ASUS RT-AC5300 Wireless AC5300 Tri-Band MU-MIMO Gigabit Router $230 AR @Newegg

Reviews aren't so good

I am willing to risk it at this price. ASUS has a great track record IMHO and they continually update the firmware on my older router.

Anything this does that the EA9300 doesn't? I bought that yesterday for $200.

Quote from itsarectangle : Anything this does that the EA9300 doesn't? I bought that yesterday for $200.

The Asus one is better, no doubt. Just the firmware-support ( ASUS, Merlin etc.) and community makes it worth it from my POV.

And AIMesh-compatible on top of that.

All those dying reviews keeping me from being interested in this

Plus, the only router I have ever die was an Asus.

I have the ROG version which has more memory and Ethernet ports--not too sure about the software, but the ROG version has a ton of gaming features. I have no complaints, except I have to disable its various internal security features such as Trend Micro which are way too sensitive and will block legitimate access thinking they're threats. If you buy this and run into any connection issues, then you should look there.

Quote from HermanMunchther : Reviews aren't so good

I would not worry about the reviews from a few users. This is one of the higest rated routers of all time the high price tag makes it so it does not get a lot of reviews cause noone wants to spend the cash. If you look at multiple professional review sites or even amazon reviews are very good.

https://www.amazon.com/Tri-band-A...+rt-ac5300

Quote from itsarectangle : Anything this does that the EA9300 doesn't? I bought that yesterday for $200.

For one its a 4x4 router compared to the EA9300 which is a 3X3 which means it will get way further range and be able to provide more throughput and bandwidth to devices over longer ranges. The difference is pretty significant almost 20% increases in some cases. So if your doing high bandwidth streaming it helps. On top of that add AImesh feature which is new and you never really have to worry about a dead spot in your home going forward. The only thing the EA9300 had going for it was the lower price which made it the best value for the price/performance ratio. The current price of the Asus destroys that selling point (normally hovers over $300+), this swap out is a no brainier in my opinion.

Not bad. I brought this a couple of weeks ago when they had it for $269 with promo code and $20 ggc rebate. I'm loving it. I used the Merlin software and had some problems at first but after I reset, it working like a charm. Running the mesh now with an older Asus router and it works great. Able to get a signal from my house about 3 blocks away. Afraid this thing is going to give me brain cancer it's so damn strong. Asus support is decent too. They help me figure out some config problems I was having. So this is a good future proof buy.

With so many antennas you should be able to get WiFi on the moon

Quote from itsarectangle : Anything this does that the EA9300 doesn't? I bought that yesterday for $200.

The software is so much better. I have the EA9500 and I hate the software it has.

Is Newegg as good at returns as Amazon

I have this router. I bought it brand new 2 to 3 years ago for $400. I immediately noticed that even though I had 150mbps internet, I was only getting about 50mbps with this new router. I dug around and turned off their automated QoS option and I then got full speed. Something to keep in mind.

FYI you also cannot wall mount it and it always has to stay upright.

Quote from itsarectangle : Anything this does that the EA9300 doesn't? I bought that yesterday for $200.

After doing some more digging I did notice one thing that might matter to some people. If you use the USB ports for sharing media on the router, the Linksys actually way out performs this Asus. In some cases its almost 3 to 1 in speeds over the usb ports, looking at older reviews of the poor performance of the AC5300 so its something to consider. Since I have a NAS to me its not really that important.

This performance issue is fixed in the GT version of the router but that costs way more money.

Quote from bibo45 : Is Newegg as good at returns as Amazon

Besides having to pay return shipping and a restock fee on some items they are pretty solid. I have returned multiple things in the past with no issues. Been using newegg way longer than amazon too for all my electronic needs.