Upgrade to AX86U

[ArchDevil]

Looking to upgrade my AC86U that i have currently to the AX86U.
The main question is how it the cooling of the AX86U? I am a bit worried since i live in a place that gets easy 30C+ room temp in summer and my AC86U reached 100C+ easy before modding the cooling.
Main reason is why i want to upgrade to the AX86U is because i have 2 Laptops and 1 PC that runs on wifi and all of them have an AX card in it and it would be nice to get extra speed and a bit of extra coverage of the AX.
I thought about upgrading some time ago because of arrival of 6E but as i see there is no intend to release any 250$ish routers with it...
I currently have a 1Gb/100Mb network plan.
Also i might want to pair the AX86U with some lower tier Asus AX Router/Zen as an Mesh or AP in the future for better coverage in case i need it.
Is it still worth to wait for 6E or just get the AX86U?

 

[bbunge]

No problem with temps on the AX86U.
Do you have any 6E clients? If not go with the AX86U.

 

[ArchDevil]

No problem with temps on the AX86U.
Do you have any 6E clients? If not go with the AX86U.

I have 2 Laptops and 1 PC with 6E cards and that's why I've been waiting for an 'affordable' not (500$+)6E router but at the moment there are maybe only 4-5 routers out there that support 6E and they expensive. For now at least from what i see is that companies pretty much ditched the 6E since the new models that keep releasing is all regular Wifi 6 and not 6E so i wonder if worth to wait more or just get the AX86U as it will be probably easier later on to add another asus router/zen wifi for mesh.

 

[SoCalReviews]

In my opinion the AX86U is the best router ever made by Asus. It's reliable and a great performer. As mentioned by user bbunge temps are not a problem at all. If you already have an AC86U that is working well for you then you should still see some improvement in range and performance with the AX86U but it's not going to be as noticeable if you upgraded from other models of routers.

From your posts it seems like cost of the router isn't as much of an issue for you. Since you already have quite a few 6E clients then the router that supports that would be a logical choice. The problem as you noted is that the number of 6E routers are extremely limited so far. Wifi 7 technology which will also support 6E is about three years away.

What I would do if I was in your situation is either... a) Get the AX86U now and benefit from a great router with proven and tested reliable AX technology router now. b) Wait a month or two since we are near the beginning of a new year and then make a decision. There will be many more newer released router models to choose from. Newer electronics are usually released at the beginning of every year. The Asus GT-AX6000 is a great example of a newer AX release with hardware specs better than the AX86U. Many newer 6E routers are likely also to be released soon.

I myself would slightly lean towards option... b) since you already have a working AC86U so you can afford to wait a few months to see what the new year brings. Of course those newer routers won't have a long tested track record to evaluate them by. Either way you can't go wrong. You are in a good position at this point in time to get your hands on a very good new router for the new year.

 

[ArchDevil]

In my opinion the AX86U is the best router ever made by Asus. It's reliable and a great performer. As mentioned by another user temps are not a problem at all. If you already have an AC86U that is working well for you then you should still see some improvement in range and performance with the AX86U but it's not going to be as noticeable if you upgraded from other models of routers.

From your posts it seems like cost of the router isn't as much of an issue for you. Since you already have quite a few 6E clients then the router that supports that would be a logical choice. The problem as you noted is that the number of 6E routers are extremely limited so far. Wifi 7 technology which will also support 6E is about three years away.

What I would do if I was in your situation is either... a) Get the AX86U now and benefit from a great router with proven and tested reliable AX technology router now. b) Wait a month or two since we are near the beginning of a new year and then make a decision. There will be many more newer released router models to choose from. Newer electronics are usually released at the beginning of every year. The Asus GT-AX6000 is a great example of a newer AX release with hardware specs better than the AX86U. Many newer 6E routers are likely also to be released soon.

I myself would very slightly lean towards option... b) since you already have a working AC86U so you can afford to wait a few months what the new year brings. Of course those newer routers won't have a long tested track record to evaluate them by. Either way you can't go wrong. You are in a good position at this point in time to get your hands on a very good new router for the new year.

The plan for now is wait for CES22 to see if there is any announces to release any new 6E routers and as the AX86U is pretty much out of stock everywhere that make it easier to wait a month or two.
I know the option of getting a router that supports 6E sounds pretty reasonable as i have 3 main devices that supports it but unfortunately the only 6E routers that is available are pretty expensive and i don't think it's worth paying twice more then the price of an AX86U. That's the only reason what holding me back of getting an 6E Router...

 

[L&LD]

Current Order of Recommended Routers Late 2021

Question/opinion on multiple routers, using as a switch...

Here's my setup, and it currently works well for me, as far as I can tell. All Asus routers. AImesh routers, all 3 of them. Wired connect to each router, from the main router. All 3 used routers are freshly updated to latest ASUS software. GT-AX11000. Main router, in middle of the house...

www.snbforums.com

And, as has been mentioned before on the forums here, having an AX router (such as the RT-AX68U or the RT-AX86U) will negate the need to move to an AXE router in the near term. Even with AXE clients.

The next jump will be WiFi 7. I may get a chance to play with an AXE router in 2022, but as I've mentioned before, I would be very surprised if the benefits would be enough to move me from my current 2x RT-AX86U wired backhaul (via 2.5GbE) setup today. The price/cost will be a big part of that decision of course, and how much I can sell the existing equipment for. But I don't normally buy to simply have the latest 'model numbers', I buy observable performance jumps, in my own network.

 

[SoCalReviews]

The plan for now is wait for CES22 to see if there is any announces to release any new 6E routers and as the AX86U is pretty much out of stock everywhere that make it easier to wait a month or two.
I know the option of getting a router that supports 6E sounds pretty reasonable as i have 3 main devices that supports it but unfortunately the only 6E routers that is available are pretty expensive and i don't think it's worth paying twice more then the price of an AX86U. That's the only reason what holding me back of getting an 6E Router...

You got it. More router options are on the way and the AX86U will still be an option for you if you decide to wait.

 

[chrisloup]

I'm in singapore. the weather here is like 30C to 34C (or hotter at noon)


my ax86u doesn't have ac and sits in the living room

2.4 GHz - 5 GHz - CPU
54 °C - 57 °C - 79 °C

 

[SoCalReviews]

I'm in singapore. the weather here is like 30C to 34C (or hotter at noon)


my ax86u doesn't have ac and sits in the living room

2.4 GHz - 5 GHz - CPU
54 °C - 57 °C - 79 °C

It is designed to operate within a broad range of varying room temperatures. If you are worried or obsessed about it you can purchase fan cooling kits online that attach to the back of the router and plug in to the USB port for power. They are specifically designed for the Asus RT-AC68U series, RT-AC86U and RT-AX86U routers.

 

[ArchDevil]

I ended up picking the AX86U for 249$ from Amazon yesterday since no 6E routers were announced at sub 300$ mark pretty much from any brands.

 

[John Fitzgerald]

I ended up picking the AX86U for 249$ from Amazon yesterday since no 6E routers were announced at sub 300$ mark pretty much from any brands.

Temps are good on the AX86:

In the summer if you hang a 120mm fan on it, blowing in from the back, it runs (cpu) around 40 °C.