⚡ deal. Not the historical low price, but seeing as some people are still somehow preferring to buy the End Of Life RT-AX56U, decided to post this just so people know there is a cheaper alternative with ongoing firmware updates.
ASUS Router | Specification |
---|---|
Processor | Dual-core (4 VPE), MediaTek MT7621AT |
Memory | 128 MB Flash, 256 MB RAM |
Operating Frequency | 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz |
Data Rates | 802.11a |
Channel Widths Supported | 20/40/80 MHz |
Ports | (4) gigabit Ethernet ports, (1) gigabit WAN port |
Encryption | Open system, WPA/WPA2-Personal, WPA/WPA2-Enterprise, WPA3-Personal |
Wi-Fi Technology | OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access); MU-MIMO |
Beamforming | Standard-based and universal |
Dimensions | 9.06" x 5.28" x 2.20x" (not counting antennas) |
The ASUS RT-AX1800s (2022) is a cost reduced version of the older 2020 RT-AX55 and has a weaker processor. That's right: shrinkflation affects networking hardware too. If you happen to have the RT-AX55, then you should hang onto that, but for anyone else looking for a low-cost router or need to expand their existing AI Mesh network, this is a slightly cheaper & more secure option than the outgoing RT-AX56U which is no longer supported by ASUS. The RT-AX55 is no longer stocked on Amazon and from what I can tell, is only really in stock at a few computer stores
Merlin firmware is not supported because it runs MediaTek processor. Merlin only supports Broadcom.
There's also a ASUS ZenWiFi XD4S AX1800 Mesh 2-Pack on eBay for $178 which appears to be much cheaper than other retailers. e.g $259 from Officeworks
This is an older model (from 2020) and has okay reviews, not sure about how much longer ASUS will support it.
https://dongknows.com/asus-zenwifi-ax-mini-xd4-review/
Great post, very informative!