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Reddit mentions of ASUS AC2900 WiFi Dual-band Gigabit Wireless Router with 1.8GHz Dual-core Processor and AiProtection Network Security Powered by Trend Micro, AiMesh Whole Home WiFi System Compatible (RT-AC86U)
Sentiment score: 12
Reddit mentions: 19
We found 19 Reddit mentions of ASUS AC2900 WiFi Dual-band Gigabit Wireless Router with 1.8GHz Dual-core Processor and AiProtection Network Security Powered by Trend Micro, AiMesh Whole Home WiFi System Compatible (RT-AC86U). Here are the top ones.
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- Dual-band (2.4 plus 5 GHz) AC2900 wireless router with the latest 802. 11AC MU-MIMO technology for data transfer speeds up to 2900 Mbps
- 1.8GHz 32bit dual-core processor optimizes network traffic and connectivity speeds from the USB 3. 1 Gen1 and 4x Gigabit LAN ports
- Designed for lag-free online gaming and flawless 4K UHD streaming with WTFast game Accelerator and adaptive QoS; Product Segment: AC2900 ultimate AC performance: 750 plus 2167 Mbps
- A protection powered by Trend Micro provides built-in 24/7 protection from external attacks and threats, neutralizing them before they reach your network or connected devices. DC Output : 19 V with max. 1.75 A current
- Manage your network with the ASUS router app – setup your network, manage usage and parental controls, even get instant notifications about important network-based events. Connected devices must be 802. 11 ac-compatible for best results. Ac input: 110v240v(5060hz)
Features:
Specs:
| Height | 8.66 Inches |
| Length | 6.2 Inches |
| Number of items | 1 |
| Release date | September 2017 |
| Size | AiMesh |
| Weight | 2 Pounds |
| Width | 3.3 Inches |
You don't have to do top tier everything for a homelab.
Most people will never need managed switches, much less Cisco branded stuff. TP-Link makes competent and reasonably priced dumb switches.
For the router, I used to run pfSense on a custom PC build (~$300 about 6 years ago) but I'm already familiar with enterprise router settings and found all the features I could want in a consumer grade Asus router. At the end of the day, port forwarding, WiFi and OpenVPN are everything I'd ever want it to do. I can offload any heavy lifting or advanced features to my server.
If you're not looking to be super fancy, here's a simple homelab setup:
You can swap up or down based on needs but the router does all the basic stuff most people will need it to do. The 24 port switch should be more than enough as the primary switch for most people. The 8 port switch is great for secondary locations. The diskstation can handle your backups and cloud storage and is a nice balance of convenience and price. The R710 server can handle Plex, NAS duties and probably some light duty VMs.
The big add-on expense will be the hard drives, of course. You could probably get by shucking the 10TB easystore drives to save a bit.
I use a custom built server (Xeon E3-1231 v3 @ 3.4GHz, 16 GB RAM, built around 2012 and upgraded the CPU a few years ago) and have never owned a R710 myself, so I can't say much on the actual limits of what you can do with it. That said, I'm suddenly really tempted to grab a R710 to use as network storage because I've reached the limit of my current server. The biggest weakness I see in the R710 is the CPU isn't too beefy but its still decent given the sheer number of (8)cores/(16)threads. Plex and less demanding game servers are probably the limit of what it can handle but it should easily handle a number of less demanding VMs.
Anyways, as a starter setup, this should more than satisfy most people.
>What quality of router is the Google Fiber Network Box equivalent to?
A potato.
Seriously though, if you wanted a user-friendly router/AP combo, you can put anything behind a switch with proper VLAN tags.
Get one of these and follow the instructions here.
Then you can put any router you want behind it. I recommend the AC86u.
Sure. Here's what I could pull from my orders and searching around. This is most of my gear. Not really "homelab" stuff. Have a crap ton of ethernet running around the house.
"What are some of the first things I should do?"
At the very least get a Pi-Hole.
1 shield alone has requested over 3,000 DNS requests in less than 24 hrs. Most of them completely worthless to the end user.
You are a product to be sold at the highest bidding. Its nothing but data collection.
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Your privacy should be important to you.
Asus Routers can do this. I don't know if they can on stock firmware, but I know with Merlin firmware, they do. Here's a screenshot of mine.
The link for the one I own is here. (Ignore the AiMesh stuff. That's another firmware that Asus releases and you don't have to install. The option just means that this router is compatible with it.)
Merlin firmware is super easy to install, is super stable, and is based on the stock firmware. It's easy to go back and forth between stock and Merlin as well.
Anything with 802.11ac. With 3x3 802.11ac assuming both your client (computer or device) supports 3x3 MIMO, you may get around 450Mbps~500Mbps max over 5Ghz 802.11ac WiFi. If you have 4x4 you can go a bit faster maybe in the 800's
I suggest the Asus RT-86U which is a fairly new router (replaces the older RT-68U) with 3 external antennas and one internal antenna for the 4'th of the 4x MIMO so you'll get good range, but that 4th MIMO at closer range if you even have something that use 4x4 (most things don't.) It's a fine product and one of the best performing without going overkill (which you're welcome to do.)
https://www.amazon.com/RT-AC86U-Wireless-Dual-Core-Processor-AiProtection/dp/B0752FD3XJ/
https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/RT-AC86U/
If you want gigabit networking, you'll have to use ethernet. It's the only way. You can get a wireless adapter with 4x4 MIMO that you can add to your PC if you need wireless. https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/Wireless-Adapters-Products/
I know these things talk about greater than 1Gbps networking, but there's just no way. With 4x4 802.11ac 5Ghz you can come close, but you'll find you're getting sub 500Mbps most of the time even at close range. I've tried lots of wireless APs and never done much better. I think I got a 600Mbps with a Ubiquity Wireless AP doing 3x3 MIMO and 6ft.
If $200 is too expensive, then I there are less expensive models that will work nearly as well but at this price you'll do about as well as you can without going to tri-band which is sort of a waste unless you're really using a second channel for high bandwidth streaming. A dual-band really does all you should need.
Stay away from mesh networking systems as they give you coverage at the expense of speed performance and what you need is short-range high performance if I'm not mistaken. Also, you can get 12dbi replacement external antennas for the ASUS on Amazon that will greatly extend your (at least 2.4Ghz) wifi range if you need it. I have them and it knocked out my dead spots.
Check out https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews for reviews and more info on routers.
I hope this helps. Shopping for a router is a can of worms. I've worked with a lot of routers in my line of work and I just really like the ASUS for price, performance, and feature set. I keep getting new routers and going back to the Asus. Netgear is the only other brand I'd recommend, personally. A good deal on a high end Netger is worth considering. Check out the reviews on Smallnetbuilder before you buy.
For now:
Recommend Synology 2600ac
Or the Netgear listed in this article:
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-router/
The 86u is also very good and in the same price range.
https://www.amazon.com/Dual-band-Dual-core-AiProtection-Compatible-RT-AC86U/dp/B0752FD3XJ
The one router should be enough for your home now.
When you move: you’ll probably need to
add an AP or two, and install some cabling: that’s a big house.
If you get the Asus, recommend you try Merlin firmware for it.
You should get a Linux-based router (like the ASUS AC86u) and block your access to those servers so you are never matched on the connections. I’m on the U.S. West Coast and use it to block servers in Southeast Asia and sometimes Europe.
It won't matter what router you run 10Mbps isn't enough to stream and game. I run an ASUS AC2900 now and I love it but you have to be comfortable enough to set up your routers QoS system to even prioritize your gaming or you will always have this issue going up against streaming.
I have the ASUS AC2900 that only works for internet. It will not work if you have cable through CB as well. With that being said, I have the 500 mbps service and am consistently above that when running speed test.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0752FD3XJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I wonder how they will be financing their VPN servers. Assuming that this router (like their previous one, https://passel.io/flter) includes a "lifetime VPN" licence, how can they pay their bills with potentially thousands of people using their service for many years.
A RT-AC86U for 180 - 200$ can already achieve up to 250mbit/s for OpenVPN (https://www.skadligkod.se/vpn/vpn-speedtest-asus-rt-ac86u-merlin-firmware/, https://www.snbforums.com/threads/openvpn-performance-of-the-rt-ac86u.41217/).
If the Beam is in the same price range (maybe up to 250$, including VPN and support etc), then it might definitely be a great option.
Grab a Asus RT AC-86U aka AC2900. Dont mix this up with its older and less powerful brother 68U. I had the 68U and it worked well and I am really excited for the upgrade.
The go for 120-140 used on amazon/ebay and have a dual core 1.8 Ghz processor which is absolutely killer for vpn purposes. You can also upgrade to Merlin firmware (based on stock with tweaks and approved by ASUS) and get even more tweaks for this router. And to top all that off this can be used in a mesh system with other ASUS routers. Give it a go! Cant go wrong with amazon return policy.
I would go with this as an AC router: ASUS AC2900 WiFi Dual-band Gigabit Wireless Router with 1.8GHz Dual-core Processor and AiProtection Network Security Powered by Trend Micro, AiMesh Whole Home WiFi System Compatible (RT-AC86U) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0752FD3XJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-fFODbSPKP637
So would any of the RT Asus routers on Amazon do this as a feature?
https://www.amazon.com/Tri-Band-Supporting-AiProtection-Accelerator-RT-AC5300/dp/B0752FD3XJ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1535864879&sr=8-6&keywords=asus%2Brouter&th=1
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I don't need xfinity to trust what data my router records. It proves that the company is incompetent and cannot track data accurately. If I can track all of my data locally, then there is a problem with their tracking non local. It is enough to get surcharges for my bill removed or create legal action from a large customer base. I talked to a comcast tech that came out today and he stated he has been getting the same call for the same reason all week. People are all of the sudden hitting their 90% cap when they have never been close before and have not changed their habits. It smells like a great big scam to get people to sign up for unlimited.
I have found the ASUS line to be very OpenVPN friendly, and great to work with all around. I thought they would max out at 15-20mbps through OpenVPN, which was true when I got mine a couple years ago, but I was recently enlightened that the AC86U can do about 200mbps through OpenVPN. That looks like a great option.
I personally don't use cable internet anymore but Arris has been a great brand for me during my time on cable. Any problems I did have wasn't by the modem but was from the ISP, as recommended by other users on this subreddit. SB8200 is a great choice.
https://smile.amazon.com/ARRIS-SURFboard-Approved-SB8200-Frustration/dp/B07DY16W2Z/
As far as that router, I've heard good things about it. Another good alternative is the RT-AC86U https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0752FD3XJ/
When I was making a decision buying a router, I came down to AC86U and the X4S (R7800), ultimately I chose the AC86U because ASUS firmware is better since I can use Merlin with it which lets my router gets the most up to date security fixes / enhancements / etc.
You mentioned gigabit, are you planning to get gigabit with Xfinity? If you aren't then buying all this equipment is a bit overkill.
If you don't need a vpn this router, for the money is in a class of its own: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Dual-Band-AiMesh-Router-AC1900/dp/B00FB45SI4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=rt-ac68u&qid=1569605714&s=gateway&sr=8-1
If you need a use a vpn then this is top of the heap: https://www.amazon.com/Dual-band-Dual-core-AiProtection-Compatible-RT-AC86U/dp/B0752FD3XJ/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=rt-ac68u&qid=1569605714&s=gateway&sr=8-2
Both are fit for service, you can't go wrong for the price.
[“Junk”] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0752FD3XJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6P.SCbDZ5ZDNV)
I was doing nice things but obviously I’m done with that. I prefer not to burn bridges but if someone else wants to take that route I’m not going to try to put out the flames. I’m not trying to do anything out of malice, I’m just now willing to do anything to legally get my money back consequences to them be damned. They made their bed and they can lie in it. I’m neutral to them now. The emotional part of me that doesn’t listen to reason still cared a bit when I wrote the original post but seeing how she’s treated my friend (OP of this post) has changed that real fast.
If it wasn’t explicitly said that I would get the deposit back at the end of July when the lease ran out it was heavily implied and understood.
The mention of nice things was irrelevant to the legal aspect of the situation, it was just to try to say that this situation isn’t one that I created through my own actions. Not trying to give myself good boy points because they’re meaningless.
Get this router:
https://www.amazon.com/Dual-band-Dual-core-AiProtection-Compatible-RT-AC86U/dp/B0752FD3XJ/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=asus+router+rt-ac68u&pd_rd_r=6d79be60-e8c2-4447-97b9-08848a335a4b&pd_rd_w=Nuw09&pd_rd_wg=O5xDr&pf_rd_p=bbfc4166-8a66-4c8f-87f6-af4f0436ec26&pf_rd_r=7FVX5G1SQ4BMT8X556SM&qid=1567279864&s=gateway&sr=8-4