ASUS RT-AX86U Pro (AX5700) Dual Band WiFi 6 Extendable Gaming Router, 2.5G Port, Gaming Port, Mobile Game Mode, Port Forwarding, Subscription-free Network Security, VPN, AiMesh Compatible

In 2021 I purchased an Orbi system (RBK753 or RBK753S which is the membership club equivalent) and it worked fine for a while, but it had one flaw that used to drive me crazy: Whenever there was a need to reboot the router, it would take 1 to 2 DAYS for my 10 nest cameras to sync and for all of them to be online again. After putting up with this for 2 years I had enough and after 2 decades of an exclusive relationship with Netgear, I decide to open myself up and go back to the router dating scene to see what had changed in 2 decades. To my surprise, apparently Netgear is no longer king, and this particular ASUS router was included in the top 5 router rankings on every publication and established website out there. Sometimes it would be ranked #1 sometimes #3 but it would always be in the top 5. So I purchased it. Going from a Netgear Orbi system with 5 satellites (6 if you count the router itself), I was curious as to how much of my 4000sqft home a single router could cover. My goal was, if possible, to do away with Mesh systems. Netgear also had a flaw where despite broadcasting the same SSiD on all satellites, some clients still could differentiate between the one they originally connected to and an identical satellite broadcasting the same SSiD in other parts of the house. Some of my light switches would even see the same SSiD listed several times despite technically being the same network.So I installed the ASUS RT-AX86U PRO and even though it didn’t cover the entirety of the 4000sqft, it did cover a solid 50%. Technically I was able to see and connect to its SSiD from anywhere in the house but in some far corners the signal would not be a solid or steady. I knew I was asking too much of a single router since my previous Orbi alone with no satellites could barely cover 20% of my home so the fact that this one was pushing 50% it was a huge accomplishment. So I decided to order another RT-AX86U PRO and add it to the first one as an iMesh node.In case you’re not familiar AiMesh is the proprietary ASUS technology that allows you to seamlessly add other ASUS products as Mesh network nodes to your main router. Just the future proofing benefits alone make this a brilliant concept. So once I added the second RT-AX86U PRO to AiMesh, with 2 clicks, the remaining part of the house that I was having issues with now had a rock solid signal. Not only that but the 4 LAN ports on that second router acting as a node were active! And allowed me to hardwire several legacy devices in that room for unparalleled speed. I still had 2 nest cameras in a far corner of the property that were actually out of the house in my backyard and only operated in the 2.4 ghz range and were struggling to connect to the network (understandable since now I was not only asking my router to broadcast successfully at that distance but also to penetrate siding and insulation and the odd slab of concrete which are tougher for a wireless signal to penetrate than the drywall inside the house). At 200 bucks a pop my wallet was a bit reticent to add a 3rd RT-AX86U PRO, so I settled for an ASUS RP-AX58 AiMesh extender. At only 80 bucks, if this thing really did what it said it did, which was integrating itself into my AiMesh network, talk to the other routers in the fast 5ghz channel and rebroadcast that data in the far corner of the house both in the 5Ghz and also in the 2.4 GHz frequency that is the only one my aging nest cameras could comprehend, it was a no brainer. And guess what: It did. So using 2 RT-AX86U PRO routers, one as a main and the second one as an AiMesh node, and one ASUS RP-AX58 AiMesh extender, I was now able to flawlessly cover my 4000sqft home. Something that with the Netgear Orbi it used to take 6 satellites to do. And the best part, if I ever needed to reboot the router, all my nest cameras would come back online within a minute. Not 2 days.I am extremely happy with my purchase and considering the 2 routers I just added to my network are top of the line, I expect to be able to continue to purchase the latest and greatest ASUS router every few years and use all existing hardware as AiMesh nodes.

After suffering with horrible latency and lag spikes on my Xfinity supplied XB8 router with 1.2 gigs down 40 up, even hardwired, I decided to invest in a new router. I have a high end gaming pc, and have done literally everything else to improve my latency. I got the new asus router last night ran the 2.5gb to my Xfinity router in bridge mode. I set the asus router to wireless router mode and ran a cat-6 cable from the gaming port to my pc. After doing a firmware update and doing some testing have found my connection to be much more stable. I’m no longer rubber banding or dying to enemies that aren’t on my screen yet. And while the servers on black ops 6 are still terrible, my game is actually playable now. My bufferbloat score went from a D to an A. Latency dropped by about 5ms and doesn’t spike anymore. I copied the WiFi SSID and password I was using on the Xfinity router and all of my devices connected automatically. Even with the xFi pods throughout the house on the best Xfinity router (xb8) I wasn’t getting as good of WiFi coverage as I am with the 86u pro. The router is in the basement, and I get full signal anywhere in my two story house, with speeds averaging around 700mbps on the second floor. I don’t game on wireless, so I can’t speak to that, but for it to improve my wired latency and stability as much as it has is impressive. Only issue I had during setup was that it didn’t want to assign a dynamic IP at first. Rebooting the modem, and making sure it was completely online before powering on the router seemed to fix that. If you’re on the fence about whether or not a third party router is worth it and you do a lot of FPS or latency based gaming, I would say definitely do it. Should have done this years ago.

We were a little concerned since it seemed "cheap" for a good router, but if you are looking for a good router for around $200 this is the one to get.Had to use support to help us connect to the modem (fault of cable company, not ASUS) and they were super helpful and got everything set up for us. Only issue with support is that they are closed on the weekend, so be sure to set up the router during the week so if you need help you can get through to support.Really good product. Sturdy and slim enough to fit on our tv stand without looking bulky or out of place. Signal strength is good all over the house and no dropping, including down in the sub-basement.Would definitely recommend this product.

I have not needed to reset once. Firmware still updated and maintained by Asus. Consistent, high speed throughput. Fine connectivity through 3 story house and across the street. Set it 'n forget it. A lot of functionality i don't use but I don't mind 'cuz it does its job.

Working as expected. Good price. Signal strength and range could be better

I have been using an ASUS router for years and decided to upgrade to the RT-BE86U mainly because I needed 2.5gps LAN. This router did not disappoint, stable WIFI signal and I can copy data at full read/write speed to and from my NAS. Definitely expensive, but that’s ASUS for you, you get what you pay for. I also added my old router as a repeater with AiMesh, super easy.