🛒
Judging from the model names, you might think the Asus RT-BE92U BE9700 tri-band router is simply the Wi-Fi 7 version of the previous Wi-Fi 6 RT-AX92U. That’d be reasonable. After all, the RT-BE86U is the latest variant of the RT-AX86U, and the RT-BE88U is the latest in the RT-XX88U lineage.
But you’d be wrong.
The RT-BE92U is a new beast entirely. In terms of hardware specs, the only thing you can compare it with is the TP-Link Archer BE550. Design-wise, the router looks more like the tri-band version of the RT-BE86U.
Here’s the bottom line: At a similar retail price of less than $300, the Asus RT-BE92U has much more to offer than its TP-Link counterpart. If you’re looking for a mid-tier Wi-Fi 7 router that gives Gig+ and even faster Wi-Fi performance, consider an RT-BE92U today! You can also get two or more units to build a Multi-Gig AiMesh system.
Dong’s note: I first published this piece as a preview on December 27, 2024, and updated it to an in-depth review on January 21, 2025, after thorough hands-on testing.
Asus RT-BE92U: A practical Wi-Fi 7 mesh router
As mentioned, the RT-BE92U is totally different from the RT-AX92U.
Aside from supporting Wi-Fi 7 on all three bands (as opposed to the hybrid Wi-Fi 5/Wi-Fi 6 specs of the namesake predecessor), it’s a larger router designed to be placed vertically on a surface or mounted on a wall. In a way, it’s like the tri-band and mountable version of the dual-band RT-BE86U.
On the inside, this new router’s hardware is more similar to the TP-Link Archer BE550. The two share the same 5GHz and 6GHz specs. However, the RT-BE92U has one 10Gbps port and a better-on-paper 2.4GHz.
The table below shows the hardware specs of the two, with the RT-BE86U as a reference.
Asus RT-BE92U vs. TP-Link Archer BE550: Hardware specifications
| ASUS RT-BE86U Dual-band Wi-Fi 7 Router | ASUS RT-BE92U Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 Router | TP-Link BE9300 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Router | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  | |
| Model | RT-BE86U | RT-BE92U | Archer BE550 |
| Dimensions | 12.44 x 9.25 x 3.54 in (31.6 x 23.5 x 9 cm) | 11.32 x 9.73 x 4 in (28.75 x 24.72 x 10.16 cm) | 9.12 x 7.99 x 2.99 in (23.16 x 20.29 x 7.59 cm) |
| Weight | 1.88 lbs (854 gram) | 1.74 lbs (789 grams) | 2.45 lbs (1.11 kg) |
| Wall-mount-ready | No | Yes | No |
| Processing Power | 2.6GHz quad-core CPU, 256 MB Flash, 1 GB DDR4 RAM | Undisclosed | |
| Wi-Fi Standard | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) | ||
| Wi-Fi Bandwidth | Dual-band BE6800 | Tri-band BE9700 | Tri-band BE9200 |
| 1st Band (channel width) | 3×3 2.4GHz BE: Up to 1032Mbps (20/40MHz) | 2×2 2.4GHz AX: Up to 574 Mbps (20/40MHz) | |
| 2nd Band (channel width) | 4×4 BE: Up to 5764Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz) | 2×2 5GHz-2 BE: Up to 2880 Mbps (20/40/80/160MHz) | |
| 3rd Band (channel width) | None | 2×2 6GHz BE: Up to 5760Mbps (20/40/80/160/320MHz) | |
| Backward Compatibility | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/axe Wi-Fi | ||
| Wireless Security | WPA / WPA2 / WPA3 | ||
| Multi-Link Operation (MLO) | Yes | ||
| Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) | N/A (applicable to 6GHz only) | TBD | |
| Web User Interface | Yes | ||
| Gaming Features | Yes | No | |
| Mobile App | Asus Router (optional) | TP-Link Tether (optional) | |
| Operating Roles | Router (default) Repeater Access Point Media Bridge AiMesh Router/Node | Router (default) or Access Point | |
| Mesh-Ready | Yes (AiMesh) | Yes (EasyMesh) | |
| USB Port | 1 x USB 3.0 1x USB 2.0 | 1x USB 3.0 | |
| Gigabit Port | None | ||
| Multi-Gig Port | 1x 10Gbps WAN/LAN 1x 2.5Gbps LAN/WAN 3x 2.5 Gbps LAN | 1x 2.5Gbps WAN 4x 2.5 Gbps LAN | |
| Link Aggregation | LAN and WAN | No | LAN only (LAN2 + LAN3) LACP or Static |
| Dual-WAN | Yes | No | |
| Power Intake | 100-240V | ||
| Power Consumption (per 24 hours during testing) | ≈ 280 Wh | ≈ 275 Wh | ≈ 310 Wh |
| Release Date | October 2024 | December 2024 | October 2023 |
| Firmware (at review) | 3.0.0.6.102_37022 | 3.0.0.6.102_37435 | 1.0.7 Build 20240119 |
| U.S. Launch Price | $329.99 | $299.99 | |
The single 10Gbps port blue
As shown in the table above, the RT-BE92U beats the Archer BE550 hands down because it has a 10Gbps port.
However, in real life, without a second port of the same grade, it ends up a 2.5Gbps router in most cases anyway. While 2.5Gbps is plenty fast, it’s not 10Gbps.
On this single-10Gbps-port-blue front, the RT-BE96U shares the same situation as the RT-BE86U. The point is that the router cannot deliver a 10,000 Mbps connection, even if you’re willing to invest in a top-tier switch, because it needs two 10Gbps ports for that.
The single 10Gbps port means that the router can fully support 2.5Gbps or slightly faster broadband. However, if you have significantly faster Internet than 2.5Gbps, it’s sensible to look for another router with two or more 10Gbps ports among those mentioned below.
Top 5 best 10Gbps Multi-Gig routers
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Name | Ubiquiti UDM-SE’s Rating | Asus GT-BE98 Pro’s Rating | Asus RT-BE88U’s Rating | TP-Link Archer GE800’s Rating | Netgear Nighthawk RS700S’ Rating |
| Price | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rating | |||||
| Description | |||||
| Statistics | |||||
| Buy this product |
On the wireless front, the fastest Wi-Fi 7 clients are all dual-stream (2×2). As a result, the router’s real-world wireless speed won’t be much faster than 2.5Gbps unless when you top-tier 6GHz clients at a close distance. And that can be satisfying.
While the RT-BE92U’s 2.4GHz band is of a higher tier, it’s unlikely to be any much faster than the Archer BE550 in real-world usage. This band has an incredibly low real-world vs. theoretical speed ratio due to the lack of wider-than-40MHz channel width support.
So, spec-wise, the Asus RT-BE92U is comparable to the TP-Link BE550. However, thanks to the single 10Gbps port, its real-world performance can be significantly faster in specific scenarios, as you’ll note below.
A familiar router in Asus’s RT series
Like any other Wi-Fi 7 model in Asus’s RT series, the RT-BE92U runs the latest AsusWRT 5.0 firmware and, therefore, has the core features of the lineup. However, there are slight differences in various areas.
Specifically, you can expect the following:
- Flexible WAN/LAN configurations:
- Its 10Gbps and the first 2.5Gbps (LAN1) are auto-sensing. Plug either into the Internet source, and it’ll work as the WAN port, and the other will work as a LAN.
- The router is in a dual-WAN setup. In this case, you can use the detected WAN port as the primary WAN and any of the 2.5Gbps LAN ports as the secondary WAN,
- Use the USB port as a third WAN source to host a tethered smartphone or cellular modem.
- Unlike most other Asus routers, the RT-BE92U does not feature Link Aggregation. At least, that’s the case with the firmware version used for this review.
- Universal backup restoration: The RT-BE92U can load the backup file of almost any other Asus router, making upgrading from one router to another quick and easy. I tried using the backup files of the RT-BE86U and a few others, and they loaded without any issues. (Note, though, that not all settings can be ported, depending on the models, and generally, it’s best to set up a router from scratch.)
- 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-BE92U works best with wired backhauling, but thanks to MLO, it can reasonably be used with any other tri-band Wi-Fi 7 AiMesh broadcaster in a wireless setup.
- 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 helpful network/Wi-Fi settings, tools, and other features, including QoS and web-based remote management via Dynamic DNS.
So, if you have an Asus router before moving to the RT-BE96U, it will be a walk in the park. You’ll find most of what it can do self-explanatory if not familiar.
Speaking of familiarity, the RT-BE92U’s Wi-Fi options are the same as those of previous Wi-Fi 7 routers from Asus. Specifically:
- The router features MLO, which can be turned on or off via the Wireless section of the web user interface.
- For the primary Wi-Fi network, you can have three separate SSIDs for the router’s three bands or put all three or two in one SSID. When two or more bands share an SSID, you can turn the MLO feature on for it.
- Thanks to its Guest Network Pro feature, the router supports up to five virtual SSIDs and can use any or all of them as an MLO network.
Generally, having MLO turned on does not make a difference unless you want to use multiple units in a wireless AiMesh setup. For this reason, this feature is turned off by default when you configure the RT-BE92U as a single standalone router.
Tip
Asus’s self-defined networks (SDNs), a.k.a virtual SSIDs, can be set to be part of the same subnet as the primary network, which might or might not be the default option when you first create them. If picked to be not part of the primary subnet, a virtual SSID will be a VLAN that’s entirely separate from the main network and can cause issues for those who are unaware.
Unless you’re fluent in handling VLANs, it’s best to use these SSIDs with the same subnet as the main network. To change the subnet, you might need to delete the SSID and recreate it.
Asus RT-BE92U: Excellent performance for the specs
Considering the lack of a second 10Gbps port and the mid-tier Wi-Fi specs, the RT-BE92U is not intended to wow anyone in performance. But wow, it did me a bit. The router delivered excellent performance during my week-long testing and real-world trial.
Note: Wi-Fi 7 has been undergoing many changes, and broadcasters tested more recently tend to have better firmware than those tested earlier, which helps improve performance and other aspects.
No, it wasn’t the fastest or had the most extensive coverage among all Wi-Fi 7 broadcasters. But considering the cost, it definitely packs the biggest bang for the buck to date. It also proved to be reliable, passing my three-day stress test without any disconnection.
Specifically, at a close range of around 10 feet (3 m), it was comparable to any other top-tier Wi-Fi 7 routers in my testing. However, over a more extended range of 40 feet (12 m), its signal definitely degraded faster, likely due to the mid-tier specs and lower processing power. Still, compared to the TP-Link Archer BE550, it was consistently faster.
However, like the TP-Link BD550, the RT-BE92U’s wireless range could use some improvement.
At the time of this review, the RT-BE92U didn’t feature AFC, meaning its 6GHz band had much less overage than its other two bands. (It’s unclear if this router will get this feature via firmware update in the future.)
Wi-Fi coverage is always tricky to pinpoint, but if you have a home of around 1,600 ft2 (135 m2) or slightly larger, the RT-BE92U will get the job done when placed in the center. Still, your mileage will vary depending on your environment and your bandwidth needs—you can use it in a larger home if you lower your expectations in terms of real-world wireless speeds.
The RT-BE92U performed well in terms of wired performance. Its 2.5Gbps ports delivered among the fastest sustained speeds among routers of the same grade.
As usual, I also tested the router’s USB port’s network-attached storage function. When hosting a portable SSD via a wired connection, the RT-BE92U delivered a sustained speed of close to 200MB/s for reading and over 130MB/s for writing.
Those weren’t the fastest, as shown in the chart below. They were much slower than the RT-BE86U and where the RT-BE92U was behind the TP-Link Archer BE550 counterpart but were still fast enough for casual network storage needs.
The Asus RT-BE92U has no internal fan and works silently. It also didn’t produce a lot of heat. It didn’t even feel hot, even during heavy loads.
Asus RT-BE92U's Rating
Pros
One 10Gbps and four 2.5Gbps ports accompanied by decent Wi-Fi 7 specs
Lots of valuable features thanks to AsusWRT 5.0, including AiMesh, online protection, Parental Controls, SDN Wi-Fi SSIDs, and VLAN
Flexible network ports with Dual-WAN support
Universal setting backup and restoration; open source firmware
Relatively compact, fan-less, wall-mount-ready design; comparatively affordable
Cons
No 2nd 10Gbps port; no Link Aggregation
Mid-tier 5GHz and 6GHz bands; no built-in gaming features
Conclusion
While the Asus RT-BE92U BE9700 tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router isn’t intended to impress—it has the specs of a mid-tier router for the budget-minded—thanks to the 10Gbps port, the vast bandwidth of Wi-Fi 7, the practical design, and the overall excellent performance, it proved to be an impressive Wi-Fi machine.
In fact, the RT-BE92U is easily one of the best, if not the best, sub-$300 Wi-Fi 7 routers you can buy today. It doesn’t have everything or the fastest speed, but it has more than enough to justify its cost compared to the alternatives.
If you have sub-2.5Gbps broadband, get this router (or a couple of units with a network cable as the wired backhaul), and you won’t be disappointed.
I own this router and there is wrong information in this initial review.
1) There is no basic gaming features. These features are not present: Open NAT/Game Profile, Mobile Game Mode, Gear Accelerator
2) There is no WAN or LAN Link Aggregation (Maybe future FW?)
3) CPU is 2GHZ not 2.6GHz
The MSRP was dropped to $249.99 and currently BestBuy, Amazon, and others have extra $30 off so $219.99 is a great price and why I jumped on it.
Looking forward to your speed tests.
What initial review?
The infomation above that I am commenting on: “Asus RT-BE92U Preview”.
Where’s the review, John? I haven’t tested this one yet. Make sure you read!
Hey Dong, I am looking to upgrade for a 2500 sq ft home and may move into something larger with roommates. We will have a decent amount of devices and I plan to do VR gaming. I’m currently looking at the be92u and wonder how the speeds when you mentioned it has mediocre performance will pan out even if I were to keep the 6ghz open only for VR. Should I consider getting something better perhaps the be96u to handle the other devices or will that open band not be interrupted so much when I dedicate it?
I haven tested this one but chances are it’ll work for your needs to a certain extent. More on Wi-Fi and VR in this post.
I haven tested this one, Jim, but chances are it’ll work for your needs to a certain extent. More on Wi-Fi and VR in this post.
Asus RT-BE92U having dropped to $220 seems a better option on paper (given 10G port, 4K-QAM for 2.4GHz, & subscription free network security) compared to TP-Link Archer BE550 (also $220, up $20 from Black Friday) and NETGEAR Nighthawk RS280S (Costco version, still at $200 Black Friday price). Would be good to see a full review & detailed comparison of the three.
For me reach of the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi signal is most important in a home with mostly Wi-Fi 6/5 devices (my iPhone 16 Pro being the only Wi-Fi 7 device). As there is no standardized way to compare reach, I’m leaning towards Asus RT-BE92U given advantages listed above and the fact that my Wi-Fi 5 Asus RT-AC3100 can reach almost all corners of an older 2 story ~4000 sq. ft. home on 2.4GHz.
I’m hoping Asus RT-BE92U can do better in terms of reach but if it doesn’t is it reasonable to expect any speed/coverage bump for 2.4/5 GHz bands if I use the older Asus RT-AC3100 as a wireless satellite in an AiMesh? I understand there could be challenges using a dual band Wi-Fi 5 satellite with a Wi-Fi 7 primary without wired backhaul, but the point is that I’m not wanting to create an AiMesh, I just want to know if using Asus RT-AC3100 as a satellite would help since I already have it. If it could help that would clearly make Asus RT-BE92U the best option for me.
The combo likely won’t work well, if it works at all, RK. More in the post on the combo rules.
Hi there have you already purchased it and started testing it? I got the RT-BE92U for my parents now but occasionally I get a random loss of connectivity across all of my devices then it comes back after a few minutes. Just wanted to see if you have the same issues I have. Not sure if it’s because I enabled ipv6 or the qos settings which is odd because my previous SBG7600ac2 didn’t have this issue. Trying to pin down if it’s the new modem causing the issue or the new router.
Oddly I have a RT-AX58U with the same settings and no problem. Might be a bug or something.
Likely because you made assumption about Wi-Fi 7, Jimmy. I’d recommend putting the RT-AX56 back. Wi-Fi 6 is the best for now.
Yea that might be the best move for now. Seems like people on the asus forums have similar issues like me and they need to hammer out some of the bugs and glitches which is a shame.
That’s typical Asus. If you configure the router for compatibility (not speed), though, it’ll work. Good luck!
Hey what would you Pick RT-BE92U or GT-ax6000 they cost around the same Gt is a bit cheaper going full wifi atm as I cant drill holes is the Wall i game and stream 4K movies.
I haven’t tested the RT-BE92U, Jacob, but if you don’t care about the gaming features, then there’s no reason not to get it over the GT-AX6000.
Thanks for this post Dong. It could not be more timely for me. I currently have the RT-BE86U recently purchased as a primary router and demoted my RT-AX86U to an AImesh node with wired backhaul. Today my RT-BE92U order just arrived (still in box). I plan to use the RT-BE92U as my primary router and relegate the RT-BE86U to the role of a an AImesh node, replacing the RT-AX86U and to be sold.
Considering that RT-BE92U is tri-band and RT-BE86U is dual-band, would I be better off to replace the RT-BE86U with a second BE92U so both are tri-band? or will it be okay to keep the setup as is RT-BE92U (main) and RT-86U (AImesh node)? I am asking as I still have the return window of opportunity for the RT-BE86U and purchase a second RT-BE92U unit if I should choose to do so. Home area coverage is just under 100 sq.m.
Thanks a lot.
TokyoJerry
It’s best to have hardware of the same number of bands, Jerry. More here.
Thanks Dong. The article was very informative and helpful, especially rules #2 and #3.
Best wishes in 2025 for good health, happiness, peace, prosperity, in that order.
Cheers. Jerry
👍
I currently have my AImesh set up with the BE-88U as my primary router (because of the two 10G ports) and using wired backhaul. If I add the BE-92U as a node, will the 6ghz band still be available? Thanks.
Nope. More here. You’d need to use it as an access point, which is not ideal.
Thanks!
👍
when you release the full review for ASUS BE 92U
In early 2025 as mentioned. 🙂 It has to be after CES.
Can you briefly explain to us why Cheaper routers like Asus BE86U or Netgear RS200 is better on 2.4ghz than Asus BE96U or Netgear RaS700s?
They are not better. The performance of this band generally fluctuates a great deal and is generally very slow. That’s the reason we have the other bands to begin with. Generally this band’s performance numbers shown in the reviews are the best aong a week or days or trial and should only be used as reference.
Hi Dong, given their comparable price which one would you give the nod? ASUS RT-BE92U or ASUS RT-BE88U? I don’t actually have heavy gaming needs but am willing to purchase something in this price point since I don’t tend to upgrade my wifi that often and would like to future proof a bit.
The two are very different on the Wi-Fi front. I haven’t tested the former. But I’d take either. 🙂
Just bought this to replace my RT-AX58U and minor correction it does come with a wall mount in the box which is handy as the RT-AX58U didn’t have one but the RT-BE92U does.
That’s good to know. Thanks for the input, Jimmy.
I already can’t wait for the BE-86U vs BE-92U shootout! Love this vertical design in a router which prevents my cats from using it as a heated bed! They totally cooked my old 88U!
The BE86U is dual-band hardware. This one is tri-band, Charles.
Thank you for the preview. Love your articles!
I have a 1Gb fiber internet at home.
I got the RT-BE86U on a very good Black Friday deal and am very satisfied with it, but just got today a very good deal for the RT-BE92U. I am wondering if it is worth the change (I can easily sell the BE86U if I need to). These are the main points I am trying to clarify:
– Does the BE92U offer the same game features the BE86U has? I haven’t been able to find info about this. I have found that things like Open NAT are nice to have. Looking at the pictures and the marketing material, the BE92U feels more targeted to general home networking than to gamers.
– The BE86U has a slightly more powerful CPU than the BE92U (2.4 vs 2Ghz). This seems quite good, specially thinking in possible installation of an alternative firmware like Asus Merlin. Do you think this is relevant?
– The BE86U seems to offer better performance in the 5Ghz band than the BE92U (4×4 up to 5764 Mbps on the BE86U vs 2×2 up to 2882 Mbps from the BE92U). Is this very relevant for devices using the 5Ghz band?
I am very satisfied with the range and performance from the BE86U and most of my devices are just WiFi 6, so at the time I don’t see too much advantage on having a router with the 6Ghz band, bar future proofing the setup. What I need now is very good performance in the 5Ghz band.
Thank you for your input.
You missed this part, Thor. Make sure you actually read before asking questions. Generally, though, unless you want the 6GHz band, there’s no point in replacing the RT-BE86U.
Thank you, Dong.
I did read the article, but missed the part about the BE92U having the same core features in the line out, including the basic gaming ones. The BE86U has been my first Asus router, so I am just getting to know them. Your website has been even more helpful than Asus own documentation. The manuals that come with the product are lackluster at best and don’t explain many of the features from the AsusWRT firmware.
I will then keep the BE86U. Asus will probably come with even better hardware later. I am surprised at how many WiFi 7 models they have already released.
👍