Suggestions / Feedback on Asus wireless routers?

[GoodData]

I am finding that working with the stock XB7 gateway provided by Rogers difficult. Many of its functions are automated and locked.

I will likely purchase a wireless router and use the XB7 Gateway in bridge mode.

I have but a low internet speed (75u) and do not need an expensive router.

Following are three Asus routers that currently are on Sale.

Asus RT-AX55

Asus RT-AX86S

Asus RT-AX88U (3x more expensive than the RT-AX55, and older, but is supported by Merlin firmware)

I do not mind paying more but do not plan on radically increasing the speed of my Rogers internet plan. I am the sole user in our household. Any feedback on which of the 3 Asus router listed above you might recommend is appreciated!

[-G-]

@GoodData  What is is, specifically, about that XB7 gateway that you find intolerable or broken?  Without knowing your functional and non-functional technical requirements, we cannot really provide you with any useful guidance.  To be honest, none of those ASUS routers meet my technical requirements.  If they all meet yours, then go with the cheapest option.  The Merlin firmware is also great but another option is to buy a router that runs OpenWrt.

Comcast's vision for consumer Internet (they designed hardware that Rogers uses for their Ignite services) is that it should be like electricity or water coming out of your tap.  It should "just work", and consumers should not have to worry about any of the technical aspects of running or managing their in-home network.  For most people, it does just that.  To get started, they just need to configure a Wi-Fi name and passphrase.  Most people don't even need to do any more than that.

The most common problems that people run into are when some of their Wi-Fi devices refuse to connect, they cannot get port forwarding to work, devices (such as VoIP ATAs) don't work or stop working, or there are specific configuration options that they require that the Ignite gateways do not provide.

For any of the above, when none of the known workarounds work, people pick a vendor whose products they like and that meet their budget.

If you have specific requirements for security or firewall functionality, have the highest-available speed of Internet service that you want to make use of, or need the fastest available Wi-Fi or need very fine-grained control over how your in-home Wi-Fi works at a very low level, that's where your options are either very hard to find, very expensive, very specific, not satisfied by consumer-grade network products, or a solution that you may need to design, implement and integrate on your own.

For almost all of Rogers customers, the Ignite gateway works perfectly fine.  I have non-technical family members who have never had to call me because their Wi-Fi (or anything about their home network) stopped working.  They also like that they can manage their Ignite gateway using a mobile app.

[GoodData]

Thank you @-G- for your reply. I miss the web GUI on my legacy Rogers gateway, now returned.

I am finding the XB7 gateway difficult as devices read duplicated, the mobile app is a kludge on my older iPhone, and for instance I now can not even change the wifi transmission broadcast channels.

Hence my post. I appreciate your feedback.

[Datalink]

@GoodData here are some numbers for the Asus routers that are worth considering:

RT-AX55

Transmit/Receive 2.4GHz 2x2
                                5GHz 2x2

Processor 1.5GHz quad-core

Memory 128 MB Flash
                256 MB RAM

RT-AX86U / RT-AX86S

Transmit/Receive 2.4GHz 3x3
                               5GHz 4x4

Processor

RT-AX86U:1.8GHz quad-core processor
RT-AX86S:1.8GHz dual- core processor

Memory   RT-AX86U: 256 MB Flash
                                           1 GB RAM
                  RT-AX86S: 256MB Flash
                                      512MB RAM

RT-AX88U

Transmit/Receive 2.4GHz 4x4
                                   5GHz 4x4

Processor 1.8 GHz quad-core processor

Memory 256 MB Flash, 1 GB RAM

Fwiw, the RT-AX86S and RT-AX88U will be faster for wifi due to the number of antenna that they use and due to the slightly faster processor.  I think, out of the two of them, I'd pick the RT-AX88U as it has a 1.8 Ghz quad core processor.   

I've left the RT-AX86U numbers in, just to show the difference between that and the RT-AX86S.  Looks like Asus cut the RAM in half for the AX86S.  Fwiw, I have an AX86U and I've been disappointed with the wifi performance.  The source of that disappointment comes from the first AX86U that I had, which exhibited numerous wifi dropouts throughout the day.  I swapped routers for a newer version and still see occasional wifi dropouts with one particular tablet operating at a medium range from the router.  I think the wifi performance has improved thru a router swap and possibly  a driver update imbedded within the firmware.  I believe that there is one more Asus update out now or soon to be released which might improve the wifi performance once again.  Fwiw, my RT-AC68U and RT-AC86U routers have been rock solid in terms of their wifi performance, so the AX86U has been a disappointment in comparison to those two routers.  

Fwiw, I'm running Merlin's Asuswrt, along with the Skynet and Diversion addon's.  Diversion works very well for filtering adds on web sites, so, if that's something that you're looking for, its worth considering.  

Other food for thought, have a look at the Small Net Builders web site for comments on the routers that your considering and any other comments on Merlin's Asuswrt that might peak your interest. 

https://www.snbforums.com/forums/asuswrt-merlin.42/

https://www.snbforums.com/forums/asus-ax-routers-adapters.56/

https://www.snbforums.com/forums/asuswrt-merlin-addons.60/

Edit:  Just had a second look at this and noticed that the RT-AX86S only has a 1.8GHz dual- core processor.  So, no Quad Core processor.  For that reason, a quad core processor, combined with the additional memory, I'd buy the RT-AX88U.

[GoodData]

Thank you @Datalink. So I take it that you would prefer the Asus RT-AX86S over the RT-AX55 if you were in my shoes (low cable speed, 75 unlimited). On sale the 86S would cost some CAN $90 more. But I would not mind if wi-fi coverage, performance, etc. might be better in our 2.5 story townhouse.

FYI, I believe there is a recent update indeed for your RT-AX86U.

[Datalink]

@GoodData my preference to buy any of these routers would be in the following order:

1.  RT-AX88U  (has a quad core 1.8 Ghz processor, 1 Gb ram and 4x4 antenna)

2.  RT-AX86S  (has a dual core 1.8 Ghz processor, only 512 Mb ram and 3x3 or 4x4 antenna.  You would notice the slower processor)

3.  RT-AX55  (has a slightly slower processor combined with only 2x2 transmit/receive antenna

Although I personally prefer the RT-AX86U/RT-AX86S vertical form, from the numbers the RT-AX88U will be a better performing router.  

For whatever router you buy, set the 5 Ghz wifi channel to use channels 149 to 161.  Then run a wifi reception test around the house to ensure that you're going to be satisfied with its performance.  You can check the wifi receive numbers on a Windows laptop by using WinFi lite, which can be downloaded from here:

https://www.tethabyte.com/

That's probably the best freebie wifi analyzer around these days.  They've been working on a paid version for forever, don't know what the holdup is.  So, load that on a windows laptop, and then do a wifi survey around your home in various locations.  Park the laptop in those locations for at least two to three minutes to let the numbers settle out and compare how your wifi network is doing in comparison to the neighbours networks.  While you're at it, have a look for the Technicolour (vendor) labeled networks which will be the XB6/7/8 modems.  You should be able to see the Vendor ID column somewhere to the right.

[GoodData]

Thank you again @Datalink for all the feedback.. So I take it that the most expensive wireless router on the list would be your first recommendation? The Asus RT-AX88U as you know is an older router. Although it is still being supported by both Asus and Merlin.

Might you expect I'll experience a significant improvement with the RT-AX88u over the other Asus routers on the list given for instance my being the sole internet user in our household? On but a low speed internet plan.

[Datalink · Accepted solution]

Hi @GoodData based on the numbers, the 88U would be my first choice.  That's based on the combination of the processor, onboard memory and 4x4 antenna.  Its unfortunate that the AX86S has a Dual Core processor instead of a quad core processor.  If you're concerned about the age of the AX88U, then the AX86S would be the next choice.  Fwiw, the AC86U has a dual core 1.8 Ghz processor and ours ran without any issue, with Skynet and Diversion running while family members were streaming, gaming, etc, etc.  

[-G-]

@GoodData With the RT-AX55, RT-AX86S and RT-AX88U, one thing to keep in mind is that all of those routers have 1 GigE LAN and WAN ports.  The RT-AX88U will serve you well, even with the 500u service which, in my case, gave me download speeds of over 700 Mb/s.  However, with the new Ignite 1.5 Gigabit Internet service, your WAN throughput will top out at 940 Mb/s.

I'm only pointing this out because, while it makes sense to spend a bit more money to future-proof, all of the routers on your list will soon be considered, at best, mainstream technology.