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The Asus RT-BE96U ($699.99) is a large tri-band Wi-Fi router that makes use of Wi-Fi 7 know-how and a beneficiant assortment of high-speed ports to ship speedy throughput over the two.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz radio bands. As with most Wi-Fi 7 routers, it’s costly, however you get many options for the cash, together with a pair of 10GbE networking ports, high-speed USB connectivity, free parental management software program, and, most significantly, quick throughput efficiency. It’s a wonderful alternative in the event you’re able to take the Wi-Fi 7 plunge, however you’ll get sooner 6GHz efficiency and some extra multi-gig ports with its costlier sibling and Editors’ Selection winner, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Professional.Design: A Cumbersome Router Filled with Slicing-Edge ComponentsThe RT-BE96U appears to be like much like the GT-BE98 Professional, in that they each use a hexagonal-shaped enclosure and have eight non-removable adjustable antennas. However the RT-BE96U lacks the gamer-centric backlit Republic of Players lighting results of the GT-BE98 Professional. At 8.6 by 13.7 by 13.7 inches (HWD), this 4.1-pound router takes up a great deal of desktop actual property. As with the GT-BE98 Professional, the RT-BE96U makes use of a heatsink and specifically designed vents to maintain inside parts cool.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
Alongside the entrance edge are LED indicators for every radio band and for energy, WAN, LAN, and WPS exercise. The again panel is residence to a 10GbE WAN/LAN port, a 1GbE WAN/LAN port, a 10GbE LAN port, and three 1GbE LAN ports, two of which assist hyperlink aggregation. Right here, you’ll additionally discover a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, a USB 2.0 port, an influence swap, and an influence jack.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
Inside, the RT-BE96U has a quad-core CPU working at 2.6GHz, 2GB of RAM, and 256MB of flash reminiscence. It’s a BE19000 router that may hit most (theoretical) knowledge charges of as much as 1,376Mbps on the two.4GHz band, as much as 5,764Mbps on the 5GHz band, and as much as 11,529Mbps on the 6GHz band, for a complete of roughly 19,000Mbps.
It helps the most recent Wi-Fi 7 applied sciences, together with 320MHz channel bandwidth, Orthogonal Frequency Division A number of Entry (OFDMA), Beamforming, Multi-Hyperlink Operation (MLO), 4096 QAM, WPA3 encryption, and MU-MIMO knowledge streaming. As with the GT-BE98 Professional, it helps AiMesh know-how, which lets you use it as a node in a whole-home mesh community.You may set up and handle the RT-BE96U utilizing an internet console or the Asus Router cellular app for iOS and Android units, however you get extra superior settings with the net console. That stated, the cellular app makes it straightforward to handle issues utilizing your telephone. It opens to a Dwelling display with a panel on the high that reveals the LAN IP and has a QoS icon that allows you to prioritize bandwidth for gaming, streaming, net browsing, and file transfers. A circle within the middle of the display shows real-time site visitors graphs, community band names, CPU and RAM utilization, and the variety of related purchasers. You may scroll by way of every information display by tapping the arrows.
(Credit score: Asus)
Beneath the circle are the Web Standing, AiMesh, and Cell Recreation Mode buttons. The Web Standing button takes you again to the above-mentioned display, whereas the AiMesh button shows node info and permits you to add nodes to a mesh community. The Recreation Mode button takes you to a display the place you may optimize the community for cellular gaming and provides cellular units bandwidth precedence.On the backside of the display is a Dwelling button that returns you to the Dwelling display from wherever you might be within the app, and a Units button that opens a display the place you may see an inventory of every related consumer. Faucet any consumer title to view its IP and MAC addresses, restrict its bandwidth, and assign it to a household profile. Use the Perception button to view safety threats, share Wi-Fi settings, allow distant entry, and seek for mesh nodes. The Household button enables you to create profiles and assign parental controls, together with age-based net filters and scheduled entry occasions.Lastly, the Settings button opens a display the place you are able to do issues like configure a visitor community, run diagnostics, block entry to units, allow native file sharing (Samba) for USB drives, and configure Wi-Fi, LAN, WAN, and VPN settings. Different settings allow you to replace the firmware, join with Alexa and Google voice assistants, run diagnostics, and verify your web add and obtain speeds.Asus RT-BE96U Efficiency: The Wi-Fi 7 Velocity You NeedLike most routers, the RT-BE96U is simple to arrange and will be put in utilizing the net console or the cellular app. I selected the latter. I related the router to my modem, related my desktop PC to the router’s 10GbE LAN port, and tapped Setup on the Welcome display. I chosen Asus Wi-Fi Routers and used my telephone’s digital camera to scan the QR code on the underside of the router. I tapped Get Began when the router was found, separated the bands, and gave the brand new community a reputation and password. I created an area login account and waited round 30 seconds for the app to use my settings and arrange my account. I related to the brand new community and waited one other 10 seconds for the router to optimize the community. Lastly, I up to date the firmware to finish the set up.The RT-BE96U is a strong performer. Its rating of 150Mbps on the two.4GHz shut proximity check was a bit sooner than the Asus GT-BE98 Professional (148Mbps) however not fairly as quick because the TP-Hyperlink Archer BE800 (175Mbps). Equally, its rating of 83Mbps on the 30-foot check beat the GT-BE98 Professional (74Mbps) however not the Archer BE800 (88Mbps).
On the 5GHz shut proximity check, the RT-BE96U’s rating of 1,548Mbps trailed the Asus GT-BE98 Professional (1,828Mbps) and the TP-Hyperlink Archer BE800 (1,880Mbps). Additionally, its rating of 906Mbps on the 30-foot check couldn’t match the GT-BE98 Professional (911Mbps) or the Archer BE800 (978Mbps).Whereas working on the 6GHz band, the RT-BE96U garnered 2,451Mbps on the shut proximity check and 311Mbps on the 30-foot check. That’s sooner than the Archer BE800 (2,280Mbps and 232Mbps, respectively) however not the GT-BE98 Professional, which scored a blistering 3,075Mbps on the shut proximity check and a speedy 442Mbps on the 30-foot check.To check file switch efficiency, we measure learn and write speeds by transferring a 1.5GB folder containing photographs, video, music, and workplace doc recordsdata backwards and forwards between a USB 3.0 drive and our desktop PC, each of that are related to the router. The RT-BE96U scored 82MBps on the write check and 83MBps on the learn check. The GT-BE98 Professional scored 89MBps on each exams, whereas the Archer BE800 scored 102MBps on the write check and 109MBps on the learn check.
The RT-BE96U did a great job on our sign power exams, wherein we use an Ekahau Sidekick 2 diagnostic machine and Ekahau’s Survey software program to generate warmth maps that present the sign attain for every radio band. (Notice: Ekahau is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag.com’s mother or father firm. For extra, examine our ethics coverage within the Editorial Mission Assertion.) On the maps, the circle represents the router’s location, and the colours signify sign power. Darkish inexperienced areas point out the strongest sign and lighter yellow areas point out a weaker one. Grey areas point out very weak or no measurable sign reception.
A 2.4GHz Wi-Fi protection map for the Asus RT-BE96U Wi-Fi 7 Router (Credit score: Ekahau)
A 5GHz Wi-Fi protection map for the Asus RT-BE96U Wi-Fi 7 Router (Credit score: Ekahau)
A 6GHz Wi-Fi protection map for the Asus RT-BE96U Wi-Fi 7 Router (Credit score: Ekahau)
The primary two maps present that the router had no hassle broadcasting sturdy 2.4GHz and 5GHz alerts all through our check residence, however 6GHz alerts confirmed weak vary. We additionally noticed this with the Archer BE800 and GT-BE98 Professional. In the interim, it’s a identified limitation of 6GHz transmissions. They provide astonishing same-room efficiency, however they peter out sooner than transmissions on the opposite bands the additional away from the router you progress. Verdict: Massive, Quick, and ExpensiveYou’ll must clear some house in your desktop to make room for the Asus RT-BE96U, however when you do, you’ll be rewarded with speedy 6GHz transmissions, wonderful sign protection, and high-speed wired connectivity through a pair of 10GbE networking ports. It’s straightforward to arrange and handle, comes with free community safety and parental management software program, and gives a handful of gamer-friendly settings. Nonetheless, in the event you’re available in the market for a Wi-Fi 7 router proper now, cash might be no object, so it’s best to contemplate spending one other $100 for the Asus ROG GT-BE98 Professional. It’s one of many quickest routers we’ve examined, providing extra multi-gig ports and gamer-centric options than the RT-BE96U.
Cons
Costly
Bodily massive
The Backside Line
The Asus RT-BE96U has a giant footprint and a hefty price ticket, but it surely delivered speedy throughput and robust sign efficiency in testing, making it a wonderful tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router.
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