https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/RT-AC1900/

I am a huge Apple Airport fan and am kind of bummed I am looking elsewhere but since I got zapped with a power surge that knocked out the network out and had to start all over. The solid performance is gone. Speeds are quite inconsistent and am having to reset every couple of weeks. I have done factory resets and am still getting the issue.

So in looking forward I want a router with better analytical capabilities or Apps built in. With the Airport Utility one can only see what wireless connections are made to see the wired connections I am using Fing but with iOS11 all you get is the generic IP address when you used to get the MAC address as well and it was pretty good at determining the device. Not so much anymore without buying the Fingbox or whatever it is called.

So with ASUS’ app and the like can I see everything that is connected from my phone with the App even when I am away from the house?

Also is it pretty easy to setup??? Is port forwarding pretty straight forward so I can easily setup BlueIris to remotely monitor my cameras.

Also hoping the ASUS signal is a bit stronger than my almost 10 year old airport as I currently have to have an Airport Express setup as a bridge in the basement for a WiFi signal.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Black92LX,

quote:

Also hoping the ASUS signal is a bit stronger than my almost 10 year old airport

It's not that the signal is "stronger" as all AP's have the same broadcast power. What can improve is the antenna.
The internal antenna in a Router/AP may or may not be sufficient for your environment.
The Asus you indicated can actually use different antennas with different gains as well as different positions.
Additionally AP placement can have a dramatic affect on performance.
Expecting a new device to penetrate multiple floors and obstructions is not a realistic goal but moving an antenna (the AP itself) can fix those problems.
Also note that it is a two-way conversation and the client aka mobile device must also talk back to the AP and be heard.
This is why using a separate wired router (or the ISP router) WITHOUT WiFi and a separate Access Point properly configured and placed is recommended.
For large environments maybe more than one.

I can't speak specifically to the RT-AC1900, but I have 2 ASUS routers (one set as a repeater) and both have really similar UIs. Both are capable of showing you wired and/or wireless devices on the network, their IP address, MAC address and generally what kind of device it is (based on MAC address range ownership I imagine) and more.


They were both super easy to setup.


I use ASUS's DDNS Client and port forwarding so I can access my Raspberry Pi that controls my smoker from my phone when I'm not on my home network.


The 2 models I have are the RT-NU66 (older one that is now a repeater) and the RT-AC68U. The RT-AC68U's wireless performance on the 5G network is nothing short of amazing. I don't know how they do it, but it consistently shows a higher throughput than my wired connections (I have 100 Mbps service at home).

Whatever you wind up buying, might I suggest plugging everything into this UPS to protect against future power surges. I have my Netgear CM1000 Cable Modem and Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Router plugged into one and it's cheap insurance...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There's a lot of construction going on around me and my house gets hit with power outages/surges from time to time with the crews "flipping switches". Since I put one of these on my office PC, entertainment systems, and aforementioned modem/router, I've had nary a problem...everything is running smooth as silk!

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
This is why using a separate wired router (or the ISP router) WITHOUT WiFi and a separate Access Point properly configured and placed is recommended.

^^^This times 1,000. Ditch the idea of running a single wireless router in one room on one side of the house and thinking its going to provide a fast, solid signal everywhere in the house. My suggestion, either use your ISP's router (with WiFi turned off), or maybe your Apple router (with WiFi turned off) and install/configure one of these WAP's in the center of your home. I have a similar setup in my home and get a strong fast, wireless signal everywhere in the house as well as most of the yard (1/3 acre property). And because these WAP's are enterprise equipment, they'll offer you more monitoring options then you'll likely ever need.

I have this router, just bought it 2 or 3 weeks back at Bestbuy. It replaced an older Asus RT-N66R "Dark Knight" model. So far performance-wise, it's top notch. I have no idea how the Airport router's signal would compare though. It covers a small 1500SF house just fine. I've never loaded the app (I have an Android phone) but I'll be glad to load it and see what it does. Router was definitely easy to setup although the interface is exactly like the RT66 unit it replaced.

My current setup which worked flawlessly and gave great coverage though almost all my devices are wired except our phones. I have the Extreme on the 2nd floor in the center of the house it gives perfect coverage for the 2nd and 1st floor along with the yard. My basement it was spotty so I put an Express as a bridge in the basement and coverage was perfect.
I have no issue having a 2nd wireless router in the basement to give coverage.

My ISP does not provide a router just a modem and it is complete crap so I bought a Motorola Surfboard years back. We just recently got 50mb service or so they say. I am usually around 60-70 wired and 35 or so wireless.
Which is plenty for my needs.

I do like that the ASUS has a USB 3.0 as the Airport just have 2.0 and transferring to or from my network drive can be a little slow.

But so far sounds like the ASUS has what I am looking for.

Is there a lower model ASUS one would suggest to be the bridge in the basement?

This model supports that Aimesh for linking other routers together easily to make one big network.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DonDraper,

The Asus router also allows you to use OpenVPN which is a much more secure way to access your cameras/BI than port forwarding..

quote:

Originally posted by bigredfish:
The Asus router also allows you to use OpenVPN which is a much more secure way to access your cameras/BI than port forwarding..

Hopefully it is not too terribly difficult to learn to do.

I run a Netgear router that had OpenVPN installed so was pretty simple and I'm no IP network guru to say the least

Here's some pointers:
https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/...mer-for-noobs.14601/

http://randyshomeprojects.blog...-on-asus-router.html

I have had the Asus AC68P installed as the gateway router for a year and I will say I'm happy with it mostly. I Don't use VPN, only port forwarding and those sort of operations are very easy. On AC I can get up to 450 mb connection speeds, although not all over the house as my walls contain expanded metal lath (old house) so 2.4 reaches better. Nice management functions and reporting.

Also you can enroll in their DDNS that says it is automatically updated so you never have to worry, but I have found the auto-update is not so auto. Whenever Comcast updates my address, I lose connectivity until I reset the router then all is good. That is my one irritation.

All in all, happy with the product.

In the basement I am needing more wired ports.
The Airport Express I am using as a bridge only has one.

Can I buy this Asus router hook it to my lone Ethernet cable in the basement then have it feed my wired devices in the basement and fill in the WiFi for the basement just like the Airport Express?

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
In the basement I am needing more wired ports.
The Airport Express I am using as a bridge only has one.

Can I buy this Asus router hook it to my lone Ethernet cable in the basement then have it feed my wired devices in the basement and fill in the WiFi for the basement just like the Airport Express?

What is that lone ethernet cable connected to? Why not just a cheap switch?

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
In the basement I am needing more wired ports.
The Airport Express I am using as a bridge only has one.

Can I buy this Asus router hook it to my lone Ethernet cable in the basement then have it feed my wired devices in the basement and fill in the WiFi for the basement just like the Airport Express?

you don't need a router for that, just a switch. 5-10 port gigabit switches are cheap. If you have a router laying around, it will work fine, but be more of a PITA to configure (IE, more than plug power in & plug ethernet cables in). I wouldn't spend money on a router to do a job of a switch.

The Ethernet cable in the basement is wired upstairs to my main router.

I was planning on dumping the airport express that provides the WiFi to the basement. So I figure a cheaper Asus router would play nice with the Asus upstairs and it is only a few bucks more than an Ethernet switch.
Two birds with one stone kind of thing.

quote:

Can I buy this Asus router hook it to my lone Ethernet cable in the basement then have it feed my wired devices in the basement and fill in the WiFi for the basement just like the Airport Express?

Yes, you can but there are some caveats.
You must deal with the addressing/DHCP and the Wi-Fi configuration.
Don't expect seamless roaming.
It is not optimal for a number of reasons but certainly can work especially if you disable DHCP on the Apple Unit, and DONOT use the WAN port.
Connect the LAN port Apple <to> LAN port Asus.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

Can I buy this Asus router hook it to my lone Ethernet cable in the basement then have it feed my wired devices in the basement and fill in the WiFi for the basement just like the Airport Express?

Yes, you can but there are some caveats.
You must deal with the addressing/DHCP and the Wi-Fi configuration.
Don't expect seamless roaming.
It is not optimal for a number of reasons but certainly can work especially if you disable DHCP on the Apple Unit, and DONOT use the WAN port.
Connect the LAN port Apple <to> LAN port Asus.

All airports will be gone.
The main router upstairs is replaced by the Asus 1900 listed at the top of the page.
Currently have nothing but the single wired connection in the basement. WiFi from upstairs is spotty but to be expected without some sort of range extender down there.