This older Asus AC58U model seems to offer a stronger connection compared to the newer Asus AX53U. Need advice?
This older Asus AC58U model seems to offer a stronger connection compared to the newer Asus AX53U. Need advice?
I upgraded from an older Asus AC53U with 128MB RAM to a newer Asus AX53U featuring 256MB RAM, yet the performance differences aren't as expected. The AX53U seems less stable compared to the previous model, even though it has better specs. The firmware updates haven't resolved this issue. What could be causing the problem?
The ac53u is an upscale business-grade router featuring a more powerful Wi-Fi chipset. Designed for durability, it stands out among budget options. Wi-Fi 6 performance is limited in this model. Superior build quality makes it the stronger choice, even if speed lags. The ax serves as a generic, inexpensive Wi-Fi 6 device. I run three older Linksys wireless N 2.4GHz access points with OpenWrt for added security. These are quite old but built to last and meet business standards. They’re reliable but somewhat sluggish. My TP-Link mesh X20 (x3) works well too—it includes wired connections, though stability is lower. It’s faster than the mesh but not as stable. The mesh setup was a solid investment considering inflation. Two weeks ago I tested a single Ubiquiti last-gen AC point and it performed comparably to the whole mesh system. I didn’t go that far because it was just one unit.
Are you really using the highest speed settings on your device? What’s your actual internet connection speed? Do you even require Wi-Fi 6 LAN speeds? WAP2, WAP3 or whatever. It's secure enough and if someone tries to access it, they’ll face different challenges than brute-forcing a WAP2 key, which remains quite difficult.
Internet speed is really low—only 100 Mbps, even AC58U works fine. I'm just concerned about the WAP version and the limited RAM in that model.
Your ac works fine. Routers barelt need ram. Thry are EXTREMELY BASIC machines. For your internet speed the old one is by far enough. Modern day high end stuff rarely even has that much because the only reason these consumer things have this is bigger number better and some random extra servicea like a shitty web server or shitty usb attched nas option. Like the linksys I mentioned I was wrong its the wrt54g. So like ANCIENT and is running a recent version of openwrt with 8 mb of ram giving interner to a dozen devices at 54mb/s with no issue at all. The ubiquiti ap ac lr has 128mb of ram and is a very advanced router with heaps of usefull functions. This is mine and its meant for bussiness warehouse use amongst other things. Stuff your new asus cant even dream of doing and its a champ at that stuff. Specs mean nothing if the rest of the device sucks Also wap2 is very secure and wap3 is just a better version. Its adaption has been extemely slow since lots of devicea dont understand wap3 and wap2 is widely considered very safe. As in you are not brutefprcing that any time soon even with a shitton of power. So just use the better old one and return the crappy new one. You have literally not a single usecase where rhe old one is gonna be a problem AND the old one is a better device
Well 2.4Ghz tends to handle 100Mbit faster on WiFi 6 compared to WiFi 5, though this depends heavily on having a strong access point. The amount of RAM needed in the router largely depends on the number of devices connected and how many are using connections at the same time. Many users face issues with IoT gadgets because DHCP and NAT tables consume significant memory. Even with more RAM, problems can persist if the device firmware doesn’t expand those tables. Ultimately, the choice should focus more on the WiFi chipset and SoC than just increasing RAM. As you mentioned, it’s not always straightforward—modern chips aren’t automatically better just because they’re newer.
It seems MediaTek often delivers poor performance, but Ubiquiti might use some of their chips in certain devices. The outcome really depends on whether it's a consumer or business device and how properly the firmware is implemented. I recently switched to a dedicated access point for WiFi and have experienced no issues. Of course, my setup is small and confined to one room, so even consumer gear wouldn't match the speeds elsewhere. While 100Mbps works fine, moving to gigabit helps me fully enjoy fast downloads on my Steam Deck. Even without high-speed internet, Steam now supports downloading games from any PC connected to the network.