ASUS RT-AX86U Pro AX5700 Dual Band Wi-Fi 6 Router $298 ($289 with Targeted Prime Offer) @ Amazon AU

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Looking around at a network upgrade as my RT-AC68U's are EOL, and came across this deal from Amazon.

$10 cheaper than Box Day last year if you are Prime Member

Original coupon deal post

A few other ASUS routers on sale:

ASUS TUF Gaming AX4200 - $169
ASUS TUF Gaming AX6000 - $259
ASUS TUF Gaming BE3600 - $279
ASUS TUF Gaming BE6500 - $455

Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.
This is part of Amazon Big Smile Sale for 2025

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Comments

  • Looking to upgrade my netgear nighthawk xr1000, is this any good?

    • +2

      I had this router, the AX86U. Had, because it started having problems and then broke in a year and half lol. Problems like dropping connectivity (have to restart the router to fix) and whatnot.

      • +1

        I'm experiencing this with my AX68 - couldn't work out what was going on.

        • I've tried setting channels, timeouts, disabling 5ghz, etc back then. Didn't really work.

        • Same. The dropouts are annoying. I constantly have to restart the router to control my Sonos sound system and wifi controlled lights.

      • I still have it and it's pretty rock solid on the 5ghz band but doesn't play nice with some of the 2.4ghz band devices. Meross garage door opener, and some other iOTs seem to drop quite frequently

        • I have the AX86U too and had problems with some IoT devices. Turning off the "Smart Connect" feature on the router may help.

          • @gazzas: Yeah its off, I've trawled the internet and tried every suggestion. I've bought a cheap asus router and put it in mesh and binded the problem devices to that router. Seems to have fixed most issues

      • Did the physical switch (Ethernet) still work fine?

        The wifi on all of my routers tend to die within two years, probably due to overheating. It seemed that cabled connections to the same routers would work fine until the end of time though.

      • I had the issue with AX86u dropping wifi clients randomly as well.

        Went back to a few year old firmware and it is no rock solid.

    • +1

      Any of the features below really interest you?

      • WiFi speed wise, you get 3x3 for 2.4GHz (though most clients are 2x2).
      • CPU, from 3-cores ARM A7 at 1.5 Ghz to 4-cores ARM B53 at 2 Ghz (B53 is normally 30% faster + it is 3 vs 4 cores with faster clock speed).
      • 2.5 Ghz LAN/WAN port, but only 1.
      • VLAN support (but requires 3.0.0.6 firmware, which means you can't use Merlin firmware unless you know linux well and happy to script VLAN config yourself).
      • Merlin firmware support.
      • One additional USB port (but USB 2.0 on that extra port).

      As we now know 2Gbps NBN is coming so ideally you want a router with a 2.5Gbps WAN port and at least one 2.5Gbps LAN port. Unless you intend to add a lot of smart home devices to your WiFi network soon or you really want to use VLANs (though Asus WRT5 VLAN support still has some limitations), might be better to wait for better deal or go for a bigger upgrade.

      • +3

        I just want a stronger wifi coverage and faster speeds.

        • +16

          And I just want milk that tastes like regular milk

        • You might get stronger WiFi coverage. With 3x3, it might provide better beam foaming for 2x2 clients (or 1x1 clients - some 'cost effective' smart home devices use 1x1).

          Speed wise, 5Ghz band, both routers are 4x4 and same max speed. The 2.5 GHz LAN port is useful only for LAN setup (and you will need a switch).

  • +1

    Recently got 2 x open box Optus DSL-AX5400 (AX82U) for a total of $150. Are they same as this model?

    • +1

      They are not, but where did you get them? I’d like to buy one

      • Taobao…One seller has a whole cargo of these routers from Optus.

        I wonder if it's worth replacing one with this Pro model for a better main router.

        • Were these still locked to Optus? I know there's a way to unlock/flash the routers so that any ISP can use them, but I haven't had success in trying to flash an old Optus one to work with TPG

          • +1

            @jassono: I remember the days when I wanted a cheap router and good router. I got the T-Mobile routers and had to flash it. Still in my mesh to this day.

          • +2

            @jassono: Will try the following steps once received.

            https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/32k1vyn9?p=16

            User #15100 27 posts
            Ezeekio
            Forum Regular

            Goes without saying that you do this at your own risk as flashing via SSH can brick your device, but in saying that though I believe the newer command hnd-write does checks before flashing to ensure it'll work vs the mtd-write command in the older AC routers.

            I did this while on firmware 3.0.0.4.386_43578 and there's no guarantee that SSH can be enabled on newer firmware versions. Also do it over ethernet

            Enable SSH
            1. easiest way is install web developer plugin for chrome/edge
            2. browse to administration -> system tab
            3. select "disable inline styles" in CSS and "enable form fields" in Forms using the web developer plugin
            4. telnet/ssh will now be exposed and turn it on and apply settings

            Upload firmware file
            1. go download firmware from github.com (.w file extension is the firmware )
            2. I used winscp to upload the file to the router. connect using SCP protocol to the router IP address using the default username/password (optus/yourpassword)
            3. upload file to the /tmp/home/root directory

            Flash firmware
            1. Download PuTTY and connect to the router IP address using SSH and default username/password. You should be in the same directory as where you uploaded the file "/tmp/home/root". just do a ls and you should be able to see the file you uploaded
            2. run the following command without quotes, example is based on the latest firmware version as of the date of this post
            "hnd-write DSL-AX82U_386.5_2-gnuton0_cferom_puresqubi.w"
            once that is finished issue a reboot command and the router will restart and wait a few minutes it'll come back up.

            hopefully will end up like this imgur.com

            Good Luck

            • @tc423: Interested to see how you go. Might be a good way to grab some new routers dirt cheap

    • RT-AX82U/DSL-AX5400 = 1.5Ghz tri-core Broadcom CPU with Gigabit ports and 512MB RAM
      RT-AX86U Pro = 2Ghz quad-core Broadcom CPU with 2.5 Gigabit WAN port and Gigabit ports + 1GB RAM

  • +4

    I have this router. Look into installing Merlin firmware if you game.

    • Yeah - this + Merlin for many many other uses too.

  • +9

    paid 373 last year, great router, can cover 5 bedrooms house, 700 land, don't even need any mesh

    • That's impressive - is the router sitting in the middle of the house? Can it cover devices outside the house, too - e.g. wifi cameras? Cheers!

      • Don't confuse coverage with speed. I had this router in my 4 bedroom home and yes, it had coverage on the other side of the house but the speed was abysmal. What is coverage without speed? You need at least a Tri-Band mesh router with a dedicated wireless backhaul if you want to see real speed and coverage. I upgraded to an Orbi AX6000 and haven't looked back.

        • I run this in a large 4 bedder with it in the middle but to one side of the house, no issues with signal/speed, even out in my driveway I get 400mb/s.
          Things to keep in mind is its gyprock internals so nothing crazy to punch though and I have the Australia version of the router, not the poor strength EU version.
          I have separate ASUS routers which I picked up cheap to make into a mesh but I haven't bothered to set them up as its just not needed.

    • What kind of speed are you getting though? This will never compare with a mesh system for speed. Double-bricked houses will also play a huge part.

      • +1

        Not sure whoever downvoted you, but you speak the truth regarding speeds being not comparable to a solid mesh system.

        • Will a mesh be faster??

          • +1

            @Homr: Yes and no—speeds depend on your ISP, of course. I originally used Deco S4s in a 700 sq. metre house. When connected on Wi-Fi, I would get around 250 Mbps. I upgraded to the Deco X68s, and now I get around 700 to 900 Mbps. In the farthest part of my house, speeds reach 350 to 400 Mbps. Everyone’s experience will definitely vary, as many factors can affect performance. But in my personal experience yeah, this has been better than any regular router i've personally used

            • @cephh: I'm currently on G.fast and can achieve 500mbps on wireless when I have my phone right next to the router. It slows down to 440-450mbps when I'm like 5-7m away from it. So looking to get higher speed

              Then there's a dead spot right on the corner of my apartment so looking to fix that up too.

          • +1

            @Homr: If the nodes are close enough then it should be minimal but if they’re too far apart then you’ll still lose connection speed

  • +7

    Yet still my 68U carries on.

    • used my first 68U like 10 years ago
      then getting a few more 68U since Asus introducing AiMesh (v1)
      now those 68U are still being used as AiMesh nodes
      really great value IMO

    • 1 68U and 2 85Us here still growing strong. No need for Wifi 6 or I can not about EOL.

  • +2

    I've had this one for some years. It has a very sexy wifi strength.

  • +1

    Great price, but feels like sub $300 for this router will become the new norm since the BE series (Wifi 7) become the top tier models

  • Excellent router. Highly recommended for an apartment or unit.

  • +1

    Great router - also consider the heavily discounted GT-AX6000 for $359 which is identical in performance to this but with about 20% better coverage on its 2.4Ghz band, so good for really large homes.

    Note as well that the RT-BE86U now replaces this RT-AX86U model, so this price is probably the norm going forward.

  • +1

    Asus routers so far for me have been top tier. They do what they say they do and they have very good coverage and when you upgrade you end up with a Mesh network.

    Been using Asus based firmware without any issues. Also use the router as a VPN into my home network, and it hasn't broken a sweat.

    • +3

      yea, agree even without flashing to Merlin firmware, the stock Asus firmware are very stable with quite impressive features
      personally, I really like using the the VPN Fusion to have only certain client devices to connect to VPN
      very useful to connect my TV netflix to the Turkey account (using NordVPN ovpn)

      • Haha… you are a brave person. I avoid using Netflix on anything that can be construed as a fixed device.

        • yes, I think Netflix mainly look into clients that runs in TV / TV box or TV sticks (eg. Google TV / Amazon Firestick etc.)
          so for my setup, only those clients requires VPN connection
          while other devices (PC / mobile / tablets) just connect directly

          So far I have been using the same way to run India Netflix for 8 months (until India netflix requires indian payment card)
          Then switch to Turkey Netflix and paid using Netflix giftcards from Turgames

      • +1

        I must have exceptionally bad luck or have something in my setup that breaks the ASUS routers. The only way I've been able to keep them without them driving me insane is to flash to FreshTomato. You lose the mesh, but for me that gave me stable and predictable behavior.

  • Any good VDSL with VoIP port? Can you guys recommend?

    • my home NBN connected via HFC
      and to retain the Voip port
      I need to use the Telstra modem router as a passthrough (which the Voip port connect to home phone via RJ11)
      and LAN port of Telstra modem connect to Asus router WAN (and set with different subnet)

      To resolve the double NAT issues, I add the Asus router ip as DMZ in Telstra modem
      and seems not facing any NAT issues (same setup running for 10 years now)
      playing games using UPnP has no issue as well

      • Too complicated. I need one device, preferably with 1200 at least WiFi speed due to space issue :)

    • +2

      No options with voip really unless ISP supplied.

      Best VDSL all in one currently is DSL-AX82U, or the archer vr2800 bridged to a better router.

      DSL-AX82u ensure you get the Australia version, currently not in stock on Amazon.

  • Looking to upgrade my RT-AX55 but there are too many bloody options argh

    • I got a RT-AX55 as well and used as AiMesh node
      for some unknown reason, my AX55 got connectivity drops occasionally (AiMesh status shows as disconnected, its wired backhawl)
      wifi clients that automatically connected to that node will have no internet connection

      So I just decided to replace my AX55 to TUF AX4200
      my primary router is the original AX88U (very similar to AX86U but with 8 x 1Gb LAN ports, no 2.5Gb port)
      not as good as AX86U pro in this deal, but still going strong after 4 years

  • Great router. Been so solid

  • For $60-$70 more, this is a much better buy: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09RSXNGTB

    • +4

      It’s identical except for an extra 2.5gb port, 20% better coverage on the 2.4ghz band, and a much larger footprint / uglier design.

      Different trade offs with each.

    • How do you buy it at that price? There's no option to put in the shopping cart.

      • OOS.

        • So I missed the deal, it's not a location issue?

          I only ask as the Asus TUF AX4200, it won't let me buy as it says not deliverable to my location/address (I don't understand why as I am in WA).

    • err.. $700 is not $60-70 more than $300 ???

      • Have you looked at the date of my comment?

        • briefly - year and month.. tend to lose track of days.
          still only 10 days ago
          will camelx3 it

  • Great router, easy set up as well.

  • Bought this late last year, out of the box didn't play nicely with the ISP with the default Aggressive DHCP query setting, setting it to normal and it works well - rock solid and no issues but it's only been a few months.

  • +4

    There is a WiFi 7 version of this router available if WiFi 7 is important to anybody on here.

    https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09T9MSH8V

  • +2

    I have the non-pro version, it's good. For those having any form of issues check out the Merlin Firmware - https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/

    "Asuswrt-Merlin is a third party alternative firmware for Asus routers, with a special emphasis on tweaks and fixes rather than radical changes or collecting as many features as possible."

    • Tweaks and fixes is because the main drivers are closed source.

      You will find many devices that claim to run an OpenWrt related system have closed source drivers and are actually use a Broadcom or Qualcomm SDK that is based on an old version of the real OpenWrt but with many modifications on top, as well as many security issues.

  • Still waiting for Merlin 3006.xx firmware.

  • How is it compared to the ASUS TUF Gaming AX6000, it looks better but cheaper?

    • See my comment below.

      • Thank you for this but sorry I'm not an expert on this, so TUF Gaming AX6000 might be better?

        • +1

          Yes

  • +1

    Doesn't ship to rural address.

    • +1

      Nothing seems to anymore, Amazon must have updated their postage policy. All my subscribe & save's stopped, and I can't re-order previous orders as they 'can't post to this address'.

      • I just started noticing this yesterday on a couple of routers I've been looking to buy.

        Another member has said to me he's pretty sure it's due to the postage cost as they have their own drivers in metro areas so it would cost them less to deliver there. It's likely to cost them money delivering outside of metro areas. I think he's correct on why they're doing this.

        If that is the case, why are we paying for Amazon Prime? I might go into the chat and ask if I can cancel my subscription and get a refund if they're going to pull this s#$t.

        I did go into the chat to talk to someone yesterday before I read the OzB member's reply to me. If I had read that beforehand, I would have asked point blank about it. They told me it's due to the fulfillment center location, and I said, but I'm in Australia. I asked where the fulfillment center is, but they told me they can't tell me the location of it (they're not allowed to give me the location). I said I'm just outside of Perth and that I've hardly ever seen anything within AU that hasn't been able to be delivered to me. Then shortly after that, the chat kept getting disconnected and 3 or 4 different customer service reps came on and I wasn't about to start over as I had to go do something, so I closed the chat.

  • TUF gaming ax-4200 and ax-6000 support OpenWrt while the ax5700 and the BE ones do not because it is likely a Broadcom System On Chip/CPU, while the others are MediaTek.

    Broadcom are notoriously open source unfriendly, MediaTek are the opposite, and are actively contributing to the Linux and OpenWrt code.

    Many of the first wave of WiFi 7 routers are Broadcom based, including the upcoming GL.iNet Flint 3 - the curent Flint 2 is Mediatek Filogic based. There will be a bunch of Mediatek based WiFi 7 routers soon including one just being designed by the OpenWrt guys called the OpenWrt Two that well be made by GL.iNet and out before the end of 2025.

    IMHO it's too early to get a WiFi 7 Router anyway as the client device support is hardly there and even the phones that support it only do MIMO 2x2 to save on battery and heat issues. And they are expensive!

  • +2

    Wish they make these routers with 8 ports.

    I know switch is cheap, but it requires a power point, and sometimes that means adding a power board.

    • +1

      they have the 8 ports version

      RT-AX88U has 8 ports, but is no longer available https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07J3JQWNS
      The wifi 7 version (BE88U) is available https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0D9GKKXVW

      • Thanks, ATL as well.

        Tempting, though don't have any Wi-Fi 7 devices to take advantage of it.

        But certainly overcomes the 4 ports limit, and current RT-AX58U can become a mesh node (but already have 2 :D).

        Edit: Geez! OW doesn't sell that one, neither does JB (last day for 10% off TCN Gift).

  • Ok… dumb question alert!

    I also need a modem for fttn internet access, yeah?

    • +1

      Yeah you need a VDSL2 modem for FTTN.

      Plug in the Asus RT-AX86U router to the nbn NTD box if you can swap from FTTN to FTTP.

  • Hi All, How does this one compare against the TP-LINK BE9300 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Router?

    • It's not really a fair comparison. The TP-Link Archer BE550 has more faster 2.5GbE ports and faster 6GHz tri-band Wi-Fi 7. Your PC, laptop and so on need to be 2.5GbE and Wi-Fi 7 capable to get the maximum speeds. In saying that the Asus RT-AX86U Pro is still no slouch.

      The main differences are;

      Asus RT-AX86U Pro Dual Band Wi-Fi 6 Router
      2.0GHz Quad-Core Processor.
      1GB RAM and 256MB Flash.
      1 x 2.5GbE configurable WAN/LAN port.
      1 x Gigabit WAN port.
      4 x Gigabit LAN ports.
      Dual Band Wi-Fi 6 with 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

      TP-Link Archer BE550 BE9300 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Router
      2.2GHz Quad-Core ARM-A73 based SoC.
      512MB RAM.
      1 x 2.5 GbE WAN port.
      4 x 2.5 GbE LAN ports.
      Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 with 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz and MLO.

  • +1

    Bought this last Black Friday i think.
    Recently set this up with AiMesh on 2 XT8 for a 7 bedroom double brick 3 level house, garage lowwr level.

    No issues and im not tech savvy…

    Would be keen to figure out how to access IoT on separate 'guest' network while on main SSID.
    Googled a bit but didnt seem to work

    • +1

      Login into Router and follow these instructions.

      https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1042732/

      Then on the IoT devices connect to the new WiFi network and forget the old one.

      • Cheers for this.
        Just wondering if it is the same process if it was the separate IoT network option

        • Yes. It a separate network so to speak. The devices won’t ever know of the other devices on the network.

    • Been trying to do the same thing lately, seems to be a longstanding bug - you are supposed to be able to create a custom/iot guest network with the same subnets and then turn on AP isolation / disable intrAnet access, but it doesn't actually limit access between the two networks.

      If you create a guest network on a different subnet it works, but then you can't see your cameras / other devices from your main network, defeating the usecase for me.

      I can find people discussing it over the last two years, and I'm running the latest firmware. Guess I need to try merlin, but… grr.

      • Oh… yes if you need it to view within your home subnet then yes.

        All the devices I have are cloud based so no dramas accessing outside.

      • Thanks for this.
        Mine were specifically for my super high end smart, turned dumb, speakers: Home Mini.
        Google Home app Cant access them until they were moved it to the main now.
        But other IoT devices with cloud is fine

  • You are better off getting TP-Link Deco series instead at this price point. That's only if you don't care on what others say about their back-door and vulnerabilities

    With Asus they are not worth the high price. We pay too much Aussie tax on this. So call aftersales service is not worth the extra dollar.

    For me I bought an old Asus RT-AX86U second hand as second AiMesh node to go with my main and call it done. Don't care if it's EOL just flash main router with merlin and install Skynet IPS on it

  • The specs on the Asus site show that the BE3600 has a Quad Core 2.0Ghz CPU and the BE6500 has a 1.5Ghz Quad Core CPU. That can't be right, can it?

  • Ordered one of these this morning and it arrived not long ago. It's going back tomorrow. Dust and fingerprints all over it - clearly used.

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