RT-AC66U vs RT-AC68U – Asus Router Comparison

What is the best Asus router on the market today? Well, it’s going to be a battle between the RT-AC66U vs RT-AC68U.

Asus RT-AC66U Router

Asus RT-AC66U AC1750 Router

The RT-AC66U (from now on, let’s shorten it to 66U to make life easier) was released back in 2012 and was formerly cream of the crop when it came to Asus AC routers.

>>>Full Asus RT-AC66U Review<<<

Asus RT-AC68U Router

Asus RT-AC68U AC1900 Router

The RT-AC68U (and let’s refer to this as the 68U!) was released at the tail end of 2013 as the 66U’s successor, and as you would expect is better spec’d.

>>>Full Asus RT-AC68U Review<<<

It would be stupid to think that Asus would release a follow up router that was worse than the original, and you would be right. However, a question that is often asked is whether or not it’s worth opting for the more powerful AC68U.

Is it worth spending the extra money for the 68U, or saving money by choosing the now discounted 66U? Would you be much worse off going for the older 66U? Will the 66U pretty much do what the 68U does, but be just not quite so fast?

Well, that’s what we’re going to find out. Sometimes it’s best to write down what features routers have in common, and compare them. That way it’s easier to draw a conclusion based on your preferences. So, without further ado, let’s flesh these bad boys apart and see what’s what…

Router
Product
Prices
Type
Bottom Line
Links
Asus RT-AC88U AC3100
Asus RT-AC88U Main
Asus RT-AC88U Main
ACMU-MIMO router. Great for multiple clients
$$
Asus RT-AC3200
AC3.2Gbps Tri Band router from Asus
$$
Asus RT-AC68U AC1900
ACSimilar to the 66U, but has more grunt
$
Asus RT-AC66U
Asus RT-AC66U Main
Asus RT-AC66U Main
ACBeen around for a few years and still very popular
$
Asus RT-AC5300U
ACStill good for gaming
$$

RT-AC66U vs RT-AC68U – Major Shared Features

Both routers share a multitude of features, some more important than others. Rather than bore you with every commonly shared feature, it’s best to stick to the attributes that make both routers must-buys. So here’s a list of the important features that you should actually care about…

Both Have Super Fast 802.11ac – Obviously!
Yes, shock/horror, both routers have fast wireless AC. When it comes to data rates, the 66U has a combination equaling 1.75Gbps, whereas the 68U manages up to 1.9Gbps. Not much difference, but it should be noted. Of course these are data rates.

Excellent Coverage with AiRadar Beamforming
Beamforming is a must if a router is going to call itself ‘Ultimate’ in this day and age. Asus have their own branded beamforming, named ‘AiRadar’. In case you didn’t already know, beamforming is a relatively new technology that detects exactly where clients are so that the router can angle wireless signal in the direction of those clients when needed.

More on Beamforming

Simultaneous Dual Band
Running both 5 & 2.4GHz bands at the same time is common. With more newer wireless devices now having AC wireless cards built in, balancing clients over both bands is a good way to get the most out of your wireless network. Asus have again included this on both models.

Asus RT-AC66U AC1900 Ports

RT-AC66U vs RT-AC68U - Asus RT-AC66U AC1900 Ports

USB 3.0 Ports
It’s disappointing when we find AC routers that only have USB 2.0 capabilities. With the popularity of HD streaming on the rise, users expect to have USB 3.0 ports for sharing media. Do the 66U & 68U both have USB 3.0 ports? Well, the 68U does – and a USB 2.0 port for good measure. the 66U has two USB 2.0 ports.

Quality of Service
Quality of Service is another “must-have” for the network connoisseur. Don’t worry, Asus have not let us down. Make sure you set up this up properly though. Fragile types of traffic (online gaming, video and voice) should be protected from ‘congestion’ conditions. Basically when someone else is making the most of your network, you can ensure that your network experience is not compromised – especially when connecting to the Internet.

AiCloud Access From Anywhere
Available on Google Play and the App Store, the AiCloud app is used for remote access to your network, files (remember the USB 3.0 port we talked about earlier?) as well as monitoring and controlling your Asus router.

Multiple Wireless Networks
The 66U and 68U can host multiple WLAN’s (Wireless Local Area Networks) at the same time. Each radio (2.4GHz & 5GHz) can hold 3 WLANs. Nice!

Asus RT-AC68U AC1900 Ports

RT-AC66U vs RT-AC68U - Asus RT-AC68U AC1900 Ports

RT-AC66U vs RT-AC68U – Which One?

We hate having to decide which one you should go for. These decisions are always dependent on the buyers needs. We’ll do our best to round up which router is best in the RT-AC66U vs RT-AC68U battle, just don’t expect us to be clinical…sorry!

Of course, in most cases when on the 5GHz AC band. Interestingly though, the 66U is slightly faster at certain testing distances on the less powerful Wireless N 2.4GHz range. Something to think about if 2.4GHz speed is important to you.

The 68U also has a more powerful CPU (dual core), so if you are a very heavy user, you know you have plenty of grunt under the hood. When it comes to USB transfers, the 68U generally comes out on top – again, not by much. It also has that USB 3.0 port if that’s important to you.

In all honesty, if money is no object, just go and grab yourself the 68U. For that little bit more money you know you are getting the absolute best router around.

Asus RT-AC68U AC1900 Router

RT-AC66U vs RT-AC68U - Asus RT-AC68U AC1900 Main
RT-AC66U vs RT-AC68U - Asus RT-AC68U AC1900 sales button

BUT – in the RT-AC66U vs RT-AC68U battle, if you are counting the pennies, do you know what?… The 66U does pretty much the same job. It just isn’t quite as fast…but hey, who’s counting a few Meg here and there right?! Erm…..YOU decide! Sorry, but we aren’t good at taking all this responsibility, lol!!!

Asus RT-AC66U AC1900 Router

RT-AC66U vs RT-AC68U - Asus RT-AC66U Main
RT-AC66U vs RT-AC68U - Asus RT-AC66U Sales Button small

Do you agree/disagree? Why not comment below and let us know what you think…

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11 Comments - Write a Comment

  1. AC66U does not have USB 3.0. Only the AC68U does.

    Reply
    1. lol I was just thinking the same thing. What a crock of crap.

      Reply
    2. O_O duh, both come with USB 3.0 x1 & USB 2.0 x1!!!!

      Reply
      1. The AC66U has 2 usb 2.0 ports no 3.0 . read the article . look at the back of the router

        Reply
  2. This review helped me a lot to make a decision re: AC66U vs AC68U. I have decided on the 68U bc it’s now at a good price since release of 87U (I don’t have the equipment to take advantage of its technology).

    Reply
  3. I had an 66u and i loved it. My grandma needed a new router so i gave it away and bought an 87u! I have to say after one week it went back to amazon! My 8year old fritzbox! was way better than this “flagship”!!! The internet connection worked for 5 minutes and crashed everytime. I love my new 68u! It’s a little bit better than the 66u. So know i have about 3 meters of range extra. The speed is nearly the same at 2,4 but the 5 ghz is way better good job asus, bad job asus and best job asus!

    Reply
  4. I have the 66U and have never used the USB port. My printer is networked using an ethernet port. So unless you need an USB 3.0 port, why spend extra? The 66U is a great router!

    Reply
    1. · Edit

      Hi DanG,

      Some people use USB printers. The USB ports on routers are great for printer sharing around the network.

      We recommending using the USB 2.0 port if you have a USB 3.0 drive you wish to share.

      Reply
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  6. The 68U does have Adaptive QOS while the 66U doesn’t (due to lack of CPU capacity).
    However, would you really need Adaptive QoS?

    Reply
  7. For me it comes down to WAN security (VPN, NAT etc.) and no one reviews that anywhere.
    These articles can talk about the 10-15mbs difference between routers all you want, but it doesn’t matter unless they actually test real world: a gaming machine running while netflix and YouTube are also going. Real world testing is not one machine roaming around a house checking signal and throughput.

    Reply

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