All time low according to camelcamelcamel. Seems like a good stand-alone system or mesh extension for an existing Asus router.
CamelCamelCamel.
No, not yet from what I've seen. Not sure when it will be. Maybe now that the EoL models are not getting firmware updates, RMerlin might have time to work on it, but then again, maybe he's waiting on stuff from Asus.
I hear that the 3.0.0.6 is still a work in progress, though, so maybe the 3.0.0.4 is more stable/better off for now. You can always just use the stock Asus if you need any specific features of the new firmware?
This or TUF model? also this is 310 AUD from Amazon Germany I initially thought US don't know why
This. Supports Asuswrt-Merlin firmware, better SoC, more RAM.
Why not? It's a bit of a delay for arrival, but a further 12.5% saving
Pretty sure most EU countries have power regulations on their routers so you're shooting yourself in the foot for 40 bucks.
@jcapone96: From what I understand Asus make the same hardware for all different regions, power levels controlled via software when you setup. Once you select Australia it can go up to 1000mw from memory using the ROG AX6000 model I have.
@Niceye: Now they have changed the interface the Tx Power is a slider with options like “balance”, “performance” etc. So really difficult to see mW rating.
Is the hardware of the EU version identical to GT-AX6000 sold in US or AU?
Can we buy an EU version for $40 cheaper and flash the firmware with the US version to get rid of the WiFi power restriction ?
all works fine but your wifi will be severely degraded, i would avoid
My understanding is power levels are controlled by firmware when you setup the router to a specific region. For example if I set EU as region that you live for any AU model router then it uses a lower Tx power to be compliant. So quite certain it is software controlled.
That is true, but I don't think all of the ASUS routers will allow you to make such changes, even if you install different firmware like Merlin. For most people, the lower-powered EU routers will be more than enough.
Your understanding is incorrect.
I purchased the TUF model from Germany but seems to work fine in aus?
Is there a common issue purchasing these from EU?
Worse wifi power levels, which means lower range.
Haven't bought an EU version myself, decided to just stick with the AU ones.
There are workarounds, but they can be finicky, eg startup scripts.
That's good to know. I had very bad wifi issues when wifi 6 was activated on the EU TUF model but have sinced turned it off and now all good.
I have the EU model set up as my main router then AiMesh'ed the 2 x AU models to it and have good coverage to around 800m2.
There are workarounds, but they can be finicky, eg startup scripts.
Set and forget. Takes about 5 minutes to set up… you only need to set it up again if you factory reset it.
If you can follow step by step instructions then you can set it up.
I've got the German version and it works great.
@bonezAU: you got a link? I just checked my 4 year old AX86U, and i bought from Amazon UK!
territory_code=UK/01
why might someone buy this in lieu of a Wifi 7 router if theyre dropping this much money?
My thoughts exactly
Maybe wifi 7 will cost double? This one is pretty solid.
I bought this for software support and vlan
I have two at home running aimesh with cable. Flawless for a double brick two storey.
Reduced antenna power so that it cuts off within our property. Can reach quiet far otherwise.
because many dont even have much devices support that Wifi 7 maybe?
When we bought this, half the devices at home were on 5 and other half on 6. Now most devices at home are on 6 (6e was the temptation back then, most costly). Will take a while for most users to get onto 7 and won't fully milk the benefit too. Save some coins and stick to 6 unless there is a reason not to do so.
WiFi 7 helps massively if you live in a densely packed unit or apartment block - being on the 6 GHz band while everyone fights for the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands is a game changer.
nice price, amazing router
I have this model and it is rock solid, incredible for my kids playing competitive gaming across three wired desktops and I run gigabit network at home / gigabit FTTN.
Wifi 7 will take a while to really migrate enough devices to make it that few % points better… This router has a very impressive range, a CPU that mostly idles… yes, I am a big fan, and after a lot of reflection went for the proven, super reliable technology and a good price.
had poor FTTN for so long, capped at 30 mb/s I mistyped my home gb connection - can not edit anymore to say FTTH.
Compatible with NBN FW?
Yeah plugin the Asus router into the nbn FW NTD box.
Ta bought, upgrading from a asus 68u. I built another house connecting to my existing house and its started to struggle in distance.
I have two of these in my house. The range is phenomenal, allows me to run wifi cameras on the outside of the house as well as all of the constant streaming loads that teenagers place on a router. The Mesh wifi between them is rock solid. I did try the third party firmware that a lot of people recommend, I actually saw no benefit in it, so I'm running ASUS stock firmware. One of mine is an EU model. There is no option to fool it into thinking it's an AUS model, so the power output is lower. But it's still stronger than any other router I've had before. Paying the extra for WiFi 7 isn't worth it in my opinion.
Do you run the mesh with ethernet or wifi as backhaul?
I run the Mesh using the ethernet backhaul. I've also done the same using TP-Link powerline adaptors. It does work over Wi-Fi, but you'll never get quite the same speed between the routers.
What is the configuration with the TP-Link powerline adapters? I have 4 Netgear Powerline adapters that I'm currently using PLP2000 I think is the model.
Wasn't sure how well this would work with powerline adapters. When I was looking at buying the German version of this router, another member suggested I try mesh setup with my current router AC68U via ethernet with the powerline adapters.
@Ice009: I think I have an AV-2000 model, which I used before to join two routers but now I'm using to go from one router to another spot on the same floor at the other end of the house that has a printer, TV, and an X-Box plugged into it. I had an Asus powerline device before, that kept dropping. The TP-Link one is rock solid. Very little configurtion needed, just sync the two powerline devices together. I've never tried running multiples, just point to point.
how many ssids can you create?
can you make say, two 2.4Ghz ssid, each on a different channel (like 1 and chanenl 10) ?
No, I have one channel and SSID for 2.4Ghz and another for 5Ghz. You can run guest networks though, I believe in parallel but don't quote me on that. I did create one for my kids' friends to use but then they just gave them the password to the main one. Cyber security is not their forte.
Did you try flashing the EU model with the AU firmware?
I have an Optus Asus AX5400 flashed with a Asus DSL-82U firmware and works perfectly fine.
However, if I factory reset the router it goes back to the original Optus firmware
Yeah it didn't like it when I changed the firmware. It was an absolute pain in the neck to get it to revert back to stock as well, at one point I thought it was bricked and had to do a recovery routine on it. I only tried the custom firmware to see if it gave me the option to increase the radio power in line with the AU models, but that option did not appear so I put it back to stock.
Have this, brilliant.
Me with my $36 mercusys WiFi 6 router
nice
Damn, already out of stock it seems
Still available on my end
Had to update my delivery address! 42km from the Adelaide CBD and apparently I'm rural.
Pretty out in the sticks tbh
Damn this is twice the price of the GL.inet router ~180…
Hope it's twice as good. Sounds like it is.
not sure about performance
but it does make sense to get new Asus router if you have any existing asus routers that supports AiMesh
as those old ones can easily turn into mesh nodes
Hope it's twice as good.
It is twice the quality of life.
Have had one for years running a Wireguard server. Never skipped a beat and wifi coverage is excellent.
Paid a lot more and no regrets.
I've used multiple Asus routers over the course of 20 years or so. They just kept failing me when I had them, and the only reason I kept buying them was because of their aesthetics (lol). But never again, so will be skipping this one too.
My experience is the opposite.
I have bought ASUS routers for 20+ years and I found them to be most stable, so much so, that I think their ROG series is actually worth it.
Smooth, dependable experience.
Put your routers behind a surge-protected and/or UPS, to prevent brown-outs damaging your equipment.
My experience is neutral. I've never had one.
Now we have many diverse opinions! Diversity FTW!
My experience is neutral. I've never had one.
I never had a ROG, until around Covid time, when I got a great deal on a GT-AX11000 at that time, and that router has been fantastic, that I have faith in "gamer's networking equipment" now, ha….as I am not a gamer, and didn't think why all that low latency stuff mattered so much.
Next time, I would sell my GT-AX11000 and get 2 x ROG routers with a wired backhaul, but I'll probably do that in this year's sales, and look for a WiFi 7 router.
I had found that buying hardware with a 'future' standard, actually worked better with "legacy" devices, eg. when 802.11ax devices weren't around yet, my 802.11ax router played better with all the 802.11a,b,g,n,ac devices.
This is just anecdotal experience.
@whyisave: Have you ever had lighting strikes? I've had one strike destroy my Fritz.box once. I used to love Fritz.box during the days of VOIP and still use one as a modem but wondered how to protect the current one from lightning…
Have you ever had lighting strikes?
If you see the bottom of my reply above, I wrote this:
Put your routers behind a surge-protected and/or UPS, to prevent brown-outs damaging your equipment.
So, the price of all the electronics in your house = value of the surge-protector.
A couple of my PCs at home, are plugged into UPS, and the modem, router, TV, … are plugged into a surge-protected power-board.
@whyisave: Yep, a lightning strike blew out my NBN box and router last year. Which was a terrific excuse to upgrade to one of these at the time.
@Naigrabzo: You need to protect the electricity surge at your main distribution board (which is where the electrical wiring of your home is located), plus for added protection, you can have a power-board (or UPS) witch surge protection.
If the lightning strike is on your actual house, … then that's just bad luck.
You can also have a lightning rod on your roof (and the rod goes straight into the ground, to discharge the electricity).
PS:
I am not an electrician.
@whyisave: Did you install surge protection at the distribution board? I thought it would be common sense to have this as part of Australian standard…. Need to check how to do this.
Did you install surge protection at the distribution board?
I think there is. ( I can't remember because the house is not mine ).
I know there is a safety switch, ie. for any 'leaks' in your internal home wiring, and this safety switch shuts down the electricity to prevent electrocution.
Do I finally upgrade from my AC-68U?
Probably not.
Unpopular opinion - purchased Unifi Gateway Ultra and paired it with TP-Link Deco Mesh and it has been a game changer. So much easier to do Vlans, built in vpns, awesome reports of websites being accessed through the network, it's been amazing. The Deco will soon be replaced with unifi APs when the price is right for an even more robust network + guest network availability. I have had top range Asus routers in the past but for $180 the Gateway Ultra is much more superior albeit you have to supply WiFi separately which is not a problem for me.
Different tool for different uses , this is a gaming router first and foremost and for that it's amazing st what it does .
I pair it with a cheap Asus for airmesh but I want latency free gaming when my kids watch tv and do whatever else they do , plus I like the network control you get and wifi range
I went for Cloud Gateway Max + D-Link M32 Eagle Pro AI AX3200 Mesh as access points (flashed with OpenWRT). OpenWRT supports VLANs. Obviously, Unifi APs would be easier to use (though D-Link M32 were dirt cheap and has LAN ports).
This Asus router, the main advantages are (1) WiFi is included (2) USB ports and (3) entware / optware support. Asus WRT5 is basically an attempt to move to SDN, but Asus still has a long way to reach UniFi or Omada's level.
One problem with buying UniFi gears is you tend to want to buy more UniFi gears.
These standalone routers are becoming a very unpopular choice ever since mesh routers have become so affordable. I can't see why anyone would want this unless they live in an apartment. Don't be buying it for a house expecting maximum speed for everyone because that just isn't going to happen.
You can mesh an Asus router really easily
Absolutely, but I'm not sure it makes sense buying 2 with the plethora of mesh options.
Agree. A decent mesh system is about $500 which is almost the same price as a standalone router.
Good router. We have 3. Vlan and dual 2.5g.
So much love for this. I would have thought dual band was limiting? I'm running a 10 year old router and looking to upgrade to something that'll last another 10 years
You probably only would need triband if you were planning on setting up a wireless mesh wifi network, using the 3rd channel as the backhaul. With no regrets, I went from triband back to dual and used a powerline adaptor for the backhaul.
Can someone ELI5 for an old codger who wants faster wifi and got the standard NBN and Optus provided router?
Two people two devices on most of the time and some downloading too. Aussie $100 plan for faster speeds
Is this the go or wifi 7 router?
This would probably be overkill. At most a nice $100 - $200 router is all you'd need.
Wonderful thanks for suggesting that and saving me some money
given dual band probably not great for mesh vs. tri band. Note that mesh means connection of devices via wireless to expand the network. AP connected via ethernet to switch/router is NOT a mesh. I used the ROG Rapture GT6 which was quite good for mesh and AP mode as 2.5gbit ethernet but it's just a bit rubbish as they don't do merlin. wireless separation is broken
Wired backhaul Asus AiMesh is different to wired AP, and they are still consider as Mesh
| Feature | AiMesh (Wired Backhaul) | Wired APs with Same SSID |
|---|---|---|
| Seamless Roaming | ✅ Yes (802.11k/v support) | ❌ No (devices switch only when signal is lost) |
| Centralized Management | ✅ Yes (via ASUS Router app/web UI) | ❌ No (each AP is managed separately) |
| Automatic Device Handoff | ✅ Yes (smart roaming) | ❌ No (device decides when to switch) |
| Manual AP Configurations | ❌ Limited | ✅ Full control (channels, SSID, VLANs) |
| Compatibility | ❌ ASUS routers only | ✅ Any router & any APs |
| Best for | Home users wanting easy setup | Advanced users wanting full control |
Given this router is dual band, using wired backhaul actually overcome the issue of not having the 3rd band as 5GHz dedicated backhaul
wired ap with same ssid is wrong I think - "roaming threshold" determines when switching occurs and its a quality thing and it's all on the client to do switching; most ap can do it dos them. also the 2nd point, really depend on the platform.
The mesh term is wrongly used by Asus and most others when talking about "backhaul" - must be wireless comms between AP for it to be considered "mesh" and apparently 802.11s is a key component of that.
I'm not a wireless expert and only going on info I found via wireless nerds when looking at openwrt/dd-wrt.
Ill stick with my Asus GT-BE98 Pro $1200 bux well spent , imported from usa
How is the WiFi coverage working with the US model? Did you by from Amazon?
Also, did you just use a power plug adapter, or buy a figure 8 cord or something to use it here?
Comparing Apples to Oranges…
Isn't U.S model reduced transmit power?
How can you tell it's on backorder? I've been looking at buying this router for the past few months. I think this is the cheapest AU version price I've seen.
I found one for sale on Marketplace the other day for $200 which I really wanted to buy, but the seller wouldn't post it to me, and as I expected, it sold not long after he turned me down :(. I offered to pay the full postage cost and told them they could send whenever it's convenient as I wasn't in a rush for it, but he didn't want to send it.
I was tossing up on buying the German version as that was $280 AUD a while ago, but I changed my mind and decided I want something local due to the not wanting to try and play around with the WiFi power levels. I just switched to Gigabit broadband last week for the first time and I think the RT-AC68U is holding it back as I'm getting inconsistent speed test results with it. I tried turning on QoS and set it to 930Mbps down and 46Mbps upload, but that dropped my speeds down to 200Mbps as CPU Core 1 on the router was hitting 100% with QoS turned on.
Does anyone know if New Zealand versions of routers use the same channels/similar WiFi power levels to AU? I had seen the NZ version of this for sale at a cheaper price last week, but it sold out. I didn't have time to do any research on if they use the same channels and WiFi power levels over there.
Would this pair well wireless backhaul with a AX11000 ROG for AI mesh?
Not deliverable to my address :(
Why not get this Wifi 7 router for just a little more?
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09T9BMKR3?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_f…
It's the German version (Sold by Amazon Germany), and most people don't want to play around trying to adjust the WiFi power levels.
Also, no merlin compatibility.
Darn, I knew that, but forgot to mention it as I was also looking at this model myself.
just bought the asus rt-ax82u. how does this compare to the rapture? Should i upgrade?
![[Backorder] ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX6000 Dual Band Wi-Fi 6 Router $355 (RRP $799) Delivered @ Amazon AU](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/91/893291.jpg?h=8a51f080)
Merlin 3006 firmware is not yet available on this model