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ASUS RT-AX53U (AX1800) Dual Band Wi-Fi 6 Extendable Router $89 Delivered @ Amazon AU

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ASUS RT-AX53U (AX1800) Dual Band Wi-Fi 6 Extendable Router $89 Delivered @ Amazon AUAffiliate
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rygle on 20/11/2023 - 10:16 amazon.com.au (534 clicks)
Last edited 20/11/2023 - 10:43 by 2 other users
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Decent router that does WiFi 6. Single day deal for Prime members related to black Friday.

Supported by OpenWRT but there currently seems to be a bug with version 23.05.0 that should be fixed soon, or may have already been fixed, but version 22.03.5 works fine. See https://forum.openwrt.org/t/23-05-0-update-breaks-wan-rt-ax5…

Not the fastest router, but still decent especially for the price, and should be more than capable enough for an average house on its own, or you could set up several in a mesh configuration using either the factory/Asus mesh or OpenWRT.

Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.
This is part of Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals for 2023
Computing ASUS Black Friday Wireless Router

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closed Comments

  • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 10:19

    Sorry, I think I posted the wrong link as it has the wrong thumbnail but should now be fixed.

  • Jakeo on 20/11/2023 - 10:29

    Would argue the TP-Link AX12 for $69 would be better value: https://www.amazon.com.au/TP-Link-Dual-Band-MU-MIMO-Archer-A…

    • Wally on 20/11/2023 - 10:36

      Is there a site where you can check how long the manufacturer will give support into the future?

      • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 10:39

        I think most manufacturers will support for a little while, but if you can get something that runs OpenWRT, it will generally be supported for many years to come.

    • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 10:38

      Seems like good value. I think being able to run OpenWRT adds value to the Asus, and I've read reports that some TP-Link (and their sub-brand Mercusys) gear tends to phone home on the stock firmware, and at least one Mercusys model had some back door kind of stuff going on.

  • littlesoldier on 20/11/2023 - 10:51

    This is great as a AiMesh node

    • kwchaz on 20/11/2023 - 11:19

      https://www.asus.com/au/product-compare?ProductID=16864,1558…

      AX1800S has 4 LAN no USB, AX53U has 3 LAN 1 USB

      The AX53U thus supports a dongle.

      • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 13:36

        And would definitely support a dongle with OpenWRT

      • moneytomyway on 20/11/2023 - 14:19

        Sorry to hi-jack this, so for an ordinary users connecting laptop/mobiles via laptop there isn't much difference between the three? Getting one for in-laws but there are way too many models for routers….

        • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 15:39

          Not hijacking, good question.

          Yes, most non-tech people wouldn't know the difference.

          This would be a great router for the in-laws. Good brand, decent throughput for most people, definitely plenty for an older couple and not expensive.

          • moneytomyway on 20/11/2023 - 16:16
            +1

            @rygle: Thank you so much!!

            I am currently using a 5 year old router came with my previous SP, which I think it's due for an upgrade as well, do you think https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/eero-6-mesh-dual-band-wi-… is a better buy? So my in-laws can have 1, and I will use 1 as router the other as a mesh.

            • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 16:27

              @moneytomyway: I personally think the Eeros would be worse, especially for the price. You could buy three of these and have over $100 change compared.

              You could send one of these to the in-laws and use two of these in a wired or wireless multi-point setup using the original firmware and AiMesh or see my comments below for information regarding OpenWRT options if you are up for that.

              • moneytomyway on 20/11/2023 - 16:29

                @rygle: Thank you!!

                As in functionality, it probably don't make any difference as we won't be using them xD

                • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 16:38

                  @moneytomyway: I think just on functionality (not cost) the Eero would still be behind.

                  • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 16:39

                    @rygle: But that is just an opinion…

                    • moneytomyway on 20/11/2023 - 21:45

                      @rygle: Sorry mate, was going to pull the trigger and found https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/asus-rt-ax54hp-dual-band-… at the same price.
                      On a quick glance, it seems like two are almost identical but please let me know if there's anything I miss.

                      Thanks!!

                      • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 23:24

                        @moneytomyway: No need for apologies.

                        The main differences between the Assured RT-AX54HP and this ASUS RT-AX53U is the USB support on one and not the other;

                        • Both support AiMesh according to the Asus website and therefore both will support mesh with OpenWRT.

                        • They are both supported by OpenWRT and have the same MT7621 main chipset, CPU speed, memory and flash.
                          RT-AX54/AX1800HP tech data - https://openwrt.org/toh/hwdata/asus/asus_rt-ax54
                          RT-AX53U tech data - https://openwrt.org/toh/hwdata/asus/asus_rt-ax53u

                        • The RT-AX53U has a USB 2.0 plug while the RT-AX54/RT-AX1800HP seems to not have USB. This puzzles me, but may just be the slight difference in age of the devices, market audience etc.

                        • The looks, number of lights (8 vs 5) and height of the antennas ;)
                        • moneytomyway on 21/11/2023 - 09:24

                          @rygle: Thank you!! In that case I will just get AX53U then, could potentially use the USB to run NAS for streaming 4k on my TV.

                  • moneytomyway on 20/11/2023 - 16:55

                    @rygle: THANK YOU!!!

    • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 16:36

      TheAX53U (sometimes called 1800U I think) supports OpenWRT but I'm pretty sure the 1800S doesn't if that matters to you. It's because they have a different chipset. Many people don't care about OpenWRT but if there's even a chance you'd consider tinkering if go for the AX53U. If you think you will always stick with the stock ASUS firmware they aren't much different from that angle.

      I agree with @kwchaz that having USB is useful. File sharing, printer sharing (though most printers are now wireless), mobile data sharing from your phone or a 4G/5G dongle is possible with OpenWRT, not sure about stock firmware.

  • kommy on 20/11/2023 - 11:54

    If I currently have a Telstra smart modem setup on my home network could I use this router as a wireless access point/extender to increase the range of my wifi to the shed?

    • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 12:32
      +1

      Yes, this should be pretty standard. Ethernet out from one of the modem's LAN ports, ethernet in to the WAN on the WiFi router.
      You should also turn off the WiFi on the modem if not being used.

      You could plug in to a LAN port on the router, but that would bypass the firewall, which is poor security in my opinion as your ISP hardware is not to be trusted as 1. they can login to the router and will then see all your stuff and 2. ISP hardware is a weak point in general that hackers might target.

  • a1234my on 20/11/2023 - 13:53

    Any suggestion on the range? Once i have a mi3 with openwrt, using as bridge getting connection from 12-13 meters with 3 brick wall.

    • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 16:11
      +3

      Wireless through 3 brick walls is pushing it for any router.

      Presuming you mean you have a Xiaomi Mi-3 router running OpenWRT that you want to keep but add something else as another access point. Thus the wireless range would be affected by the performance of both routers as well as the walls. There are a few variables at play.

      In my opinion, you would be best by a long way to run an ethernet cable (from LAN on the primary and also in to LAN on the secondary) under the floor or through the ceiling or some other way to get past the brick walls and setup the two routers with OpenWRT, the same SSID, password, and turn on 802.11r with the same 4 digit hex in the "mobility domain" field for fast roaming when you move between the two (the are some other settings covered in the video). You will also need to disable dhcp on the secondary router. See this video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kMgs2XFClaM

      If you can't run an ethernet cable, you can set the second router as a WiFi repeater/bridge or setup a mesh, but either way is more involved and the results will be much worse without a "wired backhaul".

      For the bridge/repeater you could see this video;
      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TdKTAHtKA1M

      For mesh see this video;
      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vVoZppb_FR0&t=401s

      • a1234my on 20/11/2023 - 23:00
        +1

        @rygle great guide.

  • park it on 20/11/2023 - 21:25
    +1

    With all these router deals, I never know what to get.

    Been running RT-AC68U for the last few years. Looking to replace it. Only using it as a router.

    Any thoughts on “go to” routers these days that would be as reliable with OpenWRT or Merlin support?

    • rygle on 20/11/2023 - 22:36
      +2

      It depends on your needs and budget and to a smaller extent your technical know-how or desire to fiddle with gadgets.

      If you don't have a "full house" or lots of devices being used concurrently, this AX1800 will be reasonable, and especially at $89, but it won't be a massive jump from your current router.

      The RT-AC68U you have is AC1900 vs this at AX1800, but all AC routers are actually WiFi 4 (802.11n) on 2.4GHz, so you will notice the most difference at the furthest range (edit: and with more devices). There might be a moderate difference on 5GHz closer up but not as much as on 2.4GHz at a distance. 2.4GHz makes a difference at distance because lower frequencies travel further. With 5GHz it is best to think of it giving the most advantage in the same room or through one wall if close by, whereas 2.4GHz can go further and through more obstacles. So to get the faster speeds of 5GHz right across a house people have moved somewhat to multi-point or mesh setups where you are always relatively close to a 5GHz transmitter, but if it's a wireless mesh this kind of gets cancelled out as the WiFi bandwidth is divided between the transmission from each access point to the devices (front haul) and the transmission from the same access points to the internet access device (back haul), so the higher speed access point closer can be cancelled out by the wireless backhaul latency. Wired/ethernet backhaul is always preferred if possible.

      If you are mainly using older devices, the new router will make less difference, as most phones and laptops don't support the newer standards as quickly as the routers do. Almost all phones also max out at 2x2 due to the need to save power, so even if the router supports 4x4 and 8 streams the phone can't use them all - more streams makes more difference if you have more devices.

      The Asus Tuf Gaming AX4200 will have greater bandwidth, but that mainly comes in to play when you have lots of devices or lots of users, as the 4200bps is between all the bands and data streams.

      If you want OpenWRT either this or the Asus Tuf AX4200 will work.

      If using USB, the Asus Tuf AX4200 has 3.2 vs 2.0 on the ax1800, but most people wouldn't care.

      • park it on 21/11/2023 - 04:34

        Thanks for your comprehensive feedback. What are your thoughts on reliability and continued OpenWRT support? Do you think AX53U is just as popular as AC68U? Merlin is still supporting it. I’ve got a 3-pack M5 which has been working well for WiFi.

        • rygle on 21/11/2023 - 07:25

          I think if you're happy with what you've got then there's little need to change. I don't think you will notice a huge change from the AC1900 to an AX1800 router.

          I believe OpenWRT is going strong. I've been involved for a few years and they have many talented people involved who are way above my level. Because it is open source and heavily enmeshed with current Linux kernel and wireless chipset driver development they have contributions coming from all over the place, but they also are very careful about keeping the code quality up. They don't want to let stuff in that wouldn't be accepted upstream in the Linux kernel.

          I checked out Merlin again a few years ago and my feeling is that OpenWRT is at least equally strong. They work on a different model that is a lot broader than Merlin as Merlin sticks to one brand and it's more about tweaking and fixing minor issues around the edges and adding minor features using "entware" add-ons while keeping most of the firmware original, whereas OpenWRT is a whole different operating system that usually keeps very little apart from the bootloader and partition layout, but can also use add-ons similar and related to entware.

  • sid4frnds on 25/11/2023 - 09:01

    Would this be much of an upgrade over Tenda Mw5c 2 node mesh? Been using them for over 3 years and haven't faced any issues. I live in an apartment and on HFC 100/20 plan. Coverage is not an issue for me but wanting to move to wifi6. Thanks

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