Asus RT-AX88U Vs Asus RT-AC88U – Which gaming router provides higher throughput speed?

The Asus AC88U and AX88U are twin Asus products with the latter serving as an improved version of the former. Take a look as we review them in depth to find out which is the better gaming router for you.

When looking for a gaming router, the Asus brand leads the pack in providing top performance yet affordable products. The RT AX88U and AC88U are twin routers meaning they are quite similar in many aspects. As gaming routers, they are built to provide high bandwidth as well as range. On top of this, they come with some of the latest features in routers today. It is certainly difficult to pick a favorite between them. The table below shows their top features and differences.

What are the differences between Asus RT AX88U and RT AC88u?

Asus RT-AX88U Vs Asus RT-AC88U – how do they compare?

Speed and performance

Other than speed, there are a lot of factors that affect the overall performance of a router. These include the WLAN mode, channel band support and others. In this category, the Asus RT AX88U offers better performance than the AC88U and there are a number of reasons for this. First, the router is a triband router meaning, there is an extra 5 GHz channel that provides very high theoretical speeds of up to 4804 Mbps.

In addition, it is also a Wi-Fi 6 router which is the latest wireless networking standard today. It allows for faster speeds to be reached and holds more connected devices. After testing, the AX88U router is found to provide actual speeds of about 527 Mbps in close range that drops to 384 Mbps at 100 feet away. By all standards, this is an excellent performance.

On the other hand, the AC88U was tested and the following speeds were found. It provided 229 Mbps in close proximity and 102 Mbps 100 feet away. There is no doubt that both provide excellent gaming bandwidth, but the AX88U offers a much more stable and consistent performance due to the triband system it uses

Design

The AX88U and AC88U are twin devices that are almost fully identical. In design, we consider the overall attractiveness of the unit and how practical the design is. There is nothing to split these two devices in terms of overall attractiveness since they are identical. Both devices are flat and horizontally designed with the top having lovely sharp wedges and coloring.

The AX88U comes in black and gold while the AC88U is black and red in color. In addition, they both have four removable antennas that are located at the back. The only slight difference comes in practicality (size). Here, the Asus AX88U is better as it is slightly smaller than the AC88U. A small and compact design means less space consumed in the house which is a great perk for people in tight spaces

Ports and connectivity

Once again, there is very little to separate these two when it comes to wired connections. Both routers come with one gigabit WAN port indicated in blue, eight gigabit LAN ports in yellow and USB ports. The only difference is that the more recent release – AX88U – comes with a USB 3.0 port which offers transfer rates of up to 5 Gbps. This therefore means that the Asus AX88U is better than the AC88U since there is a high speed connection port.

Asus RT-AX88U Vs Asus RT-AC88U – A Comparison Overview

Asus RT-AX88U

ASUS AX6000 WiFi 6 Gaming Router (RT-AX88U) - Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Router, 8 GB Ports, Gaming & Streaming, AiMesh Compatible, Included Lifetime Internet Security, Adaptive QoS, MU-MIMO

• Next gen Wi-Fi standard 802.11Ax Wi-Fi standard for better efficiency and throughput; ultrafast Wi-Fi...
• Certified for Humans – Smart home made easy for non-experts. Setup with Alexa is simple.

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One of the best gaming routers to ever be released is the Asus RT AX88U. It was released in late 2018 and serves as an improvement of its older predecessor – the Asus RT AX86U. This router is known for its sleek menacing design and more importantly, the high speeds it provides for gaming purposes. First, it comes with the latest Wi-Fi standard – Wi-Fi 6 or 802.11ax.

What this does is boost the maximum throughput speed a router can reach. It is not however very useful since most devices are still on Wi-Fi 5. On top of this, the router features a triband channel with theoretical throughputs of 2.4 GHz – 1148 Mbps, 5 GHz – 4333 Mbps and 5 GHz – 4804 Mbps. This translates to about 500 Mbps in the real world. The triband system also works to improve range with a coverage of 2000 sq. feet which is quite amazing. Both of these make it a wonderful gaming router that can be used by the whole family.

The Asus RT AX88U comes with nice performance enhancing features such as MUMIMO, data traffic analyzer, beamforming, excellent Quality of Service handling (QoS) and more. In addition, it features a gorgeous design and finish with a matte black touch, four removable antennas and LED indicator lights. Lastly, the router is compatible with Alexa smart home assistant

Pros

• Excellent performance of up to 500 Mbps
• Easy and quick installation via the mobile app
• Comes with an in-built malware protection
• Gorgeous design

Cons

• The unit is quite expensive
• There are not many Wi-Fi 6 clients

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Asus RT AC88U

ASUS AC3100 WiFi Gaming Router (RT-AC88U) - Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Router, WTFast Game Accelerator, Streaming, AiMesh Compatible, Included Lifetime Internet Security, Adaptive QoS, MU-MIMO

• 1024 Qam technology 80 percent faster 5 GigaHertz at up to 2100 Mbps, 66 percent faster 2. 4 GigaHertz at...
• 33 percent greater 2. 4 GigaHertz coverage with a 4 transmit, 4 receive (4T4R) antenna design, able to...

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Asus has been in the gaming router business for decades now. Among their first releases is the Asus AC88U. The router was released in early 2015 as a high end gaming router designed for high bandwidth for gaming. Because of this, it is rated as a 3.1 Gbps router which translates to about 230 Mbps in a real world environment.

In addition, it is a dual band router with wireless rating of Wi-Fi 5. Also, being high end router it features a whopping 8 gigabit Ethernet LAN ports for connections. This is more than enough for the whole household to connect via cable. To make the connections faster, link aggregation is fitted in the router. It serves to combine two Ethernet ports as one for faster speeds and bandwidth.

Another reason this router is successful is the lovely and powerful web interface it comes with. Some of the features here include: network monitoring, in built VPN server and malware and virus protection. There’s also MUMIMO, beamforming and QoS scheduling

Pros

• Eight gigabit Ethernet ports are useful for multiple connections
• High speed of up to 200 Mbps enables smooth gaming
• Its web interface is one of the best in the market
• Robust security features with inbuilt anti-malware system

Cons

• USB port is placed awkwardly
• NAS performance is average

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a gaming router with excellent range and the latest technology, the Asus RT AX88U is the better choice.

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Final Verdict – So which is better, the Asus RT AX88U or AC88U?

With all factors considered, the Asus RT AX88U is the better router of the two. This is because it offers high speed and a consistent performance throughout, as well as latest technology which makes it future proof

FAQs

1. Does the Asus AC88U overheat?

No. It may get too warm sometimes but this does not affect performance

2. Does the Asus AX88U come with security features?

Yes. It comes with WPA2 security and built in antimalware program.