Best Asus Router in 2023

The Asus RT-AC88U is a slick-looking device that will hit all the right chords for those that favor the ‘gamer’ aesthetic with sharp angles and stylish red accents. Alongside, Asus has packed in state-of-the-art features, blistering fast throughput speeds, top-notch connectivity options with no less than 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and intuitive network management features.

On the performance side of things, the Asus RT-AC88U excels at offering a reliable Wi-Fi signal, with superb throughput speeds and 5000 square foot coverage. A 4×4 antenna design with AiRadar beamforming, the intuitive and versatile ASUS Router App/web interface, MU-MIMO technology, and AiProtection with Trend Micro network security – the Asus RT-AC88U has it all.

This is one for the gamers, and the feature set reflects this. First up is Adaptive Quality of Service, which can be found in most of the best gaming routers. It essentially allows you to prioritize bandwidth for certain activities, namely gaming, with a One-Click Game First mode, which will dedicate everything the network’s got to ensure low latency gaming.

The router also ships with what Asus calls a ‘free game accelerator.’ In reality, this is a complimentary subscription to the Gamers Private Network, a network service that automatically seeks out the best route to a game server. Doing so reduces congestion, minimizes packet loss, and improves latency.

With no Wi-Fi 6 and no tri-band technology, justifying what is by all measures a hefty price tag may be a difficult task for some, especially if you’ll struggle to make use of all the sophisticated features. But, if you want everything a router could offer on the cutting-edge of networking tech (minus Wi-Fi6), then Asus RT-AC88U won’t disappoint, especially if you’re a gamer.

With Wi-Fi 6 support slowly creeping into more routers and devices, you’d expect manufacturers to slap on a chunky premium as people hunger for the latest standard. Asus attempts to buck the trend with the Asus RT-AX56U, an entry-level Wi-Fi 6 router with on-point performance and decent features – not words we expected to join together this soon, but here we are. The router is an affordable way to level up your home network in preparation for the inevitable mass adoption of Wi-Fi 6.

The Asus RT-AX56U delivers theoretical throughput speeds of 574 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 1.2 Gbps on the 5 GHz band. Real-world results naturally vary, but at this price point, the router performed admirably in our experience and impressed when paired with Wi-Fi 6 compatible devices thanks to the OFDMA technology and 80 MHz channel bandwidth (no 160 MHz, though). Combined with MU-MIMO and 1024-QAM tech, OFDMA cleverly breaks down channels into smaller sub-carriers to push the Wi-Fi signal simultaneously to multiple devices.

Moving on from performance, the Asus RT-AX56U sports a USB 2.0 port, a USB 3.0 port, four Gigabit Ethernet ports, and two antennas. It retains the angled look of many premium Asus routers but with a more compact and subdued aesthetic that shouldn’t stick out too much in a living room or office setting. Finally, it’s worth noting that the Asus RT-AX56U comes packed with a lifetime subscription to Asus’ commercial-grade network security, Trend Micro-powered AiProtection.

While the RT-AX92U and RT-AC88U excel in their own way, what if we combined the two? Well, Asus has done just that with the Asus RT-AX92U, an unapologetically high-end 4×4 Wi-Fi 6 router oozing with features and with the performance to match.

OFDMA, MU-MIMO, 1024-QAM, Adaptive QoS, Gamers Private Network – the Asus RT-AX92U takes the very best features of both but throws in 160 MHz bandwidth to push theoretical speeds up to 4804 Mbps on two-band 5 GHz band, for speeds up to 2.7x faster than Wi-Fi 5. On the 2.4 GHz band, you can expect up to 300 Mbps, while the 5GHz band caps out at 866 Mbps.

You’ll find one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port, and four Gigabit Ethernet ports on the box itself. We also particularly liked the four antennas, which fold down into the unit itself. The look is relatively standard fare for Asus with showy angles and a gold/black color scheme.

The Asus RT-AX92U can also be used to form a mesh with multiple devices. One acts as a traditional router, while the other(s) acts as an extender node. Combined, they effectively ensure better coverage through the home. The two devices communicate via the Asus AiMesh technology to maintain strong signal strength and speeds to devices throughout the home.

The only genuine issue we have with the Asus RT-AX92U is a significant markup compared to the routers above. Still, if you’ll make use of everything it has to offer, then it’s money well-spent for excellent speeds, reliable coverage, and plenty of future-proof features.

The Asus RT-ACRH13 is a dual-band AC 1300 dual-band router that won’t break the bank. Despite a less impressive feature set than the routers above, it’s an affordable option with everything most users will need for a stable Wi-Fi home network. The Asus RT-ACRH13 has sold like hot cakes in the five years since it first hit the market and has become a favorite among those seeking a simple but reliable router.

Despite the low cost, it has a generous 3000 square foot range, four 5dBi antennas, MU-MIMO technology, and can push speeds up to 400 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band, and 867 Mbps on the 5.0 GHz band. This makes it one of the best budget routers you can buy. While there is no support for Wi-Fi 6, the Wi-Fi 5 standard performs admirably at this standard with both a strong signal and excellent speeds for the price. On the box, you get one USB 3.0 port and four Gigabit Ethernet ports – plenty for simple home networks.

Where the Asus RT-ACRH13 does fall short is in the absence of sophisticated features. There’s no beamforming nor gaming-specific extras like the Asus devices above. Nevertheless, most gamers will find plenty to like here, and unless you demand peak performance, there’s not much more we can ask from the RT-ACRH13 for roughly $60.