ASUS RT-AX88U PRO AX6000 Dual Band WiFi 6 Router, WPA3, Parental Control, Adaptive QoS, Port Forwarding, WAN aggregation, lifetime internet security and AiMesh support, Dual 2.5G Port

ASUS RT-AX88U PRO AX6000 Dual Band WiFi 6 Router, WPA3, Parental Control, Adaptive QoS, Port Forwarding, WAN aggregation, lifetime internet security and AiMesh support, Dual 2.5G Port

 

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Customer reviews

Cameron S.
5.0 out of 5 stars BEST value and performance AX router out there
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2019
Style: WiFi 6 | AX6000Verified Purchase
I bought a Netgear XR500 last november for the very impressive looking DumaOS... to find a buggy, completely not fleshed out (event he VPN function advertised wasn’t implemented until a late December firmware update), insanely unstable (crashed at least once a week every week, i had to resort to using my 4yr old Netgear R7000 that was perfectly reliable) router with the company that makes DumaOS having an incredibly apathetic, “we’ll fix it when we fix it” and “No ETA’s on fixes, we make updates, Netgear releases them. Ask them” tone on all forums, i gave up on hoping it would be fleshed out at any point soon. So i got rid of it for the AX88u and flashed Merlin on it.

I was looking for a traffic analyzing, enterprise-functionality router with the XR500 with every nerd knob possible (like Tomato firmware offers), and got a dumbed down buggy experience with barely even basic configuration options. The AC88u was the exact opposite. From a conditional VPN to IPS/traffic analysis/web logging/firewal/features you normally need to outfit a network with separate dedicated devices for, this handles it all with absurd speed and responsiveness in the interface. Everything i thought might be a gimmick (like trendmicro’s ‘aiprotection’) is the real deal and you could not ask for more to secure a home network unless you did go with those dedicated devices. It’s super stable (i changed core router settings that have to restart services in AsusWRT, while transferring 150GB worth of data from a client to an SSD connected to it to test network/USB speeds, and downloading a giant BFV patch on my gaming PC while on a work skype call and never even got a blip of cut-out or noise on my call. The web interface locked up because i made one kinda dumb change while doing this but the call never did!), inSANELY fast across the board (from using it as an OpenVPN client to enabling all the COU-taxing security features to topping out its resources by reading and writing to a USB-connected SSD), i can’t even convey how great this is.

I wanted to see my clients’ connection rates, which interfaces they were connected to, and very importantly their life bandwidth and traffic- and within a couple clicks i can do this as if i’m navigating a Cisco ASA firewall. Just function after function, it’s all available, and it all works.

I also got this for increased theoretical AC speeds and eventual AX speeds, along with wanting the fastest chipset available (my R7000 nighthawk was extremely modular, but its dual-core 1ghz CPU definitely struggled to pass VPN traffic at full bandwidth. My XR500 bricked itself after about 5 minutes of use whenever i even tried to configure the VPN. The AX88U has zero issues with that speed or stability there). So far i haven’t been able to bottleneck the CPU with anything yet without the ethernet Gb bandwidth limitation topping out first. Maybe when AX clients come into play and i set up an aggregated 2Gb link the router could start chugging in some cases, but i have no idea and really doubt it would cause a sweat at this point.

Lordy, even gaming-wise i’ve been casually checking my ping in Battlefield V and Anthem, i’m getting response times i’ve never seen anywhere i’ve lived with any hardware i’ve had before (7-12ms pings, better than 95% of everyone on any server i’m put in).

I even use this to manually reserve IP addresses for my non-configurable IoT devices so I know where everything is on the network. The XR500 would wipe its memory every few days, destroying the work i did there. This is super stable, leases every IP to every device i tell it on-call and never has an issue. It’s just too freaking good. My R7000 was the king of the mid 20-teens. The AX88u is the successor.

In summary this thing is an utter beast. If you’re looking to go with a ‘gaming’ router, i was looking between this and the GT-AX11000 when i decided to get rid of the XR500. I chose this because they have the same horsepower, same specs, and the gimmicky 3rd band of 5Ghz the 11000 has id just that... a gimmick unless you have 300 devices in your home. I run about 50 clients in an apartment with plenty of neighbor networks and never have a problem with congestion or needing more bandwidth, especially for gaming, that this extra band ‘gives’ you. Also, the main reason i chose this is because the gaming ROG firmware on thr GT-AX11000 actually IS gimmicky. Read reviews on the GT-AC5300 and you’ll see a lack of Asus updates, constant bugs, broken features (recently an update actually stopped that 3rd 5ghz band from even broadcasting), and poorly implemented gaming functions unique to the router that just don’t work most of the time. I have a friend that runs an AiMesh with an AC88u and GT-AC5300 since Christmas and it has given nothing but issues. The worst part is, NO 3rd party firmware support with the ROG firmware. So if Asus doesn’t fix a bug, you’re out of luck. The AX88u is supported by Merlin which is the snappiest, slickest firmware out there for Asus routers. That’s the key, the firmware- and the AX88u has the one you want with no big compromises to the AX11000.

Last thing, AX11000 has the 2.5GbE port. Neat, but with the 8x 1GbE ports on the AX88u you have plenty of available ports to run link aggregation on, say, a separate switch with 2.5/5/10GbE support in the future for a 2Gb pipe into any of the direct router clients, while you can put any insanely fast clients on the switch directly later when those speeds start being adopted. It’s all a win-win with this router and any future scenarios you can think of.

10/10 best router of 2019, true Netgear Nighthawk R7000 successor.
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tropicalcoder
5.0 out of 5 stars Asus redeems themselves!
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2022
Style: WiFi 6 | AX6000Verified Purchase
10/17/22: Updated to 5 stars. Original firmware this router came with was 3.0.0.4.386.41700 which was frustrating dropping the internet connection daily (DHCP WAN issue). Upgraded to firmware 3.0.0.4.388.20518 and it's been stable so far! Will post updates as I have more time to test it thoroughly. The addition of VPN fusion support is a win too! I did not use the web interface or app to update the firmware automatically. Downloaded the firmware from Asus' website. Reset the router to factory defaults. Plugged in a PC via ethernet cable then updated firmware. Reset the router to factory defaults again, disabled Smart Connect/band steering, then manually configured the router to account for older devices on my network (up to MCS 9 256 QAM for 2.4 Ghz and left 5 Ghz on Nitro/1024 QAM). I'm playing things a bit safe with those settings but your mileage may vary depending on the devices on your network.
7/30/22: Purchased and received in October 2021. I have mixed feelings about this router. On the one hand, excellent hardware. No dropped connections over wifi along with consistent signal strength. So many settings /features in the firmware as well and with the quad-core CPU + 1GB of RAM this router is FAST. On the other hand, the unit I received exhibits the DHCP over WAN issue (mine drops its Internet connection once a day around 3:30pm). A reboot restores Internet connectivity but I noticed my public IP address changes each day even with the DHCP query setting on Normal instead of Aggressive or Continuous. It turns out many other customers are reporting the same issue or very similar issues with the newer Asus firmware as well (do a search for Asus RT-AX88U DHCP WAN and SNB/Rogers forums will come up). So this router's been sitting on the side as an ornamental fixture in my home (actually it's my test platform) while I use a TP-Link router to manage wifi traffic (less features but stable day in and day out for work and anything else I do on my network). Lately I've started looking at the forums again and it appears a few of the newer firmware releases are stable. As soon as I can carve out some time on my weekends, I'll get back to working on this router.
The one thing holding this router back from its true potential is it has only a 1Gbps WAN port, when other routers on the market in its price-range have 2.5Gbps WAN ports. If it had a 2.5 Gbps WAN port, it would be a true contender. If you don't foresee having internet service any faster than 1Gbps in the near future, then it's a solid option. To be fair there are many customers that have gotten good units and have no issues. Because I like its hardware so much (Broadcom chipset, 4G-LTE tethering and 8 LAN ports) and firmware features (QoS/bandwidth limiter settings), I decided to hang onto it as a 'project to work on'. To date I've seen no evidence of it having any hardware issues. Will post updates as I work more on this router and I hope to be able to give it more stars.
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Wayne Fugate
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Router!
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2024
Style: WiFi 6E | AXE7800Verified Purchase
My requirements for a router are pretty simple: be reliable, be easy to use, and offer me features and flexibility that I can grow into, rather than out of. This router checks all of those boxes!

I had it all set up in a matter of minutes, and configured perfectly for my needs shortly after that. The Web and mobile interfaces are clean and intuitive (the web version does offer more options though).

I've had it in place for a few weeks now and there hasn't been even a small glitch in its operation - really flawless.

As a bonus, it let me move my old ASUS router downstairs to the first floor of my house and set it up as a Mesh node on my network, giving me even better, more stable coverage.
I'm very happy with this purchase and recommend it without reservation.
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VegasRooted
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Asus Quality Once Again!
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2024
Style: WiFi 6 | AX6000 | Dual 2.5G PortsVerified Purchase
I set up two of these RT-AX88U Pro units a few nights ago in a hardwired ethernet backhaul AiMesh arrangement; good to go so far. I did it in the following sequence (my preferred method, with a clean firmware upgrade + factory reset prior to final setup), with one unit serving as the "Router" and the other unit serving as the (satellite) "Node":

1. Downloaded latest firmware from Asus website, checksum-verified the firmware package
2. Flashed Router unit with latest firmware package
3. Factory reset Router unit
4. Set up Router unit as desired (using separate 2.4Ghz & 5.0Ghz networks)
5. Flashed Node unit with latest firmware package
6. Factory reset Node unit
7. Connected Router unit 2.5Gbps LAN port by ethernet cable to Node unit 2.5Gbps WAN port
8. From Router unit GUI, added Node unit to AiMesh
(Router unit then pushed config to the Node unit and controlled it as an AiMesh Node going forward)

I gave the whole system about 48 hours after initial setup to "shake in" before checking any metrics...the system needs time to work out load balancing, beamforming, etc. After 48 hours, I can say that this arrangement appears to be working even better than my (also outstanding) two-headed Asus ZenWiFi XT12 system that I had just recently decommissioned. I gave the XT12 system to my brother, who needs the third band provided by the XT12 system for wireless backhaul...but since we have the luxury of a hardwired ethernet backhaul at our house, this setup with two RT-AX88U Pro's in AiMesh does the job perfectly...everything we need, and nothing that we do not.

Thank you again, Asus! Another outstanding product with excellent range, stability, and your best-in-class software. Cheers!
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A. Sacremento
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Performance and Great Interface
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024
Style: WiFi 6E | AXE7800Verified Purchase
I try routers from other brands from time to time, usually to save some money, but always at the expense of performance and usability. This was the case with my last router, as well. I went with another brand, which shall remain nameless, on the promise of better performance for less money. It under-delivered from Day 1, and its UI was a mess. But I had already gifted my old ASUS to a friend, so rolling back wasn't an option.

Nothing but headaches and disappointment with the other brand, but I suffered along with it for over a year, until several of my devices could no longer even see my WiFi network anymore, much less connect. Now, I'm back to ASUS with the RT-AXE7800, and life is good again. Not a single one of my wireless devices had any problem connecting to the new router. Signal strength and speed were great. Latency was cut to zero, and the UI is laid out perfectly. Thank you ASUS! You have delivered another winner.
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RSavage
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely stable internet connection!
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2023
Style: WiFi 6 | AX6000 | Dual 2.5G PortsVerified Purchase
Bought a ASUS RT-AX88U Pro to be used as my main router and a ASUS RT-AX86U Pro to extend coverage as a AIMesh unit that connects to the main router using 2.5 GHz as backhaul. So far I am very happy with the performance and they have both been extremely stable now for seven months. I have only had to reset the main router once which may or may not have been needed because it might have just been the cable modem? Both are WiFi 6 capable, dual band (2.5 GHz and 5 GHz), able to create mesh network using one of the bands (2.5 GHz or 5 GHz) as a back haul, supports up to 6 SSIDs, and has very good operating system/app support in that you can see traffic statistics on all connected devices combined and or drill down to a specific device. The configuration that I am using is,
• Two SSIDs, one for 2.5 GHz and one for 5 GHz, doing it this way makes it easier to hookup internet of things devices that only use 2.5 GHz
• Main router located downstairs, provides very good coverage to 1st floor of house and front of property
• AIMesh router located upstairs, provides very good coverage to 2nd floor and backyard and side of property
• Shared drive using USB memory stick connected to main router

Based on performance so far I would highly recommend this product.
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G. Petersen
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Value and Operation
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024
Style: WiFi 6E | AXE7800Verified Purchase
This ASUS router replaced an older router that was one of the first to offer Wi-Fi 6.

Recently my internet provider (Xfinity) bumped my service to 800Mbps — plenty of speed for my needs — and as my older router was no longer offering any firmware updates, I decided to replace it and upgrade to a 6E router, that my new MacBook Air could take advantage of.

Initially, I was looking at a two-part MESH setup, but to get the most out of it, you really need an ethernet cable from the satellite unit as the “backhaul” to the main unit. Again, good research pretty much told me that in my 1800 sq.ft. house, that a MESH setup was just overkill.

Setting up the ASUS router was fairly easy. The included “Quick Start Guide” is good, although I had a brief issue in connecting to the router’s login page. Once that was resolved, the setup was straightforward. There is a lot of customization that can be done through either the web interface or via the ASUS Router app for your Android or iPhone. Also, when I logged in for the initial setup, it updated the firmware to the most recent version which was just two months old. ASUS seems to have a reputation for providing updates on a regular basis to keep your equipment up-to-date.

My initial testing of the throughput and signal strength has been excellent. In doing my research, I understood that the new 6Ghz band that tri-band routers offer is handicapped by a lower transmitting power, and the physics of walls. So, I wasn’t expecting much, but was very surprised when the throughput speeds on my MacBook, using the 6Ghz band, were a good deal better than the 5Ghz readings from my old router — about 20% better. In fact, the 5Ghz numbers on the ASUS is way better than my old router. Of course, the ASUS has a good deal more bandwidth than my old one.

The ASUS is located in the same spot as my old router, on the second floor of a two-story home, pretty much in the center of the house.

So, far, it’s all thumbs up for this router. I can easily recommend this router, especially if it meets your needs.

Do your research, and find the router that meets your needs — and maybe just a bit more. A great place for research on all networking things is the website for Dong Knows Tech. There is very comprehensive review for the ASUS router there.
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Alexia
5.0 out of 5 stars Works the best with all new platforms
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2024
Style: WiFi 6 | AX6000 | Dual 2.5G PortsVerified Purchase
These perform seemlessly and work well with the new and old platforms, whereas this was not the case with many of the Netgear newer WiFis. My old Netgear still worked well but was getting old and this ASUS AX88U Pro is the best with an even bigger range than my old Netgear. This extended range is awesome and so needed for a large 6000 ft house. I can add satelites to it - but haven't needed to.
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Amazon Customer #398730
5.0 out of 5 stars Works great with Quest3/Pro for the ultimate 6E AirLink/wireless PCVR setup (500+ mbps)
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024
Style: WiFi 6E | AXE7800Verified Purchase
Works great for Quest3 and QuestPro for wireless PCVR gaming.
I'm using the ASUS RT-AXE7800 as a dedicated PCVR router (no other devices connected to it). The 6 Ghz band allows me to push 500+ mbps bitrate (264 codec) in AirLink with no noticeable latency (playing Contractors Showdown, so good enough for online gameplay).

I decided to go with this model as I wanted a good router brand (ASUS), and wanted the 6Ghz band, but didn't want to pay more than $300 for a 6E router. This model has been a great middle ground option. Plus, I went with ASUS over cheaper brands like TP-Link, since ASUS gives you full control over the router settings, and ASUS is great for providing continuous, multi-year support for their routers (my previous RT-AC68p was receiving firmware updates 5+ years after release).

Few things to get it optimized for PCVR gaming: since I use it as a dedicated router, I have the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands disabled. Set the 6ghz bandwidth to 160mhz. Channel selection shouldn't be too much of an issue (select any, or whatever works best for your headset). I personally had to DISABLE 'PSC Channel control' to get it to showup on my Quest3; but maybe PSC will work for you. Disabling PSC allows you to manual pick the channel you want, but some channels don't showup for the headset. I noticed Quest3 works best on Channels lower than 100.

TL;DR - if you want a good quality 6E router for the ultimate wireless pcvr setup (AirLink, Virtual Desktop, Steam Link), I highly recommend the ASUS AXE7800.
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tiko.col
5.0 out of 5 stars Does the job pretty well
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2024
Style: WiFi 6E | AXE7800Verified Purchase
I live in a building of pure concrete, and while I was hopping excellent coverage, it is just above the ISP router. But it is far more stable than the ISP router. I work at home, and you need a reliable and stable router and WiFi connection. This is what I get with this router, perfect Zoom and Meet calls. No pixels, no lag, no audio gaps. I also use a lot of video streaming on multiple devices, the router handles all tasks smoothly. I am a bit disappointed to see that ASUS has not included other features like IFTT or Guest WiFi, but overall I’m pretty happy for the router. Will try to get another and create an Ethernet mesh

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