Asus ASUS RT-AC68U Dual-Band Wireless-AC 1900 The Super-Fast Asus RT-AC68U Wi-Fi Router Gives You Combined Dual-Band Data Rates Of Up To 1900Mbps For A First-Class Online Experience.Was £149 save £50 Next best price Currys £109 Please expire as deal is now ended.I got mine
Top comments
demosn
28 May 177#4
it adds a magician named Merlyn
ddaann_99
27 May 175#2
Slap Merlin firmware on that bad boy and you've got a formidable piece of networking kit for your dollar.
frownbreaker
28 May 173#20
SKY Q is a mesh based Wifi system. It sends the streaming TV data over 5gHz to the Sky units around the house.
This is done to avoid the likely more congested 2.4 gHz signals. This unit would NOT be a drop in replacement for SKY Q.
Having said that this is one of the best mid range APs around. It will beat most any other cable modem at this price point for reliable connection, throughput and speeds with many connected clients. It will outperform the Virgin, Sky and BT units for range and coverage.
I'd recommend buying this and using it in conjunction with your Sky / Virgin / BT modem you can disable the Wifi on the ISPs modem and link the modem to this via cable. Its best to place this unit not on the ground floor but on the first or second floor of a typical house near the middle. This will increase the range / coverage. I used to have 3 Access points around the house using a 5gHz mesh for internet and 2.4gHz for client. I replaced that setup with this SINGLE unit. Performance is incomparable, fast, robust and reliable for >4 years.
Its worth noting 5gHz does not have the same range (it's less) than 2.4gHz. Its worth doing a site survey of your house / flat / accommodation using a tablet / smartphone with Wifi Analyzer (Android). Apple phones cannot run this type of software. Then use the least congested channel (the software will recommend one for you)
If you live in a build up area then it might be worth doing this survey every 6 months or so in case you have someone nearby with a new router. Also some folk turn off their routers when not in use so its worth running the survey a few times, weekday, weekend and nights.
You could keep the Sky Q kit and just use this unit for 2.4gHz. Again the best solution depends on how you will use the network in your home. Which depends on your devices and when you / others will use them for what type of use.
One other feature this unit has that is overlooked is the high speed connections it supports to ASUS PCI Wifi cards. This does beamforming and I've used it and got very fast performance. I've sold my ASUS PCI card as I cabled the whole house.
If you are not familiar with ASUS they are a top end brand and OEM. Their radio kit is superb (open this up an look and the thermal engineering) also the design offloads most tasks to hardware and unlike many companies they keep shipping updated firmware. My unit is >4 years old and I got a firmware update only last week! They also take some of the Merlin patches and add them to the official firmware,
Hot. I have the DSL version if this to work with my BT / Plusnet Fibre Broadband and it is a fantastic piece of hardware and software. Highly recommended for the device. The retailer though is a different story.......
ddaann_99
27 May 175#2
Slap Merlin firmware on that bad boy and you've got a formidable piece of networking kit for your dollar.
Bucky4321 to ddaann_99
27 May 171#3
what does Merlin add over the stock firmware as I have this router and think it's grest
demosn
28 May 177#4
it adds a magician named Merlyn
akashi
28 May 17#5
Same price on Amazon but currently OOS. Can still order now and dispatched when back in stock.
Walgeon
28 May 17#6
i have this exact one. It works great and has great features.
You can get it cheaper when Amazon do sales... but its worth this price
DrManhattan
28 May 171#7
VPN at router. You need a modem though.
Mikeygolfgt
28 May 17#8
What does the custom firmware offer that the stock doesn't as stock fw offers vpn too.
paulsmithlove
28 May 171#9
Can someone tell me why would I need this? What will this do that my free modem won't.
iwanthisdeal to paulsmithlove
28 May 171#10
Assuming you have sky or bt hub, this would allow more control over your devices connected. For example QoS to prioritise bandwidth (if you have a lot of devices connected, this will allow you to select your pc or phone to have a faster connection than say a wemo plug), access control (prevent access to your network even when plugging directly into the Ethernet port), readyshare (allows a printer without internet access become available within your network or plug in an external hard drive for access within your network)
frownbreaker to paulsmithlove
7 Jun 17#43
1) Range is much better. I replaced 3 AP around the house with this one unit. Signal now cover whole house and garden and works 3 houses away! This is down to radio design on the PCB, real antenna Vs the "bent paperclip or PCB track stuff on the ISP modems"
2) Speed (concurrent Wifi usage >1 device stream HD. Unlike the cheap units from ISP this units performs lots of tasks in hardware. Take a look at what's inside the box: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/63686-asus-rt-ac68u-pce-ac68-802-11ac-review-2.html
3) Less CPU load on your modem so improved upload / download speed on your modem.
4) No need to change your home network when you move ISP (e.g. I jump from BT/Plusnet and back again whenever I can to get the cheapest rate / max cashback) when this happens I do not need to change ANY hardware just one config page on the ASUS for my username / password for PN/BT
5) Reliability is much better as the unit has more memory / CPU
6) Fast Gigabit Ethernet switch and high capacity internal buses to carry content at wire speed. The ISP modems often use USB2 as the internal bus!
7) USB3 support :sunglasses: On board applications (e.g. Torrent, Anti Virus, etc)
9) Set up and manage QoS
10) LAN IP DHCP independent of ISP hardware making it EASIER to switch ISP
11) Power supply is high quality and will last running 24x7x365 mine has been operating for years often the ISP PSU go bad after a couple of years
12) Real world gigabit speed over WiFi e.g. ASUS PCI card if you need high speed PC access without cables.
RTi
28 May 172#11
I'm on VM 200 Vivid but never got that speed through Superhub and constant wifi issues. Went for from Currys and can confirm it's a brill piece of kit. Speed tests showing correct speed and have had no wifi issues since.
tolester
28 May 17#12
Is the wifi range on these much more superior in comparison to the free routers like skyQ ?
andybutlin to tolester
28 May 17#13
Invade u didn't know, if u change your skyq hub for one of these, then you'll probably lose your wifi hotspots in the house.
frownbreaker to tolester
7 Jun 17#42
Yep
tech3475
28 May 17#14
One advantage of merlin is that it can enable both openvpn and pptp servers at the same time (which is useful because both have their advantages/disadvantages).
Some things I'd have to switch to something like DD-WRT which is a pain for some things I need but AsusWRT handles more easily e.g. IPTV, so merlin is like a hybrid for me.
So could I use this as a VPN router and create a separate VPN network for IPTV and KODI? Am I right in saying that connecting its WAN port to a LAN port on my existing router would give me network segmentation and the tunnel needed for privacy?
ddaann_99 to mattcampbell68
29 May 171#29
Flashing with Merlin firmware will unlock many more vpn based settings. You can then add your vpn account into the openvpn client and assign which local network ranges or individual ip addresses you wish to route through the vpn connection. All other devices will go out over your usual wan connection. Theres also a "kill switch" which prevents your vpn assigned devices from going out over the normal want connection in the event that the vpn connection goes down which is very handy
frownbreaker to mattcampbell68
29 May 17#32
Short answer: Yes for CCTV viewing, No for TRYING to mask your Kodi Add-on usage. I know you said Kodi but assume you mean the use of an unofficial add-on.. Longer answer...
VPN can be used in more than one way. You are conflating 2 use cases.
1) Secure remote access to your home network. E.g. viewing home CCTV while away, home automation etc
2) Psudonomising your internet traffic. (Say watching BBC iPlayer if your lived outside the UK, or trying to hide whatever addon you have added to Kodi)
Any home router will help with 1) only.
mcsmik
28 May 17#16
I'm using RT-N66U and with merlin firmware it's one of the best routers. If I had this one I'd probably didn't need the external wifi access point. Good deal
Waldolf
28 May 17#17
I had this model, but despite being highly customisable, it did not solve the problem of distance of the WiFi signal, or poor speeds when several devices were connected at once. Google WiFi solved those problems.
eddynoo1
28 May 17#18
This work ok with a vm super hub in modem mode ? The vm router is terrible I've been looking for a new one and being able to add a vpn is a bonus
kwl147 to eddynoo1
28 May 171#19
Yep I can confirm that it'll work very well with the VM superhub in modem mode. VPN isn't so great and reliable. I'd just subscribe to something like Tunnel Bear or Zen Mate. There's loads out there and they aren't that expensive.
frownbreaker to eddynoo1
28 May 172#21
Yes when I did this I got faster upload and download as the DOCSYS3 modem VM use is massively underpowered (CPU wise) putting it in modem mode reduce the load as the ASUS does the heavy lifting. It was around 10-20% better.
In my area VM suck. I switched to BT / Plusnet / BT / Plusnet every 12 months or so now to get the best cashback deal. The nice thing about this unit is I have it connected to BT VDSL unit so changes from PlusNet to BT is just an update to the Username / Password in the CHAPS authentication set up page: No new hardware to install!
frownbreaker
28 May 173#20
SKY Q is a mesh based Wifi system. It sends the streaming TV data over 5gHz to the Sky units around the house.
This is done to avoid the likely more congested 2.4 gHz signals. This unit would NOT be a drop in replacement for SKY Q.
Having said that this is one of the best mid range APs around. It will beat most any other cable modem at this price point for reliable connection, throughput and speeds with many connected clients. It will outperform the Virgin, Sky and BT units for range and coverage.
I'd recommend buying this and using it in conjunction with your Sky / Virgin / BT modem you can disable the Wifi on the ISPs modem and link the modem to this via cable. Its best to place this unit not on the ground floor but on the first or second floor of a typical house near the middle. This will increase the range / coverage. I used to have 3 Access points around the house using a 5gHz mesh for internet and 2.4gHz for client. I replaced that setup with this SINGLE unit. Performance is incomparable, fast, robust and reliable for >4 years.
Its worth noting 5gHz does not have the same range (it's less) than 2.4gHz. Its worth doing a site survey of your house / flat / accommodation using a tablet / smartphone with Wifi Analyzer (Android). Apple phones cannot run this type of software. Then use the least congested channel (the software will recommend one for you)
If you live in a build up area then it might be worth doing this survey every 6 months or so in case you have someone nearby with a new router. Also some folk turn off their routers when not in use so its worth running the survey a few times, weekday, weekend and nights.
You could keep the Sky Q kit and just use this unit for 2.4gHz. Again the best solution depends on how you will use the network in your home. Which depends on your devices and when you / others will use them for what type of use.
One other feature this unit has that is overlooked is the high speed connections it supports to ASUS PCI Wifi cards. This does beamforming and I've used it and got very fast performance. I've sold my ASUS PCI card as I cabled the whole house.
If you are not familiar with ASUS they are a top end brand and OEM. Their radio kit is superb (open this up an look and the thermal engineering) also the design offloads most tasks to hardware and unlike many companies they keep shipping updated firmware. My unit is >4 years old and I got a firmware update only last week! They also take some of the Merlin patches and add them to the official firmware,
How would this compare to the new Google WiFi things they have just released, I know they don't have alot of features like vpn but I heard there mesh network was really good.
Danzelp to IlesKevinPC
28 May 17#27
I have Google WiFi and it's brilliant, mesh network and app for control is great.
kwl147 to IlesKevinPC
29 May 17#28
Google is probably better imo. The software from Asus isn't great and you will need Merlin's firmware to get the most out of this router. The Google mesh network devices give more consistent coverage and better speed I can imagine. Obviously more expensive too. Although the Qos function is nice on the Asus, I've got VM and so much bandwidth that I've never needed to manage it.
frownbreaker to IlesKevinPC
29 May 17#30
The Google units are mesh based. Like Sky Q. I'd get the ASUS and add more if needed. I've a large house no coverage issues with ONE Asus in a built up London suburb so lots over other networks. Mesh is easy to setup, no need to pay premium prices. Also Google / Sky use cheaper units. Googles is TP-Link OEM
To be clear the mesh technology in Google and SKY Q is the SAME as in most any dual band router. I set it up on some cheap Tenda units, three of them around the house. I replaced this with a single ASUS. If you have lots of interference in your location mesh might be a solution or cable. The point is the ONLY benefit you get with Sky Q / Google is the app and automated setup. While this may seem like a good idea you are locked into their software / support with no third party options. If you go with a unit like the ASUS you can still add other units and create your own mesh, just you have to set this up using the web interface instead of an app. The second video below covers how to set up a mesh. If you want to know about setting up WiFI with a single modem/access point the first video is good. For setting many units to cover a large area / combat interference the second video is worth a look. The last video explains what a router is :smiley:
I was about to buy, but then I saw the Ubiquiti stuff. Using only as an access point, has anyone got any experience of this vs the Unifi UAP-AC-LITE in terms of both range and transfer rates both in 2.4 and 5ghz in the real world? Thanks
frownbreaker to cameleer
29 May 171#31
Asus is good for WiFi the UBQ switches are good for tagging. Use both to secure your network. That's for home use. As ever it depends. This is an older ASUS so the newer UBQ units and ASUS units should be considered. This Asus unit was top of the range a few years ago, but is still a superb Mid range unit. The radios are very precise, the RF engineering is amazing. Neither of these are viable on a spec comparison. As this thread covers some of the points the true answer depends on your use cases(s) https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/1772628-asus-ac5300-vs-unifi-uap-ac-pro
buglawton
28 May 17#24
Agree with frownbreaker above, by replacing my Virgin Media Superhub as wifi provider and re-siting the Asus router to near centre of house (high on top of a kitchen unit), now able to get decent wifi in both the loft bedroom and back of a long garden.
italkapple
28 May 171#25
Set the VM super hub in to modem mode, then plug one ethernet cable from the VM Super Hub to in the internet port on the AC68U. You still leave your coaxial cable plugged in to the VM Super Hub and it purely acts as a modem for internet access. All forms of routing, management and protection is then done by the AC6*.
I've also got this router and have had it about a year and half. Does exactly what it says, I have flashed it with the merlin FW too.
madmarman
28 May 17#26
ty
mattcampbell68
29 May 17#33
Thanks.
I was thinking of flashing this with DD-WRT or Merlin and configuring a designated VPN router for IPTV services. Then connect the WAN port of this to an EtherNet port of my existing router. Effectively providing 2 separate networks one of which is for encrypted network traffic.
frownbreaker
29 May 17#34
Sure that would work.
WAN port of router to a VPN endpoint on your home network (used for CCTV) e.g. with an OpenVPN client for Andriod on your remote tablet / phone. This model also work well for ANY wifi browsing on an unsecured wifi network e.g. cafe / hotel / work :wink:
Then setup a VPN Tunnel on your home network to route say Kodi Exodus Add-on Traffic via a THIRD PARTY VPN Service (probably not a UK or US endpoint from a provider that does not log say in Singapore ) specifically for traffic from your Kodi Box (say LibreElec on RP)
That would cover both use cases. Orange Pi units are very cheap and can be loaded with Armbian for a secure VPN / Torrent box. SSH to the box or use the HDMI out. The baby Orange Pi Ones are fine (ethernet). Or a FreeBSD solution would work etc.. Armbian on OP One is well supported and maintained for console access it's hard to beat.
If you look at some of the unquity switches they have VLAN tagging for no much money. Also the stock firmware for the ASUS supports >1 wireless network so you can pop your IOT and Kodi unofficial addon traffic onto a separate WiFi network on the ASUS these devices would then NOT have access to your home network (NAS etc) which might be a problem or not depends on your set up and future use.
I tend to like my network devices separate (personal preference) as I chop and change ISP so my map is like this
BT VDSL Modem -> ASUS ->IPCOP-> Home network(24 port switch ->SBC units + PC + Tablets + IOT + Torrentbox + Kodi + Automated Torrent Loader RSS driven etc..)
I also have a tiny DMZ for VPN only access to CCTV / IOT etc all running SBC (Single Board Computer - RP2/3 and OP One / PC
mattcampbell68
29 May 17#35
Thanks for your knowledgable advice !
mattcampbell68
1 Jun 17#36
OOS FFS I have a £25 Very voucher too
wrockydiva
4 Jun 17#37
Hi I know nothing about routers but know our internet access at home is terrible, my Son games etc so would this help? I am a virgin media customer
hyper
4 Jun 17#38
Purchased one six months ago to replace my BT Home Hub which had failed.
Well worth the money, more reliable and flexible than the cheap garbage BT foist upon their customers.
davnav
4 Jun 17#39
I bought this myself, had it running for a few days now and its much better than the bt smart hub 6 I was using
HotUKBobbyDazzler
4 Jun 17#40
I bought this to replace my Homehub 6, we live out in the sticks and can only get 21mb broadband.
The BT HH6 managed 20 down and 1.67 up. I was shocked that this only managed 17 down and a pathetic 0.67 up.
It's on the latest firmware so I'm at a loss why it's so poor in conparison
frownbreaker to HotUKBobbyDazzler
4 Jun 17#41
How have you connected this to your modem? How did you make the speed tests (What device: OS Version, Browser and wire / wireless connection) you need to be quite organised when testing. The variance you see could be explained by many factors. I'd recommend 1) Testing with you HH and a wired connection to a laptop use the Google speed test not Ookla type "google speed test" into Google's home page to access the tool 2) Remember that time of day, day of week matter for speed tests. 3) Your modem will report the connection speed of your link this will be in the HH system log 3) Make sure you turn OFF the Wifi on your HH. 4) Check what channel you are using on the ASUS best to run a site survey. 5) Which frequency WiFi were you testing this on 2.4gHz 6) You need to stop ALL traffic on your network before testing. 7) TO BE CLEAR if you have a 17mb line this unit will not help with that. It will provide better Wifi (range, speed and throughput) than other APs, but this depends on the device, OS, the remote service and the type of protocol in use.
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Opening post
The Super-Fast Asus RT-AC68U Wi-Fi Router Gives You Combined Dual-Band Data Rates Of Up To 1900Mbps For A First-Class Online Experience.Was £149 save £50
Next best price Currys £109
Please expire as deal is now ended.I got mine
Top comments
This is done to avoid the likely more congested 2.4 gHz signals. This unit would NOT be a drop in replacement for SKY Q.
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/tvs-entertainment/pvrs/1404726/how-to-fix-sky-q-connectivity-problems
Having said that this is one of the best mid range APs around. It will beat most any other cable modem at this price point for reliable connection, throughput and speeds with many connected clients. It will outperform the Virgin, Sky and BT units for range and coverage.
I'd recommend buying this and using it in conjunction with your Sky / Virgin / BT modem you can disable the Wifi on the ISPs modem and link the modem to this via cable. Its best to place this unit not on the ground floor but on the first or second floor of a typical house near the middle. This will increase the range / coverage. I used to have 3 Access points around the house using a 5gHz mesh for internet and 2.4gHz for client. I replaced that setup with this SINGLE unit. Performance is incomparable, fast, robust and reliable for >4 years.
Its worth noting 5gHz does not have the same range (it's less) than 2.4gHz. Its worth doing a site survey of your house / flat / accommodation using a tablet / smartphone with Wifi Analyzer (Android). Apple phones cannot run this type of software. Then use the least congested channel (the software will recommend one for you)
If you live in a build up area then it might be worth doing this survey every 6 months or so in case you have someone nearby with a new router. Also some folk turn off their routers when not in use so its worth running the survey a few times, weekday, weekend and nights.
You could keep the Sky Q kit and just use this unit for 2.4gHz. Again the best solution depends on how you will use the network in your home. Which depends on your devices and when you / others will use them for what type of use.
One other feature this unit has that is overlooked is the high speed connections it supports to ASUS PCI Wifi cards. This does beamforming and I've used it and got very fast performance. I've sold my ASUS PCI card as I cabled the whole house.
If you are not familiar with ASUS they are a top end brand and OEM. Their radio kit is superb (open this up an look and the thermal engineering) also the design offloads most tasks to hardware and unlike many companies they keep shipping updated firmware. My unit is >4 years old and I got a firmware update only last week! They also take some of the Merlin patches and add them to the official firmware,
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/tvs-entertainment/pvrs/1404726/how-to-fix-sky-q-connectivity-problems
All comments (43)
You can get it cheaper when Amazon do sales... but its worth this price
2) Speed (concurrent Wifi usage >1 device stream HD. Unlike the cheap units from ISP this units performs lots of tasks in hardware. Take a look at what's inside the box: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/63686-asus-rt-ac68u-pce-ac68-802-11ac-review-2.html
3) Less CPU load on your modem so improved upload / download speed on your modem.
4) No need to change your home network when you move ISP (e.g. I jump from BT/Plusnet and back again whenever I can to get the cheapest rate / max cashback) when this happens I do not need to change ANY hardware just one config page on the ASUS for my username / password for PN/BT
5) Reliability is much better as the unit has more memory / CPU
6) Fast Gigabit Ethernet switch and high capacity internal buses to carry content at wire speed. The ISP modems often use USB2 as the internal bus!
7) USB3 support
:sunglasses: On board applications (e.g. Torrent, Anti Virus, etc)
9) Set up and manage QoS
10) LAN IP DHCP independent of ISP hardware making it EASIER to switch ISP
11) Power supply is high quality and will last running 24x7x365 mine has been operating for years often the ISP PSU go bad after a couple of years
12) Real world gigabit speed over WiFi e.g. ASUS PCI card if you need high speed PC access without cables.
Some things I'd have to switch to something like DD-WRT which is a pain for some things I need but AsusWRT handles more easily e.g. IPTV, so merlin is like a hybrid for me.
Here's the official site:
https://asuswrt.lostrealm.ca/features
VPN can be used in more than one way. You are conflating 2 use cases.
1) Secure remote access to your home network. E.g. viewing home CCTV while away, home automation etc
2) Psudonomising your internet traffic. (Say watching BBC iPlayer if your lived outside the UK, or trying to hide whatever addon you have added to Kodi)
Any home router will help with 1) only.
In my area VM suck. I switched to BT / Plusnet / BT / Plusnet every 12 months or so now to get the best cashback deal. The nice thing about this unit is I have it connected to BT VDSL unit so changes from PlusNet to BT is just an update to the Username / Password in the CHAPS authentication set up page: No new hardware to install!
This is done to avoid the likely more congested 2.4 gHz signals. This unit would NOT be a drop in replacement for SKY Q.
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/tvs-entertainment/pvrs/1404726/how-to-fix-sky-q-connectivity-problems
Having said that this is one of the best mid range APs around. It will beat most any other cable modem at this price point for reliable connection, throughput and speeds with many connected clients. It will outperform the Virgin, Sky and BT units for range and coverage.
I'd recommend buying this and using it in conjunction with your Sky / Virgin / BT modem you can disable the Wifi on the ISPs modem and link the modem to this via cable. Its best to place this unit not on the ground floor but on the first or second floor of a typical house near the middle. This will increase the range / coverage. I used to have 3 Access points around the house using a 5gHz mesh for internet and 2.4gHz for client. I replaced that setup with this SINGLE unit. Performance is incomparable, fast, robust and reliable for >4 years.
Its worth noting 5gHz does not have the same range (it's less) than 2.4gHz. Its worth doing a site survey of your house / flat / accommodation using a tablet / smartphone with Wifi Analyzer (Android). Apple phones cannot run this type of software. Then use the least congested channel (the software will recommend one for you)
If you live in a build up area then it might be worth doing this survey every 6 months or so in case you have someone nearby with a new router. Also some folk turn off their routers when not in use so its worth running the survey a few times, weekday, weekend and nights.
You could keep the Sky Q kit and just use this unit for 2.4gHz. Again the best solution depends on how you will use the network in your home. Which depends on your devices and when you / others will use them for what type of use.
One other feature this unit has that is overlooked is the high speed connections it supports to ASUS PCI Wifi cards. This does beamforming and I've used it and got very fast performance. I've sold my ASUS PCI card as I cabled the whole house.
If you are not familiar with ASUS they are a top end brand and OEM. Their radio kit is superb (open this up an look and the thermal engineering) also the design offloads most tasks to hardware and unlike many companies they keep shipping updated firmware. My unit is >4 years old and I got a firmware update only last week! They also take some of the Merlin patches and add them to the official firmware,
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/tvs-entertainment/pvrs/1404726/how-to-fix-sky-q-connectivity-problems
To be clear the mesh technology in Google and SKY Q is the SAME as in most any dual band router. I set it up on some cheap Tenda units, three of them around the house. I replaced this with a single ASUS. If you have lots of interference in your location mesh might be a solution or cable. The point is the ONLY benefit you get with Sky Q / Google is the app and automated setup. While this may seem like a good idea you are locked into their software / support with no third party options. If you go with a unit like the ASUS you can still add other units and create your own mesh, just you have to set this up using the web interface instead of an app. The second video below covers how to set up a mesh. If you want to know about setting up WiFI with a single modem/access point the first video is good. For setting many units to cover a large area / combat interference the second video is worth a look. The last video explains what a router is :smiley:
https://twit.tv/shows/know-how/episodes/293 Good intro to WiFi
https://twit.tv/shows/know-how/episodes/38 Mesh setup explained
https://twit.tv/shows/know-how/episodes/291 What is a router?
https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/1772628-asus-ac5300-vs-unifi-uap-ac-pro
I've also got this router and have had it about a year and half. Does exactly what it says, I have flashed it with the merlin FW too.
I was thinking of flashing this with DD-WRT or Merlin and configuring a designated VPN router for IPTV services. Then connect the WAN port of this to an EtherNet port of my existing router. Effectively providing 2 separate networks one of which is for encrypted network traffic.
WAN port of router to a VPN endpoint on your home network (used for CCTV) e.g. with an OpenVPN client for Andriod on your remote tablet / phone. This model also work well for ANY wifi browsing on an unsecured wifi network e.g. cafe / hotel / work :wink:
Then setup a VPN Tunnel on your home network to route say Kodi Exodus Add-on Traffic via a THIRD PARTY VPN Service (probably not a UK or US endpoint from a provider that does not log say in Singapore ) specifically for traffic from your Kodi Box (say LibreElec on RP)
That would cover both use cases. Orange Pi units are very cheap and can be loaded with Armbian for a secure VPN / Torrent box. SSH to the box or use the HDMI out. The baby Orange Pi Ones are fine (ethernet). Or a FreeBSD solution would work etc.. Armbian on OP One is well supported and maintained for console access it's hard to beat.
If you look at some of the unquity switches they have VLAN tagging for no much money. Also the stock firmware for the ASUS supports >1 wireless network so you can pop your IOT and Kodi unofficial addon traffic onto a separate WiFi network on the ASUS these devices would then NOT have access to your home network (NAS etc) which might be a problem or not depends on your set up and future use.
I tend to like my network devices separate (personal preference) as I chop and change ISP so my map is like this
BT VDSL Modem -> ASUS ->IPCOP-> Home network(24 port switch ->SBC units + PC + Tablets + IOT + Torrentbox + Kodi + Automated Torrent Loader RSS driven etc..)
I also have a tiny DMZ for VPN only access to CCTV / IOT etc all running SBC (Single Board Computer - RP2/3 and OP One / PC
Well worth the money, more reliable and flexible than the cheap garbage BT foist upon their customers.
The BT HH6 managed 20 down and 1.67 up. I was shocked that this only managed 17 down and a pathetic 0.67 up.
It's on the latest firmware so I'm at a loss why it's so poor in conparison