ASUS RT-AC68U Wireless-AC1900 Dualband Gigabit Router

ASUS RT-AC68U Dualband Wireless Router Highlights -

Pros: Excellent speed and performance. Easy setup.

Cons: Expensive.

ASUS RT-AC68U Dualband Wireless Router is the most advanced and one of the fastest wireless routers we have come across thus far. The router is based on the latest 802.11ac wireless standards. It is however, backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n devices. ASUS RT-AC68U boasts a combined dualband speed of 1900 Mbps (1300Mbps over 5GHz + 600Mbps over 2.4GHz), making it faster than most high end 802.11n wireless routers like the Netgear N900. This kind of performance is possible because of it's fast 800MHz dual-core processor and a new Wi-Fi chip - the Broadcom BCM4709 that features TurboQAM technology. Broadcom's TurboQAM technology increases wireless-N data rate to 600 Mbps for 33% faster performance than older 802.11n routers. This will be good for existing wireless-N client adapters which the majority of computers currently ship with. ASUS RT-AC68U is also integrated with 256MB of DDR3 RAM. This along with dual-core processor, should help the router boot faster and buffer data under heavy loads. As with most other 802.11ac wireless routers, it features 1 Gigabit WAN port, 4 Gigabit LAN ports, 1 USB 3.0 port and 2 USB 2.0 ports. The two USB ports makes it perfect for file, multimedia, and 3G/4G internet sharing.

Just by looking at the specifications, the ASUS RT-AC68U seems to be in a class of its own. Trusted Reviews (a technology review site) carried out performance tests on ASUS RT-AC68U. At a test distance of 2 metres line of sight, 10 metres line of sight and 13 metres behind two solid walls over 802.11ac, the ASUS RT-AC68U showed speeds of 377.6 megabits/sec, 354.4 megabits/sec and 237.6 megabits/sec respectively. These figures are considerably better than Linksys EA6700 802.11ac Smart Wireless Router, which we have recently reviewed.

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The ASUS RT-AC68U wireless router comes with 3 external antennas and features AiRadar with Beam forming technology that ensures extended coverage and enhanced stability. The ASUS AiCloud keeps you connected to your data wherever and whenever you have an internet connection. It links your home network and online web storage service and lets you access it through the AiCloud mobile app on your iOS or Android smartphone, or through a personalized URL in a web browser. You can also find features such as Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), Parental Control, a Traffic Manager that also includes the QoS features, WPA/WPA2/WPS security, DLNA, IPv6 support, port forwarding and triggering, integrated media server and VPN. In addition, the router also offers up to 6 guest Wi-Fi networks, 3 for each band. While most of the time only 2 guest networks are needed, having more means you can set up each network for certain types of guests or certain Wi-Fi standards.

ReviewsBucket's Verdict:
ASUS RT-AC68U Dualband Wireless Router is aimed at advanced users where speed and performance is paramount. The router will have no issues streaming high definition videos, playing online games or making VoIP calls. The dual-core processor eliminates dropped connections that plague other routers. However, it is a bit expensive. As more 802.11ac routers hit the market, technology will get better and cheaper. But currently ASUS RT-AC68U is one of the fastest routers out there in the market and is worth every penny. Also, did we forget to mention that ASUS RT-AC68U was the winner of PC Pro's Excellence Awards (2013) for the best wireless router and comes in white edition as well - ASUS RT-AC68W? If you are after a cheaper option but based on similar wireless standards, then please consider Linksys EA6700 Smart Wireless Router AC1750.

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Readers Rating: 4.0/5
ASUS RT-AC68U Wireless-AC1900 Dualband Gigabit Router, 4.0 out of 5 based on 2 ratings

 

 

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