I don't know that the "Guest" is on about, but it IS Fiber ready. I have giga speeds (950/450) at home handles it like a pro. I have put everything possible in my house wireless including my servers, there is no lag no slowness. The best router you can buy today I don't know that the "Guest" is on about, but it IS Fiber ready. I have giga speeds (950/450) at home handles it like a pro. I have put everything possible in my house wireless including my servers, there is no lag no slowness. The best router you can buy today

=== Troubleshooting I had to do ===

My ISP disallows me from using any routers except for the trash Huawei one they provided. This means that this ASUS router didn't work out of the box (not ASUS's fault). What I had to do was to set my WAN MAC address the the MAC address of my previous Huawei router, which resolved the issue.

=== Pros ===

* Incredibly fast Wi-Fi. Getting 100MBit/s on 2.4GHz with older computers (which means 5GHz is unnecessary, because my internet caps out at 100).
* Gives pretty graphs that shows in real time who's abusing your internet, and allows you to rate-limit them on the spot. More broadly, you can also rat...view more === Troubleshooting I had to do ===

My ISP disallows me from using any routers except for the trash Huawei one they provided. This means that this ASUS router didn't work out of the box (not ASUS's fault). What I had to do was to set my WAN MAC address the the MAC address of my previous Huawei router, which resolved the issue.

=== Pros ===

* Incredibly fast Wi-Fi. Getting 100MBit/s on 2.4GHz with older computers (which means 5GHz is unnecessary, because my internet caps out at 100).
* Gives pretty graphs that shows in real time who's abusing your internet, and allows you to rate-limit them on the spot. More broadly, you can also rate-limit individual guest networks etc.
* Can spoof the WAN MAC address that you give to your ISP (tested on fibre).
* Exceedingly simple interface.
* Has so many high level features that it feels like a mini server.
* Supports SSH :D

=== Cons ===

It has some minor annoyances that you don't have with cheaper routers. For this price, you shouldn't have annoyances. Examples:
* You cannot access the router by going to its IP address. You can only access the router by going to router.asus.com, which internally redirects to that IP. This is problematic in many situations, the biggest problems being custom DNS and corporate VPN. You can force the URL to resolve to the router using your hosts file, but this creates other issues such as an extremely sluggish web interface on Mac (Linux is mostly fine).
** Just to be clear though: corporate VPN works 100% with this router, but you cannot access the router while on VPN.
* The router cuts the internet connection when applying the most basic settings (such as assigning a static IP to a node). Consequently I need to check with family before doing anything, especially during working hours.

Overall I have no regrets, and this is the best network device I've ever acquired. Would 5 star if not for the cons. Would definitely recommend.

I bought this to upgrade a Netgear nighthawk R7000 and it has made a huge improvement. I am on Voyager gigabit fibre, and all TV in the house comes through this connection. The old router was struggling with multiple hd streams and the increase in devices generally, phones laptops etc. The router is located downstairs in the living room, the netgear would barely be able to provide a 2ghz connection to the upstairs opposite corner of the house.

In searching for a new router my intention was to improve wireless coverage, improve throughput for more devices and i also wanted a router that would provide VPN Support (considering ExpressVPN or...view more I bought this to upgrade a Netgear nighthawk R7000 and it has made a huge improvement. I am on Voyager gigabit fibre, and all TV in the house comes through this connection. The old router was struggling with multiple hd streams and the increase in devices generally, phones laptops etc. The router is located downstairs in the living room, the netgear would barely be able to provide a 2ghz connection to the upstairs opposite corner of the house.

In searching for a new router my intention was to improve wireless coverage, improve throughput for more devices and i also wanted a router that would provide VPN Support (considering ExpressVPN or Nord). I therefore put Wifi 6 high on the list of requirements. I dropped the idea of buying a multi device mesh bundle, as the good wifi 6 options were still too expensive.

I chose this Asus for all the above reasons, i have never owned Asus before and it is great, the UI is fantastic. It obviously supports AI mesh, so the option is there to add further devices if required, but i have no need.

In terms of internet speed.....

On a Wifi 6 client (Surface Laptop 3, Iphone 11, Galaxy Note 10) - I get around 400-450 down and 400-450 up.
The rest of the devices support AC (Wifi 5) - typically get around 100-150 down and 150-200 up.

This device easily copes with multiple devices - contending for bandwidth - i have had no problems at all - even on the older Wifi 6 devices.

Wireless coverage is great too - even 5G now reaches upstairs far corner of house with around 150gig download.

I bought this to future-proof - and it is has made a big difference.

I say easyish because it has the same setup as the previous model that I also used to own. It is a bit difficult as you need to talk with your internet provider to get the details for setting it up for the first time (and the providers do not train their staff to work with third-party routers). So it may take a bit of fiddling around with to set up your internet connection the first time you turn it on.

It performs great, I had the previous unit - RT-AC88U which had an issue of not putting out 5.0 GHz. This unit doesn't have a problem. It might be a little overkill for my 70 square metre flat, but it definitely covers every device in the h...view more I say easyish because it has the same setup as the previous model that I also used to own. It is a bit difficult as you need to talk with your internet provider to get the details for setting it up for the first time (and the providers do not train their staff to work with third-party routers). So it may take a bit of fiddling around with to set up your internet connection the first time you turn it on.

It performs great, I had the previous unit - RT-AC88U which had an issue of not putting out 5.0 GHz. This unit doesn't have a problem. It might be a little overkill for my 70 square metre flat, but it definitely covers every device in the house and pushes 350 Mb/s to my two computers connected with AX wireless adapters.

The unit is a bit $$$ and is probably surplus to my requirement but I can't deny that it rocks.

fibre setting can be found https://www.pbtech.co.nz/ASUSISPSettings, same as other ASUS router. fibre setting can be found https://www.pbtech.co.nz/ASUSISPSettings, same as other ASUS router.

Work great on 2 degrees fiber, ended up with more speed over previous router.
Easy to set-up and get working Work great on 2 degrees fiber, ended up with more speed over previous router.
Easy to set-up and get working

I've owned the RT-AX88U for just over a month. I purchased it when my wife's new ax210 chipset based laptop was repeatedly dropping connections on my old wifi ap (a Unify ac pro).
The wifi is absolutely amazing on this router, no cons I can think of. However it'll need some config and possibly uncrowded airwaves to get the full speed.

Pros:
1. Most importantly we have no more dropped connections.
2. The wifi is fast, on speedtest.net from about 4m distance the laptop is getting 930Mbps down and 467Mbps up, almost maxing out our 1Gbps down and 500Gbps up internet connection.
3. Many configuration options, full control over traffic etc, ...view more I've owned the RT-AX88U for just over a month. I purchased it when my wife's new ax210 chipset based laptop was repeatedly dropping connections on my old wifi ap (a Unify ac pro).
The wifi is absolutely amazing on this router, no cons I can think of. However it'll need some config and possibly uncrowded airwaves to get the full speed.

Pros:
1. Most importantly we have no more dropped connections.
2. The wifi is fast, on speedtest.net from about 4m distance the laptop is getting 930Mbps down and 467Mbps up, almost maxing out our 1Gbps down and 500Gbps up internet connection.
3. Many configuration options, full control over traffic etc, although in general I didn't touch these, since it's just me and my wife.
4. Fine grained control of hand off between 5G and 2.5G band connections, although you're going to have to do a bit research to understand these settings.
5. Very nice app and web interface for real time monitoring of traffic and the network.
6. Once internet connection is up it is rock solid, I've never noticed it drop. Although this could be more Spark's doing than the router.

Cons:
1. It's fiddly to configure, it drops the internet (wan) connection after many changes or worse it wants a reboot.
2. (See below) Out of the box it was very slow to connect to the internet (Spark fiber). It could take up to 15 minutes of rebooting before the connection was up. Once it was up it was solid though.
3. Due to the above issues, I generally too scared to make any changes once it was up and running

Fixing the slow to connect problem:
1. Follow the guides to connect to Spark Fiber. Pbtech has a web page for this: https://www.pbtech.co.nz/ASUSISPSettings. Spark also publishes the settings page: Search for "Set up a non-Spark modem".
2. This should get you connected, but you might notice it taking a while.
3. I eliminated this by setting "Enable VPN + DHCP Connection = NO", which is by default ON. The setting is in the WAN tab when configuring a PPPoE connection, fifth item from the bottom of the page

Other hints:
1. The system log page, is good for diagnosing issues and googling possible errors.
2. Be sure to update your firmware
3. For the fastest wifi speeds, be sure to tick "Enable 160Mhz" and "Auto select channels including DFS channels"
4. I found I had to change my 5Ghz channel bandwidth from "20/40/80/160 Mhz" to "160Mhz" for my ax clients to actually connect to a 160Mhz band.
5. If you have any disconnection issues disable the 160Mhz bands, radar takes priority and if you're near a radar source it can stop the router from using this channel width.
6. You can view what band and channel width your clients are using from the "Wireless log" tab in the "System Log" menu, you'll be able to see whether your client is using 160Mhz, 80Mhz, 40Mhz etc

Ordered during lock down 4 to replace an Asus RT_AC86U purchased in October 2018 which failed. Set up to SPARK fibre was more frustrating than with AC86U. Although "same" steps to follow took longer to get running. Probably because of Covid staffing, support from PBTECH not up to expected standard. Once running this unit uses full available speed, handles multiple simultaneous connections with no drop off, and has very good signal strength throughout the house. Ordered during lock down 4 to replace an Asus RT_AC86U purchased in October 2018 which failed. Set up to SPARK fibre was more frustrating than with AC86U. Although "same" steps to follow took longer to get running. Probably because of Covid staffing, support from PBTECH not up to expected standard. Once running this unit uses full available speed, handles multiple simultaneous connections with no drop off, and has very good signal strength throughout the house.

runs on merlin now runs on merlin now

Replaced an ageing Netgear Router with this Ax-88. Installation and setup was an absolute breeze.

As for performance, I no longer need to use my extenders to reach the rest of the house.

The 8 Lan ports are a real bonus. I am now able to hardwire, TV, Camera, PlayStation as well as physically connect my office. Replaced an ageing Netgear Router with this Ax-88. Installation and setup was an absolute breeze.

As for performance, I no longer need to use my extenders to reach the rest of the house.

The 8 Lan ports are a real bonus. I am now able to hardwire, TV, Camera, PlayStation as well as physically connect my office.

Took hours to get setup and had to set many manual settings even vodafone couldnt help

Eventually got it going but worth the effort Took hours to get setup and had to set many manual settings even vodafone couldnt help

Eventually got it going but worth the effort

By: BrodyD2 08/11/21

Verified Owner

This thing is amazing! It has a ton of config options that I didn't even think about. Hasn't let me down This thing is amazing! It has a ton of config options that I didn't even think about. Hasn't let me down