Wireless bridge or PCE-AC68?

[MasterBash]

My wireless adapter is no longer working so I have the choice between running a wireless bridge or a PCE-AC68.

All I care about are games, mostly. I dont use a lot of bandwidth, however I want the best stable possible thing out there.

I have 2 choices, use my current N66u as bridge and buy a new AC router to use as an AP.

or

Buy PCE-AC68 and use n66u as my current router.

Either way its gonna run at at N speed but I do have AC devices here. I just want the best setup, as in lowest latency, most stable, between PCE-AC68 and a bridged router. There are no other wireless routers around, so there is no interference.

PCE-AC68 would use my PCI-Express 3.0 lanes, which is unfortunate, but if thats better than a bridged router...

Routers I have in mind :

AC68U
AC87U
AC3200
R7000
R7500
R8000

I do use torrents with many connections and also a VPN Client at times. My priorities are range and CPU speed. I also need respectable throughput for streaming videos like blu-rays on other devices, thats about it. I use both 2.4 and 5ghz atm. A rock stable connection is required, no disconnection.

Thanks.

 

[L&LD]

It seems like you are not budget limited. I would recommend an RT-AC68U or an RT-AC87U if VPN speed is very important to you.

Buying a limited use network component for more than 1/3 the cost of a top end router and the flexibility it provides is not in your best, long term interests.

Use the AC1900 or AC2350 Class router you decide to buy as the main router and your existing RT-N66U as the bridge for the computer you need it for.

Not only will your whole network get a boost from the latest hardware, so will your now wired computer.

If you plan on keeping a new router for two years or more, any other plan at this time is just wasteful over the long term.

 

[MasterBash]

No budget. Thanks for your recommendations.

The AC87U used to be horribly unstable. Has it been fixed yet?

 

[L&LD]

For a lot of people, the latest firmwares have fixed almost all issues for the RT-AC87U (from reading the forum here). I am guessing that the RMerlin 378.52 will be the one that brings it all together for the rest of the people using them.

 

[ToiletPaper80]

Hi,

I have a brand new AC68, still sealed.
Wanna sell @ $250.
Interested?

 

[RogerSC]

Hi,

I have a brand new AC68, still sealed.
Wanna sell @ $250.
Interested?

Yeah, good luck on getting more than it sells for in stores, Mr. TP...I paid $170 for an RT-AC68P new from Best buy, and that was 4 months ago. Great router, though.

 

[MasterBash]

Is the AC87U actually worth it? I know its 4x4 and no devices can use it yet. However, will MU-MIMO help a lot eventually? (Once its enabled). I want something futureproof, but wireless adapters technology seems to fall way behind routers atm. Like I said, no budget, but I want something rock stable. However, if nothing will use the ac87u's new stuff in the near future, its pretty much the same as an ac68u.

I like the idea of extra processors though. How much do they help?

Thanks.

 

[thiggins]

Is the AC87U actually worth it? I know its 4x4 and no devices can use it yet. However, will MU-MIMO help a lot eventually? (Once its enabled). I want something futureproof, but wireless adapters technology seems to fall way behind routers atm. Like I said, no budget, but I want something rock stable. However, if nothing will use the ac87u's new stuff in the near future, its pretty much the same as an ac68u.

I like the idea of extra processors though. How much do they help?

There are no "extra processors" in the AC87U. You may be thinking of the RT-AC3200.

If you are really interested in MU-MIMO and 4x4, wait for the new crop of 4x4 routers announced at CES. They are based on QCA's new chipset, and are supposed to ship with MU-MIMO enabled.

No manufacturer of the current 4x4 routers has announced if or when they will enable MU-MIMO in the current Quantenna-based products.

Keep in mind, that even with a MU-MIMO router, you need devices that also support MU-MIMO to see any benefit. As yet, there are no such devices, at least none that specifically say they support MU-MIMO.

 

[MasterBash]

From Asus website "RT-AC87U also has a separate dual-core processor that's dedicated solely to 5 GHz 4x4 Wi-Fi related tasks". Thats what I was talking about. No idea if it makes a difference.

Yep, I am aware of that when it comes to MU-MIMO. I am always hoping something will come up soon. How much is MU-MIMO supposed to help?

Maybe I will wait for now. Still undecided. =(

 

[thiggins]

Sorry, my error. You are correct. The extra processor is needed to control the Quantenna 5 GHz radio. This is required due to its design.

 

[thiggins]

How much is MU-MIMO supposed to help?(

MU-MIMO vs. XStream: The Coming Battle For Wi-Fi Airtime