ASUS RT-BE96U Review

First, let’s talk about the 5 GHz tests. On a performance level, the RT-BE96U is no better than the other Wi-Fi 7 routers I’ve tested to date. NETGEAR’s Nighthawk RS700S still has a slight lead in close-range performance, but the speed differences between them all even out by the time I step into my neighbor’s yard across the street.

The takeaway from this part of my testing is that I generally got crap speeds from every Wi-Fi 6 and older router when I used DFS channels. That’s clearly not the case with the Wi-Fi 7 routers I’ve tested, and that’s a good thing. Wi-Fi 7 does a great job of weeding out interference, turning previously unusable spaces into speedy freeways.

However, I had issues testing the 2.4 GHz band. I normally set the channel width to 40 MHz to squeeze out all the speeds I can get, but the router faced some serious interference I hadn’t seen on the other Wi-Fi 7 routers. There were no colliding networks in the primary channel I chose (and I actually tested on every channel), so I’m not sure what was going on. It all worked out in the end, but Wi-Fi 7 clearly isn’t completely bulletproof against the evils of interference.

Meanwhile, the RS700S is the only other standalone Wi-Fi 7 router I’ve tested at this point that includes the 6 GHz band. Again, the RT-BE96U fell slightly behind the RS700S in my speed test, but not enough to tell you to pick one over the other. Of course, the speeds you get depend squarely on where you live and the devices you use.

I spent quite a while digging through the web and mobile interfaces to unearth every little golden nugget packed into this router, and I must say, it’s been a long while since I’ve seen any router so loaded that I don’t know where to begin. That’s a good thing.

So, the easiest way to summarize it all without a lot of blah blah blah is to make a scannable, bulleted list. Behold, seekers of superfast Wi-Fi:

• Mesh networking (AiMesh only)
• Free security powered by TrendMicro (AiProtection)
• Free profile-based parental controls
• Free VPN tools (server, client, and a mobile-based connection)
• Gaming tools like mobile game mode and port forwarding rules based on game profiles
• USB-based media streaming and sharing
• USB-based printer sharing
• USB-based 4G/5G tethering
• Multiple SSIDs (I created at least 5)
• Cloud-based file sharing (AiCloud 2.0)
• Dual WAN connectivity with Fail Over and Load Balancing support
• VLAN tagging (to isolate devices and users)
• WAN Aggregation connectivity (up to 2Gbps)

There’s a lot to take in, am I right? You’re definitely getting your money’s worth even if you’re not all about the superfast eyeball-popping Wi-Fi 7 speeds.

What the RT-BE96U could do better

• EasyMesh support
• Server ping tool

The RT-BE96U uses proprietary AiMesh technology only, and I have to wonder why, given that the open-source OpenMesh seems best for everyone. But maybe that’s not the case when MLO is involved? I like EasyMesh because you’re not locked to a specific manufacturer.

Also, geo-filter and ping heatmap tools would be nice if you’re going to dump gaming tools in a router. I realize this isn’t a gaming router per se, but why not go the extra mile?

Design-wise, this router is a huge upturned tarantula, but it fits the bill perfectly if you want a monster managing your home network. You have the 10Gbps ports needed for superfast Wi-Fi 7 speeds, a couple of USB ports for essential things like secondary internet and Time Machine backups, and lots of ventilation to keep that four-core processor comfy cool. Twelve streams across three bands means there’s plenty of bandwidth to handle your army of devices without a lot of tacked-on latency.

The only drawback I see is a lack of cool lighting, but that would push the RT-BE96U into gaming router territory, which this router isn’t. I guess. ASUS makes gaming hardware, so you wouldn’t be wrong in assuming the RT-BE96U is a gaming router. It has gaming tools, after all, but … um … it’s not a gaming router. Go figure (shrug).

Talk about quick and easy. Because I knew the RT-BE96U might be a loaded beast, and because I’m old school anyway, I chose to set up this router using the web interface. I expected some long, drawn-out process, but once I connected to Wi-Fi and loaded the web UI, I went through a quick-and-painless six-step process. Heck, a car wash takes longer than getting your Wi-Fi network up and running using this router. I can’t say that about some of the competition.

After reviewing a lot of TP-Link routers with their white and light-blue interfaces, coming back to ASUS was a bit jarring. The interface is a stark contrast to what TP-Link uses, sporting a dark theme full of different gray gradients and black. I’m not complaining, as the web interface looks more game-centric than other interfaces I’ve used.

That said, everything divides into General and Advanced Settings on the left. It’s not hard to figure out where everything resides, although shoving the built-in speed test into Adaptive QoS instead of Traffic Analyzer doesn’t make much sense to me. Some of the features you may be looking for, like advanced parental controls, are only available in the app.

Meanwhile, the ASUS Router app is quite busy at first glance. You can tone down the visuals by changing the theme, which—hello! It’s about time we get themes in a router app. The overall layout isn’t much different when you switch themes, as everything splits into five tabs. The Settings tab is where you’ll find the majority of the controls, while Family is where you create profiles and set content filters. You need separate apps to use Instant Guard and AiCloud.