ASUS RT-AC58U vs ASUS RT-AC68U

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mags88

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#253173 30-Jul-2019 17:33

Hello all!

Long time lurker.. first time poster.

I am putting together everything for my new house and one thing I cannot decide on is between these two routers.

The house will be 160m2
One level house
Main use will be for streaming and general browsing
Light gaming use

Is the extra $150-$200 for the 68 worth it over the lower spec ASUS RT-AC58U?

I am always open to a spanner in the works so if someone wants to throw another router suggestion then go for it!

Cheers.

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meow
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#2285899 30-Jul-2019 18:05

Look at my router guide in my signature.

Long story short - consumer grade routers are not worth the money. You're best to either invest in a mesh solution (look at the Ubiquiti AmpliFi line available from PBTech or Go Wireless) or in dedicated access points.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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sbiddle

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#2285901 30-Jul-2019 18:09

What router does your RSP supply? Any reason you're not just using that?

If you need better wireless performance or more devices you can just put an AP in the house which is way cheaper than buying overpriced routers.

Batman

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#2285942 30-Jul-2019 18:46

yes but my overpriced router is able to let me watch youtube from the main street, where as my spark supplied hg659 i can't even get a signal in the back room. house is double storey with a foot print of around 160m2.

mags88

37 posts

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#2285990 30-Jul-2019 19:44

I will be with 2Degrees so I assume it would be one of the Fritz!box's? I have never had an experience with this piece of hardware but all my previous supplied units have sucked. Which has led me to consider buying my own hardware.

Thanks for all the input.

Spyware

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#2285992 30-Jul-2019 19:48

Have you considered data cabling your house and installing access points in appropriate places? Router typically is installed at a central location to route (between Internet and local area network). Using a combo router/access point to cover an entire house is not always, if ever, the best solution.

michaelmurfy

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#2285994 30-Jul-2019 19:53

The Fritz!Box is far better than either one of these Asus routers. For a grand total of $160 you can also purchase a second one from them and mesh them if you're needing additional WiFi coverage.

At-least it is able to route at Gigabit speeds.

richms

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#2286033 30-Jul-2019 20:37

Keep their router, and hang some decent wifi gear off it over the house if you need additional coverage. That way you still have support from them, and dont get fobbed off when you call up and have something else plugged in. Also the fritz can do decent routing speeds which I have lost count of the asus's that have lost that ability until factory reset and reconfigured because some obscure option was turned on that the web interface never turns off again.

Richard rich.ms

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Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

mags88

37 posts

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#2286037 30-Jul-2019 20:44

Thanks for the replies. I will go with the Fritz!box and take it from there.

acetone

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#2286056 30-Jul-2019 21:04

Just as a random data point, I have the DSL-AC68U in a 150m2 house with fibre. I had to buy a router many years ago as I went with an ISP that didn't provide one.

It has worked flawlessly for me, coming up to 4 years. Simple to use and has all the features that I need like VPN and guest wireless.

Azzura

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#2286109 30-Jul-2019 22:16

I have an RT-AC68U and it has been working flawless for years now. House is 235m2 and just sitting here in the living room on the other side of the wall was hitting 360's Mbps for download (using app on phone). Down the far end of the house in the garage was into the 100's for download. It does the job I need for now..not high on the list to be replaced...maybe someday.

nzkc

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#2286134 31-Jul-2019 00:21

michaelmurfy:

The Fritz!Box is far better than either one of these Asus routers. For a grand total of $160 you can also purchase a second one from them and mesh them if you're needing additional WiFi coverage.

At-least it is able to route at Gigabit speeds.

Just for the record, I have an Asus RT-AC58U (running OpenWRT mind you) and it handles Gigabit internet fine:

michaelmurfy

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#2312029 7-Sep-2019 00:22

nzkc:

Just for the record, I have an Asus RT-AC58U (running OpenWRT mind you) and it handles Gigabit internet fine:

Yes... Running OpenWRT. Try that with the stock firmware without CTF enabled.

Scott3

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#2312106 7-Sep-2019 09:45

I have the RT-AC86U.

Works flawlessly, except it can't route gigabit with PPPoE. Tops out around 500Mbps. Frankly would avoid if you are planing to get gigabit.

Like OP, I have never had a good experience with various ISP supplied all in one routers, and as such didn't bother forking out the $15postage for the 2degrees one. People seem to be singing the praises of the latest 2degrees one though.

nzkc

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#2312131 7-Sep-2019 10:22

michaelmurfy:

nzkc:

Just for the record, I have an Asus RT-AC58U (running OpenWRT mind you) and it handles Gigabit internet fine:

Yes... Running OpenWRT. Try that with the stock firmware without CTF enabled.

Actually found I have to disable "Routing/NAT Offloading" in OpenWRT otherwise remote Plex sessions don't work. Cannot work out why - suspected MTU but changes made no difference. Anyway still handles 1Gbps fine - get the results I posted above. I suspect OpenWRT is more efficient anyway.

My point is that, for its price, it's a great little router especially if you're prepared to put some effort into flashing OpenWRT to it. I flashed it right away and didn't bother with the stock firmware (which was also before I got Gb internet) so I can't comment on whether that could handle 1 Gbps or not. I'd happily recommend it to friends and family if they need a cheap replacement as its not going to be something they continually bug me to fix. It just works.

Scott3

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#2312516 7-Sep-2019 20:58

Scott3:

I have the RT-AC86U.

Works flawlessly, except it can't route gigabit with PPPoE. Tops out around 500Mbps. Frankly would avoid if you are planing to get gigabit.

Like OP, I have never had a good experience with various ISP supplied all in one routers, and as such didn't bother forking out the $15postage for the 2degrees one. People seem to be singing the praises of the latest 2degrees one though.

This should have been RT-AC68U.

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