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expired Posted by chaofun • Mar 4, 2022
expired Posted by chaofun • Mar 4, 2022

ASUS Blue Cave AC2600 Dual-Band Wireless Router w/ SD Cashback

+ Free Shipping

$80

$180

55% off
Amazon
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Amazon also has ASUS Blue Cave AC2600 Dual-Band Wireless Router AiMesh on sale for $79.99. Shipping is free.

Thanks Deal Hunter chaofun for sharing this deal.

Best Buy via eBay has ASUS Blue Cave AC2600 Dual-Band Wireless Router AiMesh on sale for $79.99 (add to cart to see price). Additionally, earn Slickdeals Cashback before purchase when you follow the cashback instructions below (PC extension required, before checkout). Shipping is free.

Best Buy also has ASUS Blue Cave AC2600 Dual-Band Wireless Router AiMesh on sale for $79.99. Shipping is free.

Key Features:
  • Fast Wi-Fi Speed Wireless Transmission - Ideal Wi-Fi dongle for voice streaming and online gaming.
  • 300Mbps - Excellent connection and High speed Wi-Fi dongle Secure.
  • Advanced Security - 64/128-bit WEP, WPA, WPA2 WPA3 encryption standards.
  • Simply Insert, Simply Connect- Freestanding transceiver and connecting cable allows easy positioning for the best reception.

Editor's Notes

Written by CChoiVA
  • About this deal:
    • Our research indicates that ASUS Blue Cave AC2600 Dual-Band Wireless Router AiMesh is $19.96 lower (20% savings) than the next best available price from a reputable merchant with prices starting from $99.95 at the time of this posting.
  • About this product:
    • 4.4 out of 5 stars rating at Amazon based on over 10,800 customer reviews
  • About this store:
    • Best Buy via eBay return policy: 14 days returns; Buyer pays for return shipping
    • View Amazon return policy here.
    • View Best Buy return policy here.
    • Don't have Amazon Prime? Students can get a free 6-Month Amazon Prime trial with free 2-day shipping, unlimited video streaming & more.
    • If you're not a student, there's also a free 1-Month Amazon Prime trial available.
  • Please refer to the forum thread for additional details & discussion. -StrawMan86

Original Post

Written by chaofun
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Amazon also has ASUS Blue Cave AC2600 Dual-Band Wireless Router AiMesh on sale for $79.99. Shipping is free.

Thanks Deal Hunter chaofun for sharing this deal.

Best Buy via eBay has ASUS Blue Cave AC2600 Dual-Band Wireless Router AiMesh on sale for $79.99 (add to cart to see price). Additionally, earn Slickdeals Cashback before purchase when you follow the cashback instructions below (PC extension required, before checkout). Shipping is free.

Best Buy also has ASUS Blue Cave AC2600 Dual-Band Wireless Router AiMesh on sale for $79.99. Shipping is free.

Key Features:
  • Fast Wi-Fi Speed Wireless Transmission - Ideal Wi-Fi dongle for voice streaming and online gaming.
  • 300Mbps - Excellent connection and High speed Wi-Fi dongle Secure.
  • Advanced Security - 64/128-bit WEP, WPA, WPA2 WPA3 encryption standards.
  • Simply Insert, Simply Connect- Freestanding transceiver and connecting cable allows easy positioning for the best reception.

Editor's Notes

Written by CChoiVA
  • About this deal:
    • Our research indicates that ASUS Blue Cave AC2600 Dual-Band Wireless Router AiMesh is $19.96 lower (20% savings) than the next best available price from a reputable merchant with prices starting from $99.95 at the time of this posting.
  • About this product:
    • 4.4 out of 5 stars rating at Amazon based on over 10,800 customer reviews
  • About this store:
    • Best Buy via eBay return policy: 14 days returns; Buyer pays for return shipping
    • View Amazon return policy here.
    • View Best Buy return policy here.
    • Don't have Amazon Prime? Students can get a free 6-Month Amazon Prime trial with free 2-day shipping, unlimited video streaming & more.
    • If you're not a student, there's also a free 1-Month Amazon Prime trial available.
  • Please refer to the forum thread for additional details & discussion. -StrawMan86

Original Post

Written by chaofun

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Top Comments

In order to convert a TM-AC1900 to a Asus RT-AC68U you had to enable SSH (Secure Shell Protocol) on the router. With SSH enabled you could then install the Asus bootloader (cfe) and the firmware (or an alternative variant, e.g. Merlin ). Unfortunately, only the initial firmware for the TM-AC1900 allowed SSH to be enabled; later versions removed this feature. Consequently, you had to downgrade the firmware on the TM-AC1900.

I have converted 4 TM-AC1900s to RT-AC68Us. One of the TM-AC1900s came with the original firmware and made for an easier conversion.

For all the gory details on how to do this see https://www.bayareatechpros.com/ac1900-to-ac68u/. Of the 24 steps in this procedure, the 1st 10 lead to enabling SSH.
I have 2 of these blue caves, set up via the Aimesh for expanded coverage in my 3 story home. Has been working flawlessly for the last 2 years with no issues whatsoever. Love the boxy shape and can be blended perfectly in any setup because you don't have crazy antennas poking out.

I have Fios with Gigabit connections speeds and via WIFI I get 600mbps uploads and downloads, which isn't the best, but for my wireless devices its perfect (my pc is wired so I get the full bandwidth)

4 gigabit ports, usb 3.0 port for cloud storage, super easy setup either via the app or router.asus.com. Cant complain about anything on this router!
Love the aesthetics of this, but I actually just recycled mine at Best Buy in favor of an AX86U. This is an oddball in the Asus lineup because it has an Intel wireless chip. It runs hot and hasn't received a firmware update in ages. I held onto my flashed AC68Us even though they're less capable spec-wise because they continue to receive firmware updates, run cooler and are just as (if not more) stable than the Blue Cave.

85 Comments

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Mar 7, 2022
686 Posts
Joined Jul 2009
Mar 7, 2022
SolidXnake
Mar 7, 2022
686 Posts
Quote from gerony620 :
I have 2 of these blue caves, set up via the Aimesh for expanded coverage in my 3 story home. Has been working flawlessly for the last 2 years with no issues whatsoever. Love the boxy shape and can be blended perfectly in any setup because you don't have crazy antennas poking out.

I have Fios with Gigabit connections speeds and via WIFI I get 600mbps uploads and downloads, which isn't the best, but for my wireless devices its perfect (my pc is wired so I get the full bandwidth)

4 gigabit ports, usb 3.0 port for cloud storage, super easy setup either via the app or router.asus.com. Cant complain about anything on this router!
600mbps is not the best - keep trolling! LOL -

Aesthetically, this device looks beautiful. Can place it anywhere. I do have Ubiquiti and a UDM-PRO to install. If not, I would be all over this with a pair set up. Thanks OP.
3
Mar 7, 2022
8,858 Posts
Joined Nov 2008
Mar 7, 2022
Lanmanna
Mar 7, 2022
8,858 Posts
Quote from RcketScientist :
I'm still running a TMobile router, solid for many years. Flashing it to Asus is not easy anymore. While it can be done Merlin, for example, boldly says it can't due to how much time was spent supporting the new anti flash measures.

That said, it's a bit old in the 4k streaming era. It can bog down quickly in a household.
Did it couple months ago. It wasn't hard at all. Lol
Mar 7, 2022
8,858 Posts
Joined Nov 2008
Mar 7, 2022
Lanmanna
Mar 7, 2022
8,858 Posts
Quote from CalvinTran :
This year is 2022, let's fck the TM router and move on folks
But why
Mar 7, 2022
2,009 Posts
Joined Jul 2004
Mar 7, 2022
rcs1
Mar 7, 2022
2,009 Posts
Quote from DevMartin :
Merlin was last updated 3/3 [sourceforge.net]. You probably want that. But you probably want to start here [github.com].
FreshTomato also works but by the sounds of it, you don't want that one.
Either would be fine, but I don't have several hours to take everything offline in my house and to try and hack my router again, with downgrading to an earlier firmware, then re-upgrading with merlin, etc. bleh. It's one of those things I kind of need to do but don't want to do.
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This user is an Expert in Health & Beauty
Mar 7, 2022
2,896 Posts
Joined Feb 2017
Mar 7, 2022
Dealzslickk
Mar 7, 2022
Pro
Expert
This user is an Expert in Health & Beauty
2,896 Posts
This or netgear R6700AX from other thread? Thoughts?
Mar 8, 2022
7 Posts
Joined Aug 2020
Mar 8, 2022
AmbitiousBot
Mar 8, 2022
7 Posts
Nobody has mentioned the chronic IOT issues that I read about? And had myself. Would drop all connections if I tried to add Kasa light (tp-link) or a MYSA heated floor. Or Arlo I think as well...
Mar 8, 2022
925 Posts
Joined Sep 2014
Mar 8, 2022
socrato
Mar 8, 2022
925 Posts
This thing is kind of disgusting looking and I don't know why.
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Mar 8, 2022
753 Posts
Joined Dec 2004
Mar 8, 2022
shagz7
Mar 8, 2022
753 Posts
Quote from AmbitiousBot :
Nobody has mentioned the chronic IOT issues that I read about? And had myself. Would drop all connections if I tried to add Kasa light (tp-link) or a MYSA heated floor. Or Arlo I think as well...
What chronic IoT issues? Not doubting you, just curious what you're referring to?
I have had mine for several years (got mine in September 2019), and last firmware update was released a little less than a year ago. I have had no major issues with the 60+ devices this router is serving IPs to. I am offloading the WiFi to a few UniFi APs in my home and have no issues with coverage. I have to reboot it MAYBE twice a year. My biggest complaint is that when I do reboot it I also need to reboot my ISP gateway which I'm connected to in bridge mode. Most of my IoT lighting is using zigbee via a SmartThings hub, but i do also have a good number of WiFi based devices like LIFX bulbs which I have zero issues with. I have never gotten Kasa products or Arlo so maybe that's why I have had no issues.
Last edited by shagz7 March 7, 2022 at 09:28 PM.
Mar 8, 2022
24 Posts
Joined Sep 2009
Mar 8, 2022
eboogie
Mar 8, 2022
24 Posts
I'm clueless and have no electronic skills whatsoever, that being said I live in a 3 story house and the wifi signal on the 3rd floor isn't the best. Can someone tell me if this will help and should I be able to set it up myself with no assistance
Mar 8, 2022
1,008 Posts
Joined Nov 2018
Mar 8, 2022
Clk1986
Mar 8, 2022
1,008 Posts
Quote from AmbitiousBot :
Nobody has mentioned the chronic IOT issues that I read about? And had myself. Would drop all connections if I tried to add Kasa light (tp-link) or a MYSA heated floor. Or Arlo I think as well...
Odd. I hadn't had this issue with my Blue Cave, but I had something identical happen with a Netgear Router I got from Costco. TP link switches are notorious for being slow to add to a network. Mine would take 3-5 minutes per switch, but thankfully I only had 3 (was testing out Caseta, Feit bulbs and the TP link switches to see which I should ultimately go with).

On my first setup attempt, he Netgear router froze when I added my last device (over an hours worth of work). On the second one, I only had to add 5-6 devices manually (3 of which were TP link switches) and then it froze and factory reset. Tried a third time and same results as first time. Tried a forth time and it kinda worked, Wifi seemed OK but lan ports weren't giving me internet.

Cluster F*** overall, took it back, got the Blue Cave. No issues at all with connectivity and I've got 40+ devices now. I might check to see RAM and CPU usage. Those do affect performance and speed on the router and might be the biggest shortcoming on the Blue Cave, as it seems spec'd rather low. You will see your wifi speeds drop as you turn on more features, such as: QoS, Parental Controls, Filters, or Web History features.
Mar 8, 2022
1,008 Posts
Joined Nov 2018
Mar 8, 2022
Clk1986
Mar 8, 2022
1,008 Posts
Quote from eboogie :
I'm clueless and have no electronic skills whatsoever, that being said I live in a 3 story house and the wifi signal on the 3rd floor isn't the best. Can someone tell me if this will help and should I be able to set it up myself with no assistance
It's fairly straightforward. The directions they supply are pretty simple and it's really a matter of plugging everything in (use your existing wifi router as a guide if you wish, it will likely have the same amount of ports). Once its all plugged in, power it on, let it load up, go to the login page for the router (router•asus•com), login/setup your network names/PW, After that scroll down to "WAN" on the lefthand side and clone your MAC Address and you should be able to head over to "Administration" and "Firmware" then update the firmware.

I was in a 3 story house and it worked fine. I had it on the 2nd floor on the very north side of my house and our master bedroom was on the south side on the 3rd floor, maybe only 30-35ft away but LOS between router and bed (for the signal) was through floor/shower/wall/closet. 5ghz worked, not the best signal due to all the obstacles but still pulled 50-80mbps to my phone. 2.4ghz will have better signal but slower speed, which may or may not be an issue.
Mar 8, 2022
9 Posts
Joined Oct 2017
Mar 8, 2022
MikeS7846
Mar 8, 2022
9 Posts
I've had 3 of them, all 3 died with heat issues before hitting 2 years old. A couple of them were warranty swapped, only to die again. Cool aesthetic, easy software to use, lots of features... but it WILL die on you.
Mar 9, 2022
355 Posts
Joined Dec 2005
Mar 9, 2022
Daddio1949
Mar 9, 2022
355 Posts
Quote from MBis :
How is this vs the t-mobile router in terms of range?
I have never used the t-mobile as a router. So, I can't comment on their range.

I have 4 t-mobile (converted to Asus RT-AC68U) used in an Asus Aimesh system. My router is a RT-AC88U. My oldest one is over 3 years old
Mar 9, 2022
260 Posts
Joined Dec 2007
Mar 9, 2022
fastsvo
Mar 9, 2022
260 Posts
Quote from Friendlyx :
I'm looking for a router to replace my mesh system which is the TMobile router right now. It constantly drops but want something solid that will last
Too bad the sprint version is nearly impossible to upgrade. Wish I could use mine for this

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Mar 9, 2022
820 Posts
Joined Feb 2017
Mar 9, 2022
theshopper2022
Mar 9, 2022
820 Posts
Quote from FeistyRoute355 :
How is this compared to TM-AC1900 (flash-able to RT-68U)? Considering TM-AC1900 can be purchased around $30. Thanks.

Quote from Daddio1949 :
In order to convert a TM-AC1900 to a Asus RT-AC68U you had to enable SSH (Secure Shell Protocol) on the router. With SSH enabled you could then install the Asus bootloader (cfe) and the firmware (or an alternative variant, e.g. Merlin ). Unfortunately, only the initial firmware for the TM-AC1900 allowed SSH to be enabled; later versions removed this feature. Consequently, you had to downgrade the firmware on the TM-AC1900.

I have converted 4 TM-AC1900s to RT-AC68Us. One of the TM-AC1900s came with the original firmware and made for an easier conversion.

For all the gory details on how to do this see https://www.bayareatechpros.com/ac1900-to-ac68u/. Of the 24 steps in this procedure, the 1st 10 lead to enabling SSH.
I just did 3 routers this past week. Been running original firmware. Saw a 10% improvement on one router and the other 2 are for the inlaws with a mesh setup.

Butt ugly routers, but they are featured packed and cheap. You can pay a little more and get ones already flashed.

Easy instructions for anyone familiar with linux commands.


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