Asus makes some of the best routers out there, we can say that from experience (two of its models appear on our list of best routers for gaming). With that in mind, we have high hopes for the company's new RT-AC86U, a dual-band router that is supposed to prioritize gaming traffic.
Using a combination of adaptive QoS controls and WTFast Game Accelerator, Asus says this new model is designed to deliver lag-free online gaming, along with 4K streaming without frequent buffering. With regards to the former, the built-in QoS controls give your gaming traffic priority over other online activity. Game Accelerator adds to this with WTFast's Gamers Private Network (GPN) client/server solution. It uses proprietary software to send gaming data through its network of over 100 servers to reduce ping.
Beyond its gaming features, the RT-AC86U is a dual-band 802.11ac MU-MIMO router powered by a 1.8GHz 32-bit dual-core processor. Theoretically, it can deliver data at up to 2,167Mbps on the 5GHz band and up to 750Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. Real-world speeds will be lower than these advertised maximums, but the higher number, the fatter the pipe, so to speak.
Asus routers have a solid reputation for range. In this case, the RT-86U is powered by an internal 3dBi antenna and three external antennas.
Around back you'll find four GbE LAN ports for wired connections. The RT-86U also has a USB 3.0 port and USB 2.0 port for plugging in external devices to share across your network, such as an older printer that doesn't support wireless or a storage drive.
According to TechPowerUp, Asus is pricing this one at $199 (€249).
