Would i benefit to upgrade from ASUS RT-N56U?

[cmannen]

Hello!
New joiner to the forum and first time poster. I just got fiber installed at home and this got me thinking if I need to upgrade my router to maximize the benefits of my new connection (100 MB down / 10 MB up).

I currently have an ASUS RT-N56U which I have been very happy with. I have some 20 devices connected. Only 1 over LAN the rest on wifi.

I have one ac compatible device at home (2013 Macbook air) the rest are N compatible.

Would you recommend me to go for the N66U, AC66U or AC68U?

The limitation I can see on the N56 is range. Measuring speed standing just close to the router makes me pleased but if I move to upper floor measured speed reduces by 75% or so.

Is it worthwhile to go for an AC router now or should i get the N66 at a decent price and plan to upgrade in a year or so or maybe even stick with my current N56?

 

[L&LD]

Which firmware are you running? I would suggest Padavan's .75 version for best performance whether you keep the router or not.

You mention that you're pleased with the speed when you're close to the router, but don't mention an actual speed value. Either case, if you lose 75% of that performance moving to the second floor I'm sure that is in the unacceptable range, right?

The RT-N66U is a huge upgrade (ime) over the router you have now, especially in range. But not a wise move with your money at this time.

The RT-AC56U or the RT-AC68U are the routers I would suggest to maximize your wireless throughput speeds, even if you only have one AC client right now. The RT-AC68U should give better range with it's external antenna, but depending on the layout and size of your home, it may not be needed.


If updating the RT-N56U's firmware gives you sufficient performance and you can wait; I would be looking at the new AC2300 class routers (Asus RT-87U) to become available in the next couple of months (wait to see how stable they are though!). Especially if your next network upgrade will be a few years down the road. Even if they prove to be less than what we hope for; the RT-AC68U will still be available and maybe even cheaper too.


If you can physically move the router to a more central location in the home, or even reposition it where it is now located (slight movements can make for huge performance differences), it might be enough to allow you to wait for the new tech.

To maximize the range, keep the router as high as possible (especially from the actual ground/earth), don't expect to use clients directly above or below it (the antenna radiation pattern is like a flattened donut - directly above or below the router will give the weakest signal), and don't put the router against an exterior wall (especially one which is concrete/cinderblock or brick) - try to have it at least 2 to 3 feet away from any obstructions.


Keep in mind that with the number of wireless clients vs. wired clients you have; the most powerful router you can get is warranted (the AC1200 RT-AC56U uses the same cpu/ram as the RT-AC68U, btw, at $100 on sale). Especially an AC1900 class router will give you a more responsive network going forward (as each of your devices is replaced or upgraded to AC class networking standards).

Buying even the 'best' N class router today (RT-N66U) is money wasted, imo.

 

[cmannen]

Thanks for quick response. I'm running on ASUS FW 3.0.0.4.374_4561 which should be the latest. I have not tried alternative firmwares.

When it comes to speed, I have not tested file transfer speed. I'm using an app to test the speed my ISP is delivering. From iPhone 5 just next to router I'm getting 100 MB down, if I move to upper floor the same is only some 25-30 MB.

Maybe says more about my iPhone then the router itself. On macbook on the upper floor we got 100 mb doing the same test.

Having some issue streaming movies in the network as well. Using Plex Media server on mac mini streaming to jailbroken apple TV and Samsung Smart TV (UE8005), every now and then getting issue but that can depend on my clients and not necessarily on the network.

OK, so not recommended to go for a N router but should look into an AC.

Can tell you prices are not equally attractive as in US. An AC66U would set me back USD 280, an AC56 USD 180 both included taxes.

Seems like AC66 is the better choice over AC56 in terms of range?

 

[RogerSC]

Personally, I'd be considering the RT-N66U, especially if you're going to be operating at wireless-n speeds currently and for the near future. The RT-AC68U would cost you a bunch more, and you wouldn't really see a lot of upgrade from the RT-N66U without upgrading your network adapters to wireless-ac.

The RT-N66U covers my whole house (2 stories, about 2000 sq. ft.), as does the Netgear R7000 that I have. The R7000 has a slight edge in wireless coverage, but that alone is not worth the price difference. You really have to be planning to use the wireless-ac speeds to make it worthwhile, and there's a whole other world of expense in upgrading your clients to use the extra capability of the RT-AC68U.

My opinions, others may differ *smile*, but I really like my RT-N66U for wireless-n coverage at my house. I agree that the RT-N56U is disappointing on 5GHz., coverage is terrible, no matter what firmware I put on it. And I'm using 5GHz. more and more, since it has less interference, and works well with the routers and clients that I currently am using.

 

[cmannen]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts RogerSC. I'm tempted to go for a N66U since it's cheaper and it getting good reviews and the majority of my devices only are N compatible.
However planning on getting a Playsation 4 soon which will be my second AC device but still my focus is to retain the speed my ISP is providing to as many devices as possible (100 Mbit/s) and a N router should be good enough for that?

Will streaming benefit from more bandwidth then N has to offer if going for an AC router? Then I mean streaming full HD movies in my network.

 

[microchip]

@cmannen,

I'd suggest the AC66U, just for the sake of being a bit future-proof

 

[RogerSC]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts RogerSC. I'm tempted to go for a N66U since it's cheaper and it getting good reviews and the majority of my devices only are N compatible.
However planning on getting a Playsation 4 soon which will be my second AC device but still my focus is to retain the speed my ISP is providing to as many devices as possible (100 Mbit/s) and a N router should be good enough for that?

Will streaming benefit from more bandwidth then N has to offer if going for an AC router? Then I mean streaming full HD movies in my network.

Yes, you should have no problem using your full 100Mbps internet connection with wireless-n.

I think that wireless-n would cover you for most streaming needs, depending on how much simultaneous streaming you're going to be doing, and whether you're only streaming via your internet connection or have a NAS or server on your LAN that you're going to stream from. I think that the answer is to look into what you think that you will be doing as far as streaming goes in the near future, and what bandwidth do you need to support that. The requirements for streaming on movie from Netflix via your internet connection is clearly much different than streaming multiple HD movies concurrently from an internal server.

Also, keep in mind that if you can make a connection via an ethernet cable, that's going to be faster and more reliable than any wireless connection. The speed on wireless connections varies, speed on a hardwired connection should not. But most people don't want to add cabling to their houses if it wasn't put there when the house was built, it can be expensive and messy. However, running a single cable to an entertainment or gaming center where you can have a switch for multiple devices can be very helpful, if you can manage it.

 

[cmannen]

@cmannen,

I'd suggest the AC66U, just for the sake of being a bit future-proof

I might. Any drawbacks with the AC66 compared to the N66? Still the AC66 is USD 100 more expensive then the N66 but for the peace of mind it might be worth it.

 

[RogerSC]

@cmannen,

I'd suggest the AC66U, just for the sake of being a bit future-proof

I really don't think that spending more money to be "future-proof", whatever that means, is wise. First off, in order to take advantage of the future that you see now, it may cost you a lot more. Secondly, the future tends to move in jumps, and by the time you're ready for the future that you saw a year or two ago, there's a whole new future generation out there. I wouldn't put any more into it than you need to serve your near term needs, because you don't know what's coming. Or when it will come.

 

[microchip]

I really don't think that spending more money to be "future-proof", whatever that means, is not wise. First off, in order to take advantage of the future that you see now, it may cost you a lot more. Secondly, the future tends to move in jumps, and by the time you're ready for the future that you saw a year or two ago, there's a whole new future generation out there. I wouldn't put any more into it than you need to serve your near term needs, because you don't know what's coming. Or when it will come.

It will still cost you if in the future you have to get a new device because your old one doesn't support some new thing. We all know AC is coming, and has been approved in January 2014 by the standards association. Unless something extremely terrible happens, AC is here to stay and according to some studies, it will account for a billion devices by 2015. Granted I do not know how accurate these studies are, so take them with a pinch of salt

 

[microchip]

I might. Any drawbacks with the AC66 compared to the N66? Still the AC66 is USD 100 more expensive then the N66 but for the peace of mind it might be worth it.

I cannot talk about the N66 as I don't have it. I can only say that my AC66U has been extremely reliable thus far (using Merlin's firmware). I live in an apartment so my area is not big, but even at my neighbors' place which is 2 apartments away, I get very good signal on both frequencies.

In the end, it's your choice which one to get. If you have the money and know that you have new AC devices coming like your PS4, I'd say the AC66U or AC68U (don't have experience with that one)

 

[RogerSC]

It will still cost you if in the future you have to get a new device because your old one doesn't support some new thing. We all know AC is coming, and has been approved in January 2014 by the standards association. Unless something extremely terrible happens, AC is here to stay and according to some studies, it will account for a billion devices by 2015. Granted I do not know how accurate these studies are, so take them with a pinch of salt

I'm not saying that wireless-ac isn't here to stay, not my call *smile*. I'm saying that if you can spend less money now and meet your needs, then do that. When your needs do grow beyond that infrastructure, then that's the time to go for the future, since you'll get the next great new set of features *smile*, rather than today's great new features.

I know that this is a hard sell for most people, but I think that we should go from what we need, not from what's available or a desire to be "future proof". You can't be future proof, you don't know what's coming or when *smile*. Get what satisfies your needs, don't try to satisfy your future needs unless they're part of a concrete plan that you're committed to. If you wait to satisfy your future needs until the future, you'll end up in better shape with an infrastructure that will reflect current technology rather than the past view of the future *smile*.

Don't know if this is clear, I hope so *smile*. There's the real future, versus the future that we see now. When the real future comes, I guarantee that it will be different than what we thought the future was going to be in the past.

 

[microchip]

I'm not saying that wireless-ac isn't here to stay, not my call *smile*. I'm saying that if you can spend less money now and meet your needs, then do that. When your needs do grow beyond that infrastructure, then that's the time to go for the future, since you'll get the next great new set of features *smile*, rather than today's great new features.

I know that this is a hard sell for most people, but I think that we should go from what we need, not from what's available or a desire to be "future proof". You can't be future proof, you don't know what's coming or when *smile*. Get what satisfies your needs, don't try to satisfy your future needs unless they're part of a concrete plan that you're committed to. If you wait to satisfy your future needs until the future, you'll end up in better shape with an infrastructure that will reflect current technology rather than the past view of the future *smile*.

Don't know if this is clear, I hope so *smile*. There's the real future, versus the future that we see now. When the real future comes, I guarantee that it will be different than what we thought the future was going to be in the past.

You are correct, and I don't argue with that. But since he hinted at new device(s) coming which are AC capable, I suggested to get the AC router instead (of course, if he has the money). If not, or for some other reason, then the N is fine as well

 

[cmannen]

Thanks for all the feedback!

Think I will wait for the right deal on the the AC66N to get all the benefits of the N66 and be able to connect on AC for those devices compatible.