Part of the eBay 20% off tech deal
Arguably the best AC WiFi Router available right now, with the fastest processor! This is as close to historic low as possible, grab it while you can! The last one I dd-wrt'd, I could still get the signals while being 12-storeys below it! WARNING: Might cause cancer. Buyers beware!
Price in title is before Cashback Rewards.
Really happy with how my netgear night hawk but no luck configuring open VPN from my fttb modem.
This could perhaps go well with the $40 Netgear DMP111p ADSL2+ modem from Big W.
Help needed on this - I'm very much a technology loser.
I've just bought a big house which I will move into in July. Reading through all this I think it might be what I need (I currently live in a small apartment and don't think my current wireless modem will be enough in the new house).
Any Sydney-based Ozbargain techie people able to come round and set it all up? and get all my devices working through this. I'm, happy, of course, to pay you for your time. PM me if any interest.
Like to help but you need to enable messages in your account.
I want one (to VPN all traffic) but don't need one…must resist!
I'm a complete computer retard but have noticed my wifi extremely weak when i'm in my master bedroom (1 level up and about 20 feet away).
Can I buy this and plug it in as I would a regular modem?
Thanks guys.
It doesn't have a modem in the unit itself which means you need an external modem. You can buy a separate modem or if you know what you're doing you can turn your current modem/router into just a modem and connect this to your modem.
Damn, i will NOT know what I'm doing…
haha well thanks anyways Gunner.
appreciate the replies.
Historically Netgear have always come up with a router model first and once it has proven itself they tend to release a version with an integrated ADSL modem. Given that the R7000 has been well received, I am sure there will be a D7000.
EDIT: DELETE
Any OzBros wanna weigh in? Telstra gave me a gateway max. Is it worth the upgrade to pair this with it? I'm no power user although we sometimes stream movies from computer to TV and have about 20 devices connected at any time (phones, tablets, tvs, laptops, the fridge for some reason etc).
Is this a good router for NBN? TPG sent me a router as part of the package but im not sure…
Also what is DD-WRT?
Thanks
The best way to think of it is that this is for what's inside your home. Your modem will handle all the NBN side, this will handle your home side. This means if you have issues with losing wireless connection in your house, or you use a lot of devices then this may be an upgrade depending on what you are currently using. Keep in mind that it will need to be connected to an NBN modem.
DD-WRT is a custom linux based firmware. It changes the base software of the device to unlock certain features. It's not required for general use, more for people who want to get into the advanced side of networking and counteract the governments new data retention.
OP: you don't have an "NBN Modem" if you're on fiber.
You have a Fiber NTU which is provided and supported by NBN Co. You plug your router (this guy) into your NTU and away you go.
There's a very good chance that this will be much better than the supplied TPG router. Keep the TPG router as they may want it connected to provide you support.
I use this router along side my telstra cable modem and it's rock solid and fast.
Anyone paying from Paypal using the code had their account charged the full A$199?
Edit: Never mind, although the Paypal transaction is for the full A$199, the funding source had a voucher for A$39.80, so all good.
Just a heads up, the ASUS RT-AC68U and even the RT-AC66U performs better than this one in my own real world tests, and are usually cheaper.
Source: Owned all three, ran stock, DD-WRT and Tomato on all models and kept the AC66U out of all of them because of better stability while performing equally as good as the others.
how do you rate the DSL-AC68U
very well..got one myself. Has SNR adjustments you can play with too. Too bad I'm now on optus cable and will probably switch to the RT-AC87U..
thanks mate, legit sold it to me, my billion 7800n is getting on its last legs..
@tuzii: Only thing which would make it better is the Merlin custom firmware…but he won't do it for the DSL versions…only the RT range…
Seems @FarQ has you covered BUT I would say it's excellent, I also have a 7800N that's sitting in the cupboard, and also agree that a Merlin build for it would make it just that little bit better but as an All in One solution, you can't go wrong - stock ASUS firmware is leagues ahead of the rest.
Another option you could take is get a $20 TP-Link TD-8817 and pair it with the RT-AC66U or RT-AC68U. This gives you the freedom to change between firmwares to find one you like (I personally run advancedtomato) all while keeping a rock solid modem in bridge mode (I run that TP-Link and achieve 22Mbit sync rate)
@DarkRyoushii:
cheers, i brought the DSL-AC68U earlier today, hopefully it will be here before easter so i can have a play around.
As someone who has an RT-AC66U and just bought one of these, why is the ASUS better? Especially considering the AC68U and R7000 have the exact same chipset shouldn't they be the same if both running DD-WRT?
May I ask what you mean by that? Kong's branch of DD-WRT is built and tested on his R7000's.
There's also a 270 page thread on the DD-WRT forums specifically for R7000 support.
Unless I misunderstand you and you mean that Asus provide support for DD-WRT related issues on their routers…….thats would be a big tick. Ultimately though, the biggest source of issues for firmware developers have been related to the drivers provided by Broadcom and it effects both Asus and Netgear stock and custom firmwares.
Yes I mean officially supported and covered under warranty. If they're the exact same hardware (which they are for the important parts) you may as well go for the one that has a better stock interface and allows you to mod it however you want, over any alternatives.
@DarkRyoushii:
The R7000 also officially supports open firmware and is covered under warranty but thats kinda different from them providing assistance with troubleshooting support that may arise arising from bugs in open firmware, (which is what I thought you meant at first).
Merlin support is a bonus for the Asus but you still get Tomato or DD-WRT for the R7000.
For me it really comes down to the question of do I want to pay a premium for Merlin support. If I did then the Asus would be a no brainer but getting back to my original point, the R7000 looks to have better community support on DD-WRT than the Asus and the use of open firmwares is officially supported and promoted by Netgear.
Why do you say that? (I'm on optus Cable and am considering this router)
will this router stop interference from a baby monitor on my wifi with its strength? (bigpond cable modem)
While DD-WRT is quite nice, it is yet to work out / sort out / support hardware NAT acceleration / ctf. It is probably not a big deal for most people, but if you need lots of connections, then you need to be aware of it.
One reason Asus routers cost more is because of its wide range of custom firmware choices. The Merlin custom firmware is based on Asus firmware so it retains hardware NAT acceleration. However, if USB3 is important, then R7000 might be a better choice than AC68U.
Also, R8000 and AC87U are both available now.
From what I understand USB 3.0 is a bit of marketing gimmick as the routers cannot read/ write faster than USB 2.0 speeds anyway.
Ok guys… I've been reading your posts trying to make up my mind whether I should go for it or not and you are not making it any easier ;-) I am with Optus cable Netgear 3100v2 bridged with Netgear DGND3700v1. Can anybody tell me please, if this particular router will improve the range and the overall stability or I just should look elsewhere? Much appreciated.
I'm With Optus cable too. What speeds are you getting on Wifi & Ethernet. I am getting 20MBPS(wifi) and 94MBPS (Ethernet). I am thinking about getting this to speed up my wifi.
In my living room that is where the router is I get around 60 on WiFi and over 100 on ethernet. WiFi drops drastically when I go upstairs where my bedroom is, I step outside to my terrace (upstairs) and the signal disappears…
I've moved from my old DGND3700v1 in bridged mode on to the R7000 and find it significantly better.
As a counterpoint to gawky who said: "If your household are heavy apple user (apple lappys, phones, tablets) and are looking for something that just works, airport extreme might be more stable in the long run compared to r7000.", I'm 99% Mac gear and have experienced nil problems with either the 3700 or 7000.
Would this work on NBN ?
I have one of these. Just so you know, but as you might already notice from the picture its a pretty large unit. Like the size of an iPad.
Also, AC Wireless naturally has less range than Wireless-N technology, but if youre not too far, the speeds are very good. You can always enable both AC and N channels, for compatibility with older devices.
I need a modem combo, not just a router it seems. Any recommendations ?
Thanks tuzii. Need to read some reviews of it before finally making up my mind :)
The best all in one, if on the pricey side. $263.20 after 20% discount and delivered. MSY is $272 pickup
TP Link Archer C9 or this one…? :)
Woke this morning to see 9 of these left, guess they checked the warehouse… just grabbed the very last one of this second round.
Some body did a stock take in the warehouse. Amazing how they had room for 613 units must be a big warehouse.
So I got the one covered in dust and cobwebs… :)
Bought it on Monday. Received it yesterday (Wednesday). Now running DD-WRT acting as the router for the whole house, bridging to the cable modem.
Not sure it's mentioned elsewhere but it seems Futu are simply Shopping Express (or vica versa). Their addresses (6A & 6B of the same street address) are the same and the box this Futu delivery came in a) was 6000x bigger than it needed to be (a typical SE trait) and b) had the SE logo printed on the side. Not a problem for me, it simply transfers the high regard I hold for SE onto a company I hadn't heard of.
I was so confused when I got a big box from shopping express. Also, inside this big box was the router box… And nothing else. Would probably have been better just slapping a note on the retail box than having it rattling around completely unprotected in a much bigger box. Oh well.
How do you guys wall mount this thing?
Seems like you have to mount it upside down or all the cables will go the wrong way. Doesn't seem like there's any dedicated space behind it to wrap the cables around either. Not a huge deal maybe, but looks a bit stupid mounting it upside down with antennas pointing towards the floor.
I put mine cables up.
And then what did you do with the cables? Did you simply curved them to go down again (next to the router)? Seems like it would make a huge mess… But maybe I'm missing something.
I bent them 90 degree and stick to the wall.
Anybody else still waiting for it? Not even marked as dispatched yet :(
Contacted them and they have sent it today now it seems.
I got mine, reminded me of my first iPhone, high quality product
The optus tech recommend the airport extreme because it is easy to setup and is stable with good range.
Compromise on max speed and customiseabilty when compared to r7000.
If your household are heavy apple user (apple lappys, phones, tablets) and are looking for something that just works, airport extreme might be more stable in the long run compared to r7000.
I only say that because of a friends modem router (dlink with ac capabilities) is unstable with apple devices. I think it had something to do with the beam fowarding feature.
Airport extreme at my friends school did a good enough job to support 7 teachers and their devices. The only limiting factor was the isp's internet.
If i were you, i would choose the cheaper of the two. I am happy with my one and No real problems so far.
Only thing to be wary about nowadays is having really old devices that do not support n band. They can slow your network quite heavily when they access the router.