RT-AX86U Pro Power Supply

[MadMacks]

I just purchased a RT-AX86U Pro router and it should be shipped to my location soon, but while I wait I'd like to get clarification on the power supply. The User Manual lists the following...

DC Output +12v with 3A current                 (That's 36 watts)

DC Output 19.5v with 2.31A current                (That's 45 watts)

What does that mean exactly? Does it mean the unit ships with one or the other power supply depending on build differences? Does it mean the router can take either a 12v or a 19.5 power supply depending on what they decide to ship? Or does it mean the power adaptor can put out two different power levels depending on what the router asks for?

I ask because I live off grid and generally use Boost or Buck converters to power devices directly off my battery bank, rather than plugging into inverters. It's extremely inefficient to have a DC battery bank, then invert to 110v AC, then plug in a wall wart inverter to invert back to DC to power a device. All that DC/AC/DC conversion means you loose about 20% of your power just to inverting power back and forth.

So, does the router run off of 12v or 19.5 volts DC?

[MadMacks · Accepted solution]

Here's the answer in case others would like the information.

I ordered and received, according to the label on the unit, a "Wireless -AX5700 Dual-band Gigabit Router" with a model number RT-AX86U-Pro and a hardware version of 1.0. 

The router label says Power Input of: 12V 3A dc / 19.5V 2.31A dc.

The power supply shows Output 19.5V 2.31A dc 45 watt max. It actually puts out 20.0V dc according to my Fluke Multimeter.

I powered the router using the factory supplied power brick (wall wart) and everything works just fine.

I then used a variable DC output power supply and powered the router with 12.2V DC, and again, the router works just fine. 

So, I am using a DROK Buck Converter that accepts input DC voltages from 6v-32v and outputs 1.5V-32V DC voltages (up to 5A), and have set it to output 12.2V DC 4A. Things run just fine, and as the DROK unit has an LCD I can monitor the Amps it's actually providing.

This saves battery power on my solar battery system as I don't need to run DC battery power to a DC/AC inverter to get the 110v AC, and then use the factory wall wart to invert AC back to DC to power the router. Those conversion typically waste around 5%-8% of the consumed power from the battery for each inversion.