Asus RT-AC86U AC2900 Router - Review 2022

Whether you lot're into online gaming, 4K video streaming, or merely desire a powerful MU-MIMO-enabled router that will go on your network and clients safe, the Asus RT-AC86U ($199.99) volition fit the beak. This AC2900 dual band router delivered solid throughput in our performance tests and offers embedded network protection against malware and questionable content. It likewise gives you multiple ways to ensure that your online games get the network priority needed for a smooth gaming experience, and it provides robust parental controls in a user-friendly management panel. It's our new Editors' Choice for midrange routers.

Refreshing Pattern

While not quite as flashy as the pyramid-shaped D-Link AC3150 Ultra Wi-Fi Router DIR-885L/R, the RT-AC86U'due south blackness and red color scheme and angular design offer a refreshing modify from the typical uninspired black box pattern that you get with near routers. My merely gripe with this design has to do with physical placement: The router is permanently fastened to a wedge-shaped stand up that requires that the router stand up up vertically, which means it cannot exist wall mounted or placed in a rack configuration. 3 removable adjustable antennas protrude from the top of the device and in that location are eight LED indicators on the front end for power, WPS, Wi-Fi (both bands), LAN (four ports), and WAN activity. Around back are iv gigabit LAN ports, a WAN port, a USB 2 port, a USB three.1 port, and power, LED On/Off, and Reset buttons. On the right side of the router you'll find a WPS push button and a Wi-Fi On/Off button.

The RT-AC86U is a 4x4 AC2900 router powered past a 1.8GHz dual-core CPU and 512MB of RAM. It uses NitroQAM (1024-QAM) modulation technology to evangelize potential throughput speeds of up to 750Mbps on the ii.4GHz band and 2167Mbps on the 5GHz band and supports Multi User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) information streaming, which delivers data to compatible clients simultaneously rather than sequentially, and Beamforming, which sends data directly to clients rather than over a broad spectrum.

The RT-AC86U uses the same spider web-based management console and mobile app used to control the RT-AC88U that we reviewed a while back. The web console opens to a network map that shows all continued clients, your internet and security status, and Wi-Fi information for each band.

On the left is a menu containing General and Advanced settings. General settings include Invitee networking, a Traffic Analyzer, USB storage settings, AiCloud settings that let you fix your own deject server, Adaptive QoS with manual and automatic bandwidth limiting and awarding-specific prioritization, and Game Heave, which gives you lot access to WTFast routing technology and the Gamers Private Network to provide optimal bandwidth for WTFast-enabled games. The RT-AC86U uses Trend Micro's AiProtection software to block access to malicious sites, discover viruses, and utilise Parental Controls such equally blocking developed-oriented sites, restricting access to social media sites, and blocking streaming media and entertainment content.

In the Avant-garde settings menu you can conform wireless security, channel width, and SSID settings as well as professional settings such equally Buoy Intervals, RTS Thresholds, Airtime Fairness, and Multicast rates. Hither yous tin can as well enable or disable MU-MIMO and Beamforming. Other Avant-garde settings include LAN, WAN, and Firewall controls every bit well as VPN Server and VPN Customer settings. In the Assistants controls bill of fare you can configure the RT-AC86U to act equally a router, a media bridge, an access point, or a repeater, and update the firmware.

Easy Installation, Solid Performance

Installing the RT-AC86U is quick and like shooting fish in a barrel. I connected the router to my cable modem and to my desktop PC, opened a browser, and typed http://router.asus.com in the address bar. This launched the Setup magician, which walked me through the cyberspace and wireless process. You can also skip the magician and configure these settings manually if you prefer. I then waited a few minutes while the router updated its firmware.

See How We Examination Wireless Routers

The RT-AC86U turned in impressive scores on our throughput performance tests. Its score of 104Mbps on the 2.4GHz close-proximity (same room) test was slightly faster than the D-Link DIR-885L/R and the Synology RT2600ac, only non quite as fast as the Linksys WRT32X. At 30 feet, the RT-AC86U managed 86Mbps, tying the Linksys WRT32X and beating the D-Link DIR-885L/R and Synology RT2600ac, if only by a hair.

The RT-AC86U'southward 5GHz performance was also solid. Its score of 550Mbps on the close-proximity exam beat the Linkys WRT32X and the Synology RT2600ac, but came upward a fleck short confronting the D-Link DIR-885L/R. Results were like on the 30-human foot test: Its score of 300Mbps shell the Linksys WRT32X and the Synology RT2600ac, simply not the D-Link DIR-885L/R.

To test MU-MIMO throughput performance, nosotros employ iii identical Acer Aspire R13 laptops equipped with Qualcomm'due south QCA61x4A MU-MIMO circuitry. The Asus RT-AC86U delivered 178Mbps on the close-proximity test, edging by the Linksys WRT32X and the Synology RT2600ac, just not the D-Link DIR-885L/R. At 30 feet, the RT-AC86U garnered 150Mbps, once once more besting the Linksys WRT32X and the Synology RT2600ac, but trailing the D-Link DIR-885L/R.

File-transfer operation, in which nosotros movement a 1.5GB folder containing a mix of music, video, photo, and certificate files, was middling. The RT-AC86U's read speed of 38.4MBps trailed the Linksys WRT32X (48MBps) and the D-Link Dir-885L/R (44.1MBps), merely was a bit faster than the Synology RT2600ac (34.2MBps). The RT-AC86U'southward write speed of xxx.7MBps trailed the D-Link DIR-885L/R (33.2MBps) and the Synology RT2600ac (32.6MBps) by a pocket-size margin and was significantly slower than the Linksys WRT32X (76.8MBps).

Feature-Packed and Loftier-Performing

At that place's a lot to like about the Asus RT-AC86U. In addition to being like shooting fish in a barrel to install and configure, it delivered good all-around throughput operation in our tests and comes arranged with a scattering of useful tools for optimal performance, including embedded support for WTFast game dispatch and Adaptive QoS bandwidth prioritization. Congenital-in Trend Micro protection against malicious intrusions, viruses, and infected clients will proceed your network in pinnacle working order, and robust parental controls will foreclose family and guests from accessing undesirable sites and content. The router'southward vertical mounting stand limits where you tin can locate it, and its file transfer speeds were merely average, but neither gripe prevents the RT-AC86U from garnering our Editors' Choice for midrange routers.

If you do a lot of online gaming with a Killer Network-enabled gaming rig, the Linksys WRT32X is also a expert option, as it offers automatic prioritization for Killer Network systems, just it will cost you about $100 more and lacks the built-in Tendency Micro network protection that you get with the RT-AC86U. The D-Link AC3150 Ultra Wi-Fi Router DIR-885L/R (also an Editors' Selection winner) offers form-leading 5GHz and MU-MIMO performance equally well every bit drag-and-drop QoS settings, but it too lacks the RT-AC86U's built-in network protection and costs about $80 more.

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/review/19052/asus-rt-ac86u-ac2900-router

Posted by: stephanbuturears.blogspot.com

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