Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 1:10 Post subject: Router Order Confusion
I just bought a new Linksys WRT1900ACS router from Flashrouters pre flashed with DD-WRT. It came in an WRT1900ACS box but when I looked at the actual router it was a WRT1900AC version 2 and not the ACS model. Should I send this back and insist on the ACS model. I'm not sure if I've been duped here or not, being sent a potentially older less powerful model instead of what I originally paid for???Any ideas on what I should do here? There is some confusion from what I've been reading as to whether these two models are actually different units or simply the same unit repackaged and sold with different specs listed. It's very confusing since DD-WRT might bring out the full potential of features that are disabled or throttled in the linksys standard firmware! Any ideas here? Also has anybody had any problems with the support from Flashrouters as they have not been fast to respond to my concerns like they were with the pre sales questions?
I wouldn't worry. My ACS has the same FCC ID as an ACv2. _________________ NETGEAR R9000 DD-WRT v3.0-r45192 std (12/29/20) (ROUTER)
NETGEAR ORBI Stock FW V2.7.2.102 (MESH)
WRT3200ACM (BS Build Usually) (BACKUP)
I'm afraid I really don't understand the significance of an FCC ID number as it relates to determining the similarity or differences between these two different models?
Thanks, that did help, it was an interesting article. Seems like there is an awful lot of evidence that the ACS and the AC Version2 models are the same beast at the hardware level. Seems strange to me that Linksys could get away with calling the AC Version 2 model a 1.3Ghz router if in fact it was actually a 1.6 GHz router. Perhaps they have a way of throttling it's speed through their firmware and not making the setting available to the user. If not, it's clearly misrepresentation and false advertizing to the public for the purpose of marketing? When I talked to them they went out of their way to tell me it only had half the DDRAM memory of the ACS version! It's a hassle to send the router I have back now! Most likely I wouldn't notice any performance differences anyway especially if it turns out that they really are the same at the hardware level as suggested in that article. Right now I'm leaning towards taking a chance and just keeping what I've got. I've never used DD-WRT before so does it allow one to change the router CPU clocking speed? Just curious!
I really dont understand the reason to pay so much money to Flashrouters instead of buying nice Certified Refurbished ACS v2 from Amazon for $80 ($110 router - $30 CC) and flash it with BS build. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01L7WOU6Y/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
Just curious
they are exactly the same hardware, cpu and ram. Can't run the same software though. if you load ddwrt on the wrt1900acv2, you will see the cpu speed is 1.6 _________________ My "WRT" rant, and why I have gone ddwrt on x86, no more consumer routers. ( ac86u as access points & bridges )
I'm an older very non technical person who doesn't understand networking or all the technobabble associated with setting up a router. I guess I paid the extra money mainly for professional support and set up. More than likely I would have bricked my router if I tried to do it myself. I thought using Flashrouters would give me this support but now I'm not so sure. It concerns me that they would send me something different than I ordered and not give me any heads up about it! It was packaged in an ACS box so to me it really looked like they were hoping I wouldn't notice. When I emailed them about the issue it's been a couple of days now and I've heard nothing back. When I had pre sales questions they would usually respond on the same day. Maybe it's a little early to be nervous about them but now I'm wondering if I'm going to get the support I anticipated? Now maybe these routers are one and the same at the hardware level and maybe they're not. It seems to depend who you talk to. Linksys gives me one story and the feedback on this forum gives me another. Still if they are exactly the same Then why did the previous person just say they can't run the same software???? Anyone had any bad experiences with using Flashrouters, just curious?
Eventually, I did hear back from Flashrouters and here is what they told me. Of all the hundreds of routers they have seen, they have never seen one marked WRT1900ACS on the bottom of the router. All of them have said WRT1900ACv2 on the bottom sticker. In the front of the router it's a different story. In that location they've seen all three version labels, WRT1900AC, WRT1900AVv2, and WRT1900ACS. Apparently when accessing the Linksys stock firmware the router does report to be a WRT1900ACS and is only flashable with the WRT1900ACS DD-WRT build. Any other WRT1900 iteration build does not work for flashing. Also after flashing the DD-WRT settings show the router model listed as WRT1900ACS as well. So there you have it! Whether the confusion stems from Linksys or Flashrouters, who knows! Neither of them seems to give really satisfactory explanations. The best option here is probably to buy the router yourself directly from a retail outlet and check it out first. That was not an option for me because no one in my area seemed to carry this router in stock. I guess because there is no conclusive solution to this confusion, that I'll just stick with what I've got and keep my fingers crossed that I didn't get scammed to badly!!!
I tried my new flashrouter out today and I went into the DD-WRT firmware. Sure enough, the Router model was listed as a Linksys WRT1900ACS and the CPU clock speed was listed as 1600MHz. So unless the DD-WRT is giving me false information, it appears the ACS version and the ACv2 version are indeed the same animal. Does anyone know if the DD-WRT firmware actually polls the router firmware to find the router model name and CPU speed or does it simply put in static values based on the router model the firmware was written for???? I'm hoping it actually detects these values and is therefore reporting the correct hardware I'm using???
The 1900AC and 1900ACS are two different routers.
Although from the first impression Linksys WRT1900AC and Linksys WRT1900ACS may look similar, they have a significant difference while it comes to their CPUs and Random Access Memories. While WRT1900ACS has a dual core processor of 1.6 GHz and a RAM of 512 Mb, the processor in WRT1900AC is 1.2 GHz and a RAM of 256Mb.
Also the ACS is fanless.
the bottom of the router should say 1900AC(v1 or v2)
or 1900ACS(v1 or v2).
The WRT1900ACv2 is 1.6 dual core, with 512mb of ram, and also fanless just like the ACS. But you CANNOT run the same firmware. _________________ My "WRT" rant, and why I have gone ddwrt on x86, no more consumer routers. ( ac86u as access points & bridges )
attached twice so it wouldn't be missed. _________________ My "WRT" rant, and why I have gone ddwrt on x86, no more consumer routers. ( ac86u as access points & bridges )
