Upgrading ASUS Router For Continued Updates

[WifiGhost]

I have an AC87U and per the last changelog, 384.13_10 will probably be the last release due to limited upstream support so I figure I would upgrade to one that gets regular updates. What would be a good model to upgrade to? I have been eyeing the RT-AX3000. Recently found a refurbished one for a good price and only 2 are left. I would love to get the AX88U, list price is 312 so its a bit much right now and read about some issues with the 19 update. If it's worth it to stick with what I got and save so I can get the AX88U then I can wait, but if the refurb AX3000/58U for 140 is a good deal I can go that router. It does have a 90-day warranty so I can return it at any time for a full refund. Thanks for any advice or suggestions.

Amounts in USD per Amazon US

 

[GSpock]

which currency are your amounts expressed in ? if you go to the german amazon website, the AX88U is there for 292 euros ...

 

[WifiGhost]

which currency are your amounts expressed in ? if you go to the german amazon website, the AX88U is there for 292 euros ...

Added USD to my OP

 

[Stardust]

Check amazon? Bestbuy?

 

[WifiGhost]

Check amazon? Bestbuy?

OP prices are from Amazon which is where I found the refurb one for less with a 90 return policy. Best Buy lists AX88U for 350 so more than Amazon and matches the Amazon price for the AX3000/58U. A new AX3000 is 180 on either so the refurb would save 40$.

 

[Stardust]

Which one is best for you? Only you know that
I would take the AX3000/58U myself.

 

[Adamm]

At the end of the day it comes down to your budget. The AX88U is the gold standard right now and has benefits of being a 4x4 router, twice the ram, quad core, AES-IN support for fast VPN speeds and 8 Ethernet ports. If any of those are important to you, then its probably worth saving up and waiting.

 

[WifiGhost]

Which one is best for you? Only you know that
I would take the AX3000/58U myself.

That's what I want as well due to price(sold some items on eBay and have just enough to buy it new or used so I won't have to dip into my budget) and also that it is a similar design to my current AP and I get great coverage throughout my house, I have many many IoT devices, but since I have gotten great ideas and feedback from the community I wanted to bounce it off of you all to make sure I will be good. I am fond of my current 87U and very happy with Asus Merlin so I wanted to be able to keep upgrading to make sure my router is secure and I get the new features when they arrive. Looking forward to WPA3 and with my current router being on limited support I will probably be missing out of many new awesome things if I don't upgrade my hardware.

I think I will order the refurb today and get it Merlin on it and into production ASAP as since I have 90 days to return it and get a full refund or replacement, better to find out the HW does have issues sooner than later. Since it will arrive this coming weekend that will be my weekend project. I have a good setup with VLANS(IoT & Guest Net) and other features I got when upgrading to Merlin.

 

[Stardust]

How about telling when your weekend job is done?
Might be useful information in this forum