Best setup for 2 routers (1 x RT-AC87U, 1 x RT-AC68U) and two adapters (2 x PCE-AC68)

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Aeternum

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Jan 1, 2014
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Hello,

I am somehow (read: due to RMAs) going to end up with two ASUS-routers, and I would like to know what my best setup would be. I am a complete network newbie, so it would be great if anyone could give me some insight. Here's a brief overview of our current setup:

1) Our modem will be in our living room (we're having fiber installed next week).

2) We have two desktops PCs, both with ASUS' PCE-AC68 adapters installed. The modem and the PCs are located at opposite ends of the house. The two PCs are in separate rooms. Unfortunately, they can't be moved.

3) We are going to end up with two routers, an ASUS RT-AC87U and an ASUS RT-AC68U.

(4) We also have two slower routers - an MSI RG300EX and a Netgear WNDR3300 - I'm guessing we won't need these.)

5) We have wireless devices all over the house (TVs, video game consoles, cell phones, tablets, laptops...).

We would like the best networking speeds possible for our two desktop PCs with our current hardware. We would also like good wireless coverage for our wireless devices. If possible, we would like to avoid running a cable from our living room to the rooms with the desktop PCs.

Should I connect the RT-AC87U to our modem in our living room, place the RT-AC68U next to one of our desktop PCs, and bridge the routers wirelessly? If so, should I use an ethernet connection between the RT-AC68U and the PC (I guess I'm asking if the bridged router will give me better signals than the current adapter)? Am I even making sense? Please help!

Thanks a bunch!
 
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RealBeast
Then I would definitely run a cable (CAT5e or CAT 6, which have equal performance as gigabit cabling) from the router to your office where the other unit will be in AP mode.

Since most of your wireless devices are in the office I would use the AC87U in the office as an access point. You can either attach the cable to an LAN port of the AC87U and then one of the other LAN ports to a switch or the opposite, whichever is more convenient, as it will have no difference in performance.

Using the Ethernet ports on your router and AP will improve wireless performance because fewer devices will be sharing the wireless bandwidth.

I would recommend using different SSIDs on the various wireless radios so that you can control what devices attach...
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RealBeast

RealBeast

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The best wireless signal from one end of the house to the other would be using one AC router as your main router and the second on the other end in media bridge mode. Then attach the two computers to the media bridge with Ethernet cables.

The Netgear WNDR3300 would potentially be useful as a wireless access point, which would give you some additional radio channels for more bandwidth if you stream video or game.

Any chance that you can run an Ethernet cable through the attic from one end to the other? You could create the optimal solution IMO by not using a wireless bridge but making the 68U an access point at the opposite end, which requires a cable LAN to LAN attachment.

And how is the surrounding area for wireless? Download and run the free home version of inSSIDer (a wifi analyzer) from HERE, run it and check the network tab for strong signals by channel unless you live on a multiacre lot and have no nearby neighbors.
 
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Aeternum

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Jan 1, 2014
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Wow, thanks, RealBeast! :)

Yes, if running an ethernet cable from the living room to my main desktop PC is going to give me better performance, then that's what I'm going to do. (The PCs are in separate rooms, so one of them will still have to use wireless.)

Are there any advantages to having the RT-AC87U next to the modem, and the RT-AC68U in media bridge mode next to my main desktop PC instead of vice versa? Most wireless devices are in the same room as my PC, and the RT-AC87U has better wireless capabilities.

Also, if I were to add a switch for extra ports in my office, would it be best to

a) connect the switch to the RT-AC87U, then connect the RT-AC68U to the switch as an access point (modem > RT-AC87U > switch > RT-AC68U)

or

b) connect the RT-AC68U to the RT-AC87U, and connect the switch to the RT-AC68U to add more ports (modem > RT-AC87U > RT-AC68U > switch)?

Lastly, in the above setups, am I free to use all LAN ports on both routers and the switch, as well as wireless on both routers without a performance hit?

I apologize for all the questions, and thanks again!
 
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RealBeast

RealBeast

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Then I would definitely run a cable (CAT5e or CAT 6, which have equal performance as gigabit cabling) from the router to your office where the other unit will be in AP mode.

Since most of your wireless devices are in the office I would use the AC87U in the office as an access point. You can either attach the cable to an LAN port of the AC87U and then one of the other LAN ports to a switch or the opposite, whichever is more convenient, as it will have no difference in performance.

Using the Ethernet ports on your router and AP will improve wireless performance because fewer devices will be sharing the wireless bandwidth.

I would recommend using different SSIDs on the various wireless radios so that you can control what devices attach to each radio and you can set the channels different to avoid interference.
 
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