Best locally availalble router for DD-WRT / Tomato

[Pib]

Well, that is two of us who just bought the ASUS 86U.  Went to Pantip and bought one for Bt7,900 (inc VAT)...it comes with the ASUS 5 year warranty (see image below) and if it dies within two weeks I can take it back to the store I bought it for replacement. 

 

Then since MBK is only about a 10 minute drive from Pantip the wife and I drove over to MBK and spent around Bt5K on clothes and vitamins.   Add-in a couple hundred baht for my SUV's fuel and mall parking bill.  Should I apply these transportation and parking costs in addition to the MBK shopping spree cost towards the total cost of the router?  Hope none of you tell my dear ol' Mom and Dad in heaven that I bought at retail price.  (grin).

 

Other than plugging it in tonight to see if the lights come on I will not get serious in playing with it, loading the latest firmware if needed, etc., until tomorrow.   I'll play with it a few days and if all goes OK I call AIS Fibre early next week and ask them to put their ISP-provider fiber optics router into bridge mode so I can use the 86U for full router control and be able to use all of its capabilities.

 

 

 

 

[SooKee]

Nice.  I plan to use mine in vanilla mode with no firmware flashes or anything until, and if, I have a need to flash it.  Also don't plan on doing a lot with it aside from going straight to the bedroom an checking the wifi signal and BOY will I sulk if it's no better 55555!

[Pib]

Where  you say you will not flash it until you have a need, I would definitely check to confirm it has the latest ASUS firmware release; it not then flash that firmware release because releases fixes bugs/issues and has hopefully fixed the issues mentioned in some months old review of the 86U.     And it easy to reflash an earlier release if desired....I've done that a few times  when just playing around.

 

Updating/flashing ASUS routers is super easy.....I've done it many time on the two ASUS routers I've owned....with one router still in use and updated just a couple of months ago...never had a firmware update issue with my ASUS routers.   

 

But I have no plans to put some 3rd party firmware on the 86U except maybe the ASUS-Merlin firmware once the current pace of ASUS 86U firmware releases slows downand Merlin releases support for the 86U which Merlin is already working on....but at a slow pace due to numerous ASUS firmware releases at this point in the 86U's lifecycle and ASUS shift to GPL 382 from GPL 380.

 

A little earlier in this thread I mentioned the firmware updates so far for the 86U...two updates since the initial/original release....partial quote below.  And I just checked the ASUS support/driver site a minute below posting this and the 14 Sep 17 release is still the latest..  

 

Quote

Speaking of firmware releases, the 86U initial/original firmware was dated 24 May 17, second release 18 July, third/latest release 14 Sep.  So ASUS is doing a good and fast job in fixing/tweaking issues with their firmware for this new router.   Some early reviews mentioned some minor firmware issues but I expect the firmware updates have fixed those issues.  

 

[Pib]

Fired up my new 86U...lights came on...make a computer connection to it only...have not hooked the WAN port to an internet source yet...will do that tomorrow after letting the router burn in overnight and have time to do some serious playing around with it. 

 

I first set some logon passwords to keep unwanted neighbors out of it..checked the firmware release it came with which was the 18 July 17 first update to the initial/original release that come out 24 May17....I would have surprised if it had the    I had already downloaded the latest release date 14 Sep 17....flashed that release with no issues.   

[topt]

3 minutes ago, Pib said:

I had already downloaded the latest release date 14 Sep 17....flashed that release with no issues.   

May be getting another release soon - have you seen this - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/10/16/wpa2_krack_attack_security_wifi_wireless/

[topt]

On ‎16‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 10:57 AM, Pib said:

And I was able to re-designate LAN Port 1 as the new WAN port via firmware commands

Pib was that easy to do and is it likely to be possible on other makes or only if a version of DD-WRT ?

 

 

[Pib]

42 minutes ago, topt said:

Pib was that easy to do and is it likely to be possible on other makes or only if a version of DD-WRT ?

Yes it was easy.  Now this was on old Linksys WRT54G router....almost identical to the one Crossy mentioned in this threads opening post.....in its day it was one of the top routers. 

 

I can't say about other models/versions of firmware. 

 

What make and model do you have?

[topt]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

Yes it was easy.  Now this was on old Linksys WRT54G router....almost identical to the one Crossy mentioned in this threads opening post.....in its day it was one of the top routers. 

 

I can't say about other models/versions of firmware. 

 

What make and model do you have?

TP Link TL-WR2543ND

I am going to have a look online and see what I can find first.

[Pib]

7 minutes ago, topt said:

TP Link TL-WR2543ND

I am going to have a look online and see what I can find first.

Yea, you'll need to research for your model.  

 

However, I found the old 2010 post that explained how to do in on my Linksys WRT54G which I use to use years back.  Had a snapshot of the post saved in my doc files for my electronic/computer equipment..  It was real easy...went into the router's firmware menu and just a made a few changes that reassigned the WAN port (that was killed by the lightning strike) to a LAN port.   Now that LAN port was the WAN port.

 

 

[mtls2005]

If you plan to flash third-party firmware at any point in the future, it may be advisable to wait to update the manufacturer's stock firmware.

 

In some cases, flashing the latest firmware makes it much more challenging (impossible) to subsequently flash a 3rd party release. Be sure to read up on potential third-party releases, and the requirements for the target router.

 

I did exactly this on an Asus router last year, and struggled to get back to an acceptable stock starting point. I also struggled to find a decent release which supported the feature set I wanted, while keeping all the base level functionality intact.

[SooKee]

If you plan to flash third-party firmware at any point in the future, it may be advisable to wait to update the manufacturer's stock firmware.  

In some cases, flashing the latest firmware makes it much more challenging (impossible) to subsequently flash a 3rd party release. Be sure to read up on potential third-party releases, and the requirements for the target router.

 

I did exactly this on an Asus router last year, and struggled to get back to an acceptable stock starting point. I also struggled to find a decent release which supported the feature set I wanted, while keeping all the base level functionality intact.

 

Interesting. I understand that Asus routers actually run Asus WRT firmware which I think I've seen folks comment is good enough. Not sure if Asus WRT is stock or a flashed firmware? It it's stock I'm wondering if some of the VPNs out there can actually be added to the router without further flashing? Not something I've fully got round to exploring yet but I opted for Asus partly because of the the firmware they run and partly because it seems that they might be more 'out of the box compatible' with some VPNs. Have to admit though, I was reaching router info burn out so my reading on this front is maybe not thorough as it might have been.  

Sent using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

 

[mtls2005]

Asus WRT is considered stock firmware (not to be confused with Merlin), and supports many/most/nearly all "standard" applications, like VPN.

 

My only advice is to research a specific router and the potential 3rd party software, along with any dependencies BEFORE potentially putting yourself in a more challenging position by updating the stock.firmware. Of course, I did not know about this and the first thing I did was update the firmware.

[Pib]

There are always special issues a person may need to look out for when flashing a 3rd party firmware.   

 

Take for example Merlin firmware for some Asus routers, when looking at the Merlin Firmware Installation info at this webpage it point out several special steps you may need to take...and you may even better off using the more complicated (but not really hard) Firmware Recovery Mode  to flash newer or older releases in some cases instead of the very easy standard flash method.   

 

The Firmware Recovery Mode is sometimes required and other times recommended for certain upgrades or "downgrades" in firmware releases...or just when things go wrong for some reason like losing power during the flash that takes 2 to 3 minutes to complete. 

 

I noticed over the past week when I was researching various Asus routers and doing such things as even going into the Firmware/Driver download section on the Asus site for various models to see how often updates have been coming out I come across one model where Asus had in big red lettered text  that unless  upgrading from a certain recent firmware release that you should use the Firmware Recovery Mode to flash the router instead of doing it the standard way.  They were basically saying if you have been keeping your router updated with the latest release then flash the normal, fast, easy way; but if you haven't upgrade for a while and didn't flash the last release then it's best you flash the latest release by Firmware Recovery Mode.  I expect if a person didn't want to use the Firmware Recovery Mode they could instead just flash one by one the releases they hadn't installed...get caught up...and then flash the quick, easy, normal way.  I'm the kind of person that tries to keep up with the latest releases.

 

And I noticed that yesterday/17 Oct 17 Merlin now lists a beta Merlin firmware beta release for the 86U running the newer GPL 382 series firmware which Asus is transitioning many of its routers to....from the older GPL 380 series firmware.   The Changelog notes on the release talks the changes which includes VPN changes.   I will not be experimenting with the Merlin release or any Merlin release unless it has something I need which does not come with the standard Asus firmware.

 

Yeap, definitely pay attention to firmware release notes before flashing whether it's the router's manufacturer's release or a 3rd party release.   But fortunately with Asus routers it's practically impossible to "brick" one of their routers which their Firmware Recovery Mode can not fix.

 

 

 

[mtls2005]

13 minutes ago, Pib said:

using the more complicated (but not really hard) Firmware Recovery Mode  to flash newer or older releases

 

Sometimes this Mode is "not really hard", other times it can be a bit challenging, IMLE.

[SooKee]

Yah, when / if I do decide to go the router based VPN route I will be trying to do so with stock firmware before I flash Merlin or any other.  Otherwise, as PIB comments, I'll only change if Merlin offers something that I NEED that stock doesn't.  From what I gather the VPNs I'm looking at will run fine 'as is'.

 

Looking forward to trying this router (not something I thought I'd ever look forward to as such LOL).  Even if my wifi doesn't improve (though I will sure as hell be mega disappointed if it doesn't!) I'll be happy enough to have upgraded to a more modern, capable and AC router with a much wider range of services (and control!) AND the ability to install a router based VPN, if I go that route.  It has some very good reviews and the YouTube videos of its predecessor the 66U give a good overview of the UI and the very impressive functionality.  Be interesting to try their phone app to, though it's a pity I guess you can only use it on the same wifi network vs via the cloud as you can with Linksys.

Edited October 18, 2017 by SooKee

[Pib]

I think you will be very pleased with your 86U speed results assuming your client devices are up to speed/not the speed choke points.   I hooked-up the 86U today to my AIS Fibre-provided Huawei router.   I haven't called AIS yet to ask them to switch their Huawei router to bridge mode so the 86U can take pretty much full control of my network.  I left the 86u in router mode vs putting it in access mode so the 86U will be pretty much ready to go once the AIS router is set to bridge mode.  I'm on the AIS Fibre 200/50 plan which really gives me 200/60 so 200Mb will be the max speed that will be entering the router for Wifi retransmission.

 

Anyway, I did some 5Ghz band speed tests around the house which is a two story concrete house with 4 bedrooms/2 bathroom upstairs....approx 115 sq/meters.  The 86U will live its life right next to the AIS provided router in the master bedroom on one end of the house.  And then downstairs is the living, dining, TV room, kitchen, and another bathroom.

 

That one downstairs bathroom & kitchen are on the very other end of the house away from the master bedroom side....pretty much the two rooms that are separated my the most distance and the most amount of concrete walls and floors for a Wifi signal to fight through.  The downstairs has around 125 sq/meters.  The general house shape is rectangular...kinda a shoe box shape.

 

Here's the download speed results of those 5Ghz speed tests around the house...upstairs and downstairs:

Upstairs

Master bedroom (same room the 86U is located in):  200Mb download

2nd bedroom I converted to an office and is next to master bedroom: 200Mb

3rd bedroom on other end of the upstairs: 200Mb

4th bedroom on the other end of the upstairs: 195Mb. This bedroom has more concrete walls between it and the 86U due to the bathrooms being between it and the master bedroom.

 

Downstairs (signal from upstairs must now also fight through a concrete floor vs walls only like upstairs).

Living Room directly below the 86U: 200Mb

Dining Room where my primary laptop lives: 150Mb

TV Room: 150Mb

Downstairs Bathroom: 95Mb.   This rooms is on the far end of the downstairs....far away from the 86U upstairs

Kitchen: 30Mb.   This room has the most distance between it and the 86U upstairs and two extra concrete walls for the signal to fight thru.

 

I only did one 2.4Ghz band test which was in the the master bedroom with the 86U:  Got 110Mb.

 

The client device I used for the test was one of my laptop's with a 2x2 Wifi circuit....so, it can not take full advantage of the 86U 4x4 speed capability.   

 

When doing your speed tests, remember your client device is one-half of the speed chain....the weakest link determines the max speed.   Maybe using a Wifi speed to car speed analogy, if a car's engine (router) is able to push the car to 200KmH speeds but the car has a 100KmH max speed governor installed (a client device) then 100KmH is the fastest speed you'll achieve although the engine has the capability to push the car to 200KmH.

 

Wishing you luck with your 86U Wifi speed taking in consideration your residence's layout/size, wall/floor construction materials,  any Wifi interference, speed of your plan, client devices used, etc.   

 

 

[SooKee]

Wow.  That's pretty outstanding for 5GHz!!!  Can't wait (one advantage you have over not ordering from Gearbest is that you have it LOL!!!  Mine is still processing AS IS something I ordered on 14th - not even packed, let alone shipped - grrrrrrrrr).  

 

My devices should all be OK as there are not many of them and they are all at least dual band AC.

[Pib]

All "dual band" means is they can operate on 2.4 and 5Ghz....even many current low cost routers do both bands. 

 

But are your client devices 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4 Wifi devices?   They are probably 1X1 and 2x2.  

 

For example, 2x2 means they can simultaneously stream 2 data streams in each direction....download and upload...therefore, achieving a high speed than a 1x1 device which can only do 1 data stream. A 3x3 device can achieve higher speed than a 2x2 device and a 4x4 device can achieve a higher speed than a 3x3 device. 

 

As mentioned, I'm going to guess you probably have a combination of 1x1 and 2x2 devices among your computers, tablets, and smartphones.....just like me.  Few client devices are 3x3 and even fewer are 4x4 because you are now getting into high price computers and/or smartphones....although you can easily modify "desktop" computers with a 4x4 Wifi PCI-E circuit card and external antennas at a price.  Not possible or practical to upgrade a laptop with a new  "internal" Wifi circuit/chip although you can get some external USB Wifi adapters that can up a person's Wifi capability....and for smartphone/tablets it's basically not possible.

 

For a 2X2 client device an AC1200 router (which means it's a 2x2 router) is all the client device really needs....and for a 1x1 device all it really needs is an AC600 router.

 

For a 50Mb internet plan which I think you said you had, even a 1x1 router and device can easily handle that, not imply a low quality 1x1 Wifi circuit will achieve the speed of a high quality 1x1 Wifi circuit especially at lower signal strength levels.    The 86U you and I will use will be able to handle 4x4 devices....a little bit of future proofing as Wifi chips get smaller and faster.

 

 

 

 

 

[SooKee]

My clients are 1x1, 2x2 and, IIRC the MacBook Pro is 3x3.  That said I'm looking for improvements daily by way of the router being an AC router and the Beamforming nature of it vs my bog standard non AC 2012 AEBS.  I've wanted rid of it for a long time to be honest, especially because of the very limited configuration.  Performance wise we'll just have to wait and see, like I say, I've fallen for the hype before, so it wouldn't surprise me if I got hoodwinked again.  At least in this case though I'm buying it for other reasons as well as the wifi performance, unlike the AEBS where that was the sole reason, and a failure to boot 

[Pib]

Cool....you should be good to go when your 86U arrives.  I've also played around with some of the many features in the 86U....and some features I'm afraid to play around with until I read up on them a little more.  The explicit and implicit/universal beaming forming features are enabled by default.

 

Now while all recent ASUS routers come with many of the firmware features the 86U has, like my current ASUS 55UHP router I bought for a downstairs access point about year ago, I just never got to play with them because I set the 55UHP to Access Point mode to minimize the chance of conflicts/strange problems with the AIS-provided optical router.  When you set any router to Access Point mode many router nice features are disabled/removed from the firmware menu...but switch back to router mode and the features reappear/are enabled.  The 55UHP will remain in Access Point mode even after the AIS router is switched to bridge mode and the 86U becomes king of the hill in my home network.

 

And yea, I hear you about router manufacturer specializations/packaging/advertising hype--they all do it because it works.

[Pib]

SooKee,

   Talked to an AIS Fibre Tech this evening about setting the AIS-provided Fibre Optics router to bridge mode so my fancy new Asus 86U could completely take over routing operations in my home network.   Now this was not the  general support representative you get when first calling AIS Fibre at 1185, but their second level of support--the Technician level.   The Tech call was actually returning promised call back that finally occurred where I wanted to talk another issue.   

 

    After getting the main issue out of the way I then asked him if he can set to bridge mode while we talked and he said no, but Engineering could...Engineering is the third/higher level of support.  I was hoping the Tech could do it while we talking on the phone  so I don't possibly lose internet for a lengthy period...like maybe hours and hours or longer in case setting the Asus 86U to pick-up on the bridged signal didn't go well and then I would have to call AIS for help.   Although he couldn't make the change himself, he did tell me what my password would be and my User ID was my subscription number....and he would ask Engineering to hopefully switch to bridge mode before midnight.  

 

    Well, it was set to bridge mode about 20 minutes later, internet gone, and then I had to figure out which LAN port on the AIS router the bridged signal was "linked to" because it could have been bridged to LAN 1, 2, 3 or 4.  Turns out it was bridged to LAN port 1...so now I have a short cable going between AIS LAN Port 1 to the Asus WAN port.  After going into my Asus router and setting up the WAN connection type to PPPoE and entering my User ID and passport the Asus router linked up to the bridged signal and I was back on the internet....or at least for my IPv4 connection/IP address.  To also get my IPv6 IP address/connection going again I then had to enable the IPv6 mode in the Asus and set to Native connection type...I now had my IPv6 connection/IP address back also. 

 

    Also moved all the other ethernet cables feeding other stuff in my house like a Playbox, downstairs Access Point, etc, VOIP devices, home server, etc.,  I had going to the AIS router to the Asus router.  Most of my devices made an internet connection router through the Asus right off-the-bat but a couple needed to be turned off and on and then they were on the internet again also.   his is probably because I had intentionally  changed the gateway IP starting address from what the AIS router had used and some of the devices got confused....but the power off/on deconfused them.   I briefly checked both Playboxes and found out pulling up new channels was noticeably faster...you know, how you see a little wheel go from 0 to 100% briefly when changing channels....the switch between channels is now significantly faster not to imply it slow before...it's just I can tell the difference.   But no change in internet speed results to the world like when doing a speed test.

 

     So far so good...will play more tomorrow....but my Asus 86U is now in total charge of my home internet....I now have the ability to really mess things up with the AIS router now out of the loop since the AIS router is now no more than a modem converting the incoming fibre optics signal to a PPPoE signal that feeds the Asus router.   And yeap, I know you already have your AIS Fibre VDSL type router set to bridge mode.

 

    Hope your 86U arrives soon.

 

     Cheers.

 

 

     

 

   

[SooKee]

SooKee,    Talked to an AIS Fibre Tech this evening about setting the AIS-provided Fibre Optics router to bridge mode so my fancy new Asus 86U could completely take over routing operations in my home network.   Now this was not the  general support representative you get when first calling AIS Fibre at 1185, but their second level of support--the Technician level.   The Tech call was actually returning promised call back that finally occurred where I wanted to talk another issue.          After getting the main issue out of the way I then asked him if he can set to bridge mode while we talked and he said no, but Engineering could...Engineering is the third/higher level of support.  I was hoping the Tech could do it while we talking on the phone  so I don't possibly lose internet for a lengthy period...like maybe hours and hours or longer in case setting the Asus 86U to pick-up on the bridged signal didn't go well and then I would have to call AIS for help.   Although he couldn't make the change himself, he did tell me what my password would be and my User ID was my subscription number....and he would ask Engineering to hopefully switch to bridge mode before midnight.  

 

    Well, it was set to bridge mode about 20 minutes later, internet gone, and then I had to figure out which LAN port on the AIS router the bridged signal was "linked to" because it could have been bridged to LAN 1, 2, 3 or 4.  Turns out it was bridged to LAN port 1...so now I have a short cable going between AIS LAN Port 1 to the Asus WAN port.  After going into my Asus router and setting up the WAN connection type to PPPoE and entering my User ID and passport the Asus router linked up to the bridged signal and I was back on the internet....or at least for my IPv4 connection/IP address.  To also get my IPv6 IP address/connection going again I then had to enable the IPv6 mode in the Asus and set to Native connection type...I now had my IPv6 connection/IP address back also. 

 

    Also moved all the other ethernet cables feeding other stuff in my house like a Playbox, downstairs Access Point, etc, VOIP devices, home server, etc.,  I had going to the AIS router to the Asus router.  Most of my devices made an internet connection router through the Asus right off-the-bat but a couple needed to be turned off and on and then they were on the internet again also.   his is probably because I had intentionally  changed the gateway IP starting address from what the AIS router had used and some of the devices got confused....but the power off/on deconfused them.   I briefly checked both Playboxes and found out pulling up new channels was noticeably faster...you know, how you see a little wheel go from 0 to 100% briefly when changing channels....the switch between channels is now significantly faster not to imply it slow before...it's just I can tell the difference.   But no change in internet speed results to the world like when doing a speed test.

 

     So far so good...will play more tomorrow....but my Asus 86U is now in total charge of my home internet....I now have the ability to really mess things up with the AIS router now out of the loop since the AIS router is now no more than a modem converting the incoming fibre optics signal to a PPPoE signal that feeds the Asus router.   And yeap, I know you already have your AIS Fibre VDSL type router set to bridge mode.

 

    Hope your 86U arrives soon.

 

     Cheers.

 

 

     

 

   

 

 

 

Great. Glad you got it sorted. I just went and checked and my VDSL is connected on LAN1. Not sure if they told me to use that or whether I just did it by default.  You got yours changed quick. Like I say. I was in no rush so just did it by email and let it run its course.   

My router is en route. I'm more concerned that it doesn't get hit for duty LOL. If it does the cost could exceed yours, even after your 'related sundries' LOL.

 

I'll have to check the ipv6 side. With Apple using their own speak for this stuff I've no idea if mine is working or not seeing as it's set to ' Link Local Only'. IIRC my setting will mean it's using ipv4 only. It's another reason I'm changing router. Something to do with the way Apple does ipv6 that doesn't work here IIRC. Long time since I gave up looking.

 

I too look forward to the extra control and the ability to cause loads of problems while I stumble around in the dark.

 

Sent using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[muratremix]

Wow. Asus ac86u is 186.99 usd at gearbest?

Considering you won't pay customs tax (most likely) it is a great bargain for such high-end router.

[Pib]

8 minutes ago, muratremix said:

Wow. Asus ac86u is 186.99 usd at gearbest?

Considering you won't pay customs tax (most likely) it is a great bargain for such high-end router.

It was cheaper than that when SooKee ordered his last Tuesday....down around $170 when he ordered his...after that sale promotion ended last week it went up to around the current $187 ballpark area.   

 

I wanted my 86U "now" and bought it locally (at Pantip) a week ago for Bt7900/$240.   It has a 5 year warranty  which has local warranty support vs the 1 year warranty for the one bought off Gearbest which requires shipping of the item back to Gearbest for warranty support.  But as talked about earlier in the this thread Asus routers are very reliable (knock on wood) and like most any quality electronics item if it don't fail within a few days of use it will probably hang in there for many years...even past 5 years.

 

[SooKee]

Arrived just now, Customs Invoice for 462 baht so a total of about 6,300.  Not bad.  Now to open it up and check all is well.

[Pib]

Good deal....with your total cost inc shipping being around Bt6200 I expect that Bt462 which works out to about 7.5% maybe the custom charge was really the Thailand 7% VAT plus a small DHL collection fee.  Maybe the invoice specifies if it was import duty, VAT, and/or misc fees.  

 

But good to know...now I know what I might expect in import fees if I order a similar cost item off Gearbest and have to use DHL.  

[SooKee]

Yep.  Was split roughly half and half.  VAT plus 'Disbursement'.

[Sambora]

Guys,

 

any chance for some client VPN speed tests on a local Bangkok server or Singapore server? OpenVPN protocol, either UDP1194 or TCP443, preferably with a AES256 CBC encryption. That would be awesome.

 

I read on SNB Forum that people maxed out their 200/100 line through above config.

 

And is it correct that the new Broadcom CPU supports AES-NI?

Edited October 25, 2017 by Sambora