Asus RT-ACRH13 (AC1300) Router Review

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The Asus RT-ARCH13 was released in the market a few years ago. The company has designed this product specifically for home users. Although this router was released 4 years ago, it has fulfilled the expectations of millions of users across the world and this is why the Asus RT-ACRH13 is still in demand.

The Asus RT-ACRCH13 comes with MU-MIMO technology. It is an affordable product designed for home users and small businesses. Many home users go for high-end routers. However, who needs a high-end router when we have RT-ACRH13 (Ac1300) router from Asus, which still performs better than most high-end routers such as Ac5300 and Ad7200.

Again, the Asus RT-ACRH13 is not a fresh router product but it holds a significant position in the networking world with cutting-edge technological advancements. It has been fulfilling people’s needs since its release 4 years ago. Asus claims RT-ACRH13 is one of the best in the AC router series. To find out, we tested the router. Here is what we found. Read on!

Specifications

Size: 8.14 x 5.85 x 1.39 inches

Antennas: 4 high-gain antennas

Wi-Fi Spec: 5 GHz IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac

Ports: 1 x USB 3.0 port

Peak Performance: 876 Mbps

Range: 2,000 sqft.

Networking

The Asus RT-ACRH13 (Ac1300) is a 2 x2 dual-band Wi-Fi router. It comes with a wide range of features including advanced technologies like beamforming, which has changed the broadcasting of wireless signals.

The beamforming technology of the Ac1300 router allows it to scan the area and identify the wireless devices. Then, it connects to the identified wireless. The beamforming technology does not transmit signals everywhere. This way, the bandwidth is not wasted.

Also, it comes with cutting edge MU-MIMO technology. We performed several tests to check the networking reliability and speed of the Asus RT-ACRH13 (Ac1300) router. First, we connected 3 x 3 laptops and began measuring the throughput.

At close range, we use the 2.4 GHz band frequency and measured 95 Mbps maximum speed at 5 feet. At 15 feet, the speed of the router measured was 81 Mbps. At 100 feet, the average speed of the router measured was 20 Mbps.

We also performed tested by switching to a 5 GHz frequency band, which is the 802.11ac standard. At 5 feet close range, we measured the maximum speed up to 446 Mbps. Likewise, we measured the speed of 325 Mbps at 15 feet. The speed went down to 134 Mbps at 100 feet.

The RT-ACRH13 (Ac1300) is an MU-MIMO router, which addresses the downstream performance. Therefore, we tested the router at both MU-MIMO turned “ON” and “OFF.” For this, we connected to computers with compatible wireless adapters.

We measured an average speed of 220 Mbps with MU-MIMO disabled. Also, we measured an average speed of 260 Mbps with MU-MIMO enabled. It shows that when the MU-MIMO feature is enabled or turned “ON,” it improves the Wi-Fi performance by 20%. Overall, it is an excellent router with high-performance capabilities.

Design

The design of the Asus RT-ACRH is similar to RT-AC66U. The manufacturer kept the same case. They just removed the back antennas in the middle and added 2 antennas on the side.

On the top, you see the black & grey diamond pattern. It does not retain the fingerprints. Also, the router has a matte finish. On the back, you see the Asus Company logo. It maintains an ominous look.

When you closely observe the design of the Asus RT-ACRH13, you will see that the manufacturer took inspiration from previous models and added new features to the design to make it more stylish and unique.

You can’t position the router upwards because it does not have a stand. You can only position the router flat on the surface. It is a lightweight router and the dimension measurements are 8.14 x 5.85 x 1.39 inches. Although it is a smaller article. However, the position of the antennas makes it take your desk space slightly.

The Asus RT-ACRH13 has two holes of larger size on the bottom, which allows you to mount the router on the wall. On the bottom of the router, you see 4 rubber feet, which enhance the router’s stability. The weight of the router is 0.99 pounds and even using all of its ports, the router won’t budge.

Also, there are 6 LED lights, which indicate the Power, WAN, 5 GHz, and 2.4 GHz WI-Fi radio frequency bands, USB, AND LAN. This router has a USB 3.0 port located on the front side. We think it is a good addition but at the same time, it makes a mess of cables.

Hardware

The Asus RT-ACRH has a Quadcore 717 MHz CPU equipped with Qualcomm Atheros IPQ4018 technology. It has 128 of RAM and 128 MB of flash memory the 2×2:2 Qualcomm chipset delivers 2.4 GHz high wireless performance.

It also has a 2.4 GHz Rich-Wave Power Amplifier. The 2×2:2 Qualcomm APQ4018 chip also delivers excellent 5 GHz wireless performance and enhances the speed through the 5 GHz Skyworks amplifier.

Installation

You can easily install and set up the Asus RT-ACRH13 (Ac1300) router. It offers an easy-to-use and intuitive user interface known as “ASUSWRT” which you can access by opening up your web browser and typing “https://router.asus.com” and hit enter.

Once there, you will enter the login name and password. It is the admin for both by default. Once you have entered the username and password, you will click the sign-in button to get access to the UI.

Entering the UI allows you to quickly set up the internet. The UI will automatically detect your ISP connection. Next, it will ask for SSIDs and you must enter them for both the 2.4 GHz network and 5 GHz network. Next, you need security keys. Click on the apply button to finish the setup.

What We Liked

• The MU-MIMO Feature
• Affordable Price
• Attractive Design
• Easy to Use Interface

What We didn’t Like

• Average Storage Performance
• No Custom Firmware Support

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