ASUS RT-AX86U AX5700 Dual Band WiFi 6 Gaming Router, PS5 compatible, Mobile Game Mode, Lifetime Free Internet Security, Mesh WiFi support, 2.5 G Port *, Gaming Port, Adaptive QoS, Port Forwarding
ASUS RT-AX86U Gaming Router Feature:
New-generation WiFi 6 – Enjoy ultrafast speeds up to 5700 Mbps with the latest WiFi 6 (802.11 ax) and 160MHz channels
Mobile Game Mode – Minimize lag and latency for mobile gaming with just a tap on the ASUS Router app
True 2 Gbps wired and wireless speeds – Aggregated 2 Gbps WAN connections, wired 2.5 Gbps port , and WiFi 6
ASUS AiMesh support-– Create a flexible, seamless whole-home mesh system with AiMesh-compatible routers
Commercial-grade home network security-– Lifetime free ASUS AiProtection Pro, powered by Trend Micro ™, with WPA3 and advanced Parental Controls to protect your home
ASUS RT-AX86U AX5700 Gaming Router Spec:
| Model Name | ASUS RT-AX86S ASUS RT-AX86U |
| Network Standard | IEEE 802.11a IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g WiFi 4 (802.11n) WiFi 5 (802.11ac) WiFi 6 (802.11ax) IPv4 IPv6 |
| Product Segment | AX5700 ultimate AX performance : 861+4804Mbps |
| 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 WiFi 4 (802.11n) (1024QAM) : up to 750 Mbps WiFi 5 (802.11ac) (1024QAM) : up to 4333 Mbps WiFi 6 (802.11ax) (2.4GHz) : up to 861 Mbps WiFi 6 (802.11ax) (5GHz) : up to 4804 Mbps |
| Antenna | External antenna x 3 Internal PCB antenna x 1 |
| Transmit/Receive | 2.4GHz 3×3 5GHz 4×4 |
| Processor | RT-AX86U:1.8GHz quad-core processor RT-AX86S:1.8GHz dual- core processor |
| Memory | RT-AX86U: 256 MB Flash 1 GB RAM RT-AX86S: 256MB Flash 512MB 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 | 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz |
| Ports | RT-AX86U: RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT for WAN x 1 RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT for LAN x 4 Five (5) 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports + one (1) 2.5G/1Gbps multi-Gig port (configurable) — LAN: 4xGbE (2x port aggregation LAN) — WAN: 1 GbE — WAN/LAN: 2.5G/1Gbps multi-Gig port (configurable) — Multi-Gig: Ability to aggregate two Gigabit LAN ports and two Gigabit WAN ports (configurable) concurrently. USB 3.2 Gen 1 x 2RT-AX86S: RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT for WAN x 1 RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT for LAN x 4 Five (5) 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports — LAN: 4xGbE (2x port aggregation LAN) — WAN: 1 GbE — Multi-Gig: Ability to aggregate two Gigabit LAN ports and two Gigabit WAN ports (configurable) concurrently. USB 3.2 Gen1 x1, 2.0 x1 |
| Power Supply | RT-AX86U : 19 V with max. 2.37 A current / 19.5 V with max. 2.31 A current RT-AX86S : 12 V with max.3 A current / 19.5 V with max. 2.31 A current |
| Package content | RT-AX86U:
RT-AX86U WiFi router RT-AX86S: RT-AX86S WiFi router |
ASUS RT-AX86U Gaming Router Performance
Depended on a week of testing using Ixia’s ixChariot’s network simulation benchmark in my 100-year-old 3,500-square-foot home, the ASUS RT-AX86U AX5700 Router was equal parts reliable router and gaming companion. At 15-feet, it had a peak throughput of 929.7 Mbps. That can’t compare to the Netgear Nighthawk RAX80’s 1.39 Gbps max output, but it’s 4 percent ahead of the TP-Link AX6000 (888.2 Mbps), 7 percent ahead of the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 (859.1 Mbps) and 12 percent faster than Linksys MR9600 (822.0 Mbps).
That said, the bandwidth available at 50-feet dropped to 285.3 Mbps, which was just a hair ahead of the Netgear RAX80’s 271.3 Mbps. It was behind the TP-Link AX6000’s 396.7 Mbps and the Linksys MR9600’s 363.3 Mbps.
At 75-feet, the ASUS RT-AX86U Routerregained its strength, pushing out 250.1 Mbps, compared to the 280.1 Mbps that the XR1000 created. At this distance, the TP-Link AX6000 and Netgear Nighthawk RAX80 were well behind with throughputs of 125.4 and 142.1 Mbps, respectively.
At our terminal distance of 90-feet, the ASUS RT-AX86U AX5700 Router was near its limit, with an average of only 7.4 Mbps, barely enough for watching an HD stream. That said, the TP-Link AX6000 couldn’t even maintain a link at that distance, while the Netgear RAX80 moved 20.8 Mbps and the Netgear XR1000 led the way with 75.0 Mbps of bandwidth available. The ASUS RT-AX86U Router had a range of 95-feet, 10-feet short of the XR1000.
The ASUS RT-AX86U AX5700 Router did well at punching a strong Wi-Fi signal through walls and ceilings, with scores of 698.5 Mbps available through a wall 25-feet from the router and 615.7 Mbps to a floor above. This can’t compare to the Netgear RAX80’s 1.07 Gbps and the TP-Link AX6000’s 744.7 Mbps for the wall penetration test but roughly matches the Netgear XR1000’s 614.8 Mbps.
Over my week of using the ASUS RT-AX86U Router daily for everything from email and manual downloads to video viewing and gaming, it was reliable and passed the saturation test. As I watched videos on an HP EliteBook Dragonfly and listened to an Internet radio station on a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+, my iPad Pro was showing a baseball game and my Dell XPS 15 was moving data onto and off a file server. There were no video glitches or audio errors.
ASUS RT-AX86U Gaming Router Advantage:
Your Winning Choice for Mobile Gaming!
Enjoy the fastest, smoothest WiFi gaming connections ever with the ASUS RT-AX86U AX5700 Router dual-band WiFi 6 router. It delivers ultrafast WiFi speeds up to 5700 Mbps **, and is packed with advanced technology, including Mobile Game Mode for a lag-free, low-latency mobile gaming experience.
Ultrapowerful WiFi 6
ASUS RT-AX86U Series Router brings you all the benefits of WiFi 6 (802.11 ax), and works perfectly with all your existing WiFi devices!
Gaming With No Limits
The dedicated gaming port on ASUS RT-AX86U Series Router automatically prioritizes any wired device connected to it. No complex configuration is needed, just link your gaming PC or console to the special LAN port to give you a fast, stable connection that’s always at the head of the queue.
Gear Accelerator lets you prioritize devices wirelessly via ASUS RT-AX86U Series Router online control panel. The simple interface lets you prioritize devices to help boost their speed and prevent them fighting over bandwidth with other devices.
Connect your devices to the 5 GHz band and avoid the often-congested 2.4 GHz band, while enjoying up to 5.6 X faster WiFi speeds. Optional Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) unlocks up to 15 of the least-congested channels on the 5GHz band to give you even more bandwidth for gaming
Lightning-Fast 2 Gbps Internet
ASUS RT-AX86U Series Router is designed to break down all the barriers that can slow down your gaming. It supports as high as a 2 Gbps internet connection, so you can unlock the full potential of high-speed networking for both wired and WiFi connections.
Whole-Home Gaming
Does your router leave you with WiFi dead spots? ASUS RT-AX86U AX5700 Router supports ASUS AiMesh, a unique mesh-networking technology that creates a whole-home network using multiple ASUS routers. With easy central control and seamless roaming, even non-experts can set it up with any AiMesh-capable routers you own. Say goodbye to WiFi dead zones!
Commercial-grade Security for Your Home
Home network security is crucial when you have multiple connected devices, and even more so when there are devices without anti-virus capabilities like IoT devices. ASUS RT-AX86U Series Routers includes lifetime free AiProtection Pro, including the newest WPA3 security protocol and advanced Parental Controls. Every device is covered with ASUS RT-AX86U AX5700 Router, and you can watch on everything that’s happening on your network through the handy mobile app.
Verdict
Equal parts gaming router and one for general use at home, the ASUS RT-AX86U Router not only brings Multi-Gig inputs and port aggregation to the gaming party but it’s ability to boost phone and tablet games is a big plus. That all adds up to the ASUS RT-AX86U AX5700 Router earning our Editors’ Choice for standalone devices, making one of the best Wi-Fi routers overall, and the top pick on our list of the best gaming routers.
