I like ASUS WiFi routers because they come with an excellent factory-default software (ASUSWRT) and they are also open-source-friendly thus allowing you to install various other firmware such as Merlin, DD-WRT, Tomato etc.
Also, as a manufacturer, ASUS is one of those vendors that regularly updates its routers’ firmware to fix bugs, improve features etc, which shows they care about their products.
In this article we will compare four of the most popular mid-to-high-end consumer routers namely the ASUS RT-AC86U, RT-AC88U, RT-AC3100 and RT-AC3200 which are all great choices for demanding home networks.
Before getting into the nitty-gritty details of the router models, lets first see a quick side-by-side comparison of their most important features:
Comparison Table
(2900 Mbps)
(3100 Mbps)
(3100 Mbps)
(3200 Mbps)
1 x USB 3.0
1 x USB 3.0
1 x USB 3.0
1 x USB 3.0
(1.8 GHz, 2 cores)
(1.4 GHz, 2 cores)
(1.4 GHz, 2 cores)
(1 GHz, 2 cores)
(2900 Mbps)
1 x USB 3.0
(1.8 GHz, 2 cores)
(3100 Mbps)
1 x USB 3.0
(1.4 GHz, 2 cores)
(3100 Mbps)
1 x USB 3.0
(1.4 GHz, 2 cores)
(3200 Mbps)
1 x USB 3.0
(1 GHz, 2 cores)
Last update on 2023-03-22 at 15:40 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
ASUS RT-AC86U Brief Review
This model is the newest from all in our comparison (launched in 2017 compared to 2015 and earlier of the other models in this article). It’s the successor of the popular RT-AC68U which is still a good choice although a little bit outdated.
- Connector Type : USB
- Dual-band (2.4 plus 5 GHz) AC2900 wireless router with the latest 802. 11AC MU-MIMO technology for data transfer speeds up to 2900 Mbps
- 1.8GHz 32bit dual-core processor optimizes network traffic and connectivity speeds from the USB 3. 1 Gen1 and 4x Gigabit LAN ports
Last update on 2023-03-22 at 15:40 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
One technical characteristic of the RT-AC86U that stands above all others is the CPU. It has the most powerful CPU among the four other wifi routers in this article with 1.8 GHz clock speed and dual cores (64bit).
Having a powerful CPU means a lot in modern home networks nowadays. User traffic demands are ever expanding with 4K video streaming, online gaming, security protection features, VPN, QoS etc. Therefore, I personally consider the CPU feature an important one, and the more powerful the CPU the better.
Regarding WiFi performance, I believe the dual-band AC2900 capabilities of this model are quite good for a medium to large sized home.
The 5GHz band can carry maximum of 2167Mbps (4×4 NitroQAM) and the 2.4GHZ band can carry max. of 750Mbps (3×3 NitroQAM) speed for a combined theoretical maximum speed on WiFi of 2900Mbps.
Moreover, its WiFi features include all modern 802.11AC characteristics such as beamforming, MU-MIMO, Quad-Stream tech etc.
Being a vertically-placed device, it takes much less space than horizontally-placed devices and you can position the router anywhere in the home with very small footprint.
This model has all the modern features of ASUS routers (WTFast game acceleration, Adaptive QoS, AiMesh to create a mesh network with other ASUS routers, AiProtection for lifetime security and parental controls etc) and much more.
If you don’t have the need to connect a local NAS storage server with port aggregation for getting above 1Gig speeds (something that is supported only from RT-AC88U in this article), then I recommend this model compared to the others. It is newer (thus future-proof) and has a more powerful processor which is a big plus.
Here is our Recommended Model on Amazon
ASUS RT-AC88U Brief Review
- 1024 Qam technology 80 percent faster 5 GigaHertz at up to 2100 Mbps, 66 percent faster 2. 4 GigaHertz at up to 1000 Mbps; utilities: firmware restoration
- 33 percent greater 2. 4 GigaHertz coverage with a 4 transmit, 4 receive (4T4R) antenna design, able to reach our widest ever coverage up to 5000 square feet
- Expansive connectivity options: with exclusively has 8 x Gigabit LAN ports for up to eight Ethernet compatible devices to connect simultaneously
Last update on 2023-03-22 at 15:40 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Many people believe that this model in newer than the previous one (maybe because of the numbering in the model code) but actually it’s 2 years older than the RT-AC86U.
However, it still supports all features of the AC86U model as we have briefly described them above with only a few hardware differences as we will see below.
An excellent hardware feature of this device is the 8 LAN gigabit ports. You can combine two gigabit LAN ports into an aggregate bundle and connect them to a local Network Attached Storage (NAS) device in order to have 2Gbps wired link between the router and storage NAS device (see image above). Only this router and the AC3100 in this article support this feature.
It’s WiFi capabilities include an AC3100 rating with 2167Mbps speed on 5GHz and 1000Mbps on 2.4GHz band (for a total theoretical rating of 3167Mbps).
A lot of people are asking for a comparison between RT-AC86U and RT-AC88U so we have filtered out the most important differences between the two and listing them below. All of the other features are the same except the following:
Comparison of ASUS RT-AC86U Vs RT-AC88U
The most notable differences between the two router models are the following:
ASUS RT-AC86U Pros
- Better CPU (64bit dual-core 1.8GHz compared to 1.4GHz).
- Newer model (launched in 2017 compared to 2015).
- Newer Broadcom chipset.
- Takes less space (vertical placement instead of horizontal).
- Cheaper.
ASUS RT-AC88U Pros
- AC3100 class on WiFi compared to AC2900 of the AC86U model.
- 8 Gigabit LAN ports compared to 4 ports. Great for homes with many hardwired clients.
- Port aggregation supported on LAN wired ports as described above. The AC86U does not support port aggregation.
My Recommendation
In my opinion, the ASUS RT-AC86U model is a better choice because it is newer, more powerful (in terms of CPU), cheaper, and will be more future-proof in terms of handling traffic and newer applications better.
On the other hand, the ASUS RT-AC88U is a solid choice as well and will be better suited for people that want to connect a local NAS storage device with fast 2Gbps ethernet connection between router and NAS. Moreover, if you have many wired home clients, the AC88U will accommodate all of them easily.
ASUS RT-AC3100 Brief Review
- Ultra-fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi router with a combined dual-band data rate of 3167 Mbps for low latency online gaming, smooth 4K streaming and extremely fast file-sharing
- Broadcom NitroQAM technology boosts 5 GHz data rates up to 2167 Mbps and 2.4 GHz up to 1000 Mbps
- Dual-band 4x4 MIMO antenna design with AiRadar universal beamforming for unrivaled wireless signal coverage
Last update on 2023-03-22 at 15:40 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This section will be pretty short. Why is that? Because actually the RT-AC3100 router model is exactly the same as the RT-AC88U except one hardware difference.
The RT-AC3100 has 4 LAN Gigabit ports whereas the RT-AC88U has 8 LAN Gigabit ports. That’s about it!!
All other software and hardware specifications are the same. For example, both the AC88U and the AC3100 support port aggregation (using LACP protocol) whereby you can combine two LAN ports to offer 2Gbps link speed.
Comparison of ASUS RT-AC88U Vs RT-AC3100
As mentioned above, ASUS managed to create some confusion by launching two (almost) identical models.
So, to summarize, here are the only differences between the two routers:
- There are 8 Gigabit LAN ports on RT-AC88U compared to 4 Gigabit ports of RT-AC3100
- The first model has a red color on its antennas!!
- The RT-AC3100 is slightly cheaper.
Other than the above, all other important and modern features of ASUS (WTFast game acceleration, MU-MIMO, NitroQAM, AiMesh, AiProtection etc) are supported by both models.
My Recommendation
The AC88U is slightly more expensive than the AC3100 but I think it’s worth the few extra dollars for getting 4 extra LAN ports. I recommend the RT-AC88U between the two.
ASUS RT-AC3200 Brief Review
- Smart Connect automatically selects the fastest band for all devices individually, based on their demands and capabilities
- Built-in USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports for up to 10-times faster data transfers to USB storage devices1, printer sharing, and 3G/4G dongle support
- ASUSWRT graphical user interface for easy, CD-free 30-second setup and hassle-free advanced network control.Dimension:11.4x 7.4 x2.28 inches (WxDxH) (Without Bezel)
Last update on 2023-03-22 at 20:40 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The ASUS RT-AC3200 model was manufactured to compete mostly with Netgear X6 (Nighthawk R8000) and Linksys EA9200 models in the Tri-band AC3200 market.
It’s main difference compared to all other models in this article is that it has three bands instead of two (2x5GHz and 1×2.4GHz) with the following theoretical speeds in each band:
- 1300Mbps at each of the 5GHz band
- 600Mbps at the 2.4GHz band
- Total of 1300+1300+600 = 3200Mbps (maximum) in all bands
It uses the Tri-band smart connect feature whereby it selects automatically to which frequency band each client device will connect.
Personally, I don’t like this feature. In my opinion it’s better to disable smart connect and manually connect each client device to the appropriate band as following:
- Have all smartphones in the house (and also smaller devices that don’t need a lot of bandwidth) to be connected manually to 2.4GHz band. Of course, once you connect each client the first time to an SSID band, it will not ask you again where to connect (it will be automatic after that).
- Have all higher-demand devices (laptops, smart TV etc) connected to the 5GHz bands.
You can have 3 separate SSIDs (one for each band), with different passwords if you want, and manually connect each device to a different SSID according to its needs (range, speed etc).
Another major difference of this model compared to the others is that it does not support the newest MU-MIMO feature which allows the router to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously.
Moreover, if you are a gamer, you will not find the most important spec of ASUS routers (related to gaming) which is WTFast. The AC3200 does not support it.
Comparison of ASUS RT-AC3100 Vs RT-AC3200
As you can see from the comparison table at the beginning of this article, the AC3100 is more powerful in terms of CPU and RAM and also supports all newest features of ASUS.
For future-proof purposes and also for performance reasons, I definitely recommend the RT-AC3100 over the AC3200.
The only useful scenario of buying the AC3200 is if you have tens of home WiFi clients (in the order of 30-50 clients) and you want to distribute them across the 3 bands of the router. Another useful case of getting the RT-AC3200 is to install Tomato Software on it as described here.
Common Features of ASUS WiFi Routers
So far, we have mainly seen the differences between the various models we have examined. Let’s now discuss the features that ASUS offers to almost all its newest models and are also supported by the above devices (except the AC3200).
The real advantage to purchasing the routers in this article is the ASUS technology that comes with them. The following tech innovations really make the difference to the quality of your experience, justifying the ASUS price tag:
NitroQAM
This is a wireless proprietary mechanism of ASUS which enhances the maximum WiFi speed on each frequency band. Basically, they managed to squeeze more data throughput in each frequency band (both on 2.4GHz and on 5GHz).
The NitroQAM (1024-QAM) support on 802.11ac gives you a 25% higher data rate, in comparison to the standard 1024-QAM of other router brands.
WTFast
Known to many gamers as their only means of competing in online games, WTFast comes with your ASUS router and you can enable it inside the management interface.
It’s a gaming network that has private and optimized fast connection paths towards the gaming servers, in some cases lowering ping by 60% or more. It comes free with the router, so there is no reason to not try it out.
The partnership of ASUS with WTFast is to use it on some selected routers (the ones covered in this article are supported except AC3200) but only covers one of your household devices at a time (you will need to buy a premium subscription if you want more gaming devices).
Adaptive QoS
This is the great feature for a gaming router. We all know how frustrating it is when your little brother or kids start watching Barney on YouTube at full 4k resolution, totally ruining your gaming experience.
The adaptive quality of service technology prioritizes gaming packets and activities, to assure you always have enough bandwidth to enjoy your gaming.
You can also choose what the QoS preference is, so you can rest assured it’s not just for gaming.
MU-MIMO
Stands for multi-user, multiple input, multiple output, which means that your router sends and receives data simultaneously between several devices.
A normal router would send packets in turns to each device connected, significantly lowering the quality of the service with more devices and demand of data.
This technology does have its limitations and works only for Downlink signals and also if you have a compatible client wireless adapter that supports MU-MIMO.
The specific tech makes it very useful for homes that consume large quantities of media, but not so useful for offices or universities that need a large Uplink for files and workloads.
AiProtection
Most ASUS routers come with an included commercial-grade network security protection from TrendMicro that makes sure all of your devices are safe, even if the device does not have any local antivirus capabilities on its own.
The subscription to AiProtection service is free and lifetime on all the models we are discussing in this post.
Among the protection features included in this service is web filtering to block access to malicious websites, Intrusion Prevention System, detection of infected home devices (if any) thus preventing any personal data to leak out, advanced parental controls etc.
AiMesh
Probably one of the more interesting features of ASUS is AiMesh. You can mix and match any of the AC capable ASUS routers that support AiMesh and seamlessly sync with each other to create a huge mesh home network.
This is extremely useful for very big homes and your device just has one SSID to connect to. Moreover, you get the best possible signal at all times in all corners of the house.
Let’s say you have an older ASUS model that supports AiMesh and you just purchased a newer AiMesh capable device. You can use both routers in the house by connecting them together wirelessly and creating a whole-house unified mesh network.
FYI, AC3100 support Link Aggregation so you should amend your post
yes you are right, I missed that (my mistake).
They don’t show this feature prominently but indeed it supports LACP port aggregation on the first 2 LAN ports.