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Kid Network: A separate Wi-Fi SSID with kid-unfriendly online content automatically filtered out. It's a network with a special QoS setting.
RT-AX86U Pro - AX5700 Dual Band WiFi 6 Gaming Router - ASUS
Guest WiFi: Create a guest network with a WiFi schedule and access rights to control when and how guests can use the network. And the resemblance goes beyond the look. They also share the same set of network features and settings. Apart from Asus’s core feature set, they both include valuable gaming-related features. Actual data throughput and WiFi coverage will vary from network conditions and environmental factors, including the volume of network traffic, building material and construction, and network overhead, result in lower actual data throughput and wireless coverage. The Asus RT-AX86U Pro is a tabletop router that offers a range of features for seamless connectivity. It supports Ethernet WAN, allowing for a stable and secure connection. Unfortunately, it does not support DSL WAN or have a SIM card slot for mobile connectivity. However, it is compatible with 3G/4G USB modems, giving users the flexibility to choose their preferred mode of network connection. Like the RT-AC3100, I’m confident the RT-AX86S is a good router. If you don’t need the Multi-Gig port or care about extra processing power, it will give you the same experience as the RT-AX86U.
Remove Network Bottlenecks
I don’t have a gig or more internet connection (it is 200Mbit on optical at the moment and it works fast enough for now).
RT-AX86S (AX5700) Dual Band WiFi 6 Extendable Gaming ASUS RT-AX86S (AX5700) Dual Band WiFi 6 Extendable Gaming
ASUS makes no representations or warranties about this product’s compatibility with future standards. And then, in late 2022, Asus did it again by introducing the RT-AX86U Pro, which is basically the RT-AX86U plus a slightly faster CPU.The company’s select models — including RT-AX86U Pro, RT-AX88U Pro, GT-AX11000 Pro, GT-AXE16000, GT-AX6000, ZenWiFi Pro ET12/ XT12, and ExpertWiFi Series — also support a more advanced VLAN feature allowing users to customize their network ports accordingly. Additionally, these models generally share the same Pro-only features on top of the standard set available in all Asus routers. The takeaway The new Pro router on the inside reminds me of the similarly-specced GT-AX6000, part of Asus's ROG Rapture gaming hardware. Now I already have one RT-AX86S (it was a steal last year for 100) on the 2nd floor and RP-AX56 extender on the 1st, but signal is so-so in the basement. Now due to the way the cables are run through the house the main router will have to be in the 1st floor, main living space is 2nd floor and computer room/office will maybe one day be moved to basement/garage. Would one or two more RT-AX86S do the job or would RT-AX86U Pro be better for main router? Also I imagine the current extender would do just fine in the basement for now? This post will help with those questions. The gist is if pricing is the same, then there’s no reason not to get the Pro version. And The RT-AX86S can be a good choice for a non-demanding home.
RT-AX86 Series(RT-AX86U/RT-AX86S) - Tech Specs - ASUS RT-AX86 Series(RT-AX86U/RT-AX86S) - Tech Specs - ASUS
Last but not least, the RT-AX88U Pro supports AiMesh 2.0 and can work as a Multi-Gig primary or satellite node with any member of Asus's Multi-Gig AiMesh hardware. Avoid using Auto-Update for firmware: You should update the firmware when you see fit instead of letting the hardware update itself. IoT Network: A secondary also isolated Wi-Fi network for IoT devices. Technically, this is just another guest Wi-Fi network like the one above. Wi-Fi standards: Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E| UNII-4 (5.9GHz) | Wi-Fi 6 | What is Wi-Fi? | Wi-Fi antennas (dBi) | Wi-Fi broadcasting/signal power (dBm)
It shares all common features and settings collectively available in Asus Wi-Fi routers, as I detailed in this primer post. It's similar to any Dual-band Asus Wi-Fi 6 router, including the non-Pro version or the GT-AX6000.
RT-AX86U Pro - Tech Specs｜WiFi Routers｜ASUS Global
As for the fight between the RT-AX86U vs the RT-AX86U Pro, the “Pro” notion of the latter is a bit arbitrary. There’s not much extra to qualify the new hardware for the moniker. But that’s just semantics. Chances are the two are the same in real-world usage, and I wouldn’t consider the Pro if it costs noticeably more.
Avoid the initial major release (*): This is the first firmware version of a model where the 3xx number changes, such as from 384 to 386 or from 386 to 388. Generally, the latest minor update of the previous major firmware release is always the most stable. AiMesh started as an add-on feature with firmware version 384 in early 2018 -- represented by the RT-AC86U -- and was stable by the latest minor update of this version. In early 2020, Asus released version 386, buggy in the early stages, to add AiMesh 2.0 via the introduction of the ZenWifi product line. By late 2022, version 386 became fully mature, and Asus started releasing version 388, and the history repeated itself. So on and so forth. VLAN capability on the LAN side was added with the release of Firmware: 9.0.0.6.102.3506 (Beta Version) Best-practices for replacing ASUS RT-AX86U with ASUS RT-AX86U Pro (=moving everything from the existing router to a replacement one)? Thank you for sharing your view of the RT-AX88U Pro. Want to share some context before I ask a few questions.
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