My understanding is that Tomato firmware doesn’t support hardware NAT, which cripples speeds if you have a fast internet connection. I haven’t looked into it for years so that may have changed since.
After my cat destroyed my Asus (antennae and wires), I’m in the market yet again. I have to say I’ve been tempted by the RT-AC5300 thanks in no small part to its rather indestructible-looking design. But the price tag just strikes me as too much and I realize it would quickly become a perch for my little psycho and get clogged with cat hair. The RT-AC86U looks nice, but does anyone know if there are any hidden gems out there?
I’m using Fresh Tomato on my R7000 currently and previously used ASUSWRT-Merlin.
The RT-86u is probably the best high-end consumer router for the money right now, yes.
If you want to go cheaper, T-mobile rebranded RT-68u routers are still available incredibly inexpensively.
Much appreciated!
Flashing firmware on the Tmobile ones is a bit trickier.
Much trickier, these days. Aftermarket firmware only of course.
Yep, one of my cats (the smaller one, thankfully) likes to sit on it. All those antenna form a box and it makes heat. Perfect cat spot. She doesn’t hurt the thing though.
If you don’t mind me asking, how tough are those antennae?
Quite big and bulky, but I have really had anything test one. My cats might rub against one, marking it as they do, and it just falls down (you can make them as tight as you like). My cats don’t really mess with them. They aren’t a size/shape that they want to chew.
I can post a picture of her sitting on if you want to see how durable it looks with a cat on it. She’s only 6lbs though.
lol - sounds adorable. I worry because my one cat has Pica, and ate through the antennae on my old router. My next will likely have to be strategically positioned to avoid it but if it’s made of more sturdy stuff than the soft plastic covers on the 66U (my last one), I may be able to avoid the extra work and expense of mounting it.
Where can you put a router where your cat won’t get at it? I guess locked inside a plastic container of some kind?
Actually … not the worst idea and I’ll see what could work without killing signal, but my original plan was to build a ledge up high and out of reach.
I demand cat pic tax.
A ledge up high and out of reach of a cat?
He forgot to mention that he is going to tie a dumbbell to the cat.
Alternatively put the cat in a Faraday cage.
LOL - yeah, as can be expected, I wasn’t looking forward to finagling this, so a sturdier router certainly is of interest.
In the last year, off the top of my head the various tech I’ve lost to the appetite of the cat:
1 router
2 headsets
1 cell phone case
1 ethernet cable
1 USB drive (I know, right? It had a rubber end on it which really appealed to him)
1 Xbox controller
Oh, and while not tech it’s related:
1 desk chair (… he ate the leather and some of the cushioning)
Not a bad thought
I like the cut of your jib
I was looking at the weird Asus cube thing, but reviews were steering me away. I’ll certainly take a look at the Orbi.