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 appreciated the information on how this router may have issues if you have a large space to cover
I liked your easy set-up instructions.
Brad, I appreciate your honest comments about the range issue with this router and the remedy you offered to solve the issue. Thanks.
How easy set up is
Great explanation of the internet speed testing!
Thank you for pointing out the coverage distance and how quickly the signal drops off. That’s super important to us here!
The AiMesh feature was iinteresting for me.
The AiMesh feature mentioned was of interest.
I liked the part about the easy setup.
The AiMesh feature
reading about the safety and protection through AiProtection was the most interesting part of this review
The ease of setup & the speed test was the most interesting.. This would be such a great router for my new apartment!!
You had me at “easy setup”.
The ease of setup was impressive for me.
Most interesting was the drop off rate.
The speed test was interesting to me.
the most interesting part the review was the speed test
Was quite interested in the speed test
I am glad that you did an actual speed test!
I love that it can be set up in mesh mode!
The AiMesh feature was iinteresting
I really liked the section that describes performance.
Lots of good things like easy set up. I appreciated the honest review about the coverage aspect and that the signal dropped off in his basement. That is important info to know as this is where we are having difficulty at home
I liked the ASUS AiMesh feature, that lets you join two or more supported ASUS routers into a mesh network to expand Wi-Fi coverage. I have not seen this before.
The most interesting part of this review for me was the speed test.
I like the ease of setup through the mobile app.
Maybe distance and easy set up for me. Please and thanks Smile
The AiMesh feature
I liked the easy setup information, including that he was not forced to create an account to proceed.
This router looks great! I’m going to be in the market for a new one since I’m moving shortly and will finally be in control of my internet. My favourite part of the review was the video review! I love being able to watch and listen to my reviews!
Easy setup
I liked hearing about the four Gigabit LAN ports
The speed test is the most interesting part for me.
Distance
Distance and easy setup
The most interesting part of this review for me was the speed test.
I loved the easy set up.
What interested me most was that this router is very easy to setup and that the ASUS app doesn’t require signup for setup – which is great.
Easy set up
Because I am all thumbs the comments about the “easy set up” created a sigh of relief and the results of the “speed test” was also significant.
the most interesting part of this review was the speed test for me.
coverage distance
The positioning portion was of interest to me.
I like the section that said Impressive performance, but… So often reviews just state the good aspects of products. He mentioned the coverage aspect and that the signal dropped off in his basement. That is important info to know and I am glad I will not be using it in the basement.
unboxing and first impressions was my favorite part of the article.
Brief description of the safety and protection from the elements of the ASUS router.
I appreciated hearing about the safety and protection through AiProtection.
Router placement
The AiMesh description.
I like the set up information, very useful.
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