RT-AX92U

I thought I had reviewed this router some time ago, but apparently I forgot to do it. I bought one in December 2017 and one in March, 2018. Both are being used and are set up in my two-story, 3100 sq-ft house, in router+AP mode to provide high strength 5 GHz coverage for the entire house. I'm not using AiMesh mode and haven't tried it. These have been great routers for my needs. Fast, inexpensive, reliable.I started with just one RT-AC86U that replaced my RT-AC3100 that had replaced my RT-AC68U, and I found that, overall, RT-AC86U provided better range and speed for both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands than either of those two routers for multiple types of devices (Mac laptop, Android phone, iPad). I did a fairly extensive set of tests that can be found on the SNB forums. I was able to connect in the far bedrooms on the 2.4 GHz band with just a single router and had no problem doing typical internet surfing, but while the connection strength and speed was better than the two previous routers, it still wasn't what I wanted.After doing a fair bit of reading, I realized that no single router would provide the 5 GHz coverage that I wanted in the far bedrooms, so I bought a second RT-AC86U, and set it up in AP mode at a location suitable to provide good signal strength in the far bedrooms. Running in main+AP mode requires a dedicated ethernet connection between the two routers. Running this cable is easy for some, but not others. AiMesh is an option for those who don't have the option of running an ethernet cable. For the main AC86U, I have both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios enabled, and the satellite AC86U has only the 5 GHz radio enabled. I did this because the 2.4 GHz band on the main AC86U does sufficiently cover the entire house.This dual router setup has been 100% reliable since the day I set it up. My router settings are fairly simple. No attached storage because I have a dedicated NAS. I have several ports on my "server" computer forwarded. The VPN server on the router is enabled, and I use it routinely without issue. Most of the other bells and whistles are disabled. I'm not using traffic monitoring, nor am I using AiProtection. No gamers on my network. I have a typical range of devices connecting - several computers, several phones, security cameras, NAS, printer. All work without issue. WiFi speeds with a strong signal are as good as can be expected. My MacBookPro with 3x3 5 GHz consistently has a 1300 mbps link speed in the vicinity of either router, and transfers to/from my server computer from this laptop go at 70 MB/s. LAN speeds over ethernet are quite fast. If I set up jumbo frames, I can saturate the 1GB/s ethernet between my server computer and NAS in both read and write mode. Its a bit slower with a standard MTU.I will say that obtaining good hand-off between the two AC86Us as people move from location to location in the house took a bit of tuning. I had to enable the Roaming Assistant option on the main AC86U to kick devices off it when the 5 GHz signal strength falls below -66 dBm. Something like this has to be done because most devices don't readily disconnect from one access point until signal strength is in the pits, even when there is another high strength access point in the vicinity.To summarize again, this is a great, inexpensive, high performance router in my experience.04/05/2020 UPDATEI'm puzzled by the nearly 20% 1-star reviews because I now have four of these in service, two at my house and two at my cabin (large property), and all of them work perfectly. Either I've been really lucky with all four, or there is something about the settings and/or other equipment for some people that is causing issues.07/21/2021 UPDATEMy four RT-AC86Us continue to work flawlessly. Performance and functionality of the devices continue to improve as ASUS and Merlin continue to improve the firmware for this router and other ASUS routers. At the current price of $150, this is an outstanding router to have even considering that AX (WIFI 6) routers are now available. IMHO, WIFI 6 is a bit of a gimmick. 98% of people will not benefit from WIFI 6 even if your laptop/phone/tablet are WIFI 6. There just aren't many needs for that kind of speed, and the reality is that the half-duplex nature of all wifi along with the additional error checking result in a data transmission latency that reduces the value of a very high speed wifi protocol.

Edit: 6/20/25Returned to read reviews for the RT-BE92U today and was surprised. I did install the Merlin RT-BE92U firmware release shortly after initial setup as I liked some of the changes the firmware provided (VPN Director, DNS Director). But . . my router has been rock solid with zero reboots or issues before or after the update. None.Having no issues myself I have no suggestions for a fix. Accepting it's not caused by a setup error my first thought is my setup uses no option that gives consent for data collection/third party access. i.e. AiProtection, AdaptiveQoS,Traffic Analyzer, AirCloud 2.0, Amazon Alexa and Instant Guard are disabled/Off on my setup. I needed none of that. I also withdrew permissions on the Administration/Policy tab. Using it as a basic router w/ VPN Client . . with no third party access is the only setup difference that might exist.******************As a decades long Linksys router user (with third party firmware) I was concerned with recent VPN client/WiFi connection losses. After much thought I decided to future proof my setup and go with a Tri-Band replacement. Almost none of the Tri-Band routers support my preferred firmware. This meant a loss of my old, reliable and familiar firmware. Was it possible to find a "factory" firmware that I felt comfortable with??Not finding a Linksys replacement that met my needs I decided on two brands that did . . XXXXXXX and ASUS. After purchasing/returning the XXXXXXX router I suggest you do serious research before any router purchase. Especially if you need to install a third party "VPN client" on your router. Subscriptions seems to have invaded stock firmware nowadays.Having never owned an ASUS product the brand had been my second choice. But, after more serious research, I purchased the ASUS RT-BE92U BE9700 Tri-Band WiFi 7 Router. It DOES allow multiple types of VPN clients to be installed (with no subscription). After setup and approx a week of testing I highly recommend this router. The RT-BE92U was up and running in less than thirty minutes with a basic setup. Reboot of my modem was required. I prefer using the web browser setup rather than the app setup procedure. Necessary instructions included in the box for using both methods.This router has future proofed my setup while allowing my older WiFi devices to connect. Performance has been great exceeding my expectations. Noticeably quicker response time for apps. WiFi video apps seem to have an almost instant response now and would easily allow 4k DL's if needed.Notice also the six sided container has a small footprint with all sides (including the bottom) having vents for maximum cooling. Placing hands on the sides or top I feel very little heat. Can be wall mounted but I think it may affect cooling/WiFi slightly.During setup I've become very comfortable with the firmware interface. Setting statics, WiFi, assigning devices to VPN vs WAN and ease of installing VPN clients are examples. I've installed both the OpenVPN and WireGuard clients. Also my MB8611 modem now has all connections at maximum blue connection since being connected to the RT-BE92U router (also replaced all cables with CAT-8's) I can highly recommend these after receiving . . the quality was noticeably above average feeling more rubbery than plastic. https://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-Internet-Professional-Connector-Shielded/dp/B08PP8HZCCIn some ways the ASUSWRT firmware is even easier to configure than my preferred firmware. I found holding the mouse pointer over most settings would display a "?" and left clicking would display an explanation of the setting. Very helpful. I was also impressed with the amount of very detailed on-line help available. The large ASUS community I was never aware of. =)I don't yet have WiFi 6 or 7 devices so I have WiFi 6 band disabled to reduce possible WiFi interference. Go to Wireless, Professional, Band setting and select 6 Ghz then just below . . beside "Enable Radio" select "No" and press "Apply" at the bottom of the page if you want to do the same. When I purchase devices supporting 6/7 I can easily re-enable it. I also have not enabled the AiMesh as I have great WiFi coverage in our two story without it. No suggestions about a VPN Server setup but I believe it would be a simple as well.I have only three negatives: 1) AiProtection data collection. 2) The tiny writing under the active lights should be bigger. 3)Setup might be confusing for those not comfortable with such things. But . . AiProtection can be left turned off with no consent given. I don't REALLY need to see the writing under the active lights. Quick Internet Setup will generate a dependable router setup for most. With a little research and an added VPN it would be a very secure and stable router for most users. There is also Instant Guard setup option for a VPN connection but I cannot offer ANY opinion on its use.Some suggestions using web browser setup:1) When unboxing pay attention to the antenna notice on the box flaps. Flipping them up with a side rotation is a must. Pulling them straight out and then to an upright position would break them. I found placing the two outer antenna at 45 degrees and the two inner straight up gives me super coverage.2) Use the "Quick Internet Setup" button rather than the "Manual Setup" button as there will probably be input you might not know. After quick setup and connection . . THEN start making your personal setup changes. If you don't have the required input data during manual setup you will most likely need to reset the router and start over.3)During setup notice the checkbox for "Keep WiFi Channels Separate" during WiFi setup (at bottom). I prefer to keep WiFi channels separate so I can decide which channel to connect a device to. Do some research and decide which you prefer. Search for Smart Connect.4) After initial setup with stable connection go to Administration/Restore-Save-Upload Setting and go to the "Save Settings" button, uncheck the checkbox and save your current setting. If you do mess up you can reset the router and then restore to your last backup saving MUCH time. I suggest making regular backups as you progress with your personal setting. With final setup complete don't forget to make a final backup.5) Before turning on the free AiProtection . . consider that you must consent to data collection from your router by a third party. This is a negative for me so I left it turned off. Your decision . . .I highly recommend the RT-BE92U router. It is the most powerful and future ready router I've owned to date. It is a solid router for the typical home.