Popular router with good reviews, been watching for this one to drop a bit more so I can upgrade. (It looks like it's not the UK version that you can't adjust the WLAN region on..)
CamelCamelCamel.
What's you favourite features Merlin adds?
Problems.
Cake sqm
For a household with a large number of wifi devices / smart devices - do you see the tri-band AX11000 having advantages over the RT-AX86U? I'm still scratching my head. Finally about to move into a house and want to make the right choice :P
We have at least 25 devices connected at all times. When visitors come over, sometimes 50+ devices, no issues. It handles them all without hiccups, as opposed to cheaper options or cheaper mesh setups that don't have strong hardware that start to struggle with a lot of WiFi devices connected. Tri-band AX11000 is only really useful for those who have a massive house with multiple floors, that need a strong mesh setup, so they buy the AX11000 and connect two of these AX86U's to it for example (keeping an entire band seperate for the mesh setups only), with the other two for devices.
That's a brilliant explanation, thanks so much! I had understood fragments from various sites but you've put it all together in 3 sentences perfectly!
I am with TPG HFC connection(50/20) and I have a TP link deco M5 mesh that’s I am using to extend the range as I live in a double story house would you think if I use this I can get rid off the mesh System ? Currently using the Deco M5 as an access point as the main router/modem is from Huawei HG659-12. Thanks
@Sunnyoz: I would say as you are on a 50/20 connection I wouldn't. To be honest this router is overkill even for those on 100/20 or 100/40 connections. It's only really worth it for those with 250Mbps or 1Gbps where the speed changes over the range is noticeable.
But it is Amazon AU, and if it goes on special again, you can try it and if you don't like it, return it within 30 days, they don't even ask why if it's within 30 days. Just make sure the seller is Amazon AU themselves, not a third party and not Amazon UK or US.
1Gbps internet? Wow
It's 2022, not 2012.
It's crappy that not everyone has FTTP thanks to, well everyone knows who, but to say routers like this have no use just isn't true. A lot of people still have access to consistently fast internet in Australia, and a lot more need the range in their homes and this router pretty much outperforms any of the mesh setups below this price point for those with a Gigabit connection or even a 250Mbps connection.
Have family in Canada on the basic package. $CAD50 per month for 10/1Mbps and 100GB limit. Worse than Australia mate.
The US and Canada have way worse telco plans that Australia and thats because of the weak consumer protection laws.
They charge you all these surcharges.
Just read on the weekend if you bring your router they won't diagnose any issues with it because you didn't pay their equipment fee.
is it weak consumer laws or just the socialised nature of our broadband
This isn't a modem. It's a router and does a lot more than distribute an internet connection.
Better off using ethernet
I do agree in principle, and in practice I do still connect my main gaming PC via ethernet. But both my PS5 and my iPhone 13 Pro Max have WiFi 6 capabilities, as does my wife's iphone 12 and Lenovo Yoga Slim Lapto, and I have a 1Gbps Fibre connection through Aussie Broadband, so I bought an ASUS RT-AX88U wifi router a few months ago, and haven't looked back.
What speeds are you getting over wifi? I can only manage to hit 300-600mbps. A few times I got 700mbps right next to the router.
I have a gigabit connection and the AX86u :(
Hi HasibA - I just did an ookla speedtest on my iphone for you:
on Telstra 5G I got down: 346 up: 17.6
on gigabit wifi 6 I got down: 351 up: 40.6
So seems like my wifi 6 is almost exactly same, maybe slightly faster, on the download, but more than twice as fast on the upload as Telstra 5G. YMMV
@Gamer Dad Reviews: I've gotten 900+ Mbps on WiFi 6 with the AX86U
Download Merlin Firmware for your AX88U: https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/
On your gaming PC go to:
192.168.50.1
And update your firmware to the latest 386.5
@ThatsCheap: Can you DM me your settings? I’ll download Merlin tomorrow and test it out. Using all stock firmware settings on latest version :(
@Bisah1342: Here are my custom Wireless (General 5Ghz) & (Professional) settings and WAN settings:
Focusing on performance over efficiency.
@ThatsCheap: tried your settings and I cannot hit >700mbps :(
Funnily enough, on the router settings GUI, I can do 950mbps. No idea why that is
@ThatsCheap: I’m not sure! I’ve tested on a MacBook, PC, iPhone etc. all max out at 600-700mbps
What devices do you test over wifi?
@Bisah1342: Change the server on Speedtest, don't use the default. Check Telstra servers that are closest to you, they're usually the fastest, but not always.
@ThatsCheap: Yeah done all that :( I might ask Asus direct!!!! Highest I’ve ever had was 800mbps.
Maybe my area is super congested
What device are you connecting with? What Wifi speed does it connect at? For example the iphone 11, 12 and 13 all only have a max theoretical wifi speed of 1200Mbps on the 5 GHz band so in real life and not right next to the router you're going to see much slower speeds than that.
@munted: I’ve tried iPhone 13 pro max, MacBook Air M1, pc with AX wifi6 adapter etc etc. all between 300-700mbps, never seen Ookla.com Speedtest > 700.
On Asus’ internal Speedtest in the router settings, I get 900. But I feel like that’s not really real world lol
@Bisah1342: May I ask what internet plan are you using at the moment? I am on NBN HFC 50, don't know if it still worth the get this router?
not to rub it in but i get comparable speeds with cheap $60 xiaomi ax1800 routers in mesh mode
that being said they are fairly limited and locked down devices with little support and no after market english firmware and it's built off a hacked closed source version of dd-wrt
guess i am not rubbing it in at all really
btw considering the comparable speeds you are probably limited to ax1800 or something close to that on your client device? i imagine it would be much faster otherwise - or perhaps there is some serious wireless pollution at your place
@desync: Good Point.
Can you recommend a budget mesh/router for a single-story 400m2 house?
Stability and reliability are more important to me than speed as my location still uses VDSL and only has NBN 100
Yeah I'll just hook up all of my lightbulbs and IoT stuff to ethernet.
Damn, why didn't any of us think of this earlier?!
how this compare to a mesh e.g. tplink deco m9
An ethernet backhaul mesh will have larger coverage than a single router like this.
how about just wireless backhaul, if that's a thing
It is a thing, but generally you want a tri-band mesh system as 1 of the 5Ghz bands is dedicated as a backhaul. In fact, Netgear Orbi dedicated wireless backhaul is so heavily customized that it's no longer available to serve clients even if you want it to.
Ideally though, I'd recommend a dual-band mesh system with wired backhaul for both performance and cost.
Regarding this particular router, AiMesh is really good and you could easily turn it into a mesh system later on.
Most people probably just use wireless to connect the two or three mesh together. If the signal are good between the mesh, then overall you still get a better signal than a single router.
If signal between them are bad, Mesh will give you more headache than single one.
Do not use wireless backhaul on this, it’s a dual band router so one of the bands will be dedicated to your backhaul limiting you to a single band. Tri-band routers are much more dedicated for the purpose of wireless backhaul.
For anyone who want some recommendations on wifi 6 wireless backhaul routers
I would look at the RT-AX92U 2 pack or the GT-AX11000, both offer significant speed and bandwidth improvements compared to a lot of other mesh routers.
This router is great if you’re using it standalone and live in a smaller house. It is far from enough if you live in a two storey house though
@Yve: Thanks for the info, I'll most likely need to use it in a mesh configuration so might skip, tempting as it is.
Downsides though
- RT-AX92U: no Merlin support, only 512MB RAM, slower dual-core CPU, only 1 of the 5GHz bands is Wifi 6?
- GT-AX11000: hot damn, $600-800 per unit, and I would need 2? Ouch.
Edit: RT-AX92U does seem great value though, even if it is a little older. Might tide me over until 6E is mature and more widespread.
if you are just using this by itself, if your house is large/has lots of walls and lots of devices, then it probably won't be as good as if you had a mesh setup.
I live in a normal sized house - router is at one end, office is at the other. I get some lag/dropouts (especially on video conferencing etc). Installed an Eero mesh and problem solved.
YMMV
you can get comparable speeds off a $60 xiaomi x1800 router in mesh mode
that being said it is a fairly simple device, if you need advanced features it might not be for you
Would also like to know as well
How does this improve the range? I thought all 5Ghz are low range Compared to 2.4Ghz due to how frequencies work.
5ghz < 2.4ghz range, but you can still have comparatively higher 5ghz compared to other 5ghz, due to stronger antennas, MU-MIMO, beamforming etc. Still not as good as just having a mesh network (with ethernet backhaul) so you are physically closer.
Tempting but I must resist and wait for UBNT 6E AP to be released.
Brilliant router, highly recommend.
I bought it mainly to use WireGuard since its now available in Merlin for AX routers.
I was going to purchase this router to try and solve a new problem.. does anyone know why GNAT Type has been changed lately? Apparently ISP said that there was a recent industry change which has affected NAT types for online gaming and has since reduced connectivity for online console gaming. I noticed this change about a week ago and ISP wants me to pay $10 extra per month for a static IP to help with a work around, which is ridiculous since this has not been a problem for years and suddenly It is because something has changed.
Purchasing a new router doesn't get around CG-NAT.
There is a worldwide shortage of IPv4 addresses and they are expensive to purchase new ones. To save costs some ISPs have moved onto using Carrier Grade NAT (CG-NAT for short) that gives you a shared public IP and for most users this isn't a problem. Pay the $10/month for a static IP to get off CG-NAT or swap to an ISP that doesn't use CG-NAT to fix your gaming NAT problem.
Thank you, that's very helpful and saved me $399 lol.
I'm with AussieBB and I opted out of CG-NAT and it cost nothing at the time.
90% of people won't even notice the change to CG-NAT which is why most ISP's did it without even blinking.
@Deviner: Where did you get the 90% from? CG-NAT sucks and makes it a hassle to access your home/LAN services remotely.
When I was stuck on CG-NAT, I had to rent a VPS to use as a VPN or reverse SSH tunnel so that I could access the LAN.
Name and shame the ISP. Static IP or an IP that isn't CGNAT should be free if requested. Or a refundable deposit taken to ensure that only those that need it ask for it.
You are paying for a service.
It's an embedded network ISP for a large complex. They are Uniti Wireless part of Exetel I think.. I spoke to them and they just told me to read an email which explains that I need to pay $10 per month to get access to static IP to fix this
Assuming you can't change providers? That is such a rip. At least move you to a dynamic IP for no cost without CGNAT.
You can request a public IP from Uniti. You only have to pay the $10/month if you want a static IP. Source: I'm with them.
@cheapbloke: Thanks! What’s the difference between having a public IP or a static one in that case? Is the public one less secure or more vulnerable?
@mrmaltalian: A public IP can be changed by the ISP at anytime and it is not less secure.
A static IP doesn't change.
I don’t need it.
I don’t need it.
I don’t need it.
I experience random speed drops (50mbps to say 10 mpbps tested over Ethernet as well) mostly during peak hours which often gets fixed by restarting the modem. My current modem is Dlink DVA 2800. What are the chances that it's a problem with the modem?
If the problem persists over ethernet, it's very unlikely a router issue.
Thank you. Just wanted to confirm before I invest in a modern.
Also important to note, this is a router only. It does not have a built in modem capability. Most routers these days don't have modem capabilities sadly.
For the record, these Asus routers have great parental control features.
what do your kids get up to m8
:D
Not much because they can't…
Is there anything better over what a cheap AC68U on merlin has already?
No quantity available? I bought this on Sunday so that's annoying! Looks like I'm doing the return and getting the refund difference.
If only considering wifi signal performance behind 2 single brick walls, should I choose this one,AX88u or AX11000?
If you have two compatible Asus routers you can run them in AI Mesh mode, for even greater range.
This or 2x Unifi 6 Lites?
Purchased. Thanks OP
what's the normal coverage with this router? I'm living in a house with 130 sq meters
I would be shocked and appalled if this couldn't cover that.
thanks, bought one.
Thanks OP, got one. Have been waiting forever for this to drop on price.
Same - been watching for months, almost pulled the trigger this morning @ $441
I was cheering when I saw it at $399
Can you reduce the wifi transmission power on this? I have the AC68U and dont have any such options.
You can do that with the AC68U. Just go into the professional settings on the Wireless and it’s the last option.
Ah, Thanks! I thought it did not exist. Just set it to the lowest and its still overkill lol. But good, I now know atleast its at the lowest.
What is the purpose of reducing the transmit power?
Maybe worried about broadcasting too far or overlaps with neighbours wifi
Ya, it almost goes till the next building. Its overkill for 2bedroom apartment. Like 30% of the power is enough.
Reduces your radio temperatures too by reducing power, if you're running Merlin you can see the CPU and radio temps, lower is better for their longevity. Not sure if stock Asus firmware allows you to see temps.
If I was to run two of these on aimesh wireless over 5GHz, what’s the max kind of data rate I could be looking at since they are dual band routers
Will this ever hit $300?
I'll let you know in a sec…
I think this is now out of stock?
It’s showing at $441. I’m assuming the price has reverted back? Sorry. Not sure if I missed a code or instruction
Nope still showing $400 are you a prime member
I'm also getting $441. Do I need to be a prime member?
what kind of houses and plans are you all on to need such spec'd up router like this..
Any deals on a decent modem router? Never see any these days… Don't really care about wifi speeds as long as it's stable (we only use 2.4ghz).
still on the hunt for a superior version of the 4g-ax56
Will this pair well with the good old AC68U for a mesh setup in a double-storey house over 400m2?
![[Back Order] Asus RT-AX86U Dual Band Wi-Fi 6 AX5700 Router $399 Delivered @ Amazon AU](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/59/688459.jpg?h=2a92284f)
Was just about to post, but seeing as it's already here, thanks OP:
For those of us in Australia with 1Gbps internet or slower, this has the range and speed to match, and in some reviews exceed, the performance of the more expensive ASUS ROG Rapture Wireless-AX11000
Spec vs Spec comparison:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/compare/ASUS_RT-AX86U_vs_ASUS…
Highly recommend the easy to install Merlin Firmware for those who own it too (which does not void warranty):
https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/