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If you’re looking for an easy way to upgrade your existing computer to Wi-Fi 7, here’s some good news. Today, Asus unveils its first adapter, the ROG USB-BE92, which will bring the new wireless standard to literally all existing Windows computers. And you won’t have to work hard for that.
ROG USB-BE92: Asus’s Wi-Fi 7 add-on for any computer
Up to now, the only way to upgrade your computer is via internal adapters, typically the 2×2 Intel BE200 or the Qualcomm NCM865, and third-party PCIe adapters based on them. While they are doable, the upgrade process can be pretty involved. Additionally, they are not possible on many laptop computers that don’t have an appropriate add-on slot.
With the ROG USB-BE92, all you need is an available USB port, which all computers do. The adapter is about the same as a large thumb drive that you can plug directly into a USB-A port. However, Asus says it’ll also work with a USB-C port via an included adapter. Overall, it’s somewhat the USB version of Asus’s existing PCE-BE92BT internal adapter, which is likely based on the Intel BE200.
Specs-wise, the ROG USB-BE92 is a tri-band BE6500 adapter. It has a total bandwidth of up to 6500Mbps among its bands. In most cases, though, you’ll use just one band at a time.
The table below shows its detailed specs.
Asus ROG USB-BE92: Hardware specification
| Name | ASUS ROG USB-BE92 Wi-Fi 7 PCIe Adapter |
| Model | ROG USB-BE92 |
| Wi-Fi Bandwidth | Tri-band BE6500 |
| Max Ceiling Speed | 2880Mbps |
| 2.4GHz Band (channel width) | 2×2 BE: Up to 688Mbps (20/40MHz) |
| 5GHz Band (channel width) | 2×2 BE: Up to 2880Mbps (20/40/80MHz) |
| 6GHz Band (channel width) | 2×2 BE: Up to 2880Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz) |
| Security Support | WPA, WPA2, WPA3 |
| Interface | USB 3.2. Gen 1 (5Gbps) USB 2.0 (reduced performance) |
| Hardware Required | USB-A port USB-C port (via included adapter) |
| Platform Support | Windows 10 and later |
| US Price | TBD |
A 160MHz gaming adapter that everyone can use
As shown in the table above, the Asus ROG USB-BE92 doesn’t support the 320MHz channel width to deliver the top performance of a 2×2 Wi-Fi 7 adapter. It likely uses the Intel BE202 chipset.
While the lower number celling speed (2880Mbps vs. 5760Mbps) seems a bit of a downer, it makes sense, considering the USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard, which caps at 5Gbps. Since USB has crazy overhead, in real-world performance, the adapter’s physical connection to the host computer can’t be faster than the adapter’s Wi-Fi specs anyway, especially when the MLO feature is used.
As the name suggests, the new ROG USB-BE92 is part of Asus’s ROG gaming family, with a design and color scheme to match. However, at the core, it is a straightforward USB Wi-Fi 7 adapter that anyone can use. Most importantly, it’ll work with both Windows 11 and Windows 10—you won’t need to worry about what CPU the computer runs on, like the case of the internal Intel BE200 adapter. Still, the MLO feature likely requires Windows 11 24H2.
Availability and pricing
Asus is still keeping quiet about the cost of the new adapter. However, the company told me that it’ll be available later this year, likely to coincide with the official release of Windows 24H2.
It’s my educated guess that it will be here in a couple of months and won’t be more expensive than the PCE-BE92BT. Chances are you’ll find it when the company’s new round of Wi-Fi 7, including the GT-BE19000, becomes available.
Hi Dong,
Any indication if this works with AMD CPUs?
It’s USB so it’s CPU-agnostic, Sean. You only need software driver for the OS and per Asus it officially supports Windows though that can change.
Will this work on my t450s laptop that has usb 3.0 and windows 10? I hear 6ghz sometimes doesn’t work on windows 10
It’ll “work” to an extent, Jonathan. As mentioned, you need Windows 11 24H2 and later to support Wi-Fi 7 fully, generally.
Hey Dong
Are you aware of any USB WiFi 7 dongles that are compatible with Apple Platforms that are either Intel or Apple CPU based?
No, Stuart, Apple is anal about driver and stuff so you’ll have to wait until it supports the standard. It’s generally far behind other platform on this front.
Apple sure is a laggard, all of this year’s new products and upgrades are Wi-Fi 6e at best. Their pace is pretty sad for a company what was once a WLAN leader.
If Asus uses in Intel chip rather than Qualcomm that’s going to be fail. Gigabyte theoretically offers either Qualcomm, Intel, or MediaTek for Wi-Fi 7, but the only stuff they’re actually shipping on MBs is MediaTek.