Asus RT-AC86U Review

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced router that does it all, the Asus RT-AC86U checks off almost all of the boxes. Everyone will find something to enjoy about this high-end dual-band AC2900 router, whether it’s for gaming, security, or just fast speeds.

In addition, for only $200 (£200 in the United Kingdom, which equates to AU$350), you won’t have to spend a fortune to obtain exactly what you need.

During my testing, I saw the highest possible throughput speeds on 5GHz and was pleasantly impressed by the app. One of the most useful aspects of many Asus routers is its menu, which can be customized to your preferences. The Asus RT-AC86U is no exception to this rule.

Those looking for an easy-to-use router that provides consistent WiFi coverage in a large home will not be disappointed.

With the Asus RT-AC86U ($179), you get a dual-band gigabit gaming router that comes with a built-in stand that allows it to be placed securely on a table, shelf, or floor.

In addition to having improvements that make it one of the finest gaming routers available, its performance improves with distance as well as time. For committed gamers seeking a competitive advantage, the router is a touch on the pricey side.

Design

The Asus RT-AC86U gaming router is compact and non-threatening, unlike the Linksys WRT-32X and Netgear Nighthawk XR500 gaming routers, which are both large and flashy. It might be the stealth networking gadget of the year, as it lacks the size and a slew of flashing lights.

Finished in basic black with geometric red accents, it was created with gamers in mind, yet it does not shout “Gaming Router” at you.

Because it is approximately twice as large as the TP-Link Archer C2300 (8.5 x 7.5 x 1.5 inches) in terms of physical dimensions, the RT-AC86U has an advantage in terms of mass as well.

Instead of being forced to sit flat, the router features an inbuilt base that allows it to stand securely upright while not in use. It may be put up on a table, a shelf, or even on the floor, but it is difficult to install on a wall.

The RT-AC86U, which is powered by a Broadcom BCM 4366E Wi-Fi processor, establishes four lanes of independent data transmission. It makes use of the most up-to-date MU-MIMO and beamforming methods to simultaneously fulfill a large number of consumers.

The router is equipped with a dual-core CPU running at 1.8GHz, 256MB of RAM, and 512MB of flash storage for configuration and software.

The RT-AC86U is targeted towards gaming, however, it lacks the Killer prioritizing engine found in the Linksys WRT-32X as well as the geo-filtering function seen in the Netgear Nighthawk XR500.

Because of its low-latency architecture, large 5GHz data channels, and NitroQAM operations, the router provides a rapid internet connection, giving it an advantage over those attempting to steal automobiles in inner-city areas or struggle for jewels in outer space, for example.

Asus’ innovation is the WTFast game accelerator, which has the potential to provide the competitive edge required to dominate online multiplayer games.

Based on the Gamers Private Network developed by the business, it finds the most efficient and secure internet path between the two computers being utilized in order to optimize bandwidth and reduce latency between them.

It is not suitable for everyone due to the fact that it is compatible with around three dozen titles, including Fortnite (for PCs), Grand Theft Auto V (for Xbox One), and Overwatch (PS4).

The rear of the RT-AC86U is equipped with slotted vents that enable heat to escape; even during long gaming sessions, the device never became hot to the touch.

It includes four gigabit-per-second Ethernet ports for the WAN input and four outputs, as well as USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 connections for connecting peripherals.

It has two buttons on the back, one of which is for powering on and the other for resetting the device. On the side, there are two keys: one for initiating the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) procedure to quickly connect a client and another for turning off Wi-Fi transmissions, which turns the Wi-Fi router into a wired-only device.

RT-AC86U features an inside antenna in addition to the three screw-on antennae on the outside of the device. The exterior antennae have a low 3dBi sensitivity rating, however, they can be rotated and swiveled to get the strongest signal possible, or they may be changed with more powerful antennas if necessary. Neither of the antennas has been boosted in order to pick up weak signals.

Performance

The Asus RT-AC86U, which employs MU-MIMO and beamforming technology, provides excellent throughput and range, as well as security and gaming upgrades, in a compact package.

When we tested the RT-AC86U in our Utah test lab using Ixia’s ixChariot software, we discovered that while it was not the fastest router on the block when the router and client were near to each other, its speed increased when they were more than 100 feet apart.

This router’s peak speed of 667.8Mbps was reached at a distance of 15 feet with a client, making it 23 percent quicker than the Linksys WRT32X but only marginally slower than the TP-Link Archer C2300’s top speed of 682.3Mbps recorded at a similar distance. It traveled 636.5Mbps at 5 feet, which is more than 50% less than the Archer C2300, which moved 963.6Mbps at the same distance, which was the fastest in its class.

The RT-throughput AC86U’s of 603.5Mbps and 589.6Mbps at 50 feet and 100 feet, respectively, trailed behind the Archer C2300’s throughput of 913.8Mbps and 613.2Mbps, respectively, in the tests. At these distances, however, it beat the Norton Core, which achieved 601.4Mbps and 483.8Mbps, respectively.

RT-AC86U was able to catch up and shine when tested at a distance of 150 feet from our terminal testing station, making it a suitable choice for bigger houses. It traveled 487.2Mbps, outpacing the Archer C2300 by 29 percent (which moved 342.5Mbps), the Norton Core by 21 percent (which moved 384.1Mbps), and the Linksys WRT32X by 61 percent (which moved 487.2Mbps) (at 302.4Mbps).

When it comes to transmitting its signal through walls and ceilings, the RT-AC86U fell short of expectations. It was able to offer 557.7Mbps on the opposite side of a metal door, which was about on par with the Linksys WRT32X’s 559.0Mbps but well below the 662.6Mbps delivered by Norton Core in the same test environment.

The 720.9Mbps it transmitted through a soundboard wall pales in comparison to the 921.7Mbps sent by the Archer C2300. It also fell short, with just 688.7Mbps appearing on the second level of the facility, compared to Norton Core’s 705.8Mbps on the same floor.

For a week, my family and I used the RT-AC86U every day to view movies, listen to music, and perform a variety of other activities. It worked great for League of Legends gaming, whether I was doing it myself or watching the pros do it on Twitch, and it worked well for a few hot laps in Real Racing 3 as well.

There was plenty of available bandwidth for our informal saturation test, in which I put the router through its paces by listening to the BBC World Service on an internet radio station while simultaneously playing a range of movies and transferring files onto and off of a network-attached storage system. The music and video were sent without interruption, and there was no perceptible latency.

Specifications

Model Name

• RT-AC86U

Network Standard

• IEEE 802.11a
• IEEE 802.11b
• IEEE 802.11g
• WiFi 4 (802.11n)
• WiFi 5 (802.11ac)
• IPv4
• IPv6

Data Rate

• 802.11a : up to 54 Mbps
• 802.11b : up to 11 Mbps
• 802.11g : up to 54 Mbps
• WiFi 4 (802.11n) : up to 450 Mbps
• 802.11ac : up to 1734 Mbps
• 1024QAM (2.4GHz) : up to 750 Mbps
• 1024QAM (5GHz) : up to 2167 Mbps

Antenna

• External detachable antenna x 3
• Internal antenna x 1

Transmit/Receive

• MIMO technology
• 2.4GHz 3×3
• 5GHz 4×4

Processor

• 1.8 GHz dual-core processor

Memory

• 256 MB Flash, 512 MB RAM

Boosts speed

• Beamforming: standard-based and universal
• 1024-QAM high data rate
• 20/40/80 MHz bandwidth

Operating Frequency

• 2.4G Hz / 5 GHz

Ports

• RJ45 for Gigabits BaseT for WAN x 1, RJ45 for 10/100/1000/Gigabits BaseT for LAN x 4
• USB 2.0 x 1
• USB 3.0 x 1
• RJ45 for Gigabits BaseT for WAN x 1, RJ45 for 10/100/1000/Gigabits BaseT for LAN x 4
• USB 2.0 x 1
• USB 3.0 x 1

Button

• WPS Button, Reset Button, Power Button, Wireless on/off Button

LED Indicator

• Power x 1
• Wi-Fi x 2
• WAN x 1
• WPS x 1
• LAN x 4

Power Supply

• AC Input : 110V~240V(50~60Hz)
• DC Output : 19 V with max. 1.75 A current

Product Weight (g)

872 g

• AiMesh

• AiMesh : Yes
• Primary AiMesh router : Yes
• AiMesh node : Yes

Router APP

• ASUS Router APP : Yes

Game

• Game Boost/acceleration : Yes
• WTFast : Yes

Alexa

• Support Alexa skil : No

IFTTT

• Support IFTTT : No

AiProtection

• AiProtection : AiProtection Pro
• Router Security Assessment : Yes
• Malicious site blocking : Yes
• Two-Way IPS : Yes
• Infected Device Prevention and Blocking ; Yes

Parental Control

• Parental Control : Yes
• Parental Control Customized Internet schedule : Yes

Traffic Control

• 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

Wireless

• IPv6 : Yes
• MU-MIMO : Yes
• Wi-Fi Encryption : Open system, WPA/WPA2-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-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
• IGMP snooping : Yes

WAN

• Internet connection Type : PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP, Automatic IP, Static IP
• Dual WAN : Yes
• WAN Aggregation : No
• 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
• IPTV : Yes
• LAN Link Aggregation : No
• 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

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

Verdict

Although it doesn’t break any speed records, Asus’ $170 RT-AC86U router is a dependable and capable device that performs very well across long distances, where others fall short. It combines enhanced security and gaming features with outstanding customizability and a built-in stand for a seamless user experience.

If all you want is all-out performance, you may save $50 by purchasing TP-Archer Link’s C2300, which costs $120. Despite this, the RT-AC86U is capable of providing a secure and relatively fast internet experience for every member of the family.