UPDATE- Looks like MSY has increased their price to $239.00 now
Figured since there was positive talk of this model on the Netgear 7000 DSE ebay thread(https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/213275), people might also be interested in this deal.
$209 from MSY, but $184 after $25 cashback from ASUS (see link below)
Connected it and it set itself up…
Yeah mine did the same, one realised their was an IP issue, and fixed itself.
Don't think people believe us…, the frekin thing has a mind of its own, its those antennas i tell ya…
@Elijah:
Yeah, it's so clever, after it set itself up, it set me up too! Double date tonight.
But seriously, excellent router.
How is it better than the 66U?
Dual core CPU (particularly useful if you plan on OpenVPNing all your traffic at the router to avoid data retention) and USB 3.0, for starters.
Which one is better, this or R8000? Range wise.
The equivalent Netgear router is actually the R7000 (both are AC1900).
The Asus routers have better firmware support.
I'd wait for a 15% ebay code combined with 2.5% cashreward + $25 ASUS promotion that should bring it to about $160
How often do 15% ebay codes come up?
If I recall correctly, during this year we saw it 3 or 4 times, either store specific or ebay wide.
I bet you we'll see another 15% discount on everything sometime during Nov before Xmas shopping.
EDIT: My above calculation is based on the current going price for the RT-AC68U on ebay which is $219.
Damn, paid >$300 for this about 6 months ago. Rip.
Don't feel bad, it's top shelf :)
Hi all I know I have a different router but I thought this maybe a common firmware update issue?
I have a AC66U and I just updated to the latest firmware.
I have a password for 2.4\5GHZ wifi.
I type 192…….. and up pops the Router info.
If I attempt to look at "System Status" 5GHZ settings a screen pops up "Sign in with your ASUS router account"????????
My wifi password does not get accepted?
Default router password not accepted? I even updated it.
It pops up with the Username as ASUS …….
What is going on?
If you don't mind setting up your router again from scratch, do a reset. Then default username/password for router is admin/admin.
Rarely is the router password the same as the WEP/WPA/WPA2 password. Reset and start again.
Picked up the AC87U the other day for $220 on ebay CLICK15 and ASUS cashback!
Don't pick the AC68U up if you want proper USB3.0 speeds, the ports rubbish. Otherwise decent though!
But the ASUS cash back promo is from 1/10/2015. The ebay code expired 30/09, unless you bought it on the last day and the seller is issuing you a tax invoice with Oct date.
That's great!
bingo the latter!
which seller was this?
How does the AC87U compare with the AC68U? $220 sounds like an outstanding deal.
Brilliant router. Highly recommended, especially for NBN/FTTB. I got mine from MSY Jan this year for $215.
Bargain price!
wonder why ppl would pay so much just for a router? why not just go got mdoem/router?
At this price cheaper to buy the modem separate and add this router (can get a TP-Link for ~$40 odd), while the DSL-AC68U is ~$290.
Also it seems easier to find routers which can have custom firmware than modem/routers.
May be slightly more upgrade-future-proofey (and probably cheaper), i.e. as usually modem (communication) technology updates slower than router (wifi) technology, you can just update your router and keep your old modem.
If phone line/modem gets hit by lighting strike, then you may only lose the modem (though I've had the case where even my Desktop's LAN NIC got fried when the modem got hit, so not really sure this one is valid).
Down-sides, harder to manage, need to be more tech savvy, possibly more points of failure and generally would use more power (i.e. for 2 devices vs. 1).
Is the Asus DSL-AC68U one really that much better than something like TP-Link W8980, except for the wireless AC? I mean I could pretty much do whatever the Asus one could do like printer sharing, USB storage sharing…Are they really worth twice the money?
I'm not particularly familiar with either model in detail, (but generalities still apply so I'll still couch-expert-reply). It really comes down to what you're going to use it for.
Generally from what I've seen the main differential between the various routers (and what product promotion and reviewers tend to focus on) is WiFi speeds. So if you say have lots of WiFi AC devices and constantly require a lot of WLAN bandwidth, then I'm sure spending $300 alone on a router isn't really that hard to justify (assuming you do get the performance you're after).
Other kinds of features like printer-sharing and USB printer sharing will really depend on how often you want to use it and how reliable you want it to be. Some models who have these features basically shouldn't promote the features, because its downright near impossible to use (bad compatibility, terrible reliability or terrible speeds). So assuming the AC68U's performs well in this regard and you use these features often, then it could really be a day and night difference between various routers, so yes I think you could justify the price difference (but no idea on how TP-Links' W8980 performs).
Also another way of thinking of it would be, I've heard that AC68U's USB Storage sharing isn't too bad (probably in part thanks to having a dual CPU), you could potentially save a bit of money (assuming you already had a USB drive lying around) rather than buying an extra NAS (easily $100+).
Modems are generally supplied by cable internet providers I think also so only routers are needed.
No. ADSL needs a modem too. Basically any internet service today (particularly residential) has some device nominally connecting the outside the media to an Ethernet. Most people then have a router behind that to support more than one device and to provide some security/firewalling/protection
Some people buy all in one units (or have them supplied by their ISP), some have a separate modem (cable, ADSL, SHDSL etc) and then a router. NBN provides an Ethernet termination so only needs the router. The NTD (which is analogous to the modem) converts the fibre or whatever is outside the house to that Ethernet.
Hey Shonky, I'm sure this info will be useful for a lot of people so thanks for the write-up.
I should have been more specific but I was trying to provide a reason why some people might not need a modem, and from the experience I've had on cable internet, the ISP has always supplied the modem.
My ISP doesn't require me to have a modem, it's on the roof.
Seperate ADSL2+ modems give you choice — based on your line profile & length, you might favour a Trendchip over a Broadcom chipset for sync speed, reliability, etc. And they're dirt cheap. You could buy two modems (say, a $20 TD-8817 and a $40 TD-W8960N — actually a low-end wireless router) and a RT-AC68U for less than the cost of the DSL-AC68U. The latter is one of the few modems left where you can adjust your SNR margins to tweak your sync speed.
Modem routers rarely have the extensive custom firmware options the routers do — eg. no Merlinwrt, which is a dealbreaker IMO.
Obviously if you're on cable / NBN / TPG FTTB, an ADSL2+ modem is of little use to you.
If you have NBN you do not need the ADSL modem routers…
You should use a router though.
Your statement is confusing to someone who's not up on the terminology.
That's where these modem-less routers come in (that offer faster speeds at lower prices than modem-router models), you need higher speed these days with 8 android devices, 2 laptops, a pc, a raspberry pi and a PS4…
"802.11a : 69121824364854Mbps
802.11b : 1 2 5.5 11Mbps
802.11g : 69121824364854Mbps"
Damn fine speeds…
This beats the $25 worth of Boost Juice I received in their last promotion! :)
I couldn't be happier with this router. My old Netgear R4000 required power cycling every time you visited a dodgy website :S (that's one way to kill the mood).
One thing to consider as mad as this sounds - this router is one of the minority of Asus routers available that is upright. With the aerials, it takes up a lot of vertical space in comparison to other routers that "lie down" flat on the desk.
Does it have a reboot scheduler built in to the firmware, so I can set it to reboot once a week at 4am to keep my ADSL2 internet speed fast?
And don't forget Merlin's firmware…http://asuswrt.lostrealm.ca/
That'd be right, just bought 2 off ebay with their sales, but got it for a similar price.
Brillant router, got mine about 6 months ago. Good speeds and coverage. But lately I'm experiencing some issue with the 5ghz… speed drops from 14Mbps to just 1Mbps every 2-3 days…it can be fixed just restarting/rebboting the router. Them it works fine another 2-3 days and it happens again and again…Called Asus twice and they could't help me out with this issue…
Is there a reboot scheduler built in to the firmware that you can setup once it let it take care of weekly reboots?
Not that I'm aware of…
Do I need a modem for NBN or does NBN not need such a thing and I can just use this?
If your NBN technology is fibre to the premises, you already have a modem. It's bolted to the wall.
Ah, I'm not too sure if that is the case, are all the NBN's the same? Mine was retrofit installed about half a year ago by the telstra people if that helps? (house is about 30 years old)
If it was installed half a year ago it is definitely FTTP or fixed wireless. Either way, only a router is required.
Christ that sucks. I bought an RT-AC68U from Austin for $229 on Tuesday, so just missed out on the promotion bonus! :-(
The router itself is great though. Recommend this plus a W8960N modem. I don't think the DSL-AC68U is as reliable; plus if your phone line gets hit with lightning it kills the $40 product instead of the $229 or less product.
What's better this or the tp-link archer C7?
Bought a TPLink Wifi NIC a few years back, was very disappointed with it… never bought TPLink again… in the market for a plain (modem-less) fast router with VOIP… any suggestions?
seems like MSY have upped their price to $239 :(
Brilliant way to push people to other stores that have it at ~$205-210. Good on you MSY!.
For anyone who's submitted the online cash back, have you received any confirmation emails?
I submitted the form on 5 Oct, but haven't received any confirmation yet.
Excellent router. Set it up and forget. Good price with cashback.