Asus Ac2900 Vs Ac1900 – Which router has better range?

Asus is known for some of the best midrange performance routers in the market. Among them, the Asus AC2900 RT AC86U and AC1900 AC68U standout due to their excellent performance. The following is a comprehensive review to see which of them offers better performance.

Over the past decade, the use of home internet or Wi-Fi has greatly increased worldwide. Now more than ever, routers are needed for connectivity. The Asus AC2900 and AC1900 are mid-range routers perfect for family use or gaming. Although not fully designed for gamers, the routers provide high throughput which is essential for live gaming. Other than gaming, the routers are used for medium sized households for regular day to day internet tasks. With high user ratings for both devices, it is hard to go wrong with either. The following table highlights the differences and major features between them.

What are the differences between Asus RT AC86U AC2900 and RT AC68U AC1900 routers?

Asus RT AC86U AC2900 vs RT AC68U AC1900– how do they compare?

Speed and performance

The performance of a router refers to the maximum speed the device offers in a real world environment. As a marketing tool, routers come with theoretical throughput speeds that can never be reached in real life. In this category, the Asus AC2900 is the better choice because it provides higher bandwidth than the Asus AC1900.

As an AC2900 rated router, it provides a theoretical throughput of 2900 Mbps. When tested, this translates to 104Mbps when standing close (in the same room) and 86 Mbps at a distance of 30 feet. This is an excellent performance for a router in its price range. On the other hand, the Asus AC68U AC1900 is rated as a 1900 Mbps router. This translates to 74.9 Mbps when tested. Although it is not as good as the AC86U, it also a decent performance for the AC1900. If performance is your top priority however, the AC2900 is the best choice

Build and design

The Asus brand is known for its unique exterior designs that resemble gaming routers. Here, the Asus RT86U AC2900 beats out the AC1900 RT68U as it is much more attractive. Just by first glance, the AC2900 captures the eye with its red and black finishes and sharp edges that give it a tough menacing look.

On top of this, there are eight LED indicators at the front for different settings and three removable antennas attached to the back of the unit. In comparison, the RT68U features a bland design just by first impressions. It is solid black in color with a plain design without wedges. This unit also features three removable antennas and eight LEDs. In terms of size, there is not much difference between them and it measures 12 x 8.5 x 3.2 inches. Lastly, both devices are designed to stand vertically and therefore cannot be mounted.

Hardware capacity

To enable the excellent performance, the routers come with robust hardware specs to make it possible. One again, the Asus RT86U AC2900 has powerful hardware components than the AC1900 router.It comes with a much more powerful 1.8 GHz quad core processor compared to the dual core processor on the Asus AC1900. With this, the AC2900 is able to reach higher speeds and provide longer range. In addition, it also has higher RAM capacity at 512 MB while the AC1900 has 256 MB of RAM. Lastly, the Asus RT86U is better as it comes with a 4 x 4 MUMIMO support in comparison with 3 x 3 support on the AC1900 router.

Range

When it comes to area of coverage, the Asus RT86U AC2900 performs better since is provides more range than the RT68U AC1900. Both routers were tested and the following range was found. The AC2900 covers up to 1800 square feet and drops very little bandwidth with distance. On the other hand, the Asus AC1900 covers up to 1500 sq. feet and registers a considerable drop in bandwidth as the distance increases.

Asus RT AC86U AC2900 vs RT AC68U AC1900–A Comparison Overview

Asus RT AC86U AC2900

ASUS AC2900 WiFi Gaming Router (RT-AC86U) - Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Internet Router, WTFast Game Accelerator, Streaming, AiMesh Compatible, Included Lifetime Internet Security, Adaptive QoS

• Connector Type : USB
• Dual-band (2.4 plus 5 GHz) AC2900 wireless router with the latest 802. 11AC MU-MIMO technology for data...

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One of the best home router you can buy today is the RT AC86U. This router was released in mid-2019 and has since grown a lot in popularity. The main reason for this is the excellent speed and range offered by this little device. The router provides a total throughput speed of 2900 Mbps which is rather impressive from just a single router. It also provides a range of up to 4000 square feet which is ideal for most regular sized homes and small offices. The router is a performance router and lives up to this fete. On top of this, the Asus RT AC86U features a very techy and futuristic design, like you would expect from Asus. The router resembles a robot’s head with sharp edges and a lot of designs and layers on the exterior. It is also black in color with red colorings on each side of the front making it look like it has red eyes. Just by looking at it, you see that it is a performance router

The router supports wired connections with four LAN gigabit Ethernet ports, a USB 2.0 port, a USB 3.0 port and one WAN port. Other features include: MUMIMO, adaptive QoS and Traffice Analyzer. The only downside to this router might be the high price tag attached to it.

Pros

• Delivers a solid and steady connection throughout
• Comes with built in network protection protocols
• Robust QoS settings
• Great range of up to 1800 sq. feet
• The router features excellent traffic prioritization controls

Cons

• Can only be placed vertically
• It is expensive

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Asus RT AC68U AC1900

ASUS AC1900 WiFi Gaming Router (RT-AC68U) - Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Internet Router, Gaming & Streaming, AiMesh Compatible, Included Lifetime Internet Security, Adaptive QoS, Parental Control

• Dual band with the latest 802; 11 AC 3x3 technology for combined speeds of up to 1900 Mbps
• 1 GigaHertz dual core CPU enables smart multitasking by dedicating separate lanes for Wi Fi and USB data;...

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Asus is known for its focus on performance-based model routers and among the most affordable ones is the Asus RT AC68U. The router’s major success is attributed to its fair price tag while still delivering blistering speeds ample for gaming. It is rated as a 1.9 Gbps router that translates to 75 Mbps in a real world test. In addition, it also comes with performance boosting features such as MUMIMO, beamforming, traffic analyzer and prioritization, among others. The only downside to this great router is the design. For the price and performance, the exterior design could do much better. Lastly, it comes with four gigabit LAN ports (yellow), one WAN (blue) and one USB port.

Pros

• Provides high bandwidth enough for gaming
• Three antennas for solid performance
• It provides decent range of 1500 sq. feet
• Allows for guest network support

Cons

• Plain design

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Final Verdict -So which is better? Asus RT AC86U AC2900 or RT AC68U AC1900

Overall, the Asus AC2900 router is the better choice of the two. This is because it offers higher bandwidth, gorgeous design and provides better range than the AC68U AC1900 router.

FAQs

1. Does the Asus AC2900 have guest network support?

No. It does not support guest network for security reasons

2. Is WPA3 available for AC1900?

No. it however has WPA2 wireless security.