Asus RT-AC88U Dual-Band Router Review - Review 2022

The Asus RT-AC88U ($299.99) is a dual-ring 802.11ac router with a massive feature set and an equally large price tag. It uses Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) technology to serve multiple Wi-Fi clients simultaneously without sacrificing bandwidth. Still, each client must incorporate a MU-MIMO-compatible network adapter in order to take advantage of the technology. The router is equipped with numerous Gigabit LAN ports and multiple USB ports. The RT-AC88U($218.56 at Amazon) offers a wealth of management options in a thoughtfully designed user interface and delivers blazing throughput on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Information technology'southward our superlative pick for loftier-cease routers.

Design and Features
The RT-AC88U is a nice-looking router. It measures iii.3 by xi.8 by 7.four inches (HWD) and uses a matte-black housing, with a askew peak and athwart sides. The front of the router is domicile to LED indicators for power, wireless activity for both bands, Cyberspace (WAN) connectivity, Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), LAN connectivity, and USB port action. It utilizes a Broadcom 1.4GHz dual-core processor and Broadcom'southward NitroQAM engineering to deliver upward to three,167Mbps of combined (theoretical) throughput (1,000Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, and 2,167Mbps on the 5GHz band).

There are four removable external antennas (2 at the rear and one on each side) and a multitude of ports effectually back, including a whopping viii Gigabit Ethernet ports, a USB 2.0 port, a WAN port, and a Power jack. In the rear, you'll also find a Power button, a reset button, and a WPS button. A USB 3.0 port is conveniently located on the front end of the router, behind a small panel.

Equally with the Asus RT-AC3200 Tri-Band Router ($192.99 at Amazon) , the RT-AC88U offers a wealth of management features, which are accessible via a user-friendly Web interface and a mobile app. The Full general settings folio contains a Network Map and tabs for accessing the Guest Network folio and the Adaptive Quality of Service (QoS) page, which allows you to prioritize bandwidth for specific applications. Information technology also contains a bandwidth monitor that displays upload and download speeds. The Traffic Analyzer page offers a graph of daily client usage, and charts incoming and outgoing data packets for wireless and wired network clients. The Game Boost page is where you go to connect to the WTFast Gamers Private Network (GPN), a client/server solution that uses proprietary software to accelerate online gameplay.

The Asus AiProtection feature uses Tendency Micro's Smart Abode Network solution to monitor and notice malware and viruses and block malicious sites. It also offers lots of parental controls, including time scheduling and app filtering. With the AiCloud feature, y'all can admission your data from a smartphone or a tablet using an iOS or Android app.

Advanced settings let you create wireless SSID names, select a security protocol and an hallmark method, enable WPS settings, and configure VPN, RADIUS and wireless bridge settings. In the Wireless Professional person Settings page, yous can conform such settings as beacon intervals, multicast rates, wireless scheduling, and beamforming. The Firewall settings page offers URL filtering, Denial of Service protection, and keyword filtering.

Installation and Functioning
Installing the RT-AC88U is a snap, thanks to Asus's intuitive Setup Wizard. When you connect the router to your PC and to the Internet and power it upward, the Web-based console automatically launches and gives you a choice of using the sorcerer or manually configuring the router. The wizard volition check your Internet connexion and gear up up your router as a DHCP, Dynamic IP, Static IP, or PPPoE router, depending on which connexion type you select. Information technology and so asks yous to proper noun each SSID (one for each ring) and create a network encryption primal for each band. Click Stop, and y'all're ready to go.

Asus RT-AC88U Dual-Ring Router

The RT-AC88U turned in speedy scores on our 5GHz throughput tests. Its score of 537Mbps on the shut-proximity (aforementioned-room) test was correct up at that place with the D-Link AC3200 Ultra Wi-Fi Router (DIR-890L/R) ($160.00 at Amazon) (558Mbps) and outperformed the Linksys AC3200 Tri-Ring Gigabit Smart Wi-Fi Router (EA9200) (443Mbps) and the Netgear Nighthawk X4S Smart Wi-Fi Router (R7800) ($169.99 at Amazon) (491Mbps). On the 30-pes test, the RT-AC88U scored an impressive 302Mbps, indicating very proficient range functioning. The Linksys EA9200 and the Netgear R7800 turned in scores of 255Mbps and 247Mbps, respectively, while the D-Link DIR-890L/R scored 310 Mbps.

The RT-AC88U'south 2.4GHz throughput functioning was also impressive. It managed 97.9Mbps on the close-proximity test and 74.3Mbps on the 30-human foot test, one time again displaying good range. The Linksys EA9200 turned in scores of 90Mbps and 53.2Mbps, respectively, while the ASRock G10 AC2600 Gaming Router ($177.99 at Amazon) scored 91Mbps and 43.2Mbps. The D-Link DIR-890L/R scored 92.7Mbps and 82Mbps, and the Netgear R7800 scored 105Mbps and 52.3Mbps.

To test MU-MIMO performance, I used three identical Acer Aspire E15 laptops equipped with Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 wireless 802.11ac network adapters as my clients, an Intel-Core-i7-equipped desktop as my server, and the JPerf throughput-measurement utility. With the clients located in close proximity to the router, the RT-AC88U served the clients at an average throughput speed of 138Mbps. The Amped Wireless Athena AC2600 averaged 146.8Mbps, and the TP-Link Archer C2600 averaged 132Mbps. The Netgear R7800 turned in the fastest close-proximity MU-MIMO examination score with 210Mbps. At 30 feet, the RT-AC88U averaged 80Mbps, beating the Amped Athena AC2600 (54Mbps), the TP-Link Archer C2600 (60.9Mbps), and the ASRock G10 (48.6Mbps). The Netgear R7800 fared the best, at 94.3Mbps.

The RT-AC88U delivered mediocre scores on our 1.5GB file-transfer speed tests. Its write speed of 27.4MBps was faster than that of the Amped Athena AC2600 (xv.6MBps) and the D-Link DIR-890L/R (26.5MBps), only paled in comparison to the Linksys WRT 1200AC($146.49 at Amazon) (73.1MBps) and the Linksys EA8500 (66MBps). The RT-AC88U'south read speed of 31.9MBps barely trounce the Amped Athena AC2600 (29.2MBps), and trailed the D-Link DIR-890L/R (52.2MBps), the Linksys EA8500 (57.3MBps), and the Linksys WRT 1200AC (76.8MBps).

Conclusion
With the Asus RT-AC88U Dual-Band Router, you get very fast throughput operation, simultaneous multi-client MU-MIMO data streaming, and a killer feature set up. Information technology turned in excellent scores on our ii.4GHz and 5GHz throughput tests, only its read/write file-transfer scores were center of the road. Information technology also offers extensive management features in a convenient interface, including gamer-friendly QoS settings, parental controls, advanced file sharing, and mobile cloud services. With viii LAN ports and two USB ports, this router is an splendid choice for users who want to connect multiple peripherals and wired clients, such as gaming consoles, NAS devices, printers, and dwelling house-automation hubs. All this earns it our Editors' Pick for high-end routers.

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Further Reading

• Business Choice Awards 2022: Routers and Servers/Network Attached Storage
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• Save 35 Percentage on TP-Link AC1750 Smart Wi-Fi Router

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/migrated-33771-wireless-routers/10569/asus-rt-ac88u-dual-band-router-review

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