What is the ASUS RT-AX88U best price? Get review

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What is the ASUS RT-AX88U best price? It is compatible with ASUS AiMesh Wi-Fi system for seamless whole home coverage’s support: Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.6, Mac OS X 10.7, Mac OS X 10.8. It has Next gen Wi-Fi standard 802.11Ax Wi-Fi standard for better efficiency and throughput; ultrafast Wi-Fi speed 6000 Mbps Wi-Fi speed to handle even the busiest network with ease. Find more in ASUS RT-AX88U AX6000 review.

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Pros & Cons for ASUS RT-AX88U AX6000 best price

PROS

  • Fast Wi-Fi performance
  • Tons of useful features
  • Eight network ports with Dual-WAN and Link Aggregation
  • Universal setting backup and restoration
  • Fast network attached storage speed when coupled with an external drive.
  • Merlin firmware support

CONS

  • No multi-gig network port

What specs come with this ASUS RT-AX88U AX6000 best price?

Model Name: RT-AX88U
Network Standard
IEEE 802.11a
IEEE 802.11b
IEEE 802.11g
IEEE 802.11n
IEEE 802.11ac
IEEE 802.11ax
IPv4
IPv6
Product Segment: AX6000 ultimate AX performance: 1148+4804 Mbps
AX technology: Yes
Data Rate
802.11a : up to 54 Mbps
802.11b : up to 11 Mbps
802.11g : up to 54 Mbps
802.11n : up to 600 Mbps
802.11n (1024QAM) : up to 1000 Mbps
802.11ac : up to 3466 Mbps
802.11ac (1024QAM) : up to 4333 Mbps
802.11ax (2.4GHz) : up to 1148 Mbps
802.11ax (5GHz) : up to 4804 Mbps
Antenna: External antenna x 4
Transmit/Receive
2.4 GHz 4 x 4
5 GHz 4 x 4
Processor: 1.8 GHz quad-core processor
Memory: 256 MB Flash, 1 GB RAM
Boosts speed
OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access),
Beamforming: standard-based and universal,
1024-QAM high data rate,
20/40/80/160 MHz bandwidth,
Operating Frequency: 2.4G Hz / 5 GHz
Ports
RJ45 for Gigabits BaseT for WAN x 1,
RJ45 for Gigabits BaseT for LAN x 8,
USB 3.1 Gen 1 x 2
Button
WPS Button,
Reset Button,
Power Button,
Wireless on/off Button,
LED on/off Button
LED Indicator
Power x 1
Wi-Fi x 2
WAN x 1
LAN x 1
USB x 2
WPS x 1
Power Supply
AC Input : 110V~240V(50~60Hz)
DC Output : 19 V with max. 2.37 A current
Product Weight (g): 1010 g
AiMesh
AiMesh:Yes
Primary AiMesh router:Yes
AiMesh node:Yes
Router APP
ASUS Router APP: Yes
Game Boost/acceleration: Yes
WTFast: Yes
Support Alexa skill:Yes
AiProtection Pro
Router Security Assessment: Yes
Malicious site blocking: Yes
Two-Way IPS:Yes
Infected Device Prevention and Blocking; Yes
Parental Control: Yes
Parental Control Customized Internet schedule: Yes
Adaptive QoS:Yes
Bandwidth Monitor: Yes
Bandwidth limiter :Yes
Maximum Bandwidth limiter rule:32
Traditional QoS: Yes
Maximum Traditional QoS rule:32
Traffic Monitor: Yes
Real-time traffic monitor: Yes
Wired Traffic Monitor: Yes
Wireless Traffic Monitor: Yes
Traffic Analyzer: Yes
Traffic analysis period: Daily, Weekly, Monthly
Website history: Yes
IPv6:Yes
MU-MIMO: No
Wi-Fi Encryption:Open system, WPA/WPA2/WPA3-Personal, WPA/WPA2-Enterprise
UTF-8 SSID: Yes
Guest Network: Yes
Maximum Guest Network rule:2.4GHz x3, 5GHz x3
Guest Network Encryption:Open system, WPA/WPA2/WPA3-Personal
WPS:Yes
Wi-Fi MAC address filter:Yes
Maximum MAC filters:64
Wireless scheduler:Yes
Airtime fairness:Yes
RADIUS Server:Yes
Universal beamforming:Yes
Explicit beamforming:Yes
WAN
Internet connection Type:PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP, Automatic IP, Static IP
Dual WAN:Yes
3G/4G LTE dongle:Yes
Android tethering:Yes
Port forwarding:Yes
Maximum port forwarding rule:64
Port triggering:Yes
Maximum port triggering rule:32
DMZ:Yes
DDNS:Yes
NAT Passthrough:PPTP, L2TP, IPSec, RTSP, H.323, SIP Passthrough,PPPoE relay
LAN
DHCP Server:Yes
IGMP snooping:Yes
IPTV:Yes
Manually assign IP address:Yes
Maximum manually assign IP address rule:64
VPN
VPN Client L2PT:Yes
VPN Client OVPN:Yes
VPN Client PPTP:Yes
VPN Server IPSec:Yes
VPN Server OVPN:Yes
VPN Server PPTP:Yes
VPN Fusion:No
USB application
File System:HFS+, NTFS, vFAT, ext2, ext3, ext4
3G/4G LTE dongle:Yes
HDD hibernation:Yes
Safely Remove disk:Yes
AiCloud:Yes
Download master:Yes
AiDisk:Yes
Media Server:Yes
Time Machine:Yes
Samba Server:Yes
FTP Server:Yes
Shared Folder privileges:Yes
Administration
Operating mode:Accesspoint, AiMeshnode, Mediabridge, Repeater, Router
Operating system:ASUSWRT
Free OS upgrade:Yes
Firewall:Yes
Maximum Firewall keyword filter:64
Maximum Firewall network service filter:32
Maximum Firewall URL filter:64
Wake on LAN (WOL):Yes
SSH:Yes
Configuration backup and restore:Yes
Diagnosis tools:Yes
Feedback system:Yes
System log:Yes

What is the key feature you are getting at ASUS RT-AX88U best price?

Multi-Device Households

With a combination of OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) and MU-MIMO technology, 802.11ax provides up to four times the network capacity and efficiency in traffic-dense environments. OFDMA technology divides each channel into small sub-channels to allow signals from multiple devices to be bundled together and transmitted simultaneously.

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)

The RT-AX88U supports Wi-Fi 6, or otherwise known as the 802.11ax standard, which provides higher network efficiency, faster Wi-Fi speeds, greater coverage, and improved battery life for connected devices. This router supports speeds of up to 6000 Mbps: 1148 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 4804 Mbps on the 5 GHz band. When operating on Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac standards, it can deliver up to 4333 Mbps on the 5 GHz band.

Adaptive QoS & wtfast

Adaptive QoS prioritizes game packets for a more fluid experience while wtfast uses the shortest path between you and the game server to minimize ping and lag.

Power Saving

Target Wake Time (TWT) enables the RT-AX88U to set designated intervals for devices to transmit data, allowing devices to enter the sleep state until it’s their turn, further reducing power consumption and extending battery life.

Commercial-Grade Security

The RT-AX88U comes with AiProtection Pro, which features automatic security updates to keep your devices and personal data protected. It also has parental controls should you want to block specific websites and mobile app types.

Wired or Wireless

With eight Gigabit LAN ports, the RT-AX88U can also be used with wired devices such as NAS systems, desktop computers, and switches.

Asus AiMesh

If one router isn’t enough to cover your whole home, the RT-AX88U supports Asus AiMesh, which lets you connect multiple Asus routers to form a mesh network for increased coverage.

Reliable Wireless Connectivity

The RT-AX88U features specially designed antennas, AiRadar beamforming, and RangeBoost technology to increase coverage and stability.

ASUS RT-AX88U AX6000 review at the best price point

Design

The overall body is flat and angular, with a row of indicator LEDs marching across the front, and a large grill with the Asus logo set into the top rear. Another grill features prominently on the front to further help in head dissipation.  It measures 2.4 by 11.8 by 7.4 inches (HWD) and has four removable antennas (two in the back and one on each side). 

Antenna

This is a four antenna router, with two antennas on the back and then the other two on the sides. They connect to the router via screw-on connectors, and are almost identical in appearance to the antennas found on the older RT-AC88U. The only notable difference is that they feature gold highlights instead of red.

Ports

Toward the front of the router are a USB 3.1 port, a Wi-Fi on/off button, an LED on/off button, and a row of LED indicators for power, 2.4GHz and 5GHz band activity, WAN activity, LAN activity (one for each port), USB activity, and WPS activity. The rear panel holds 8 gigabit LAN ports, a WAN port, a secondary USB 3.1 port, a WPS button, a reset button, a power button, and a power jack.

Memory and band width

The RT-AX88U is powered by a 1.8GHz quad-core processer, 1GB of RAM, and 256MB of flash memory. It’s a 4×4 AX6000 router capable of data rates of 1,148Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 4,804Mbps on the 5GHz band when connected to Wi-Fi 6 clients. In addition to the above mention Wi-Fi 6 technologies it supports 160MHz channel bandwidth, MU-MIMO simultaneous data streaming, direct to client signal beamforming, and Smart Connect.

Coverage

In terms of coverage, the router was about the same as the RT-AC88U in my testing. When placed in the middle, it can handle a single home of 1800 ft² (167 m²) to 2000 ft² (186 m²) easily with Wi-Fi speed at every corner fast enough to deliver an average broadband connection in full (70 Mbps to 250 Mbps).


Fast network-attached storage

I expected the Asus RT-AX88U to have better network storage performance when coupled with an external hard drive, and it did.

I used a SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD for the test. Via a Gigabit connection, it registered more than 72 megabytes per second and some 111 MB/s for writing and reading, respectively.

These are excellent speeds among routers with similar network storage feature. But, due to the lack of a multi-gig port, the RT-AX88U trails behind the RAX120, or the GT-AX11000 on this front.

ASUS RT-AX88U AX6000 Setup

Setting up the Asus RT-AX88U is precisely like that of any previous Asus routers. It’s similar to that of any routers with a web interface. Here are the steps:

  1. Connect the router’s WAN port to an Internet source (such as a cable modem)
  2. Connect a computer to one of its LAN ports (or its default open Wi-Fi network.)
  3. From the connected machine, open a browser and navigate to the router’s IP address, which is 192.168.50.1, or router.asus.com, you’ll get to the initial setup process. You’ll first need to create a new admin password (for the router’s Interface) and a secure Wi-Fi network before you can connect to the Internet.

And that’s it. Now you can use the interface to manage the router’s settings and features.

ASUS RT-AX88U AX6000 Performance review

I tested the Asus RT-AX88U on a 1Gbps Mediacom cable internet connection, testing both wired and wireless speeds, and both Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 devices. As a control, my Eero router registered 845Mbps down at the router and 600Mbps down at my desktop immediately before running my tests.

For my wireless testing, I started out by connecting my Google Pixel 3 phone to the Asus RT-AX88U and running the Ookla Speed Test app. Since the Pixel 3 is a Wi-Fi 5 device, these tests all measured the Asus RT-AX88U’s 802.11ac performance.

When connected via Ethernet cable to my desktop, the Asus RT-AX88U achieved a top download speed of 481Mbps and upload of 63Mbps. That’s a bit lower than my Eero, but faster than most routers I’ve tested. For example, the ROG Rapture AX11000 only notched a download speed of 383Mbps when tested with the same exact setup. In both cases, the slightly lower speeds are likely due to quality of service (QoS) settings since both routers are designed to prioritize gaming traffic.

When measured in close proximity to the router, I noted a top download speed of 479Mbps and an upload of 61Mbps. That’s one of the better 802.11ac speeds I’ve measured, although the ROG Rapture AX11000 hit a top download speed of 627Mbps under the same circumstances.

ASUS RT-AX88U AX6000 best price and review
ASUS RT-AX88U AX6000 best price and review

Next up, I moved about 10 feet away from the router with a closed door in the way. At that distance, the download speed dropped to 300Mbps. Then I took a reading at 50 feet, with several walls, furniture, and appliances in the way, and noted a top download speed of 283 Mbps.

Once I finished with my Wi-Fi 5 testing, I fired up my HP Spectre x360, which is equipped with Wi-Fi 6. For my close-proximity test, I registered a top download speed of 560Mbps. My 10-foot test resulted in a maximum download speed of 550Mbps, and my 50-foot test resulted in a top speed of 400 Mbps. Finally, I was able to achieve a top download speed of 50Mbps in my garage at a distance of about 100 feet.

For my final Wi-Fi 5 test, I took my phone down into the garage, at a distance of over 100 feet from the router. It struggled to maintain a connection at that distance and managed a meager 12Mbps.

Alternate of this ASUS RT-AX88U AX6000 best price

The ROG Rapture AC11000 (see on Amazon) is a gaming-centric Wi-Fi 6 router just like the RT-AX88U, and they’re both made by Asus, but they are actually very different beasts. With an MSRP of $450, the ROG Rapture AX11000 is significantly more expensive, but it’s also a tri-band router instead of dual-band, has twice as many antennas, almost twice the throughput, and notched slightly higher download speeds during my testing.

Both of these routers feature great QoS and gamer-centric features, and I didn’t notice much of a difference between the two when gaming. The AX11000 does have a 2.5GbE port, but the RT-AC88U has twice as many Ethernet ports. The RT-AC88U also has the option to mount it on a wall by removing two rubber plugs on the bottom side, which is a feature the much larger AX11000 lacks.

When sold at its MSRP, the Asus RT-AX88U is the better choice for most users. If you have an especially large house, or tremendously large data transfer needs, then the ROG Rapture is worth a look, especially if you can find it priced under MSRP.

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Abu Saleh Rizvee
Abu Saleh Rizvee

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