🛒
The RT-BE86U BE6800 is the second dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router from Asus you can bring home today. In more ways than one, it’s a lesser hardware alternative to the first sans-6GHz RT-BE88U I tested in June.
However, since this new RT-BE86U costs less yet has similar excellent performances in my testing and is more compact, it’s actually a better deal for those who don’t need the generous number of network ports in the RT-BE88U.
Here’s the bottom line: If you’re looking to experience Wi-Fi 7 and don’t need the 6GHz band, the RT-BE86U is an excellent buy. It also works great in an AiMesh setup when you get multiple units or as a wired satellite to the RT-BE88U. Get one today!
RT-BE86U: The Wi-Fi 7 version of Asus’s popular RT-xx86U design
If the RT-BE86U rings a bell, that’s because it shares the same naming convention and, most importantly, the physical design as Asus’s previous dual-band vertical routers, starting with the Wi-Fi 5 RT-AC86U.
After that, there was the RT-AX86U, which had the RT-AX86US and RT-AX86U Pro variants. All of these routers have the same design, and you’ll have to look closely to find out their differences.
And the RT-BE86U is by far the most different. It’s the first in the lineup with all Multi-Gig ports, including one 10Gbps and four 2.5Gbps. And that’s also its most significant difference when compared to the RT-BE88U. The table below shows the specs of these two.
Asus RT-BE86U vs. RT-BE88U: Hardware specficications
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | RT-BE86U | RT-BE88U |
| Wi-Fi Bandwidth | Dual-band BE6800 | Dual-band BE7200 |
| 2.4GHz Wi-Fi Specs (channel width) | 3×3 BE: Up to 1032Mbps (20/40MHz) | 4×4 BE: Up to 1376Mbps (20/40MHz) |
| 5GHz Wi-Fi Specs (channel width) | 4×4 BE: Up to 5764Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz) | |
| 6GHz Wi-Fi Specs | None | |
| Guest Network Pro (SDN) and VLAN | Yes | |
| AiMesh-Ready | Yes | |
| Gigabit Ports | None | 4x LAN |
| Multi-Gig Ports | 1x 10Gbps WAN/LAN 1x 2.5Gbps LAN/WAN 3x 2.5Gbps LAN | 1x 10Gbps WAN/LAN 1x 10Gbps SFP+ 1x 2.5Gbps WAN/LAN 3x 2.5Gbps LAN |
| Multi-Link Operation (MLO) | Yes | |
| Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) | N/A (applicable to 6GHz only) | |
| Link Aggregation | Yes (LAN and WAN) | |
| Dual-WAN | Yes | |
| USB Ports | 1 x USB 3.0 1x USB 2.0 | 1 x USB 3.0 |
| Mobile App | Asus Router | |
| QoS | Yes | |
| Parental Control | Yes | |
| Processing Power | 2.6GHz quad-core CPU, 256 MB Flash, 1 GB DDR4 RAM | 2.6Ghz quad-core CPU, 256MB Flash, 2 GB DDR4 RAM |
| Built-in Online Protection | Yes | |
| Asus Gaming Features | Yes (with Gaming port) | |
| Aura Game Light | No | |
| Dimensions (with antennas) | 12.44 x 9.25 x 3.54 in (31.6 x 23.5 x 9 cm) | 7.4 x 11.8 x 2.4 in (18.8 x 30 x 6.04 cm) |
| Weight | 1.88 lbs (854 gram) | 2.23 lbs (1.01 kg) |
| Release Date | October 2024 | March 2024 |
| Firmware Version (at review) | 3.0.0.6.102_37022 | 3.0.0.6.102.33921 |
| Power Input | 100 – 240V | 100 – 240V |
| Power Consumption (per 24 hours in real-world usage) | ≈ 280 Wh | ≈ 340 Wh |
| U.S. Price (at launch) | $329.99 | $399 |
A more compact Multi-Gig Wi-Fi machine
As shown in the table, apart from the physical design, the fact that the RT-BE88U has an extra 10Gbps port and four gigabit LAN ports is the most noteworthy difference that separates it from the new RT-BE86U. The lack of a second 10Gbps can be a big deal since it gives the new router no chance of hosting a 10Gbps network on both WAN and LAN sides.
Other than that, its 2.4GHz Wi-Fi specs, while less than that of the RT-BE88U, will yield little difference, if at all, in real-world usage. That’s been the case for this band since Wi-Fi 6.
The gist is that both are formidable dual-band Wi-Fi 7 routers—those without the 6GHz band. If you’re disappointed by this fact, I don’t blame you. However, there are two things to keep in mind on this front.
The first is that the 6GHz band is not universally available worldwide, and where it is already available, its stage can be a lot more complicated than the 5GHz.
The adoption of the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi around the world
The 6GHz band has a total width of 1200MHz, ranging from 5.925GHz to 7.125GHz, and is divided into 59 channels of 20MHz each. These channels are grouped to create “sub-bands,” which also vary from one region to another.
In the U.S., the FCC has designated four sub-bands across the entire spectrum, including U-NII-5, U-UNII-6, UNII-7, and UNII-8, for Wi-Fi use, though portions of the band may be reserved for other applications. The E.U. Commission, on the other hand, allows only the U-NII-5 equivalent part of the frequency, or 480MHz in width, for Wi-Fi.
Generally, Wi-Fi 6E needs a 160MHz channel to deliver the best performance, and Wi-Fi 7 requires double that, 320MHz. Due to spectrum availability and other reasons, real-world hardware tends to use narrower channels in most cases.
Overall, the use of the 6GHz frequency is complicated and is the main reason a Wi-Fi broadcaster made for one region might not work in another.
The table below shows its current adoption worldwide. The “Considering” portion is generally slated to be finalized in 2025, though that’s not a done deal.
| Country | Status | Spectrum |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| Andorra | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Argentina | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| Australia | Adopted Considering | 5925-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Austria | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Bahrain | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Belgium | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Brazil | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| CEPT | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Canada | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| Chile | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Colombia | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| Costa Rica | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| Dominican Republic | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| Egypt | Considering | 5925-6425 MHz |
| El Salvador | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| European Union | Adopted | 5945-6425 MHz |
| Faroe Islands | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| France | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Germany | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Gibraltar | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Guatemala | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| Honduras | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| Hong Kong | Adopted Considering | 5925-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Iceland | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Ireland | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Isle of Man | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Japan | Adopted Considering | 5925-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Jordan | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Kenya | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Liechtenstein | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Luxembourg | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Malaysia | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Mauritius | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Mexico | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Monaco | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Morocco | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Namibia | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Netherlands | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| New Zealand | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Norway | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Oman | Considering | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Peru | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| Portugal | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Qatar | Adopted Considering | 5925-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Russian Federation | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Saudi Arabia | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| Singapore | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| South Africa | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| South Korea | Adopted | 5925-7125 MHz |
| Spain | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Switzerland | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
| Thailand | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Togo | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Tunisia | Considering | 5925-6425 MHz |
| Turkey | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| United Arab Emirates | Adopted | 5925-6425 MHz |
| United Kingdom | Adopted Considering | 5945-6425 MHz 6425-7125 MHz |
Secondly, Wi-Fi 7 generally improves across all bands. Specifically, the 5GHz band now has a higher ceiling (and real-world) speed when hosting Wi-Fi 7 clients. Additionally, you only need two bands to use the MLO feature, though, in real-world usage, this feature hasn’t proven significant when it comes to client real-world rates.
The gist is that the lack of the 6GHz, while understandably disappointing to some, can be a good thing. It makes the RT-BE86U less complicated. Additionally, you can always turn off the Wi-Fi function (and remote its detachable antennas) to use it as a non-Wi-Fi router.
A familiar router in Asus’s RT series
Like previous models, the new Asus RT-BE86U is simply another variant within Asus’s RT series that runs the latest AsusWRT 5.0 firmware.
Consequently, you can expect the following:
- Flexible network port configurations. Specifically, you can:
- use the 10Gbps as the WAN (default) or switch that function to the 2.5Gbps WAN. Now, the non-WAN port will function as a LAN.
- use the router in a dual-WAN setup. In this case, you can use the 10Gbps and any of the other LAN ports as the two WAN ports.
- use the USB port as a third WAN source to host a tethered smartphone or cellular modem.
- use the router in Link Aggregation on both the WAN and LAN sides.
- Universal backup restoration: You can load the backup file of almost any other Asus router onto the RT-BE86U. This makes upgrading from one router to another a quick job.
- Robust web user interface with optional Asus Router mobile app. You can set up the router the way you do any standard router via its default IP address, which is 192.168.50.1.
- AiMesh support. The RT-BE86U works best with wired backhauling, and when you use the RT-BE88U as the primary router, you’ll get a mesh with 10Gbps backhaul out of the two.
- Built-in Parental Controls and online protection (AiProtection) plus other traffic-related features.
- USB-based features (cellular tethering, network storage, media streaming server, etc.)
- The new router supports advanced VPN, including WireGuard and Instant Guard.
- Tons of useful network/Wi-Fi settings, tools, and other features, including web-based remote management via Dynamic DNS.
The gist is that if you’ve used a router with a standard local web user interface before, you’ll find the RT-BE86U self-explanatory in terms of setup and management.
Good gaming features
Like the case of the RT-BE88U and the RT-BE96U, the RT-BE86U is not classified as a gaming router. However, it comes with a good set of standard gaming features that are available on Asus’s entry-level gaming routers.
Asus routers and privacy
By default, all Asus routers don’t require users to use a vendor-connected or third-party login account or provide personal information to the vendor to work.
However, when you turn on their specific features that require scanning the hardware’s traffic, such as gaming, traffic monitoring, AIProtection, parental control, etc., or manually bind the hardware to a login account for convenience remote management, that would translate into potential privacy risks.
Here’s the Taiwanese hardware vendor’s Privacy Policy.
Privacy and security are a matter of degree, and data collection varies from one company to another.
Specifically, it comes with Mobile Game mode, Open NAT, and Gear Accelerator. Addtionally, one of its LAN ports is a gaming port that automatically prioritizes any connected device for games. For this reason, I added it to the list of Asus’s gaming routers below. If you don’t play games, you can simply ignore this section within its web user interface or mobile app.
| Multi-Gig Port | Gaming Private Network | ROG First, Game Radar | Gaming Port | GeForce Now | Aura Lights | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RT-BE86U | 1x10GbE 4×2.5GbE | No | Yes | No | ||
| RT-BE88U | 1x10GbE 1xSFP+ 4×2.5GbE | No | Yes | No | ||
| RT-BE96U | 2x10GbE | No | ||||
| GT-BE98 Pro | 2x10GbE 4×2.5GbE | WTFast | Yes | No | Yes | |
| RT-AX88U Pro | 2×2.5GbE | WTFast | No | |||
| GT6 (canned mesh) | 1×2.5GbE | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
| GT-AXE16000 | 1×2.5GbE 2x10GbE | WTFast | Yes | No | Yes | |
| GT-AX11000 Pro | 1×2.5GbE 1x10GbE | WTFast | Yes | |||
| GT-AXE11000 | 1×2.5GbE | Outfox | Yes | No | Yes | |
| GT-AX11000 | 1×2.5GbE | WTFast | Yes | No | Yes | |
| GT-AX6000 | 2×2.5GbE | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
| GS-AX5400 | None | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
| GS-AX3000 | None | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
| RT-AX88U | None | WTFast | No | |||
| RT-AX89X | 1x10GbE 1xSFP+ | No | ||||
| RT-AX86U | 1×2.5GbE | No | Yes | No | ||
| RT-AX86S | None | No | Yes | No | ||
| RT-AX82U | None | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
| RT-AX92U (canned mesh) | None | WTFast | No | |||
| TUF-AX5400 | None | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
All of these routers have the standard set of Asus’s gaming features, including Mobile Game Mode, Open NAT, Gear Accelerator, and VPN Fusion.
MLO needs a bit of tweaking
In my testing with the latest firmware, by default, the RT-BE86U doesn’t have the MLO feature turned on. That’s not a bad thing considering the lack of the 6GHz band—combining 2.4GHz and 5GHz will unlikely make any difference in terms of bandwidth.
If you want to use this feature, you need to turn MLO on manually. Now, the feature will be available as a separate virtual SSID, which is part of the router’s Guest Network Pro.
It’s worth noting that, by default, the MLO SSID will work as a virtual network separate from the router’s main network. As a result, devices connected to it can’t “see” those connected to the main network. To overcome this, during the process of adding the MLO SSID, you need to configure the option to “Use same subnet as main network” as shown in the screenshots below.
As mentioned, the MLO feature is not necessary, though it doesn’t hurt to have it. In my testing, it didn’t improve the performance much, from the client’s perspective, if at all.
Asus RT-BE86U: Excellent performance
The RT-AX86U did well in my testing and weeklong real-world trial. The router delivered excellent performance, even better than the RT-BE88U in many cases. It’s worth noting, though, that it also runs a newer firmware version than its older cousin. Since Wi-Fi 7 has been in the early stages, new firmware can affect the hardware’s performance significantly.
As shown in the charts above, the RT-BE86U generally had the fastest performance for the 5GHz band, breaking the 2Gbps mark for sustained real-world rates.
The router also passed my 3-day stress test without any disconnection and had excellent coverage, which was similar to that of the RT-BE88U. It’s impossible to put Wi-Fi range in concrete numbers, and your mileage will vary, but if you leave this router at the center of a home of some 2500 ft2 (232 m2), it’ll likely be able to blanket every corner.
The router’s Multi-Gig network ports did well, too. Since it has only one 10Gbps port, I tested its 2.5Gbps grade, and it sustained over 2300Mbps, generally about as fast as the entry-level of Multi-Gig can be after overhead.
Finally, the RT-BE86U also did excellently when working as a mini NAS server, clearly beating its old cousin in raw performance. When hosting a portable SSD via its USB 3.0 port, it delivered the fastest sustained read speeds to date among all Wi-Fi 7 routers. Write speeds, however, weren’t as impressive but still fast enough for casual network storage needs.
Like the case of the RT-BE88U, the RT-BE86U has no internal fan and remained silent during operation. It also remained relatively cool to the touch, which is always a good thing.
Asus RT-BE86U's Rating
Pros
Top-tier dual-band Wi-Fi with MLO support and excellent real-world performance
Tons of valuable features, including AiMesh 2.0, Gaming, Guest Network Pro, and VLAN
One 10Gbps and four 2.5Gbps flexible network ports with Dual-WAN and Link Aggregation support
Universal setting backup and restoration; open source firmware; fanless design
Relatively compact design, comparatively affordable
Cons
No 6GHz band; no 2nd 10Gbps port
Not wall-mount-ready
Conclusion
As a non-6GHz Wi-Fi 7 router, the Asus RT-BE86U is an excellent alternative to the RT-BE88U.
It’s a straightforward multi-Gigabit router that has everything to justify its relatively friendly price tag of $330 and possibly more. After that, the nostalgic and practical design is a bonus.
If you’re a fan of dual-band Wi-Fi or no Wi-Fi at all (which can be turned off), consider the RT-BE86U BE6800 Wi-Fi 7 router today. Again, if you’re happy with five network ports, this one is a slightly better deal than the more expensive RT-BE88U.
Hi Dong
Love your reviews. 3+ yrs ago I set up an Aimeeh
Thinking of future proof.
Have a trio of AX-86U. All backhouled via Ethernet
Would like to upgrade the main router but not sure I would see a big benefit.
Thinking on BE88U or BE86U or a new ASUS Wifi 7 with 6 ghz band.
Any ideas?
There’s no need to upgrade for now, Uriel. More here.
Thank you. That’s what I thought
👍
Hi Dong, and thank you for the detailed review and comparisons.
I have recently had the opportunity to upgrade to the be86u from the ax86u. Couldn’t help but notice that the wifi speed did not improve at all for my wifi6 devices (iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPad Pro m4), which was expected to some degree, but somewhat worsened. In addition – it seems that my download latency via wifi has gotten worse – from around 40 by average to about 100. Have you experienced something similar? Is this to be expected, or should I change any settings in order to avoid that? I did migrate my settings backup file from my previous model, if that has anything to do with it, and turned MLO off.
Try resetting and setting it up from scratch, Yoav, or at least check the settings, make a back up and then restore. You won’t get any noticeable improvement on existing devices compared to the RT-AX86U, but things shouldn’t be worse with Wi-Fi 6 clients.
Thank you! I think there is some improvement indeed.
Hi Dong,
I’m a long time reader of your excellent reviews.
Unfortunately, my a little over two years old Asus GT-AX6000 router got bricked after the latest firmware update. After multiple resets and WPS resets the router worked for awhile, but now it doesn’t even reboot anymore and it’s out of warranty. Luckily, I had it backhauled meshed with my RT-AX86U, so I reset it and I use this one as our main router for now.
I am getting delivery today of a new Asus Rogue Rapture GT-BE98 Pro.
I’m going to setup the new router as our main one and my question to you is, would it work with the AX86U as a backhaul mesh system?
The AX86U has been an excellent router both as a primary and as a node and I would like to continue using it.
Thank you.
The combo should work via wired backhauling, Panos. But mixing hardware like that can be tricky. More here.
Thank you for the reply Dong.
I just got the Rogue Rapture GT-BE98 Pro and I must say, I haven’t seen a bigger router…, ever! That thing is massive. I might not need a mesh system. I’ll set it up tomorrow and let you know.
OK the beast is up now running. The 6G bands are ok, but my iPhone 16 Pro says limited compatibility when I connect to them.
All frequencies have an MLO option. Should I do it on the 6G or not? Also I enabled WiFi 7 is that good or not?
Thanks again Dong.
Cheers!
MLO is best when you put 6GHz in it, but as a single router, there’s little use for MLO since all existing client will still use one band at a time anyway.
Thank you again.
I wire backhaul the AX-86U to the system and so far everything is working good.
I reduced the RSSI value to -65dBm.
This router has so many main and defined networks available for configuration, it’s insane. :))
👍
One more question Dong.
The system is running great, but I noticed that the majority of the 2.4Ghz devices in my Network bond with the AX-86U wired backhaul node instead of the main router (GT-BE98 Pro). There’s a 2.4 GHz printer right next to the new router and instead of connecting to the router next to it, via WiFi 2.4Ghz. like it used, it connects with the Node that is three rooms away from it.
I hard bound it with the new router and it connected briefly, then it disconnected from the network all together. I can’t figure out why! All the bands have their own SSID and with the exception of the 2.4Ghz the rest have WiFi 7 activated, but none have client front haul MLO on.
Is it that my 2.4Ghz clients are more used to the old Node (RT-AX86U), or that the new router needs more firmware updates written for it by ASUS?
Thank you again.
That’s generlly the case of using a Wi-Fi 7 broadcater with an older device, Panos. Leave it as is or use a cable to connect the printer if that possible, if it’s so close to the router. Or you can try changing the 2.4GHz band to use 20MHz channelwidth and the rest at Auto. In any case, rememer that you will not get everything.
Just ordered a BE86U as an upgrade from XT8 main router. Large house with no neighbours and no 6 GHz devices yet so will not miss the extra band. Both 2,5 GBps ports and BE WiFi extensions should increase speed for local transfers, whereas the fiber WAN connection speed of 250 MBps is already reached with XT8. And ohh, for coverage there are 4 additional AiMesh routers too, these will just “continue to extend the network” in all corners of the house.
Like Your reviews – good technical info before buying.
👍
The new BE86U router is up and running, used the settings file from the XT8 and several settings was transferred for LAN, DHCP/MAC settings, port forwards and more.
Custom icons (png files) for various devices was NOT transferred, also NOT the WiFi networks (maybe due to different number of bands XT8/BE86U).
More important, settings for VPN seemed to transfer, but when attempting to connect from outside, the certificate in my client OVPN file does not match – discovered on travel so now locked out until return home and download NEW OVPN file. My bad to not test before travel.
Hello,
I currently have a GT-AX6000 router and am considering purchasing an RT-BE86u router. Since both routers are dual-band, the AiMesh feature should work well. Which router would be better suited as the main node?
I am on a 3Gbps broadband plan.
Thank you in advance.
Check out this post, David.
Hello,
I have just purchased the Asus RT-BE86u and tested the transfer to a NAS server with a WD SA500 2TB drive. My transfer speed was around 280 MB/s on a 2.5 Gbit connection.
That’s about the right read speed. The data rates vary depending on what you copy and how much at a time.
Hi Dong! Perhaps you have compared the Wi-Fi range between the AX86U Pro and the BE86U somewhere and I’m just missed it, if so sorry about that. But do you have any info if there is any difference on Wi-Fi range for older devices with Wi-Fi 5 and 6? According to Asus website the AX86U Pro is listed for “Very Large Homes” but the BE86U is only listed for “Large Homes”, and their support gave an unclear answer about it. The bottom line: Is the BE86U a better choice over the AX86U Pro?
Thanks in advance!
Range generally doesn’t change much, Christoffer, and you can’t count in the indefinite marketing language. More here.
Better or not is for you to decide.
I hate it when it’s up for me to decide 😉 but I will read up some more about it. If I put it this way; Besides the Wi-Fi 7, is the BE86U an upgrade from the AX86U Pro?
Yes, it has 10Gbps ports. Here’s the review with hardware comparison.
why Asus be86u results higher than asus be88u
It is how it is, Alex. Read the reviews.
An interesting comparison could be between this and RT-BE92U… 88U is more or less the same in WiFi specs, has similar compute resources, only more ports on the switch side… and it’s only one coming with SFP+ in the BE generation from Asus… but BE92U changes the radio bands significantly: potentially faster 2.4GHz total bandwidth, almost half-speed in 5GHz radios, and higher overall throughput thanks to moving speedier bands to 6GHz spectrum… all potentially at the same price and in similar size format.
As such, I don’t think RT-BE96U is one to be compared to, as that triband model is like 35×35×20cm… that’s a big thing, only slightly smaller than the quadband RT-BE98PRO. That’s a different class of a device.
I’m also more interested in comparison to Asus BT10 which in many regions costs around $50 more, comes with half-speed 2.4GHz throughput compared to 86U… and it gets twice the 5GHz throughput over the 6GHz bands, thus potentially utilising MLO better… and it gets two 10GbE Base-T ports (one WAN/LAN and one LAN-only) plus a single 1GbE WAN/LAN, so cabled communication is altered as well… but size-wise the units would be very similar…
But of course it’s also down to retail pricing with taxes – many retailers around here have 88U at nearly $450, nigh on same for 86U, with 96U for well over $550+, BT10 single caster closer to $525, with BQ16 unit nearing $600 mark similar to but below the 98PRO’s nearly $800 mark… and 92U is being sold closer to $400. That’s a substantial difference to 96U and the rest of the higher-priced Asus ranges.
I have them on my radar. We’ll see which one’s worth testing.
Any new opinions about the BE92U?
Not yet.
I generally like Tplink design language a bit more. Asus suffers from “clownish” Rog design sindrome. This, and lack of 6Ghz band and second 10gbe port, makes $400 purchase of this item useless. Tplink on the other side has nice design, but lack AiMesh capability. I do not necessary want to deploy full multi-hundred dollars Omada setup, but both Tplink and Asus push me in that direction. 🤦🏻♂️
This one doesn’t have the ROG design, Verge. It looks better than the TP-Link BE230 in my experience.
TP-Link’s gaming routers are generally pretty weird looking, such as the Archer GE800, or the Archer GX90 and have less than gaming-related features. TP-Link hardware run often much hotter than Asus. That’s the case with all of its Wi-Fi 7 hardware.
Yes, you are right, that particular Tplink model is a step back in design, comparing to my AX1500. However, Asus from this article is not much prettier, so to speak. But, I didnt make it clear before, if you ok to go full throttle with Asus (tri-band, 2x10gbe, etc) you stuck with Rog models only. EVEN if I go with Omada, Im NOT fine with $500 ugly giant thinck “plates” in my house.
Not true. The Asus RT-BE88U has two 10Gbps ports, so is the RT-BE96U, so is the RT-AX89X, which is better looking than the TP-Link AXE300.
Generally, you need the hardware of a certain size to have top Wi-Fi specs. It’s just physics.
And still the best looking from Asus line-ups would be BT10 and BQ16…
And, yes, those two have 10Gbps ports, too.
You know, BE96 looks somewhat acceptable, however photo in your review and photo on amazon link from your review looks like two completely different devices. 😉 I dont know, may be Im too picky.
I took pics of the actual device. Being picky is not a crime, but you have to pick and choose between look and performance. I’d take the latter.
You forgot to mention that all Tp-link consumer devices offer limited advanced configuration or parental controls compared to Asus line-up.
Of course, going Omada would mean far more costs as you’d need properly strong cabled router like ER8411 that costs nearly the same as BT10 single, then you’d need APs like 773 or even 783 for similar WiFi performance (latter one costs again as much), plus a PoE injector or even better PoE 10GbE switch to power those APs, plus Omada controller for managing them all… all-in, about 3-4+ times of the consumer router appliances. Sure this enterprise/SMB option is far more extendable, complex and configurable, and more performant, especially in terms of sustained sessions and VPN throughputs, but it can cost more, a lot more. Potentially, Tp-link might release in future in some select few regions their kits of controller+router+ap of those newer gens…
Hi, how Link aggregation works? I mean, which LAN and or WAN port you could link?
Follow the link on the topic, Matthew. Generally, the link is where the term is first mentioned in a post, including this one.
On LAN side, Asus has arranged for bonded interface to be constructed on LAN2 and LAN3 ports (LAN1 typically gets the priority treatment, aka gaming port, and it typically was not possible with the WAN/LAN port), so I doubt they’d have changed this approach with BE generation…
On WAN, Asus typically had a round-robin-like, or more often active-backup multi-port option.
You can see that’s not the case if you look at the ports on the photos, Marcin. The port combo generally varies from one model to another, but you can’t make a mistake because they are shown as the options within the web user interface when you configure the feature. The point is knowing or guessing which and which before hand is irrelevant.
Sure, but up to this point the consumer low port count WiFi routers had 1 WAN/LAN (or WAN-only) port, 1 gaming-oriented/prioritised LAN port, and the next 2 LAN ports have been made available for the Asus router OS port aggregation on LAN side. So if you count your ports from 0 for WAN-first, 1 for gaming, the next 2, so 2-3, would be available for LAGGing.
For WAN “aggregation”, they typically allowed only the WAN/LAN and LAN/WAN marked ports, and the USB-attached modem device, but I haven’t seen any more complex multi-WAN software-defined logic for WAN options usage often found in more enterprisy appliances, typically Asus’ had active-backup and round-robin approaches…