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10 Best Asus Routers 2020 reviews

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December 22, 2021

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Getting a great internet connection can nowadays be classified as one of the basic human needs. Internet connections cannot be possible without the unheralded device called a router. Since it is public information that ASUS is one of the best designers and manufacturers of internet connection devices, we need to explore the best Asus routers to ensure you get the best connection.

One of the best to note is that whether you want a budget router or a high burden beast, Asus have you covered. The company delivers fantastic routers all the time.

Since the company has designed and manufactured several series of high-performance routers, we have several routers to choose from. It will now depend on your internet needs, your ISP subscription, your budget, and other specifications.

To compare Asus routers with other brands, check the best Wi-Fi routers. From our reviews, the Asus RT-AC3200 Router came out tops as the best Asus router. However, there are several other exceptional routers reviewed below that will serve your needs.

Best Asus routers top picks

How to Setup ASUS WiFi Router via Quick Internet Setup

You can either use a computer, smartphone, or tablet to set up your WiFi router. The process is quite easy and fast to implement.

Which is the best Asus Router?

Best Asus router overall: Asus RT-AC3200 Router

When you combine all the best elements of Asus routers, you come up with Asus RT-AC3200. This best Asus router performed well in all areas of our tests including speeds, coverage, number of devices, and safety features.

Asus RT-AC3200 gives a maximum speed of 3,200Mbps throughput. This Tri-band router ensures that you reach up to 600Mps on the 2.4GHz and up to 2,600Mbps on the two 5GHz bands. With these speeds, you can enjoy your 4K streaming or online game without experiencing any lags. For wired devices, the router has 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports to ensure a faster connection.

Being a Tri-band router, and with several revolutionary technological advances, this router is made to perform. The technologies employed include a powerful dual-core processor, three-transmit and three-receive antennas, and Tri-band Smart Connect among others.

The processor gives the router enough firepower to handle whatever is thrown at it. Meanwhile, the antennas in addition to Beamforming technologies give you a strong Wi-Fi signal for your large home (at a long range).

Furthermore, because the router has a Tri-band Smart connect, it can manage traffic and move you from one band to the other depending on the Wi-Fi speeds of your location.

What has always impressed me about Asus routers, is the ASUSWRT User interface and the ASUS Router App. The two are excellently designed in addition to giving you maximum control over your connections. They offer an easy setup process and management of the router.

To top it up, Asus RT-AC3200 has a USB 3.0 port that enables fast data transfers. This feature gives you the ability to cloud sync your data on any internet-enabled device.

What are the features of the Asus RT-AC3200 routers?

The Asus RT-AC3200 is a high-performance router with six antennas so that you can connect multiple devices, such as your TV, smartphone, laptop, or tablet. The router features a dual-core processor with 4G/3G/2.4GHz band support to provide fast speed and stability for streaming videos and gaming. It also has two USB ports which are perfect for connecting external storage devices, printers, and scanners.

How does Asus RT-AC3200 router compare with other Asus routers?

There are a few routers on the market today that are designed specifically for home and small office usage. However, Asus’s router is up to par with other high-end routers on the market. We tested it against several other ASUS routers and found them to be comparable in performance, hardware specs, and value.

The RT-AC3200 is a great router for most users. It has all the bells and whistles you would expect from a top-tier router, including an excellent dual-band performance, Killer Encel support, integrated WPS button, gigabit LAN port (for Ethernet connections), and USB 3.0 port.

What we like about Asus RT-AC3200 router

• The router gives you Tri-band Wi-Fi connection for faster internet
• Asus RT-AC3200 has advanced technologies for reliable fast internet
• This router gives you fast internet at a long-range
• 6 antennas give you a good connection
• The setup for the router is very simple and the app and GUI are well designed
• The router supports the use of open-source firmware straight from the box
• The router can seamlessly connect many devices because of the QoS device prioritization
• Four gigabit Ethernet ports
• Supports MU-MIMO technology

What we don’t like

• The router is a bit huge and not as stylish as other routers
• Some firmware updates may mess up the internet connection

Recommendation

Asus is a well-known and trusted manufacturer of electronics products. Their routers are some of the best in the market. The Asus RT-AC3200 Router is no different. This router is designed for home and small office usage. It has UPNP Technology, Killer Encel, and WLAN support. Plus, it’s expandable to other devices with WLAN support. Moreover, it features an octa-core processor, 16GB of internal storage, and fast data speeds.

It also features an integrated WPS (Wired Equivalent Privacy) that is compatible with a wide range of devices. The Asus RT-AC3200 router has an Ethernet port that allows you to directly connect it to your modem or to access the Internet. This allows you to stream videos without any limitations and download files without any limits either.

One of the best things about this router is how it works as a wireless access point: it can provide internet access for your laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Moreover, it can also serve as a firewall so you can control all your devices at home or work securely.

Asus GT-AC5300 Router

If intimidation would work for Wi-Fi connectivity, then this router would intimidate your Wi-Fi to submission. The device, which is specifically made for speed also features as the fastest DD-WRT router. The gadget, being one of the best Asus routers, gives you a performance that will make gaming or 4K streaming enjoyable.

The router can support Wi-Fi speeds of up to 5,334Mbps since it is loaded with the latest technology. The Tri-band router comes with NitroQAM technology besides other latest technologies to support this speed for all your devices.

Since the Asus RT-AC5300 can support several devices, it is armed with Adaptive Quality of Service (QoS) to ensure all the devices get enough bandwidth to optimally perform their functions.

And now that we are talking about the number of devices, the router has 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports. These ports connect all your wired devices with high-speed internet.

The 8 powerful antennas and Beamforming technologies enable this router to deliver fast Wi-Fi to a range of up to 5,000 square feet. This range and MU-MIMO enable your router to deliver fast Wi-Fi to all devices even at a range.

As with Asus RT-AC3200 above, this router is supported by the ASUSWRT graphical user interface and ASUS router App to give you touch-and-go installation and management. The browser Graphical User Interface and the App give you full control over all the connected devices.

Finally, Asus RT-AC5300 is compatible with ASUS AiMesh.

What we like about Asus RT-AC5300

• The Tri-band router gives you blazing Wi-Fi speeds of up to 5,300Mbps
• The router is easy to set up and manage using the ASUS GUI and App
• This router gives you an excellent Wi-Fi coverage of up to 5,000 square feet. This means that it can cover a large home with Wi-Fi
• The router offers some of the best safety measures in routers
• The built-in USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports helps to connect to storage devices and printers

What we don’t like about Asus RT-AC5300

• The router is huge
• It is a bit expensive even though it is worth every coin

Best Asus router for range: Asus RT-AC88U Router

When testing the Asus routers, the Asus RT-AC88U features very highly on different fronts. With DD-WRT use, it was the best of all, for its range it gives the router justice and the speeds are very admirable.

The router can deliver Wi-Fi speeds of up to 3,100Mbps. This is supported by NitroQAM technologies and other latest technological advances. You can thus connect all your devices without experiencing any lags including gaming and 4K streaming.

To ensure you are all devices are connected to the internet, the router has 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports. This covers lots of wired devices with high-speed internet. This number of ports is an industry high for traditional routers.

The router thus can support more than 30 devices with high-speed internet. To ensure that they can all simultaneously access high-speed internet, the router is loaded with MU-MIMO technology and Quality of Service.

Besides, the router has an excellent range. Asus RT-AC88U covers your whole home of up to 5,000 square feet with fast Wi-Fi. This ensures that you can use your devices in whichever part of your home, lobby, or lawn that you want to use them.

To top it up, Asus has excellent firmware for this dual-band router. This firmware enables you to change even the finest details to your liking and also to maximize the performance. This can be done using the graphical interface or the Asus router app available for all smartphones.

What Technology Reviewer likes about Asus RT-AC88U Router

• It gives one of the best Wi-Fi coverage range thus is good for large homes
• The router has a 1.4GHz dual-core processor. The powerful processor can easily support the enviable performance
• It offers great Wi-Fi speeds for a dual-band router
• Asus RT-AC88U router has an industry-high 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports to connect all your wired devices

What Technology Reviewer does not like about this router

• The router is a bit expensive but it is worth all the money
• This router has only one USB port

Best Wi-Fi 6 router: ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Router

For those of us who want to invest in a futuristic router, Asus Rog GT-AX11000 is your router. The router operates on the new Wi-Fi 6 (AX) standards which deliver the fastest Wi-Fi speeds.

This Wi-Fi 6 Tri-band router can deliver Wi-Fi speeds of up to 11,000Mbps. If you have Wi-Fi 6 enabled devices, you can access these mind-boggling speeds that can help you for example to download a movie in a few seconds.

It however supports other devices (non-Wi-Fi 6) with fast internet too because it is backward compatible. Furthermore, the router has 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports for your wired devices.

The device gives a long-range fast and stable Wi-Fi coverage of up to 3,500 square feet. This means that your whole house will be covered with high-speed Wi-Fi.

Asus equipped this router with a 1.8GHz Quad-core CPU to ensure the device can support exceptional performance. This means Asus Rog GT-AX11000 can support internet-intensive functions such as gaming and 4K streaming. For gaming besides, this router has a 2.5G gaming port for the best performance.

To ensure that your devices can be connected simultaneously, at the range, and with great speeds, Asus ROG GT-AX11000 has the latest technologies in routers. These include Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), powerful processor, MU-MIMO, QoS, and Beamforming among others.

With this router being compatible with the Asus AiMesh system, you can ensure that the internet range is extended as far as you want. This is especially important if you want internet access on your lawn.

Finally, the Asus ROD GT-AX110000 router has the latest safety measures. This is effected by AiProtection Pro Security. The technology protects your data from malware and hackers. Moreover, the router features advanced parental controls.

All the above features make this router an excellent router for gaming on Xbox in addition to giving you exceptional Wi-Fi coverage in your home.

What Technology Reviewer likes about Asus GT-AX11000 router

• The router offers top speeds of up to 11,000Mbps
• The router is very easy to install and manage
• With Wi-Fi 6, you are sure that you are buying a router for the long term
• You can easily extend the range of the router through AiMesh
• Asus ROG GT-AX11000 offers excellent gaming support. This way you can enjoy your gaming while other people use the internet connection for other functions

What we don’t like

• This router is a bit expensive but considering the features and its futuristic design it is worth the price
• The router needs some changes in settings and firmware updates to ensure it does not drop Wi-Fi once in a while

Best for large homes: Asus Lyra Trio AC1750 Mesh router

If you have a large home or are having several dead spots in your house for one reason or the other, then it’s time to consider the Asus Lyra Trio Mesh router. I will forgive you for thinking that these are three iron boxes! Dead spots can be caused by obstacles like thick concrete walls between the location of the router and the dead spot area.

The device may not have the pulling power of the other mesh systems but is still an excellent performance in the range, stability, and speed of the Wi-Fi connection. This thus makes it one of the best Asus routers.

This dual-band mesh router has three points. One of the devices functions as a router while the other two are satellites. The satellites help to extend the Wi-Fi coverage for large homes. The trio can thus give you fast Wi-Fi speeds for a coverage of up to 5,400 square feet.

The wide coverage is facilitated using a unique internal triangular antenna design. This design helps to reduce interference and thus the router can transmit across floors.

In our reviews, we found the device performing well in Wi-Fi speeds but poorly in the number of times that the router dropped connections. The device offers fast Wi-Fi speeds of up to 1,750Mbps. These are good speeds for carrying out even internet-intense activities like gaming or 4K streaming. The mesh system also has 1 LAN and 1WAN port per unit.

We expect ASUS to give a firmware update to reduce the dropped connections. This is because this device is an excellent device and should be performing exceptionally well.

The Asus Lyra Trio Mesh router is easy to install and configure. Additionally, the mesh is sold at a competitive price as compared to other brands of mesh devices.

What Technology Reviewer likes about Asus Lyra Trio

• The router gives you a solid performance in Wi-Fi connections
• Asus Lyra trio is competitively priced when compared to the other best mesh devices
• It gives you a coverage of up to 5,400 square feet across floors
• To set up this mesh system is very easy. Management is equally easy

What we do not like

• The device is a bit inconsistent as pertains to its performance
• ASUS management app for this device does not add too much value

Best for smart homes: Asus Lyra Voice

What a design! When you want a smart router for your smart home then the Asus Lyra Voice AC2200 router is your router. Besides the design, the router offers excellent internet speeds and a voice speaker, therefore making it one of the best Asus routers.

With a maximum internet speed of up to 2,200Mbps, this router is not only classy but also fast. The router is a Tri-band router for a great connection.

What sells for this router is the two-in-one design. It features an AiMesh Gigabit router and an Alexa smart speaker. This speaker’s sound is very good even though it is relatively compact.

With the compact classy design, however, comes some limitations. The router has only one Gigabit port and one WAN port. This means if you have several wired devices, it will not serve your purpose. Furthermore, the device has no USB ports for storage and printing devices.

All said, however, being a Tri-band router with excellent internet speeds and a classy design, Asus Lyra Voice AC2200 is a router to consider. Besides, it has Aiprotection for safety and parental controls.

What Technology Reviewer likes about Asus Lyra Voice AC2200 router

• The router is compact and classy thus can be placed everywhere including the living room
• It comes with Alexa smart speaker
• It is easy to set up and manage using the Asus router app
• The Tri-band router gives you speeds of up to 2,200Mbps
• It has Bluetooth connection for your Bluetooth enabled devices

What we don’t like

• The router has one Gigabit Ethernet port only
• It is not easy to use it as an extender or repeater

Best Asus Router for simplicity: Asus SRT-AC1900 OnHub Google Router

This simple Asus router is very easy to set up and manage. The router looks slick and from our tests, it delivered excellent speeds at a close range.

The device features a speaker and an LED ring embedded on the base. The LED light gives you an indication of whether the device is working well or not by turning teal when the router is running well and amber when it has a problem. During setup, the light turns blue.

This device gives maximum throughput of 1,900Mbps that is 1,300Mbps on the 5GHz band and 600Mbps on the 2.4GHz band.

To ensure the device runs smoothly, Asus equipped it with a 1.4GHz processor, 4GB Ram, and 7 powerful internal Wi-Fi antennas. You should also note that it features one Bluetooth internal antenna. It also has a Zigbee 802.15.4 antenna for home automation which together with the Bluetooth antennas are not yet enabled.

The device can move devices to the devices with less congestion using Wave control which is a QoS feature. This gives a device temporary priority when your hand is waived over the router.

ASUS SRT-AC1900 has a single Gigabit LAN port, a single WAN port, and 1 USB 3.0 port. This means that you can only connect very few devices using Ethernet connections.

What Technology Reviewer likes about Asus SRT-AC1900 Google OnHub router

• The device has a sleek design thus can be placed in the living room or other favorite spaces
• This router is easy to set up and manage
• The mobile app is well designed for management of the router
• It offers some impressive speeds especially at close range

What we don’t like

• It only has one Ethernet port thus your wired devices may not be connected
• It has no web browser interface
• Features like Bluetooth and Zigbee are not yet enabled
• It does not have a great long-range Wi-Fi connection

Best design: ASUS Blue Cave AC2600 Router

Isn’t this device a marvel? For us it is. This dual-band router gives you excellent speeds, beautiful design, and some of the best technological advances. The router can support up to 128 devices simultaneously.

In addition to these features also found in traditional routers, The Blue Cave also gives you the ability to integrate with Amazon Alexa. Using this you can control your connection using voice commands.

With speeds of up to 2,600Mbps, the dual-band device gives you excellent connections. These speeds can support all your online activities with exceptional performances across the board.

The device gives the user advanced connection security and parental controls. Security is handled by AiProtection powered by Trend Micro software from Asus. This ensures every device and user is protected from malware and hackers.

The router is so easy to set up using the Asus smartphone app. This app helps to manage the connection including setting parental controls.

What does Technology Reviewer like about Asus Blue Cave

• The Router has a classy unique design
• It has excellent home features like speed and number of devices
• Asus Blue Cave is easy to set up and configure
• This router has Alexa integration for voice commands control

What we don’t like

• The router has slow storage speeds
• Not everyone likes the design

Best budget router: Asus RT-ACRH13 router

When you want a router that will perform and at the best price around, this is your router. Reviews from our team, from customers, and several other experts indicate that this is one of the best budget routers around.

Asus RT-ACRH13 router has great speed, latest technology, and a good range for the price thus giving you the ultimate value for money.

The dual-band router gives you maximum throughput of 1,267Mbps. This excellent ASUS router combined with 2X2 MU-MIMO for connecting several devices simultaneously and all getting the best speeds. From our tests, the router can connect over 30 devices with fast, stable, and reliable internet.

The device has a good range enabled by the 4 external 5dBi antennas. These antennas also enable the connection of multiple devices. What makes this router great is the addition of Asus Smart Connect to ensure that your devices are seamlessly and automatically switch between 2.4GHz and 5GHz for the best connections.

The router is easy to set up and manage using the ASUSWRT web interface and the Asus Router App. These two enable you to configure the connection to give you the optimal performance for your home.

To top it up, the Asus RT-ACRH13 router has the latest safety standards for the security of your data from malware and hackers.

What we like about Asus RT-ACRH13 router

• The device comes in one of the best prices for a router with its features
• The dual-band router has a great range
• It can also connect many devices with high-speed internet
• Asus RT-ACRH13 is easy to set up and manage
• The USB port enables connection of storage devices

What we don’t like

• Asus customer support for this device can be better
• The RAM for this device is not the best for intense Wi-Fi usage by many devices

Best Asus router for gaming: Asus RT-AC86U Router AC2900

We finish off with a bang! Asus RT-AC86U excelled in most of our tests and was rivaling Asus RT-AC88U for the best Asus router overall. The router is packed with the latest technology all powered by one of the best CPUs in the Asus routers rooster.

This dual-band router can comfortably deliver internet speeds of up to 2,900Mbps. This is because Asus has used the latest Wi-Fi wireless standards in combination with NitroQAM and MU-MIMO technology to ensure that all your devices get fast Wi-Fi.

The speeds and the 1.8GHz dual-core processor enable you to conduct intense activities online like gaming or 4K streaming without any lags. To facilitate this also, Asus RT-AC86U has adaptive Quality of Service to prioritize the activities that need the most bandwidth.

To top it up, for gaming this device has a WTFast game Accelerator to ensure the best performance in gaming. This helps to eliminate pesky gaming problems and ensure that there are no lags during the game.

It is very easy to set up and manage the connection using the downloadable Asus app. The app gives control over the connections even to the point of monitoring real-time network traffic.

Finally, the safety of our data and children is paramount in the current world. Asus RT-AC86U router comes with Asus AiProtection powered by TrendMicro Smart Home Network. The technology ensures the safety of all connected devices. The router also has advanced parental controls.

What Technology Reviewer likes in Asus RT-AC86U router

• From our tests, the router has an excellent range
• It gives every gamer a chance to excel through the gaming optimizations
• It has a USB 3.1 for connection of storage devices at a fast speed
• The router has a solid internet speed performance
• The MU-MIMO streaming makes the router a high performer
• The built-in protection works well for your safety

What we don’t like about Asus RT-AC86U router

• The router does not give you a chance to mount it thus can have vertical mounting is the only option
• The performance at short range especially in file transfer was below average

The best Asus routers buying guide

When getting the Asus router for your home or office, there are a few things to consider so that you can get the best device. The factors help to make sure that the router will be able to provide the performance needed for your office or home to function properly.

1. Speed

The speed of your connection is dependent on the router you get. As you are choosing your router, check the speed of the internet connection relative to the functions that you use your connection for. For gamers and people streaming 4K videos, getting a router with fast speeds will enable you to enjoy the activities.

You can use the reviews above to determine the best Asus router for your online activities.

2. Range

What could be worse than buying a router and finding out that it can not cover your home with Wi-Fi? Due to this, we highly recommend that you check the coverage of the router you are buying to ensure your home is covered with high-speed internet.

Combining a check of the range and the speed will assure you that you are getting a good router. Asus routers feature heavily on the long-range routers’ top picks.

3. Smart features

Most of us have a function that we use our internet for the most. This may be gaming, 4K streaming, connecting smart home devices, and other functions. Since the routers today come with excellent features, it is good to consider the features that facilitate your functions and usage.

Some of us consider the parental controls, management/ configuration features, VPN connectivity, built-in firewalls, and prioritization of devices with more bandwidth. These features are available on different devices but with varying performances.

4. Number of devices supported

As you are getting your router, it is good to check the number of devices you have or are planning to have soon. Some of the best Asus routers can support several devices with fast internet but different devices have a different number of devices that they can support.

You can check the Asus routers that feature on the routers that support multiple devices. These routers will be able to support your home automation. This means you can easily connect all your devices to the internet without any lags.

5. Wireless standard

Currently, the latest routers are running on Wi-Fi 6. However, there most of the devices in our homes currently are not Wi-Fi 6 enabled. The Wi-Fi 6 routers however support the devices running on previous standards thus they will all be connected to the internet but may not enjoy the blazing Wi-Fi 6 features.

However, if you want a router that will stand the test of time, consider the Wi-Fi 6 router. Most of the other routers run on ac standards.

6. Budget

The best Asus routers come at different prices. As you are getting the router of your choice, it is important to have your budget in mind as you go ahead with your shopping.

However, you should remember that a router will last for a long time. Therefore, as you are investing in one, you should consider the fact that you will be using it for years to come. Thus you should dedicate a sizeable budget to ensure that you get a router that will serve you for years to come.

If you have a limited budget, you can check the top picks routers under $100, routers under $150, or Routers under $200, and make an informed choice. You will also find that several Asus routers feature in those reviews.

Conclusion

As we have reviewed above, there are many good Asus routers available in the market today. Choosing the best Asus router for your home is made easier by the reviews above and the buying guide.

It is important to check the features, speed, range, and price among other factors as you are buying the router. From our reviews, the Asus RT-AC3200 Router came out tops as the best Asus router.

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