zero.

 

[ColinTaylor]

My RT-AC68U idles at about 85°C. That's not unusual.

Speaking of China, make sure the router you buy is made/sold for your country and not some grey import from another part of the world.

 

[smasher]

My N66U was direct-from-China, slightly used. Not sure if it was a refurb, or an off-lease, but it's been fine. Any particular concerns about grey-imports, aside from warranty support?

 

[ColinTaylor]

My N66U was direct-from-China, slightly used. Not sure if it was a refurb, or an off-lease, but it's been fine. Any particular concerns about grey-imports, aside from warranty support?

The primary concern is wireless compatibility. Routers are manufactured for particular regions with regard to available channels, power output, DFS/TPC support and client compatibility. It wasn't such an issue with the N66U because it doesn't support -ac WiFi and originally had no support for DFS.

There have been hundreds of posts on these forums related to the potential issues of using a WiFi router made for one region in a different region. In short, if you want a simple life just buy a device made for your region. If you don't then it's up to you to fix any problems that may occur because you won't get any help in these forums.

 

[Grisu]

Not from my side, and I dont see any grey import!
You pay taxes and as long as it got all certificates for your country all is ok nothing grey.
Maybe not the intention of Asus but nothing illegal at all.
Greatest problem of course are warrenty issues, hard to send them back and get replacement.
My 86Us had the possibility to choose Wifi-region, so everything in order.

 

[bbunge]

So it looks like the AC68U is the cheapest one that does more than I need. Are there any other routers/firmwares from other brands that I should consider?

I'm seeing that one of my least favourite direct-from-China websites has fan-kits for the AC68U. Is that a completely unnecessary accessory?

If you want to maintain the size and shape of your N66U try an RT-AC66U_B1 also called an AC1900. Antennas are not removable and there is a USB2 port in the back and a USB3 in the front. Same processor and memory as an AC68U and uses the same Merlin firmware as the AC68U. I have one and just upgraded to 384.12.

 

[smasher]

I was assuming that Merlin would offer a way to manually select the correct region, for anything involving frequency and power. Would that not be the case for the AC68U?

 

[ColinTaylor]

I was assuming that Merlin would offer a way to manually select the correct region, for anything involving frequency and power. Would that not be the case for the AC68U?

No. All the WiFi region stuff has been locked down (in hardware) for a few years now. That's precisely why it's important to get a router that is made for your region.

 

[smasher]

No. All the WiFi region stuff has been locked down (in hardware) for a few years now. That's precisely why it's important to get a router that is made for your region.

Well, that's good to know

 

[Grisu]

It is easy to change region setting on RT-AC68U, few SSH commands and its done.

 

[smasher]

It is easy to change region setting on RT-AC68U, few SSH commands and its done.

Just some nvram tweaks? Looks like I'm back to a 30% discount.

I didn't know about this until just now when I started looking around, but even my N66U gives me a nice response to the command:

wl country list

And this command:

nvram show | egrep country\|ccode\|regulation_domain\|reg_mode