ASUS RT-AC86U AC2900 Wireless Router Review

The  ASUS AC2900 is a router for the user who wants a smooth online experience without worrying about malware, phishing attacks, slow speed, or fear of losing private information. The router is for big boys and girls who just want to set it up once and forget about it while they focus on the real game.

ASUS AC2900 WiFi Gaming Router (RT-AC86U) - Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Internet Router, WTFast Game Accelerator, Streaming, AiMesh Compatible,...
  • Connector Type : USB.Antenna: External detachable antenna x 3. Internal antenna x 1..Memory : 256 MB Flash, 512 MB RAM
  • Dual-band (2.4 plus 5 GHz) AC2900 wireless router with the latest 802. 11AC MU-MIMO technology for data transfer speeds...
  • 1.8GHz 32bit dual-core processor optimizes network traffic and connectivity speeds from the USB 3. 1 Gen1 and 4x Gigabit...
The Good
  • Dual band router with 1.8GHz dual-core processor
  • AiProtection provide network security through a powerful Virtual Private Network (VPN)
  • Amish technology allows you to bring your entire house under a personal WiFi zone
  • MU-MIMO gives every device you connect to the router access to the full breadth of Wi-Fi speed instead of staggering the pace as more devices come online.
  • WTFast’s private network for gamers (GPN) maximizing route operation, creating the most efficient pathways for game packets.
Not So Good
  • Some customers have had issues with connectivity, but this is rectified by updating the firmware and doing a hard manual reset after the router boots up
  • The VPN slows down the speed of the network slightly; however, this is true for all Virtual Private Networks
  • There was also some issues with a malfunctioning WAN reported. There doesn’t seem to be a satisfactory solution given for this, but on the upside, only a few customers seem to be facing this issue

ASUS RT-AC86U AC2900 Wireless Router Review

Features Of The ASUS RT-AC86U

  • High Quality Antennas
  • Built-in WTFast game accelerator
  • 24/7 protection from threats and  external attacks
  •  Mobile app for easy management
  • NitroQAM™ and 5GHz quad-stream technology
  • 1. 8GHz 32bit dual-core processor
  • AiMesh Supported

ASUS RT-AC86U AC2900 Unboxing

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdZ\u002d\u002dB4fDPc

Privacy and network stability are major concerns for most netizens. But for gamers who take their passion seriously, the importance of a heavy duty router is paramount!

Our ASUS RT-AC86U AC2900 Wireless Router Review show us  that the router is a device that clearly caters to the gaming and technology-obsessed sector of the market. It is equipped with high-end functionalities which protect your private network while letting you monitor exactly which devices and applications are using most of your bandwidth.

This router is also backward compatible which makes creating a home network with older ASUS models a breeze for many techies.

The ASUS AC2900 is a router for hardcore gamers and technology geeks who like to run private servers and a dozen high-end devices at a time.

The router gives excellent data and network protection through its AiProtection system, but Virtual Private Networks are becoming cheaper every day as their popularity grows. So, that alone is no reason to buy such an expensive router.

For dedicated gamers, this router assures low latency and high-speed internet without lag. This is very important for anyone who wants to participate in the highly competitive gaming world, where a single moment’s delay in movement can cost you a game.

The AC2900’s monitoring features are also nothing to scoff at. It helps you access your data consumption and keep track of bandwidth usage. This is ultimately indispensable for anyone who needs to operate multiple programs on several devices.

How To Video: Setting up The Asus AC2900

How to Set Up ASUS Router with ASUS Router App | ASUS

Asus RT-AC2900 Game Accelerator

The GPN (Gamers Private Network) from WTFast is the feature that the Asus AC2900 provides to optimize automatically the most capable route for game packets. The relevant parameters that are used to optimize the route are variance and ping time, which are highly important regarding the responsiveness in gaming online.

The use of this tool allows to minimize consistently the packet loss and ping time, resulting in a reliable performance when gaming online.

With the RT-AC2900 is possible to accelerate one device of choice at a time, and as a result improve the performance on the multi-player online games 1 which is supported by the device.

ASUS RT-AC86U AC2900 Supported Game List

https://wtfast.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/210169943

Adaptive QoS Of The RT-AC2900

The prioritization of the gaming undertakings and packets are easily executed by the Adaptive Quality of Service, that takes care that the bandwidth is improved in a way that makes the gaming experience more enjoyable. Asus trust that the device is highly appropriated for low latency gaming, no matter where you are in your place. It seems to us that the claim is reliable and the machine complies with the purpose adequately.

Also the game solo mode allows you to get whole dedicated bandwidth without having to share your connection at all. Most of the gaming consoles are supported, including the PlayStation consoles, Xbox One, PS4, and so on.

Video-Speed Testing The Asus AC2900

ASUS RT-AC86U 5GHz WiFi Performance Testings - iPerf3 & SpeedTest

RT-AC2900 MU-MIMO

The great thing about the MU-MIMO, is that the technology allows all the compatible machines that are using the network to have their individual dedicated WiFi connection without any slowdown and getting the full speed that the signal is able to give. The TP-Link AC2900 has the capacity to connect the devices that are using the network at the same time at full speed, unlike other kinds of MU-MIMO that make the users wait for successive signals.

The only requirement for the users to get the full performance of the TP-Link AC2900’ MU-MIMO is that the machines that are connected to the network must be compatible.

Asus AC2900 Coverage And Antennas

Another feature that really makes the Asus AC2900 stand out of the pack in this range of prices is the coverage that the machine is able to accomplish. If look further you are going to see that Asus provides 2 kinds of technologies that help the router to enhance the range of the connection. One of them is the Range boost that helps to improve the stability of the signal considerably, and the other one is the AiRadar that complement the aforementioned, making the attention on your devices even more intense, and as a result the users of your network get a more clear and potent signal. The Antennas that comes with the product contribute a great deal to get a more than good enough transmission.

Video-How To Setup The ASUS RT-AC86U AC2900 AiMesh

AiMesh Setup Tutorial Video - AiMesh | ASUS

Asus AC2900 Router AiProtection

To prevent the members of your family be affected by the risks that involve the navigation on internet, Asus presents the AiProtection capability, which was created to detect and block the attacks that are performed to the users of your network. Considering that in America kids use the net more than 2 hours daily, this kind of protection is vital. Without them they can suffer the accidental viewing of undesired content or even the robbery of valuable private information.

The AiProtection updates itself regularly using the Trend Micro data center to catch any new malicious patch that have been found by the depth scans made by the Intrusion prevention system.

The feature dashboard displays the activity of all the users on the internet and you can see the kind of content that they browse, the times that they use it, and beyond that you can apply content filters and block them at times of the day that you consider not appropriate for your children.

ASUS RT-AC86U AC2900 Ports

RT-AC86U Users Manual

https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/wireless/RT-AC2900/E14027_RT-AC2900_manual.pdf

Buyers Opinion

Positives Amazon reviews highlight specially the good performance of the router in the coverage department.As we have showed in our ASUS RT-AC86U AC2900 Wireless Router Review the opinion is coincidental with the point of view  of our experts.

Also many buyers are happy with the fact that the signal doesn’t show evidence og get worse, even when there were many users connected. In the case of this device the MU MIMO works singularly well, allowing each device to get the desired speed.

Another characteristic that clients like is that Asus gives a lot of importance to the update of the firmware, which is a detail that many people miss considering other  producers.

Negative opinions, refers to problems that they have with the 2.4 band, complaining that is not always available. We think that this opinions are exceptions and without have any doubt about its veracity, they are not numerous enough to arrive to a conclusion about the quality of the router in general.

Ted Webster

Ted is an expert in the field of computers, electronics, and the latest technology.Have a question, need some help, or want to give your opinion? Drop us a comment below!

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