It's stronger than the Asus AC86U it replaced, which i found to work quite well for the last 7-8 years or so that I've owned it (I got it mid 2017 iirc). Well, except for wifi 7 and 6E stuff in higher bands, it's hard to really say, line of sight helps a lot but I've only really tried wireless vr twice so far and as long as it's LOS the experience was quite good.
Say what you will about asus lately, but they make pretty good consumer components, the old ac86u was highly supported both from asus and the aftermarket firmware community, asus seems to be a lot less against that kind of thing than other brands, which I find important.
Got the Asus ac86u recently for 30Dollars.
Can instal Merlin's firmware with some extra features other than my isp crap one.
I save ram and processing power by tuening off their gaming related stuff and traffic log stuff.
Check what models are currently supported by the latest alternative firmwares if you want to tinker with it.
I currently have an ASUS RT-AC86U PRO - It has been a beast and still is in many regards. When I initially got it, my 2.4Ghz range and speed improved considerably in the distant parts of the house (not large, 1600sq ft). After adding a few wireless cameras, now the performance of the 2.4 Ghz band is unstable and slow, 5Ghz not existent at the furthest corner of the house.
I analyzed the coverage, changed channels to less crowded options, and have the most up to date firmware and doing nightly reboots. Still no good as you get further away.
I am thinking about adding a second Asus router and create a mesh - I almost got the ASUS RT-BE92U until I read the horror stories about instability and constant reboots.
Can you recommend a stable option from Asus that would be suitable in this case? I would potentially pay up a bit for a triband but definitely not the 92U.
I have been an ASUS user for more than a decade. Had a RT-AC86U until a close lightning killed it. Now I have a RT-AX86U Pro running Merlin firmware.
Refer to: https://www.asus.com/us/product-compare?ProductID=26439,25357&LevelId=Networking-IoT-Servers-WiFi-7
Both routers are close from a specifications perspective. However, there are a few differences that may help you decide.
More than a decade ago I needed a router and LinkSys was my choice. I returned it the next day and bought an ASUS RT-AC86U and met my requirements until a near lightning strike took it out. I replaced with an ASUS RT-AX86U which has been fantastic. Both routers used Merlin firmware. Today, you need to understand your requirements and then go to the ASUS website and compare/contrast but before you buy go to https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net to confirm Merlin support. Additionally, choose a router that has features that will future proof your home network.
I have had the ASUS 86U routers for more than a decade. I’d still be using the first one if it wasn’t for lightning. The replacement router an RT-AX86U Pro has been in operation for a couple of years now and I use Asuswrt-Merlin firmware rather than ASUS. Asuswrt-Merlin updates firmware components more frequently as well as redesigns some of it though the core is base on latest ASUS build. I use it in a 1,600 sq ft condo.
Top WiFi Routers on Reddit
1
GL.iNet
GL-MT6000 (Flint 2)
91% positive of 200 users
OpenWrt enthusiast's choice; good value, but lacks 6GHz.
BMWtooner
