Asus RT-AC86U Gaming Router
Never available again
View alternatives in the sidebar
View alternatives in the sidebar
According to our router expert
The Asus RT-AC86U is a router for gaming fanatics. This router prioritizes your favorite games over all other network traffic, so you can game without lag. Do you prefer to watch movies in 4K? Easily prioritize video streams with Quality of Service, preventing your images from freezing. MU-MIMO technology provides each device with its own dedicated connection to the router. Combined with its fast Dual-Core processor, it has no problem connecting a lot of devices at the same time. To create a multi-room WiFi network, link multiple routers using AiMesh. This way, you can create a super fast WiFi network with a large range. Thanks to AiProtection, you can protect your home network against viruses and hackers.
Ethernet speed | Gigabit Ethernet (1000Mbps) | |
Frequency bands | Dual-band | |
WiFi speed | AC3000 | |
Number of Ethernet ports | 4 | |
Type router | Gaming router, WiFi router | |
Number of stations | 1 | |
Living situation | Small apartment, Student room |
5 stars
52
4 stars
27
3 stars
1
2 stars
0
1 star
0
Range
Installation ease
Speed
Design
Previously used a TP-Link router 'Archer C7 v2.0'. That was an AC1750 dual band wireless router that worked almost flawlessly for 3 years 'ctu on'. For my VPN connection to NordVPN however, I was now looking for a router that had a built-in OpenVPN client. This would allow all my network devices could use the NordVPN connection through my router without the need to install separate software on these devices.
Finally opted for Asus because their router firmware 'AsusWRT' is based on Tomato. The open source Tomato router fw is widely recognized as being more comprehensive and also somewhat more stable than the open source router fw DD-WRT.
Then there was still the choice between the Asus routers RT-AC88U and the more recent RT-AC86U. Strange naming at Asus since a lower number here is a more recent device?! To mislead even more, the more recent 86U is a lot cheaper than the older 88U!
Finally opted for the RT-AC86U due to the spectacular speed difference (compared to 88U, up to 3x faster!) when using the NordVPN VPN connection. Download (via vpn client enabled in router):
Upload (via vpn client enabled in router):
Immediately after installation, upgraded the supplied 'AsusWRT' firmware to the 'AsusWRT-Merlin' firmware 384.6. (see: https://asuswrt.lostrealm.ca/) Device is now already 43 days ctu on without problems.
RT-AC86U:
An advantage of this vertical design is the small footprint of this device. Approximate dimensions: WxDxH: 22 x 8.5 x 16cm (without the 3 antennas) WxDxH: 22 x 8.5 x 32cm (with the 3 antennas completely vertical)
(making throughput up to 2x faster than an 88U!)
(also present at the 88U) (However, this feature does not appear to work flawlessly; not even with the 88U by the way)
(However, this feature is disabled with the 'AsusWRT-Merlin' firmware I use; turns out that this AiMesh feature in Asus routers doesn't work very well)
Consumption (transmitting, 3 laptops at the same time): 11.2 W
RT-AC88U: (for comparison)
Approximate dimensions: WxDxH: 30 x 19 x 6cm (without the 4 antennas) WxDxH: 40 x 24 x 20cm (WITH antennas; all completely vertical)
(not present 'I think' at the 86U)
(also present at the 86U) (this feature does not seem to work flawlessly, not even with the 86U by the way)
(But turns out this AiMesh feature in Asus routers doesn't work very well! :( )
Consumption (transmitting, 3 laptops at the same time): 15.6 W .
RENE D.
8 November 2018
Automatically translated from Dutch
The device is widely adjustable. It is best to download and install the Merlin firmware. I use a VPN service and this device with its fast CPU is ideal for that. No more clients on the PCs.
Willem Neyt
15 March 2018
Automatically translated from Dutch
The purchase of this ASUS AC86U is to replace a previous generation ASUS router, namely the AC66U.
The ASUS AC86U is quite an improvement compared to the AC66U.
The housing of the router again feels solid. It is black with LED indicator lights on the front. The red accents on the front emphasize the gamers line from ASUS.
The installation of the ASUS AC86U is very simple, just like the AC66U. The antennas must be tightened to the router, the necessary network cables connected and the router must be supplied with power. After that, you can go through the user-friendly setup wizard to set up the basic functionalities of the router. The advanced user can easily familiarize themselves with the user-friendly interface provided by ASUS. It also responds a lot faster than the older AC66U.
The first thing you notice is the wireless range. Previously, the wireless connection with us went out when people walked out of the house or walked into the garden. With the ASUS AC86U, that's a thing of the past. 5 meters outdoors and in the garden we still have range via the 2.4Ghz frequency. The router is placed in the most favorable place in the house, namely; the middle floor. one now has both upstairs and downstairs connection on the 5Ghz frequency indoors.
That was not possible with the AC66U on 5Ghz. My PC is also equipped with a PCE-AC88 adapter for optimal speed in combination with. the AC86U. This gives me a more stable connection, which is noticeable while gaming. For example, there is little 'lag/delay' and I get to see all graphic elements (which is sometimes missing with a bad WiFi connection).
In addition, this router is equipped with built-in security software. ASUS calls this functionality AiProtection. This will automatically block many (not all) Internet threats. I've had this turned on for a while now and in the log you see a lot of internet threats that have been averted. These are all automatic processes that reside on the Internet. So everyone has to deal with it. So it's functionality that, after seeing the logs, I really appreciate it!
The ASUS AC86U also features AiMesh functionality. This allows the router to be used in the future to increase wireless coverage if one is going to invest in a new ASUS router (which must also be equipped with AiMesh). This gives the router a second life, should it come to the point where it is replaced by a newer one and still functions. This is something the future will show if I decide to connect a 2nd router that is AiMesh compatible.
With devices that support the MU-MIMO functionality, the router can handle devices at the same time. This means that all MU-MIMO devices can send and receive data at the same time. Instead of each device having to wait its turn (the average user won't notice). In our area there are several smartphones, laptops and a PC connected wirelessly. So far everything works stable and there is no noticeable delay. Not even during our peak hours (evening).
All in all I am very satisfied with this purchase! The router is faster, the WiFi range (for us) greatly improved and the AiProtection is a great asset to the security of the network!
The router is promoted as a gaming router, but I highly recommend it to the non-gamers too!
The ASUS AC86U is a Super Router!
Jason
5 August 2019
Automatically translated from Dutch
Product number | 794924 | |
Manufacturer code | 90IG0401-BU9000 | |
Brand | ASUS | |
Warranty | 3 years | |
Processing of your defect | Via Coolblue |
Type router | Gaming router, WiFi router | |
WiFi speed class | Basic | |
Usage situation | Stream movies and music, Study at home, Work from home | |
Living situation | Small apartment, Student room | |
Number of stations | 1 | |
Can be expanded with extra stations | ||
Built-in modem |
Frequency bands | Dual-band | |
WiFi speed | AC3000 | |
2.4GHz band speed | 750 Mbit/s | |
5GHz band speed | 2167 Mbit/s | |
Number of WiFi antennas | 3 | |
Jumbo frame support |
Ethernet speed | Gigabit Ethernet (1000Mbps) | |
Network connector | ||
Number of Ethernet ports | 4 | |
PoE support | ||
USB port | ||
Type of USB port | Standard USB-A | |
Number of USB ports | 2 |
Automatically switches to 3G/4G | ||
SIM card slot |
Quality of Service (QoS) | ||
MU-MIMMO | ||
Seamless roaming | ||
Beamforming | ||
Port forwarding | ||
LACP Link aggregation |
Parental controls | ||
WLAN security | WEP, WPA, WPA-PSK, WPA2, WPA2-PSK | |
Firewall | ||
Firewall type | NAT Firewall, SPI Firewall | |
Guest network | ||
VPN support | ||
VPN server | ||
VPN client | ||
VPN passthrough |
Mounting possible | ||
Width | 22,1 cm | |
Height | 16 cm | |
Depth | 8,4 cm | |
Weight | 862 g | |
Color | Black, Red | |
Material | Plastic |
Power supply type | Power grid |
