Asus RT-AX88U
A bevy of connections and a strong set of results make this a serious contender
SCORE
PRICE £248 (£297 inc VAT) from pcpro.link/318ax88
The RT-AX88U sits at the top of Asus’ standalone router range, and as Wi-Fi 6 hardware goes it’s impeccably equipped. Inside the commanding black case lurk dualband 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios, rated at 1,148Mbits/sec and 4,800Mbits/ sec respectively, once you enable 160MHz channels. Both support 4x4 MU-MIMO too, pretty much guaranteeing top-tier performance.
In the event, the RT-AX88U didn’t quite manage to ace this month’s Wi-Fi 6 tests. Although close-range performance was strong, it rapidly dropped off as we moved away. The average download rate in the bedroom was only 70% of the same-room peak, and at the back of the house that fell to a mere 40%. Of course, every wireless connection is affected by distance, but the Netgear RAX80 held up better than the Asus at medium range and proved more than 6MB/sec faster in the bathroom.
Let’s keep some perspective, though. The RT-AX88U is still faster than most rivals, and it’s very difficult to picture a situation where its performance won’t cut the mustard. Its Wi-Fi 5 numbers were strong too hitting a minimum of 14.6MB/sec – which is enough bandwidth to saturate a 100Mbits/sec internet connection even while you’re languishing in the tub.
The RT-AX88U is also an uncommonly well-featured router. Notably, it’s one of only two models this his month to offer a full bank of eight Gigabit Ethernet ports at the rear, and they’re joined by a brace of USB 3.1 sockets. There’s no multi-gig socket, but as we noted on p77, that’s usually a red herring anyway.
Moreover, as is usual with Asus routers, the software provision is equally lavish. We’re talking VPN support for both incoming and outgoing connections, integrated network security and parental controls, and a wide range of possibilities for those USB ports, from printer sharing and media streaming to 4G failover or serving up files over the internet.
While the Asus RT-AX88U might not be quite as fast as the Netgear RAX80, therefore, it makes a more versatile hub for your home network – or a speedier alternative to the RT-AX82U. Either way, if you’ve got £300 to spend on a router, this formidable contender needs to be on your shortlist.