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I don't know if anyone else feels this way but... man this router is just such a workhorse. I'm constantly impressed with what it was when I got it (shortly after release in what.. 2011?) and just blown away how active Asus has been at supporting the router. Not only can you use aftermarket firmware with it that Asus fully supports you using... but their own firmware has been constantly updated, with new features added. Since I bought the router they have added via firmware updates the ability to do Dual WAN, extended functions for their Asus Cloud services, features for the USB port, security updates, ect.

I think the $99 I spent on this router has been the best purchase for home/SOHO networking equipment ever. Just had to say that as I updated the firmware again tonight and was looking through the features and GUI updates that add lots of functionality, like limiting individual clients bandwidth wise, you can even use a decimal place to really split some hairs

The whole decimal place thing is kinda silly and would be irrelevant if the router let you specified bandwidth in kbps in the first place.

That said, Asus routers seem to be the best OEM supported hardware on the market... not only through bugfixes or security updates but through backporting features from newer models. Maybe not perfect but a zillion times better than other routers I've bought that get 2-3 updates and then get kicked to the curb

Yeah I suppose if they let you do it in kb/s it would solve that. However with Internet connections what they are it would be a pain to worry about doing it in kb/s. Decimals are close enough.. i mean you can 100th which is more than accurate enough for 99% of network admins. I suppose if your running a network with only a few mb/s down then that may be an issue if you need granularity to that level.

My experience with Netgear and D-Link by comparison has been shameful as far as product lifespan and support. I've recently given the TP-Link brand a shot for lower priced stuff like the WDR-3600... time will tell but for $50 I don't expect much.

Welch wrote:

I don't know if anyone else feels this way but... man this router is just such a workhorse.

Agreed with multiples. Got one on the desk now running Tomato and it never barfs.

Ya, mine has been rock stable and the only time it needs to be rebooted is when Merlin releases a new release. As far as the length of official support from a manufacturer goes however, that title still has to go to Linksys's WRT-54GL which is still receiving firmware updates over a decade later and has survived two sales of the company.

Deanjo wrote:

As far as the length of official support from a manufacturer goes however, that title still has to go to Linksys's WRT-54GL

Oh, the one in the spares bin? It also ran Tomato the last time it was powered up.

I still have two running as a wireless bridge on the farm.

I paid $200 AUD for it and after 3 years it's still my router at home (running Merlin).

Only problem is that it throttles its CPU in 40c+ ambients (Australian Summer). Although this summer has been cool.

Sorry for the OT: what can be considered the true successor of this guy? I may be in the market within the next few months.

Flying Fox wrote:

what can be considered the true successor of this guy?

Asus RT-68P (from Best Buy, but I've seen them refurbushed at NewEgg for $130). Same processor and wireless h/w and s/w drivers as the Asus RT-AC87's, but not so many antennas that it looks like it needs a shave . My Samsung GN4 connects at 866MB, and my iPad2 at 702Mb (both way more than my ISP provides), and way more than any wireless device I'm likely to own in the next few years. Wired ports are all Gb, and max out the ISP b/w with room to spare. They idle at 8W, and replace routers from Cablevision and FiOS (I have both: one mostly personal, one mostly work) that each take/waste twice that much power.

Edit: Off by an order of magnitude on the iPad2, which peaks at 65Mbps.

dragmor wrote:

I paid $200 AUD for it and after 3 years it's still my router at home (running Merlin).

Only problem is that it throttles its CPU in 40c+ ambients (Australian Summer). Although this summer has been cool.

I had this issue as well but put a dedicated fan between the Asus and my modem which are both on their side and all has been rose.

Thanks for the heads up Welch, I had just checked a few days ago.

MarkG509 wrote:

and my iPad2 at 702Mb (both way

Sorry but that is not even possible with the iPad 2's Broadcom wifi chipset. If you are getting that result from somewhere then the app is not reading the link speed right. Maximum link speed with even the iPad 3 was limited to 65 Mbit.

Also became careful going with an RT 68 if you have 2.4 Gigahertz only devices. They will have trouble establishing the links (5 Ghz would be fine if your devices all support it).

I bought one for my girlfriend and I was so impressed with it I got one for myself. I have had routers in the past that needed to be rebooted about once a week. It seems bittorrent causes problems for some routers, not the Asus. I never have to reboot. I was going to install an alternate firmware but I am so happy with the existing firmware that I decided to leave it alone. The wireless coverage is good, it reaches all of my house and yard. So if your router is giving you grieve then get one of these, it's money well spent.

Deanjo wrote:

not even possible with the iPad 2's Broadcom wifi chipset

Powered the iPad2 up for the first time in months, currently updating ~26 apps, plus a pending iOS update. But, yeah, the latest Asus s/w tells me during these updates that on 5GHz I'm getting peak 65Mbps up and down, with occasional min of 6.5Mbps (prolly while it's installing the updates)). I'll edit above comment.

Damn forum just timed-out my reply..


I've found that consumer routers have a life between 3 and 5 years. My Asus RT-AC66U is now dying on me after about 4 years of service. Consumer router before that lasted about 3 years.


This time I'm going semi-commercial with a bit more robust hardware and "going back" to a mostly wired solution for video-server/client use:

https://www.ubnt.com/edgemax/edgerouter-x/

$50 shipped.

http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/deta ... l#overview

$40 shipped + $10 rebate.

and,

http://www.amazon.com/802-11n-Celing-Gi ... B00906FSH0

(..cheaper than Ubiquiti's similar product.)




A different solution - and I thought others might like to see an alternative to something like the RT-66Nu, even if it's about 20-25% more expensive and not as fast for wireless.


Note: the Switch is the "E" version, a managed switch or "smart" switch. There is a cheaper version available without the management, be careful about price searches on the switch that you aren't looking at a less expensive "dumb" switch when you really want the "E" version "smart" switch.

Flying Fox wrote:

Sorry for the OT: what can be considered the true successor of this guy? I may be in the market within the next few months.

The RT-AC88U or the RT-5300 appear to be the next evolution of the Broadcom chipsets.

The former is a 4TX & 4RX AC design with MU-MIMO.
The latter is a behemoth meant to power three simultaneous networks, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and one more 5GHz. Legacy 2.4, Legacy 5, and modern 5 is the idea.

I just moved my RT-N66U over from router duties to legacy 2.4GHz duties.
New AC88U has taken over 5GHz. Just finished updating the laptop Wi-Fi cards to Intel 7260 models for 2x2 AC. Got a bridge to update next month, with that done, should be able to shift from N only to AC only on the 88U.

CScottG wrote:

I've found that consumer routers have a life between 3 and 5 years. My Asus RT-AC66U is now dying on me after about 4 years of service. Consumer router before that lasted about 3 years.

My WRT54GSv4 is at least on its 7th year (I think). Must be a good unit. /knock-on-wood I suppose with Robbers' 60GiB cap the traffic it handled was somewhat capped over the years.

Follow-up: do all those RT-AC68P/U and the RT-AC88U have custom rom's and good development communities behind them?

Edit: Delete duplicate post. The TR fora are somewhat unresponsive tonight.

CScottG wrote:

good development communities

Asus routers run OpenWRT, which has most source available, except for the proprietary closed-source low-level drivers. There are several forks available, the (best?) most popular of which is Merlin. Although I run the stock firmware, which Asus updates almost monthly, I follow the various forums at SmallNetBuilder, especially AsusWRT-Merlin.

The Merlin author is very knowledgeable and responsive, and has provided enough instruction that I built my own firmware (but never bothered to install it - just wanted to know I could). It was the community around the Asus routers that convinced me to dive in.

MarkG509 wrote:

The Merlin author is very knowledgeable and responsive, and has provided enough instruction that I built my own firmware (but never bothered to install it - just wanted to know I could). It was the community around the Asus routers that convinced me to dive in.

Ya Merlin is a good tweaker. That's probably why you see a bunch of his changes being incorporated in later Asus firmware revisions as well. He might as well be called co-developer.


BTW, for anyone with an Asus router, they recently came out with a nifty iOS/Android app that allows monitoring and changing of firmware settings. It's just called "Asus Router".

I liked mine until I accidentally bricked it. They run a little hot, but they're good routers.

This thread is most impressive.......

The AC version was known to overheat. Never really saw too much point to it as a product unless using an AC wireless NIC was a must. The 66u can handle 900mb/s vs 1gb/s, albeit N router is 3 seperate radios.

I've recently bought an Asus RT-AC3200 for a client office... we shall see how well it works.

Welch wrote:

The AC version was known to overheat. Never really saw too much point to it as a product unless using an AC wireless NIC was a must. The 66u can handle 900mb/s vs 1gb/s, albeit N router is 3 seperate radios.

I've recently bought an Asus RT-AC3200 for a client office... we shall see how well it works.

Overheating is exactly what is occurring with my "AC" version.


Yes, I don't think there is much point to AC unless you have this setup and need: good transmission for 5 GHz band (meaning few walls/floors/ceilings and only moderate distance (or adding-on a suitable extender), AC adapter*s*, and several full HD video streams going at once. Plus, even with an AC adapter (also made by Asus), I never once got anything near their theoretical limit on testing (with proper setup).

3x 2.4 GHz seems a lot more practical to me.


Hope the new router works out (despite the "above").

For the N vs AC discussion: let's take the Asus' "66U" models as a comparison. With only ~$20 difference, why not get the AC model?

Krogoth wrote:

This thread is most impressive.......

Twice in less than a month, Krogoth? You're getting soft.

Flying Fox wrote:

For the N vs AC discussion: let's take the Asus' "66U" models as a comparison. With only ~$20 difference, why not get the AC model?

Heat IMO, the N has a better track record all around. Otherwise there is very little noticable difference. Unless you are going for a pure AC network.