Asus router compatibility with M.2 USB Enclosures

[Viper67857]

So I have an Asus RT-AC1900p currently connected to a Netgear LB2120 LTE Modem. The fact that the netgear is only a Cat4 without any carrier aggregation (or band-locking or really any useful capabilities in the interface) is making me want to upgrade to a proper modem such as a Cat12 Sierra or Quactel M.2.

The problem is I'm not really sure what to go with as far as the router/enclosure for the modem. I'd like a native M.2 interface, which the WE/WG series don't seem to currently have, and I also don't need their built-in Wi-Fi. There are the H721s, but they are apparently burning out modems. From this, It seems the USB enclosure would be my best bet, both for price and future-proofing (5Gbit theoretical bandwidth with future modem upgrades), but does anyone have any experience interfacing them directly with Asus routers?

Asus routers have some native USB LTE modem support, mostly the hostless variety, but they also have known compatibility with Sierra aircards, so there's at least a slim chance mine might work with a Cat12 Sierra M.2 modem without flashing goldenorb (which would kill the wifi). If this is already known to NOT work with native (or Merlin, since that's what I'm running) firmware, then what is the cheapest plain router/gateway with gigabit LAN and USB3 port that already has a goldenorb build that I can use to simply stick between my RT-AC1900p and the M.2 USB enclosure?

[BillA]

The latest ZBT router WG1608 would have all your requirements including native M.2 for modem slot (with 5G antennas), 1Gb ethernet, USB3 bus and as a bonus a new WiFi chipset which would allow you to eliminate your old Asus router if you choose to. The only downside is the lack of custom firmware at the moment, but that should change as it becomes more popular.
https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1172

The Asus router should run just fine with GoldenOrb firmware, I haven't heard of any issues, which is necessary to have full control over a modem in an external USB enclosure (most importantly TTL settings). Currently none of the external enclosures I know of are geared for 5G modems, which requires an extra set of antennas (5 total for full MIMO performance). The WG1608 is still your best choice if you want a future-proof router.

[Viper67857]

Thanks for the reply, Bill. I did see your announcement of the Wg1608, but it seems it could be awhile before it's available at a decent price. As for the Asus "Routers that use the Broadcom Wifi chipset may have limited or no Wifi when using ROOter firmware. This is due to the lack of Open Source Broadcom Wifi drivers for OpenWrt." this is my only concern with goldenorb... Mine is listed as 'no wifi' on their website. Is having control over TTL mandatory for AT&T unlimited premium plans? It's not causing me any issues with the crappy netgear modem and its lack of any configurability. I burn through over a TB/mo without any throttling currently.

[BillA]

Thanks for the reply, Bill. I did see your announcement of the Wg1608, but it seems it could be awhile before it's available at a decent price. As for the Asus "Routers that use the Broadcom Wifi chipset may have limited or no Wifi when using ROOter firmware. This is due to the lack of Open Source Broadcom Wifi drivers for OpenWrt." this is my only concern with goldenorb... Mine is listed as 'no wifi' on their website. Is having control over TTL mandatory for AT&T unlimited premium plans? It's not causing me any issues with the crappy netgear modem and its lack of any configurability. I burn through over a TB/mo without any throttling currently.

If your current plan works with your "crappy Netgear modem" then you should be fine, but most other carrier plans do require TTL to bypass the hotspot restriction. The price you see in the around $500 is with a 5G Fibocom modem, which again is an unknown as far drivers go in a custom firmware. Without the modem it should be around the same cost as the WG3526.

[Viper67857]

Thanks, I'll order up the gear from The Wireless Haven and give it a shot... Worst case, I have to plug the netgear back in until I can Amazon up a go-between router w/ usb3 ports.

[Didneywhorl]

Just for reference, I have usb3.0 enclosure hooked to a Netgear Nighthawk R7800 using r00ter. The wifi works great, and I didn't notice slower speeds via wifi. I, and you, can always simply re-flash the router back to stock firmware if it doesn't work to your liking.


BillA where are you seeing the WG1608 with 5G modem for $500? The modem itself is listing on sites for $1000. Of course we all know those are dummy prices, but still.

[BillA]

Just for reference, I have usb3.0 enclosure hooked to a Netgear Nighthawk R7800 using r00ter. The wifi works great, and I didn't notice slower speeds via wifi. I, and you, can always simply re-flash the router back to stock firmware if it doesn't work to your liking.


BillA where are you seeing the WG1608 with 5G modem for $500? The modem itself is listing on sites for $1000. Of course we all know those are dummy prices, but still.

Sales rep told me they're including some cheesy Fibocom modem (didn't get the specs). They are known to play the "rape your wallet without a condom or lube" game. lol

[Didneywhorl]

LoL

[scott83]

Excited to have a Quectel EM20-G modem with the M.2 enclosure arriving this Friday. I didn’t go with a router from The Wireless Haven because I love my Asus AX-88U. I have the latest Merlin running on that and it has the hardware chip to make OpenVPN (connected to ExpressVPN in this case) really fly.

Has anyone had any luck with this router or Merlin in general and an M.2 enclosure connected via USB? I guess I could install Goldenorb on it (if it is compatible) to see if it supported but am worried about losing the functionality of Merlin. I also have a Linksys WRT3200ACM around too and could flash new firmware on that as well.

Thoughts? Or would I have better luck with one of the routers on The Wireless Haven.

Thanks! First post here but have learned so much already reading all the good info.

[Viper67857]

Most Asus routers will 'work' with these modems... You can even send AT commands if you're comfortable in a Linux shell. I couldn't get decent speeds with my EM12-G connected directly to my Asus rt-ac1900p, though. It capped at around 20mbps for whatever reason. Probably the lack of actual Quectel driver support causing it to just operate on some generic protocol. I wound up getting a WG1608 and installing the modem inside of that. Still using the Asus for all of my actual routing, though.. Can't beat that Merlin firmware.

Since the WRT3200ACM has goldenorb support, I'd probably connect the USB enclosure to that, disable the wifi, and wire it to the Asus for all your routing needs.

Edit: I should also point out that once you install goldenorb (and I'm not sure why this isn't stressed enough around here), the first thing you wanna do is go to system, system, language & style, and change the design to 'bootstrap'. Reason being, the default 'material' design has some problem in the latest versions that makes the interface godawfully sluggish and sometimes downright unresponsive. The main reason I wound up with this overkill WG1608 is that I had this problem with the first 2 cheap routers that I installed goldenorb on and didn't know the solution.. Thought it was just the slow processors or the fact I had to build goldenorb myself (no official releases) and something went wrong with my builds. The wg1608 is a beast, though... It didn't bog down much even before I found the fix..

[scott83]

Thanks, Viper67857,

As long as I can adjust APN stuff on the Asus, along with AT commands, I should be good. I’ll post an update once things are hooked up with speeds, etc. When you used your Asus router, do you remember if you just chose the 3G/4G option under USB Application settings? That’s how I have connected the hotspot so far. Thanks!

[Viper67857]

Yes, the 3g/4g modem settings have the APN settings there. Sending AT is a pita, though... I have some more info on that here:

https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=17 ... 9338#p9338

[scott83]

Since the WRT3200ACM has goldenorb support, I'd probably connect the USB enclosure to that, disable the wifi, and wire it to the Asus for all your routing needs.

That’s a great option too! It will be fun to play around with it this weekend.

Thanks for the link on sending AT too.