There are a lot of things we do these days that put heavy demand on our home Wi-Fi routers. Despite the growing collections of smart devices, 4K video streaming, smart speakers, plus our smartphones and PCs, probably nothing is quite as demanding as online gaming. This requires not just high bandwidth, but minimal latency. That’s a combination that not all routers can pull off. One that can is the made-for-gamers ASUS RT-AX86S. This is a dual-band AX5700 Wi-Fi 6 gaming router.
ASUS RT-AX86S unboxing and first impressions
The RT-AX86S gives off a gaming vibe—which is understandable, considering it’s from ASUS, the company behind Republic of Gamers. The back of the router features a geometric design with dozens of cutouts to help with cooling. The front is angled, with the ASUS logo in gold. There are 10 LED indicator lights. Peeking out from the bottom is a bright red grill that contrasts nicely with the black plastic. Definitely aimed at a gamer crowd!
I’ve been hands-on with quite a few gaming routers over the years and they tend to be bulky. I still have a very high performance model from two-years ago stashed in my office as a backup and that thing is huge. It’s physically large, sits horizontally (so it takes up a big chunk of table-top real estate), and its power brick is literally the size of a brick.
According to my tape measure, the footprint of the vertically-oriented RT-AX86S is roughly 10 cm x 24 cm. That’s pretty compact. I was surprised by how small its power brick is. It’s still a standalone brick (although with plenty of cable on both sides) but it’s around half the size of an eye glasses case. It should be pretty easy to hide out of sight.
Easy setup
ASUS has one of the best mobile apps around in terms of easy setup for its routers. Scan the QR code, download the app, and walk through the setup. It’s straightforward and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. This includes waiting a minute or two while the router optimizes itself. As part of that process you connect the router to your ISP’s internet gateway (ASUS includes the Ethernet cable), and you’ll want to think about the optimal position for the router for your space—ideally, somewhere central, for maximum coverage (more on that shortly).
I appreciated the fact that I did not have to create an account with ASUS as part of the configuration. Some router setups do force that step. The ASUS app does a great job of putting the info you want to know upfront for network management. It offers a wide range of tools that let you customize the setup, including parental controls. It also controls the AiProtection security feature that offers router-level (before it reaches your devices) protection from malware and attacks.
ASUS RT-AX86S key specs:
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Impressive performance, but …
Once the router had finished setup, it was time to test it out. I pay for 500Mbps internet service, although I frequently get a little more speed than that. When I ran speed tests for the ASUS RT-AX86S, the results were impressive. They were showing a download speed of 757 Mbps, a ping of under 15 ms, and jitter under 4 ms. Using a third party speed tester confirmed the performance, with similar readings.
The ASUS app includes a helpful description of what that kind of speed allows you to do:
“You can stream many 4K movies and play online games simultaneously on multiple devices.”
The speed is more than enough for any online game. That ping reading is just as important—if not more so. Ping is the time needed for your actions to reach the game server and the response to come back. The latency in other words. Lower is better and a ping rate under 50ms is generally considered to be excellent. The ASUS app also offers a Mobile Game Mode that optimizes the Wi-Fi experience for your smartphone and tablet-based games.
It’s worth noting that speed and ping rate are not all about the router. Your internet plan dictates your maximum connection speed, and ping rate can be impacted by both the internet and the game server. However, having a good gaming router will maximize what you get.
If your internet gateways(s) support it, ASUS says you can combine two separate 1Gbps internet connections by using the WAN port plus one LAN port, then shares that bandwidth over Wi-Fi.
The one downside I found with the ASUS RT-AX86S was coverage distance.
Optimal positioning and orientation of the antennas will help, but in my house the router’s signal strength dropped off rapidly as I moved from the basement (where the router was set up) to the upper floors. When I stepped outside to the end of the driveway, speeds dropped down to single-digit Mbps levels. In comparison, my home mesh Wi-Fi system could easily hit 40Mbps from the same spot.
AiMesh to the rescue for larger spaces
Fortunately, if you have a large space to cover, or one that has many potential Wi-Fi obstacles (like solid walls and floors), this router supports the ASUS AiMesh feature. This lets you join two or more supported ASUS routers into a mesh network to expand Wi-Fi coverage.
Powerful wired options
Another solution to Wi-Fi issues (including wireless interference) for gamers and video streamers is an Ethernet connection.
Plug your console, PC, or streamer directly into the RT-AX86S’s four Gigabit LAN ports to eliminate any Wi-Fi issues.
One of these ports is a dedicated gaming port. Whatever is plugged into this port automatically gets an optimized, priority connection with no configuration required.
A solid high-speed router, period, but especially suited to gamers
If your online gaming or video streaming experience hasn’t been living up to expectations, a gaming router like the ASUS RT-AX86S is going to seriously up your Wi-Fi game, while also offering wired connections for four devices. It features a gaming-inspired look, and a compact form factor. It’s also a great high-performance Wi-Fi 6 upgrade if your current router is older and simply not able to keep up with modern Wi-Fi demands.
Just be aware that positioning is important and if you have large space, you might want to consider twinning the RT-AX86S with another ASUS router using AiMesh for maximum Wi-Fi coverage.
I find the speed test interesting. I’m on a 75mbps plan and if I could get more from it with this router it would be very nice!
Aimesh
The instructions on Set Up were most vital to me.
I found the ASUS AiMesh feature very interesting and useful for our home
AiMesh and easy setup was interesting to learn about.
What I found interesting is how this router is setup ideally for gaming, as a gamer, that excites me!
Easy setup, I have bought so much sh_t that damn near drove me insane trying to get the setup to work!
The idea of having two different gigabit WAN inputs is interesting.
I found the discussion on speed and latency to be the most interesting and relevant.
I was interested to learn about the AiMesh feature
I liked the review of it’s performance.
The most interesting part of this article is reading how easy it is to set up this device.
Can stream many movies and play online games simultaneously on multiple devices – sounds good 🙂
I find it interesting that there is a priority port for traffic. Would this affect latency on other ports.
I found the part about speed and ping the most interesting!
I liked the mini-tutorial that helps me understand latency, what the router can do, and what my internet provider limits.
The idea of having two different gigabit WAN inputs is interesting.
The AiMesh feature is super cool!!!Great info.
I found the section on Impressive Performance most interesting!
I found the discussion on speed and latency to be the most interesting and relevant.
The ease of setup, is what I find most interesting.
best thing bout this review is that there is a video so i dont have to read! Thanks.
the fact that you did not have to create an account with ASUS as part of the configuration had my interest
I found the section on Impressive Performance most interesting!
The video streaming on multiple devices,
Conclusion is always the best for busy people. Solid hi speed router
I liked his tip on positioning and his suggestion of a wired connection as an option.
I liked his tip on positioning and his suggestion of a wired connection as an option.
I really liked reading about the ease of setup and the app. Helpful info – even if you are not setting up your router everyday, paying attention to this experience means they pay attention to the rest of the experience too.
Good to know the router is mesh compatible, I can still focus on speed for my gaming devices and add range with mesh later on.
Found that the AiMesh feature was super cool!!!
The easy setup I found interesting
I liked his tip on positioning and his suggestion of a wired connection as an option.
I liked your review of it’s performance.
I never knew that nothing is quite as demanding on a Router as online gaming.
you can join two or more supported ASUS routers into a mesh network to expand Wi-Fi coverage.
It offers a wide range of tools that let you customize the setup, including parental controls
The ASUS app also offers a Mobile Game Mode that optimizes the Wi-Fi experience for your smartphone and tablet-based games.
ASUS has one of the best mobile apps around in terms of easy setup for its routers. Scan the QR code, download the app, and walk through the setup. It’s straightforward and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
easy setup description
The video streaming on multiple devices, is what I found interesting.
I liked the part that showed the increase in speed. That is my main goal when trying a new router.
Nice router speed
I would add to it using the AiMesh feature. That’s quite interesting in a gaming router.
I was interested to learn about the AiMesh feature
I appreciated his reminders that your internet plan, and the positioning of the router is important. That you can have a great router, but it needs support from this as well.
I found the discussion on speed and latency to be the most interesting and relevant.
Conclusion is always the best for busy people. Solid hi speed router. Period
Thanks
The ease of setup, is what I find most interesting.
The AiMesh part was interesting
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