ASUS RT-AX86U Pro (AX5700) Dual Band WiFi 6 Extendable Gaming Router, 2.5G Port, Gaming Port, Mobile Game Mode, Port Forwarding, Subscription-Free Network Security, VPN, AiMesh Compatible

Excellent router, easy to configure and big ratio of coverage

The User interface and setup is very easy. One can see where most of the items taking up the Signal is. If you have kids that all have gaming, you can have priorities to have streaming in your Tiktok over your kids halo games. Ive had it for a month with no issues to include to many users. If we do become a smart home, we can get another one of the same or a different variation and use in conjunction with it. I really did fall in love with this product and it is very future proof. *For the Modem, we got the Motorola MB 8611. *ISP Plan is 1Gbps and we are staying close to 8611 which is not to shabby but most likely the modem

I will never buy another Netgear, this ASUS is great!

Had the special Best Buy version of the AC86U which has the upgraded 1.0ghz dual core CPUs vs 800mhz and it was a great router. Had the upgrade bug last year and got the AX88U which wasnt much of an upgrade all things considered but it has stability issues and the first A1 hardware version had heating issues which a lot of other people on small net builder forum will also confirm, the A1.1 version from Vietnam fixed that. However, after COVID situation went to Hell in America, I was forced to work at home more and with my very limited desk space, the AX88u simply took up too damn much real estate. On top of that, I still had Skype call issues with my wife in Japan that I could never fix no matter what I tried. Once I saw news about the AX86U and the first ship arrived with them from Vietnam, I jumped on the chance to grab one. Of course, the footprint of the AX86u is MUCh smaller then the AX88U which was a big thing in my book. It however CANNOT BE WALL MOUNTED out of the box, so bear that in mind. My wifi strength in the 5ghz band at 161 channel in my crowded apt wifi saturated area has been just as good as the AX88u. I have not attempted 2.4ghz usage because my apt complex has waaaaaaaay to many 2.4ghz channels all over the place, so I dont even bother. The unit does get pretty warm but the verticle chassis does allow the hot air to rise and be naturally convected out At this time, RMerlin HAS NO PLANS to support this model with MERLIN firmware. So if you cannot stand Asus stock firmware, look elsewhere EDIT: Apparently he is now working on supporting it, but be prepared for A LOT of bugs till a stable version Also, the out of box firmware has no working Traffic monitoring and QoS, so be sure to update from ASUS website PROS: 1. Looks great without being visually annoying unlike some other routers 2. Wifi 5ghz coverage is great with good stability from my testing 3. Built in hardware VPN support for your paranoid people 4. Tried and true old school Asus GUI interface. No changes here if your happy with it 5. 2.5gpbs LAN port support is great for future usage for NAS or gigabit plus internet 6. Try as I might, I could not get the quad core 1.8ghz CPU to break a sweat, so you can throw A LOT of network traffic on this sucker for years to come 6. Aggregate dual LANs for future internet support 7. Gaming packet priority LAN port, if you care about such things CONS: 1. No plans for MERLIN firmware support and thats from RMERLIN himself EDIT: Apparently he is now working on supporting it, but be prepared for A LOT of bugs till a stable version 2. Asus firmware takes several version to work out bugs for new routers, so be prepared to be beta tester if you need stable high end features 3. 2.5gbps LAN port support is not gaurenteed and may or may not be fixed with future firmware updates 4. ASUS router GUI is getting long in the tooth and really needs an overhaul 5. If your a paranoid/conspiracy theory/tin foil kinda person, the built in TrendMicro protection will collect some personal info. But if your on the internet/have smartphone/social security #, they already know all about you anyway

Tried several other high-end routers that constantly dropped or had slow speeds. This one set up very quickly, has a ton of options/features, excellent throughput, and hasnt dropped a connection once in the ~6 months I have been using it. Ive learned my lesson and will be sticking with this brand/line of routers from here on out.

Using Fios gigabit connection. Was able to upgrade to this router while using the G1100 Verizon router as a MoCA bridge for the Fios TV guide. Getting almost double wifi speeds with compatible 5G 802.11 ax devices. However, none of my smart TVs and older devices are compatible with WPA3 security. So end up having to use the 2.4G 802.11 ac in WPA2 security for those devices, which results in slower wifi speeds on those devices. Alternatively can setup a separate 5G guest network in WPA2 security. Also have the router connected to a SOHO router for a VPN. It is able to handle it all. Interface is fairly intuitive as well. Although for some reason the wifi network keys are not starred out in the guest network setups, while they are in the normal network setup options, which seems odd for security reasons.

I ordered a new ASUS AX5700 router, based on top reviews from evaluators. I was excited to try this new router and see the additional benefits. However, i received a USED router that was being sold on the website at a lower price. I immediately returned the router.

Bought this to replace our aging RT-N66U router that had served us well for 8 years. We desired a router to support the current AC standard and also to future-proof for the upcoming AX clients. Performance has been outstanding: The router is placed on the 2nd floor of our house in a not-ideal-location. 1st floor clients that previously had a speed of 60Mbps with the old router are now getting 100-110Mbps with this new unit.

With the Merlin firmware on this, it is the best router I have ever had. Super fast Wi-Fi, tons of customizations possible, it is a good one. Do your self a favor, and upgrade!

I bought a brand new ax86u to replace an old router hoping I’d get better coverage without having to add a second mesh node for a dead spot near the back of my old house. Not surprisingly, I got a little better coverage with the new router, but the signal,still struggled to get through multiple old lath and plaster walls. I came back to get a second of the same and it was once again out of stock. Given I just wanted the second router as an Aimesh node and wanted to keep it simple and use the same router as the mesh host, I decided to take a chance on a used ax86u sold by Amazon. It was listed as being in “very good” condition and cost significantly less than factory new. If I hadn’t known it was used when it arrived, the only clue was a bit of dust on the router itself. Works perfectly and the Asus AImesh system made it pretty simple to install. The manual that came with it didn’t include adding this model as a mesh node, so a quick google search got me to a detailed ‘how to’ and I was good to go. Works great so far.