I have also use the app to “wake up” my PC using wake on LAN. Wake on LAN is super finicky for any system though so expect to have issues if you really want to do it. It is possible though and I thought it was pretty cool.
Ooops. Yes. 
Interesting, it does get faster benchmarks in all the tests then the AC68.
Tomato is what I used on my old Linksys routers and I liked it, although some of the creature comforts of a factory firmware are nice.
So what are the pros/cons of the R7000 and AC68? They seem to be the only real options in this bracket of routers.
Running the asus firmware on the R7000, I don’t even know what the missing features do, I will have to see if they are worth loosing.
I do have a mini PC on the network that I leave on most of the time. I suppose I could set it up as a server with USB 3.0 come to think of it instead of using the router. Although I am not sure if it will remain in service long term. Only problem with it is that is also can get restarted / used at random times which is not ideal for a server.
Yeah, the cabinet is not ideal for sure but the alternative option is putting it in a corner of the house basically as the center of the house either does not have a way to get Ethernet cable run or would be “too ugly”. Things improved a lot when I moved it to the cabinet from the corner of the house that it had been in.
Indeed, I plan to use the R6250 I have now as a switch when I get a new router. I am short a few Ethernet ports right now and having a separate switch on the other side of the house makes sense anyways as it will be easier to manage those devices. Right now those devices are running off an old 10/100 switch.
I have never been a big wifi fan, I still much prefer a hard line wire whenever possible.
+1
More secure, more reliable, and faster, especially on longer distances.
I’ll admit, running the ethernet for the access point was a bit of a PITA. I fished it from my basement (where my fiber modem, router, and server are), through a wall, and up into the attic. Once in the attic, I drilled through the ceiling to push the wire through. Not fun, but good results.
Edit: Hard wired is good, but almost none of my devices have an ethernet jack these days. Just my server. Phones, tablets, laptops, Roku, Chromecasts, Echos, cameras, thermostat, lighting… all wifi. I figured I might as just do wifi and do it well. If you’ve got gaming rigs or something, hardwire for sure. But for everything else, I can easily get 3ms pings and 150mbps downstream, limited only by my ISP.
I think they are both great routers. If you are planning on sticking with OEM firmware, then I would say go with AC68U. If you are planning on using third party firmware, then it likely doesn’t matter.
If you are considering Tomato, I suggest looking more into that before buying anything. I had heard that the main developer of Tomato had disappeared and development had basically stopped years ago. There is now “AdvancedTomato” but that’s apparently just a skin and based on the old code. So you might miss out on new features or security patches vs an oem FW or OpenWRT.
To my knowledge the AC68 and the R7000 are the exact same hardware, just the Asus has the processor clocked at 800mhz vs R7000’s 1ghz. To complicate things more, Asus changed clock speed in the different 68R/P/W and RT-AC1900 models.
The AC68 has both USB ports on the back, vs the R7000 has the 3.0 on the front (if that matters at all)
Yeah, I have had enough fun running Ethernet over the years, at this point I figure where it is already run, I will use it and not change things so I have to run more lol.
Lucky for me most of the wireless devices we use don’t use much bandwidth. For any real internet surfing / streaming everyone uses a real computer (I am proud of this lol).
We are a PC family for sure. I just can’t take typing on a phone screen or watching something on that screen when a full size keyboard, full sized screen or even a TV are a few feet away.
I recently got an X96 mini media box and installed Libreelec on it, I am loving it! So much nicer then past options like using a PS3. Libreelec works SOOO much better then the stock android / kodi as well. On android kodi would have the CPU / Ram nearly maxed out but in Libreelec it rarely gets above 25-50%.
Good info once again. That explains why the R7000 did slightly better in the speed tests.
Yes, that is the same thing I had heard about tomato.
Personally now days I generally use the stock router firmware until it doesn’t work for whatever I am doing anymore. So if the ASUS firmware works, then that is what I will try at first and switch it if I find something it can’t do.
At this point I am figuring I will let ebay decide which one I get, whatever version I find the best deal on is the one I will get. If anyone finds a particularly good deal, let me know. Trying to keep it under $50 ideally.
I have been watching ebay for a set few routers for the past 3-4 weeks. You can regularly get the Tmobile version AC68 for $40-50, but I have never seen a “pure” AC68 go for less than $70, usually closer to $100. The R7000 pop up for $50 every few days, but they go quick at that price.
It is also worth checking craigslist or facebook marketplace. There’s an R7000 in my area for $50 right now actually.
FYI, FreshTomato is actively being developed/updated.
Thats kind of what I was noticing from looking around this morning. In which case I guess the question becomes is a t-mobile AC68 or R7000 the better option seeing as both seem to have Cheviots on the firmware side.
There is an R7000 on craigslist but it is a good driver, after gas I would be paying $50 for it. The AC68 are going for $100+.
$50 is a good price for an R7000.
The T-mobile version just requires going in via SSH to change some configuration settings (to hide that its a Tmobile version from the asus servers), then you can install normal/official AC68 firmware and get updates like any other ac68u. You can look through the instructions here to see if you can handle it.
The small gamble is that this mod is very popular, so sometimes people screw it up and then try to sell their mistakes on ebay. So you may get one that you can’t convert.
The gamble is worth it for me if you want the full Asus firmware (mainly AiMesh, which is unique to Asus), but if you are fine with a bit fewer features, or just using tomato or DD-WRT, then I say just get the R7000.
edit: And not to sound like you’re dumb, but be sure it’s actually an R7000. The R6400, R6900, and R7300 all look the same, but are VERY different.
I was shopping for a new router a few years ago and was considering going the Tomato route as well. The last “original” release of Tomato by the original developer, Jonathan Zarate, was 2010. Once Zarate stopped updating the firmware, a few users like Shibby starting coming out with their own releases. And it branched out from there, if I recall. So there’s quite a few versions of Tomato now, which gets confusing.
I stuck with ASUS as their routers are super fast, feature rich, they continuously update them, and they look great (for the most part). Throughout the years I’ve tried so many different brands of routers, and ASUS is my favorite by far.
I am quite happy with my 1.5yr old RT-AC1200. ASUS has more firmware than my old D-LINK. By the way, do you guys have any purchasing tips or models to recommend for range extender?
A few SSH commands is all it takes to convert to a full fat version? Thats not bad at all, I was worried it was more a matter of a luck of the draw hardware revision sort of thing.
No worries, I learned long ago that it is better to ask too many questions and get answer you may not need then not ask enough and create a problem you can’t fix.
I know how to use a router but the hardware and choices are something I have not looked into in depth in many years, so I am very glad to get some solid advice to get me pointed in the right direction.
Yeah we haven’t really talked about the other Asus routers. Anything below the AC68/AC1900 won’t have the AiMesh feature, but I’m sure the RT-AC1200 and AC1750 solid as well. I’m just not as familiar with them.
freeme, I personally think it’s best just to buy a used router and put it in extender mode, So I would recommend the same ones we have talked about, or even just another AC1200. You can get smaller versions that just sit on the wall outlet, but their performance isn’t as good.
Looks like pilotdog68 said all I have to say on previous questions So I will just say listen to him, man knows what’s he talking about
I loved my old asus router but i tried a new fancy nighthawk r8000p and it is a nightmare. Firmware is garbage and they havent fixed a nearly year old problem yet. All the patches dont correct it so far. Im looking to try a mesh system next. Need to recoup some money from my roughly $300 msrp router